“So how did Bernard take the arrest?” Jayden asks them as we enter the room. We only know that he was taken into custody shortly after Jayden, Virginia, and Blake rescued Landon and me.
Blake pauses his pacing. “He quickly lawyered up, and we haven’t been able to get anything from him. He’s still sticking to his story about why he lured you two down and claiming innocence when it comes to drugs and the kidnapping.”
“Have you found any drugs on the premise?”
“We’re waiting on the search warrant now. We weren’t exactly prepared for how things played out. We needed more solid evidence first. You and Landon getting kidnapped threw a wrench in everything. So far we’ve got zero leads as to who those two men are that we arrested. Their fingerprints aren’t on file, and they aren’t exactly cooperating. But thanks to what Landon told us about what he found on Bernard’s computer, we might have something on him when it comes to illegal activity. We’re waiting on the warrant now to seize it.”
“The only thing they’re saying is that they have no idea what we are talking about when it comes to drugs,” Virginia says.
“Do you believe them?” I ask.
“Until we have evidence linking them, we have no idea what to believe. But they will be charged for kidnapping and holding you and Landon captive. They’re not getting away from us that easily.”
“What about Bradshaw?” Jayden asks.
“Other than the comment about getting two for the price of one that Isabelle and Landon heard, they haven’t said anything else on the topic.”
“And because they didn’t mention Bernard’s last name,” Blake says, “their comment holds no weight. They could have been referring to another Bernard. It’s not exactly an unusual name.”
“Can we talk to them?” I ask.
“That’s not a good idea. It could end up hurting our case. The best we can do is keep trying, but I don’t think any of you talking to them will make a difference.
“My suggestion is to go home. Let us worry about those two. We’ll do whatever we can to find out why they kidnapped you and what they were planning to do once they had you. We’ll be in contact with you, and you have our information in case anything else comes to mind.”
I nod—but my thoughts are already racing ahead to what I plan to do once I return to San Francisco.
Maybe my grandmother unwittingly knows something that can help solve the case.
Because when it comes down to it, she too was duped by Bernard.
31
Jayden
The next day,I drive to Josephine’s house.
As soon as Isabelle, Landon, and I left the Huntington Beach police station yesterday, we grabbed our stuff from the resort and drove back to San Francisco in Landon’s vehicle.
Because Blake and Virginia have taken over the mission, they’ve arranged for FBI agents to interview the alleged victims Bradshaw told us about, and that includes Tyler Mathews.
Isabelle’s car is in Josephine’s driveway when I pull up. Isabelle is leaning against the closed driver’s door, studying her phone.
My heart races at the sight of her long, toned legs barely covered by her sundress. The same legs that yesterday were wrapped around my hips as I pounded into her.
A memory I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
I park next to her and climb out of my SUV. Mojo barks from the back seat, his tongue lolling to the side.
I open the rear door. He jumps down and bounds over to her. She crouches next to him and wraps her arms around his thick neck.
Never before have I been jealous of my drooling dog until now.
I won’t say things have returned to normal between us since my big declaration yesterday. We spent the drive home ignoring the white elephant sitting next to her in the back.
“How’s the arm?” she asks, noticing it’s in the sling again, which I had to replace after tossing the old one.
“Last I checked, it’s still attached.”
