Chapter Forty-Two - Fletcher

Ava sat on the edge of her seat on our drive to the fundraiser. She’d finally let herself relax when Cynthia called us. I wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing. Could they even see anything on the security footage? Sometimes it was impossible to get the information you truly needed from the footage.

Other times, it was exactly what you needed to see.

Jones dropped us off at the front door. I got out and helped Ava out of the backseat. She was shivering at the anxiety this was giving her. I prayed Charlotte wasn’t messing with Ava’s head. If she was, I might break my rule of smacking a woman.

Ava was so stressed that I could feel her unease from feet away from her. I interlaced my fingers with hers and attempted to calm her down.

I wasn’t sure it was working. We walked into the building, the sliding glass doors shut behind us, and I found a server carrying an empty tray to the kitchen.

“I’m looking for Cynthia? She called for Fletcher Hines.”

“Oh,” the blonde said. “Yes, she’s down that hallway right there. The second door to the left. I believe she's expecting you."

I followed her pointed finger. Ava hurried along beside me. The door was cracked, and when I knocked, she said, “Come inside.”

She sat behind a small desk with her tablet with a male leaning against the wall next to her. He looked like a guard or security of some type. “Hey, thank you for coming so quickly,” Cynthia said.

“What did you find?” Ava asked urgently.

Cynthia turned her tablet around so that we could both see it. I looked at the screen as she pressed play. The footage showed several people getting dropped off under the front entrance.

Ava pointed at a blonde in a dark black dress. “That’s the dress Charlotte told me that she was going to wear.”

Cynthia nodded. “She gets out here,” she said, pointing, "and walks to the side. It looks like she may have begun to make a phone call when someone began talking to her."

I squinted my eyes at the screen, only seeing a shadow of a man speaking with her. “They talk for a few minutes, and then…” she said, flipping through the footage, “we see her getting into the back of his town car.”

Ava sighed. “Do we know who he is? He doesn’t look familiar to me.”

“No,” Cynthia said. “Unfortunately we don’t have a tally on him because he never made it inside. Only the people that attended wrote their name down.”

“May I?” I asked.

Cynthia handed me the tablet and I attempted to zoom in on the license plate. “The last three of the license plate is 659. Are there any more cameras that may have picked up something different?”

The guard shook his head. “I did see them arrive. I was standing at the door. I didn’t get his license plate, but I noticed he had a slight limp in his walk.”

I couldn’t think of anyone who had a slight limp that would associate himself with the Capellos. “Could you send me this video footage? I want to let some people look at it. Maybe they can get the license plate number.”

“Sure thing,” Cynthia said. She texted the video to me and I began to download it.

Ava’s bottom lip trembled when I looked over at her. “Hey, Ava, don’t cry…”

“We have no idea what that man could have done to her,” she said.

She was right. Even if it wasn’t the Capellos. We had no idea who it was to find him. Anyone could attend this ball by word of mouth. It was a charity. The more the merrier. They did want you to RSVP.

“Do you have the RSVP list?” I asked. “He may not be on it but we could at least take a look at it.”

Cynthia nodded. “I have it somewhere. Wait here, and I’ll find it.”

She disappeared from the room, leaving us with the guard and one another. Ava wiped her eyes and sat up straight. “Did Charlotte seem uneased at speaking with him?”

“Not that I remember,” he said. “Several people were coming inside while they were talking. I don’t think your sister would have gotten into the car if she thought it was dangerous, do you?”

Ava shrugged. “I’m not sure. She may have gotten in if he threatened her or me. But she seemed to be laughing before she got inside. I think she willingly went.”

“Could she just be having fun?” he asked.

I looked at Ava’s face. “No. She would answer and let me know that she is okay.”

“Maybe she’s paying you back…” I started but she shot me a look.

“No, we’ve made up. I’m telling you she was taken.”

Ava folded her arms over her chest and I realized I’d hurt her feelings. Slipping my arm around her shoulders, I pulled her cheek toward me.

Cynthia came back a few moments later. “I copied the list for you. Please let us know if we can help in any other way.”

“Thank you,” I said, standing and keeping Ava close to me.

“Maybe go to the police?” she offered with a smile.

“Will do,” I lied.

We walked back to the town car. Jones shut the door behind me and started the engine once he made it to the driver’s seat. “Where to, Boss?”

I ran my fingers into my hair. “The restaurant. Ava, you need to eat. Please eat the rest of your burger.”

She nodded absently. She was hurt and afraid. She took slow bites of her burger while we drove toward the restaurant.

Maybe Levi or Dad would have a few ideas on what happened. Or they would recognize the vehicle. Or the man.

It was doubtful. I didn’t think Levi or Dad knew anyone that I didn’t. But I could be wrong. Levi got around a lot more than I ever did.

Jones dropped us off at the front door of the restaurant. The Central restaurant had been restored and was running again. Dad’s vehicle was parked in the back alleyway when we passed it but I didn't see Levi's anywhere.

I knocked on the office door and allowed Ava in first.

“Ava,” Dad said. “Nice to see you, honey…” He stopped when he noticed the look on her face. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Charlotte is missing. We found footage of her getting into a car with someone but we don’t recognize him. Can you look and see if you do?”

I handed Dad my phone while he found his glasses. He sat and watched the video as I helped Charlotte out of her shoes. “This man doesn’t look familiar. But there are so many town cars like that. Why are we worried that she isn’t having fun with this man? Who says she’s hurt or missing?”

“She isn’t at home. Or work. She won’t answer my calls or texts. Now her cell phone is going to voicemail. I have this sick feeling in the bottom of my stomach that someone took her.”

Dad’s gaze shifted toward mine. “You think the Capellos took her by accident?” he asked. “Thinking it was Ava? Or they knew they couldn’t get to Ava, so they took Charlotte?”

I shrugged. “Does it matter? What matters is that if it is them, we have to fix this. We have to get her back, Dad. They could hurt her. Kill her. We can’t wait around.”

Dad swallowed. “I understand. Maybe we can find something out about the license plate.”

“I emailed it over to a friend of mine. He is going to look into it. Maybe Levi will recognize the guy?” I asked.

“Perhaps. Have you texted it to him?”

“Yeah, haven’t heard back yet.”

I looked over my shoulder and Ava was asleep on the couch. She needed the rest. She tossed and turned most of the night though she claimed to have slept.

Part of me was so pissed at my Dad for doing all of this. If he hadn’t arranged a marriage with the Capellos none of this would have ever happened.

Then again, I would have never met Ava. We didn’t run in the same circle and I would have never had the opportunity to marry her.

It was a bittersweet acid going down my throat.

“I’m afraid that if something happens to her sister she’ll lose herself. I can’t lose her. I’m just now finding out who I am. I love, Ava. We have to figure out what happened to Charlotte, Dad."

Dad reached over and placed his palm on my shoulder. “I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to find her.”

I wanted to believe that he would. He loved his family. Though he’d done all of this because of his pride. Because he couldn’t let it go.

I walked over and sat down beside Ava as she slept. I didn’t dare move her. She looked too precious and desperately needed the rest.

I leaned my head back against the couch and found myself slipping into a sleep of my own.