Garnet (Gems of Wolfe Island)

“I’ve been investigating this since she disappeared,” he says. “But she disappeared into thin air. Whoever did it covered their tracks—or had them covered—very well. Do you have any new information?”

“Nothing new, but I’m pretty sure it was one of her teammates who sold her out.”

“I’m pretty convinced of the same,” Darnell says.

“Have you found any evidence?”

“The only information I’ve got so far is the manifestation from the flight that took them into Manhattan.”

“You have that? Just the manifestation, or do you have a seating chart from the flight itself?”

“I have a contact at the FAA. He got everything for me.”

“That’s great! The person who was sitting next to Aspen might have poisoned her drink.”

Darnell’s eyes spark with fire. “So that’s how this all started?”

“We don’t know for sure, and there’s no way to prove it now.” I briefly fill him in on my hypothesis.

“Damn. I never thought I’d want to harm a woman in my life, but if one of those volleyball bitches did this to my little girl…” His fingers curl into fists.

“We have to prove it first.”

“So we prove it,” he says.

“Exactly how? You want to question each of them?”

“For starters, just the ones who were sitting with her on the plane and the one who took her position on the team.”

“It was so long ago. They’ll lie.”

“They won’t lie,” he says, “because I’ll be holding an AR-15 to their heads when we talk. They’ll spill their guts like a fucking geyser.”

I meet Darnell’s gaze. His eyes hold the same determined fire as his daughter’s.

Good.

We understand each other.

We understand each other very well.

30

ASPEN

I want to talk to my mother. I do. But she keeps going from sobbing to weeping, to hugging me close to her, to sobbing again.

I do my best to understand amidst the guilt I feel for not coming sooner, and for not letting them visit me at the retreat center or in Manhattan.

“Mom,” I say.

She sniffles, and her nose is nearly raw. “Yes?”

“Please. Please, let’s talk. I know you have questions.”

“No. No questions. I’m just glad you’re here.” She grabs onto me again.

“Okay. I get it. You just want to be with me. I can’t stay very long.”

“Why not? You’re home now.”

“They’re expecting me back in Manhattan. I have a therapist there.”

“We’ll find you a therapist here. The best money can buy.”

“I don’t need money for therapy. Macy—she’s my therapist in Manhattan—is paid for by the Wolfe family.”

“Well, you no longer need Macy. We’ll get you a therapist here.”

“Mom, I don’t have any health insurance right now, and I know you and Dad don’t have extra money lying around to get me the kind of help I need.”

“Money doesn’t matter, Aspen. You’re home now. I promise you’ll get the help you need.”

If I truly wanted to stay home, I know the Wolfe family would pay for my therapy here. They’d pay for whatever I need. But…I don’t want to stay here. Especially now that I know Brandon still has feelings for me, and especially because…

I have other things I need to do.

I need to figure out who betrayed me.

My father and Buck return from the basement. Buck doesn’t look any worse for the wear. I never thought I’d meet a man tougher than my dad, but Buck, though not quite as tall and broad, is as tough or tougher.

“Little tree,” Dad says, “your friend here and I have decided to join forces.”

Mom stands then. “What the hell are you talking about, Darnell? No one is joining forces with anyone.”

“Lisa, we may be able to put this to rest once and for all.”

“It’s been put to rest. Aspen is home. She’s alive, and she’s safe. Let’s leave it at that.”

Unfortunately, I have to intervene. I stand, meet my mother’s gaze. “No, Mom. I need to know. I need to know who set this whole thing in motion. I’m almost positive it was one of my teammates.”

“Oh, little tree… Please… You’re safe now. Safe at home where you belong. Please, don’t put yourself in harm’s way.”

“I won’t be in harm’s way, Mom. I just need to find out. I need to investigate. Talk to all of my teammates.”

“How on earth will you ever track them down?”

“A lot of them probably still play for the team.”

“About half of them are still on the team,” Dad says.

“Christ, Darnell. You’ve been looking into this?”

“Yes, Lisa, I have. This is our little girl we’re talking about. Just like you, I never gave up on her all that time she was gone, and I’m certainly not going to give up on her now.”

Mom seems to soften then, even as she curls her hands into fists. Then she sighs. “Nothing I can say is going to stop this, is it?”

“I’m sorry, Mom. But no.”

She turns to Buck then. “Did you talk her into this nonsense?”