The Ghosts Of Her Past (A Completed, Steamy Romantic Mystery)

Part Nineteen

"I thought I was safe," I said.

He poured himself another drink, and the number he has poured already, hasn't gone unnoticed. 

He threw it back and looked at me.  "You haven't been safe since the moment you met my sister."

"When are you going to just tell me everything, instead of making me wonder what the hell I've gotten myself into here?" I asked.

"Fine, have a seat." He pointed at the couch. 

"I think I'll stand."

I don't like the way he is bossing me around, like I'm in his submissive or something.  

"Fine, but you didn't seem too steady on your feet earlier." He said.

"I'm fine. Now, please, tell me what I need to know," I said.

He took his freshly poured drink over to a chair and took a seat.

"I pleaded with her to stay away from him.  He wasn't good for her, and she would not listen no matter how much I preached.  She said she loved him, but I knew she was going down a dark road.  His name was Gregory Bertinelli, an Italian from a prominent family.  He came here on business, and she met him in a club.  He gave me a very bad feeling, so I told my father, and he had someone that worked for him check the guy out.  I was right, and she refused to listen to any of us, so my father sent her away, but somehow he found her, and she ran off with him. 

We looked everywhere, and by the time we found her, it was too late.  His father sent men after them, and Gregory was killed in the chaos, but she escaped. The man blamed Cassidy for his son's death, and by the time she came back to us, she was a few months pregnant."

He threw back his drink and paused.

"We did our best to hide her away, and we did great.  She was safe, but Cassidy is restless.  She left the safe house and came home, which of course put her at risk, and she was spotted by one of Bertinelli's men, and her secret was revealed.  He wouldn't harm her while she was pregnant, but one day, she emptied her trust fund and took off, we never saw her again."

I sat down on the couch.  "Are you aware of anyone she would have known in the northwest?  She used to go somewhere at least once a week and never told me where she was going."

He shook his head. "All of the family is here on the east coast.  Our business is here and in Europe, so we don't travel west very often.  Somebody helped her if she was able to live for that long under that false identity, we knew she was okay," He said.

"Why didn't you search for her?" I asked. 

"She left a note saying she found safety somewhere and not to look for her, otherwise we could lead them to her. Our head of security said she probably did the right thing."

I find that suspicious, why would security say to just let her go?  She was young, and it's hard to believe she was able to care for herself and a baby.

"Do you think she found help within your security team?" I asked. 

He shrugged.  "It's been a decade, employees have come and gone.  We interviewed everyone, and the police did the same.  Once the old man reported her missing, the police didn't trust us because we didn't make the report.  The less helpful we were, the more guilty we looked.  We got a lot of bad press because the public thought one of us harmed her, so only we knew the truth."

"Maybe check and see if any of the people working for you at the time might have come from that area or had any ties to that area." I suggested. 

The door opened, and the Ox of a man from earlier stood in the doorway and said dinner is served, this put our conversation on hold. Blaine stood up and adjusted his suit jacket and tie then put his arm out and just looked down at me.

"What?" I asked.

"I am to escort you to dinner." He didn't look terribly thrilled. 

"Oh, okay."

I stood and hooked my arm in his, and with my hesitation very noticeable, he led me to a dining room fit for a king.  This place is absolutely ridiculous and so are these people.  If he hadn't told me that story, I would think Lisa ran from this place instead of from a psychopath.  These people are stuffy, and Lisa was in no way like her family. 

He stopped, where another man in a suit had a chair pulled out for me.  I sat, and he pushed the chair in, while Blaine took a seat across from me.  Soon after, his parents joined us, but both of his parents looked much different.  They must express their feelings in private, because Mrs. Lowell's eyes are very puffy and she doesn't look well at all.  My heart broke for her as my hand felt my own belly, realizing how hurt I would be if my own baby died, and I've not even heard a heartbeat yet. 

The staff started pouring wine into glasses, and I placed my hand over mine.  "No, thank you, just water please."

Blaine gave me a strange look, and I decided to ignore him.  My reason for not drinking isn't his business.

As each dish was served, nobody really ate, and eventually, Mrs. Lowell just excused herself and quickly left the room.  Mr. Lowell sat back and ran his hand over his face just like his son tends to do and looked over at me. 

"Was my daughter happy?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Very happy, she loved her job, and we grew very close.  We spent holidays together, and even took a few trips.  She had a beautiful home that she enjoyed, and we shared many hobbies." I said.

He reached over for my hand.  "Thank you, for caring for her in her last days.  It's comforting to know she wasn't alone during that time."

I patted his hand.

"I loved her very much. She didn't know she had a medical problem, she never suffered.  She was living a very fulfilling life." I assured him. 

He gave me a half-smile.  "Did she ever lose that free spirit?"

I smiled back.  "Absolutely not! We had many fun nights on the town, and she always insisted we went out in style.  She would dance the entire night and, believe me, she was still as stubborn as the day is long."

He squeezed my hand.  "I am so sorry my daughter brought you into her mess. I have made my son promise to keep you safe until my grandchild is located."

"I have a job I have to get back to, and I can't miss work." I said.

"I can assure you, I will make sure your job is safe.  Where is it you work again?"

"I'm a meteorologist for a local television station in Cincinnati." I said.

He looked at his son.  "A scientist, she's got brains." He smirked, but Blaine still kept that stone cold face