The Other Side of Fairytale: HIS RETURN

Chapter Six

"Beaumont went back to Ramsford?" Drake growled. He grabbed his phone taking the stairs up from the basement two at a time, dialing Savannah as he went.

"Sav, it's me."

"Hi Drake."

"Listen, I just found out Beaumont is apparently living in Ramsford. He gave an address for an apartment on the outskirts of the village.. We're going to go check out the address, but I wanted to let you know."

"He's in Ramsford?" Savannah repeated, her voice quieting.

"You alright?"

"Yeah Drake, just...you don't think he'd come here, do you?"

"No, Drake reassured her. I'm not even sure he's been in Ramsford, let alone near your property."

"You mean his property."

"No Sav, I mean yours and Bartie's."

She let out a trembling sigh.

"You want us to stop by and check everything out?"

"No, Elias is here and the nanny. We're fine, just... worried."

"Listen to Elias and you'll be okay, Sav. We're going to go check out this address he gave his court appointee."

"Okay Drake."

"Be careful, Sav and call if you need anything."

Drake disconnected the call and looked over to Bastien. "Did you talk to Elias?"

He nodded, "He said there's not been any sign of him or anything unusual. Savannah and Bartie mostly keep to their quarters with the nanny. He said it's quiet and status quo."

"Good, let's hope it stays that way. In the meantime, let's go check on this address."

Annabelle made it through the remainder of the meal with Kiara and Penelope although she had to clench her hands so tightly, there were deep crescent shapes pressed into her palms. She entered the privacy of her room later that night and sat on the bed, dialing Drake.

"Granger, are you okay?"

"Did you see Maxwell?" She cut him off, anxious to hear the news.

"No", Drake growled. "His court officer is an incompetent moron and apparently Maxwell rescheduled due to a job interview."

"Maxwell working?" Annabelle challenged.

"Get this, he said he was interviewing at a fashion boutique for women."

"Are you kidding? Are they aware he's a convicted rapist?"

"I don't know, we're going to go talk to them tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? So you're not on your way back?" Annabelle was trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. She knew Drake was doing this for her and if they found Maxwell they could bring him in for questioning.

"Granger, I'm so sorry, but no. We're headed into Ramsford."

"Why? Is Savannah okay?"

"Yeah, I talked to her. She's alright, but Maxwell listed his current address as an apartment in Ramsford. Looks like it's pretty close to his old estate. It's a couple hour drive from here. We'll see if we can catch him tonight and then head back this way to talk to the owner of the boutique, if not. They're only open in the morning and if we miss her we'll have to wait until the next day."

"So, you won't be back."

Drake sighed, "I'm going to do my best to be back tomorrow night. If not, I'll be there before you get on the train for Castelsarreillan. Now, tell me about dinner."