Her eyelids fought an unseen weight. “Travel safely. I love you, too.”
As he tucked the covers around her soft body, he asked, “Are you going back to sleep?”
She nodded. “Yes, I think after that strenuous morning workout, I need a nap.”
Grinning, he kissed the top of her head and watched as her smile faded, her eyes closed, and she appeared blissfully serene. It was then Tony remembered the security. He didn’t want her to think things were different because he wasn’t home. Utilizing his CEO tone, he added, “Claire.”
Her eyes immediately opened. Although she didn’t speak, she obviously recognized his change in tenor. Perched on the edge of the bed, Tony reminded her, “If you leave the estate—”
She stilled his words with the touch of her hand. The large diamond on her fourth finger glistened, as she responded appropriately, “I promise, I’ll take Clay.”
“This isn’t debatable.”
“Tony, I’m not debating. I’m trying to sleep.”
He kissed her lips. “I’ll call when I touch down in London.”
She nodded. “Be safe. I think Eric’s waiting.”
Three days later, Tony received word of an attempted break-in at the estate. Thankfully, Clay had thwarted the attempt. Unfortunately, the perpetrator had not been caught. It seemed obvious that Chester’s accomplice was becoming bolder with his threats. More than anything, Tony wanted to get back to Iowa.
To that end, he rescheduled a few of his meetings and contemplated waiting for another time to visit Switzerland. The money could wait. It hadn’t been discovered in over twenty-five years. One extra six-month period of accumulation wouldn’t make that big of a difference. He had two more days before he could leave, when he received the call from Clay explaining that someone had tried to run him and Claire off the road. Tony didn’t give a damn about any more of the meetings—he headed home.
Twice before he took off, Tony tried to reach Claire. The first time, Catherine answered. He was shocked to hear her voice on Claire’s private phone, but it made sense when Catherine explained that Claire was shaken by the incident and was sleeping. The second time he tried, his call went straight to voice mail. As soon as his plane landed in Iowa, he tried to reach her again. This time, it continued to ring. Even the voice mail wouldn’t activate. Next, Tony tried Catherine. She answered right away.
“Catherine, can you go to Claire? I’ve been trying to reach her, but she isn’t answering.”
“I would, Anthony. However, she isn’t home.”
He exhaled. “All right, maybe she forgot her phone. I’ll call Clay.”
“He’s here. She left yesterday after her nap and we haven’t seen her since.”
His world imploded. “What do you mean she left yesterday and hasn’t come back? How could she leave without Clay?”
“She said she was tired of the constant surveillance and needed a break.”
“When? Why haven’t you called me or the police?”
Catherine tried to justify her reasoning. “Yesterday evening… I assumed she’d be back. It wasn’t until this morning we realized she hadn’t returned. You were in the air; I couldn’t reach you. I haven’t called the police. What was I supposed to say? A twenty-nine-year-old woman drove away, on her own, and now I can’t reach her? Once Clay learned she’d disappeared, he followed the GPS, and your car was located outside Des Moines… Anton, I’m so sorry. I truly thought she would return after she got her break. I was doing what you said to do—trust. You know how the hormones are making her emotional. I’m very worried.”
“Eric! Hit the damn gas! I need to be home!” Tony’s mind scrambled as he spoke to Catherine through the phone. “Des Moines? Jane Allyson is there. I’ll contact her.”
“Claire left her phone and iPad here. I can tell you, she’s missed many calls from people, especially her sister.”
“Shit, someone will need to contact Emily.” The jet lag was nothing compared to the chaos occurring in his mind. “What if Chester’s accomplice has her? We need to get the police involved. Have I received any ransom requests?”
“No, nothing here.”
“So a car tries to run Clay off the road, and later that same day, Claire decides to leave. Doesn’t anyone else think that this is suspicious?” His question was rhetorical; he’d disconnected their call.
Three days passed. The police came and went. Tony made phone calls and offered rewards. Every nutjob came out of the woodwork, yet no one could find Claire. For endless hours, he stared at the monitors in his office. The large screen was subdivided into many smaller screens. At the top was a live feed from outside his office door. He didn’t want any intruders. Below were multiple smaller screens changing constantly with various locations on the estate. The bulk of the screen held two videos. He controlled the speed and sound of each one. On the left, he saw Claire in his garages, rushing to the key cabinet and removing the key to a Mercedes-Benz. In the lower right corner the date read: 01/17/12. On the right was the video of Claire walking casually to the key cabinet that no longer held a lock. He watched as she removed the keys to a BMW and calmly walked toward the car. The date in the lower right corner read: 09/04/13. Repeatedly, he paused and scrutinized the scenes. With all his might, he tried to read Claire’s facial expressions.
In 2012, he saw fear as Claire looked around nervously. On the video recorded only days earlier, Tony wondered what he saw. No, he knew what he saw: she was wearing her mask of steely determination. What he didn’t know was what emotion was hidden beneath it.