I stepped aside and called my mother, oblivious of the hour. We needed information, and I doubted the PI would have found anything by now.
“Jayden… what time is it? Why are you calling?” my mother mumbled.
“I’ll explain later… this is important. Do you remember if you had people from other states at the gala? Someone that probably bought a ticket at the last minute?” he asked, firing the questions as fast as he could.
“I don’t manage that information…” my mother replied, sounding concerned. “Who exactly are you looking for?” she asked.
“Anne’s husband. Did you see him at…”
“Husband? She told me he was her ex,” my mother interrupted me.
“You met him?”
“Yes, she introduced me to him.”
“Do you remember his name?”
“David… no, Daniel, yes, Daniel Hudson. She introduced him to me and asked me to tell him more about the foundation before she disappeared. He rushed after her almost immediately.”
“Thank you… I’ll explain it later,” I ended the call. “Daniel Hudson. That’s her husband’s name,” I informed the officer.
“We’ll check it. Her name will make things a bit easier. I’m sure there mustn’t be that many Ailani’s married to a Daniel Hudson,” the officer said. “We’ll let you know when we find something.”
I watched the police leaving Jonathan’s place, feeling more frustrated than ever.
“Oh, God… what can we do?” Jonathan whimpered.
“The police will find them,” George comforted him, but I wasn’t so sure.
23
Jayden
I called the PI I hired and gave him the latest news. “I know it’s late, and I apologize, but this is a matter of life and death. I need you to find everything you can about this man,” I asked him.
“Any idea where they lived?” the PI asked.
“Try New York. She lived a few years there,” I suggested, with nothing else to say.
She had been very reserved about her life, and I hadn't insisted.
“I’ll get on to this right away,” the man promised.
“Thank you,” I ended the call and turned to look at Jonathan. “Did she mention him to you?”
Jonathan shook his head. “Not much. I tried to get her talking after you left, but she refused to confide in me. She did say the bastard was only happy when he was hurting her… that can’t be good, right?” Jonathan's anxiety was palpable and a true reflection of my own.
That wasn’t good at all… what kind of a man followed a woman across the country when she obviously wanted nothing to do with him?
“Please, call me the minute you hear something from the police,” I asked Jonathan and George, as I walked towards the door.
“Yes, and you do the same. She is our friend,” Jonathan asked.
I nodded and left the house. Sitting in my car, I rubbed my face, wishing I had done things differently. Perhaps if she had felt she could trust me, she would have told me all about her husband.
But I was to blame for this mess. If I had allowed Anne to explain things, I wouldn’t have let her leave the house, and I would have done everything in my power to keep the bastard away from her.
Now, I was even starting to believe he had found her thanks to me. I had led him right to where she was hiding. It was the only thing that made sense, the reason why he had gone looking for her at my office.
