Safe Harbor (The Lake Trilogy, Book 3) (36 page)

Eliana and I bring the food to the table and take our places. We spend the next few hours talking and getting to know each other.
We tell them about the night on the Green when Will and I met and I literally knocked his drink out of his hand. Erin tells us how she met her husband, Logan, and shows pictures of her son David, who’s 12. We share wedding and honeymoon stories and there are even a few times when we’re all laughing so hard that we’re crying.

We don’t talk about Gregory Meyer. We don’t even utter his name.
Will has obviously decided not to grill Loretta and Victoria about his father, and I don’t think it’s just because Eliana is sitting across from them. I think Nana Grace and Pop set him straight after the whole thing when we got back from seeing Cheryl.

There are times as I look around the table that I have to remind myself that we’re all here because of him.
Then I laugh, because despite his efforts to keep all of these women down and to abandon his children, they all found a way to rise to the top and find each other…and all are better for it.

“Well,” Loretta says after taking the last sip of her coffee. “Dinner was delicious, Layla. Thank you. I think we need to get some rest. Luke has spent almost two days preparing us for the trial. I think I’m going to go back to the hotel and go to bed with no intentions of getting up before noon tomorrow,” she laughs.

“I think that’s an excellent plan,” Claire agrees. “And I think Will and Layla are more jet lagged than they’re letting on.” She may be right. Fatigue is starting to set in.

“We know you’re just here for the trial, but maybe we can have some time together before you leave?” Will says hopefully as we walk Loretta, Erin, and Victoria to the door. I’m so happy to see him embracing his sisters, and feel hopeful that Michael will come around and join them.

“That would be wonderful,” Erin says. “Thank you for everything.” Erin hugs us both, followed by hugs from Loretta and Victoria.

I close the door behind them and we all look to Will to see how he’s doing now that the night is over. “So…” I say to him.

“That was remarkable. Once we got talking, it was like we had known each other forever.” Will has a look of amazement on his face. I think he had hoped for a congenial relationship. I don’t think he ever imagined there would be such a connection from the start. Even with Sarah it took a little while for him to feel as bonded to her as he does.

“I’m so happy for you, babe!” I tell him as I come to his side and put my arm around his waist.

“Yes, William, I’m so happy for you, too. I know this has been something you’ve been waiting for, and I’m thrilled that it seems to be everything you hoped it would be,” Eliana says. “Now come, Wesley, we’re going to clear the table.”

“What? How did that happen?” Wes says as we all shuffle back to the dining room. It’s so funny to see Wes absolute mush around Eliana. He’s got it bad.

“Here, Layla, why don’t you and Will open up some gifts? You’ve got to start somewhere.” Claire brings in a few small, wrapped boxes and puts them in the chair Will sat in at dinner.

“I don’t feel like opening actually gifts because then I have to figure out where to put them. What if we opened cards?” I counter.

“That sounds like a plan,” Will says kissing the top of my head. He leaves the dining room and returns a moment later with the basket of cards I noticed early this morning. “You don’t have to, like,
read
every card do you?” he asks sarcastically.

“I don’t usually, but after that look, I think I might!” I tease. He kisses me on the cheek and we each take a card from
the basket. “Ooh! This one says that love is an eternal flame, not to be snuffed out by the distractions of this world.” We all laugh at the absurdity and the cheese-factor.

“
Ok…I can play that game.
Mine
has a picture of two old people holding hands and walking down a beach,” Will says, countering my sappy card with one of his own. “Oh, wait, this one is way better. This one says that through the years we will be challenged to love when we don’t feel like loving, to forgive when we don’t feel like forgiving, and to listen when we don’t feel like listening. At least it has a hundred bucks in it!” We laugh as I reach for another card.

“Ok, ok…I have a feeling this one is going to be even better than that one!” I say as I open the
thick envelope in my hand. “This one says…” I stop as I look at the contents of the envelope and my mood and tone both change. “This one says if we want to know where to find juror number four’s body, we’ll pay him the rest of what Meyer owes him for the job.”

I drop the envelope on the table, spilling its contents. In front of me are a dozen or so photos
of me in various places and situations. There are photos of me with Gwen and Caroline the day we picked out their bridesmaid dresses, me with Will walking across the Green on some random day, and me with Tyler the day he convinced me I had been a fool to let Will pour over the ex-wives statements alone. There are even a couple photos of me with Will in New York on our honeymoon. We flip through the pictures, each one making me feel more violated than the next.

“It’s Black Sedan Guy, Will. This is why he was taking the pictures
. He was never some unknown reporter,” I say with shaking hands as I pick up the letter. “This can’t be happening.”

“It’s going to be ok, Layla. I’m going to take care of this,” Will says,
putting one arm around me and taking the letter from me with the other.

“What else does it say?” Luke asks.

“It says my father owes him $250,000 and that he wants it on Thanksgiving Day. Davidson will have their annual parade and most of the police department will either be in the parade or on duty for it. He expects cash and wants to meet at the North Harbor Club…and he wants Layla to do the exchange.” Will’s delivery is flat, emotionless.

“Ok, so how do we do this?” I ask directly.

“We don’t,” Will answers bluntly.

“What do you mean we don’t? Is it the money?” I’m confused.

“I don’t care about the money, Layla. I’m sorry that the juror’s body hasn’t been found, but I’m not willing to risk your life to find it.” Will looks at me as if this is a no-brainer answer to my questioning.

“
His
name
is Albert Blasi and he has a family. What are you going to say to his children when they discover we had the opportunity to find out where their father’s body is and didn’t take it? How are you going to explain to them that they’ll never have closure on his disappearance? We can’t do that to them Will. When you were missing, all I wanted was to know where you were. Dead or alive, I just wanted to know because the not knowing was killing me. Albert was someone’s husband, someone’s father. I know the pain they’re experiencing and if we can help them in any way we absolutely have to.” I hold Will’s gaze, intent on driving home how vital our obligation is here. There’s no way I can walk away from the chance to help this man’s family.

Will’s sighs heavily. “I can’t lose you, Layla. This guy
, Black Sedan Guy…he’s already shown us how close he can get without us even knowing he’s there. You going out there alone will be over my dead body.”

“I agree,” Luke says. “It’s too risky, Layla.”

“We’ll get a team out there, watch for him and take him down when he shows up,” Wes says matter-of-factly.

“What is wrong with you? This man’s family needs to know where he is! Why do none of you care about that?” I stand in a fury of confusion as to how the most caring group of people I know are blatantly denying a family the chance to finally grieve properly over the loss of their loved on
e.

“We do care,” Claire says. Her tone is soft as it usually is when she’s trying to diffuse me. “We just care about you more.”

“Are you telling me that Wes and a team of FBI agents can’t keep me safe in a situation with one guy?” My tone is intentionally sarcastic, wondering if I might be able to appeal to Wes’ sense of pride and kick him into gear.

“I
could get a body double for her,” Wes says, taking my bait. “We’ll put a hat on her, scarf and coat…he’ll never know the difference. She’ll drop the money where he tells us and then walk away.”

“
I…uh…
she
can’t just walk away. We have to get him to tell us where Blasi is. We can’t fake him out on this. I’ll just get the information and give him the money. I mean, Wes and Croft’s team will have eyes on him and snag him when he walks away, right?”

“This is
bigger than you realize, Layla. Agent Croft’s team has been investigating the juror situation for months and they keep coming up empty. This guy is
good
, whoever he is. Even Croft’s best of the best, Lassiter, has hit a dead end.” Luke considers what he’s saying, shaking his head at his own realization. “I’m afraid this is the break they’ve been waiting for. And, as much as I hate to say it, the only way they’re going to get this guy is if Layla does this. And the only way Layla is getting in and out of there unscathed is if Croft’s team is behind us,” Luke says. He’s thoughtful in his delivery, making sure not to worry us with the fact that even the FBI hasn’t been able to catch this guy.

Honestly? What makes us think that he’s just going to give us the location of Blasi and take the money and run? What’s to say he isn’t going to try and put a bullet in my head? He’s smooth enough to make one murder look like a home invasion, and make t
he other victim just disappear. All I know is that I have to at least try to help this family. I can’t stand the idea of them stuck in the pain that I was in when I lost Will.

“We’ve got two weeks to get everything in place. In the meantime, let’s get some rest. It’s been a long day and I’m sure Will and Layla are fighting jet lag.
I’ll give Croft a call in the morning. We’ll be able to get everything strategized this week before the trial starts on Monday,” Luke continues.

“Everything is going to be just fine,” Claire says as I hug her at the door. “You were a lovely host tonight, Layla. I’m so proud of how you handled Erin and the others. And this whole thing…well, you constantly remind me of just how
brave…and stubborn…you are. That said…please don’t throw yourself in the fire just to save someone else you don’t even know. I know you want to help this man’s family, but don’t forget that you have a family of your own now.”

“I know, Mom. I just…if there’s any way that I can help eliminate the pain I know they’re feeling, I feel like I need to at least try,” I tell her. Claire looks at me and smiles knowing that there’s nothing she can say that is going to change my mind.

Will and I close the door on our family, hearing Wes and Luke discussing the beginnings of various ideas of how to execute this situation flawlessly. I have faith in them, and Agent Croft’s team, and know that it’s all going to work out.

Will a
nd I finish cleaning up from dinner in silence. I’ve attempted to engage him, at first in conversation about how we’re going to handle the situation, then on to lighter topics like how great Erin was tonight. In both cases he blatantly ignored me. By the time we get upstairs to get ready for bed, I’ve had enough of the silent treatment and am about to tell him, when he breaks the silence on his own.

“Why are you doing this?” he says to me, his tone both sad and angry.

“Will, I have to…” I begin.

“No, you
don’t
have to! Do you have any idea how this could end? Have you even thought about how I could lose you forever? We have no idea what this guy is capable of doing!” Will shouts.

“I have thought about that! What if it were me, Will? What if something happened to me
, and you didn’t know where I was? You couldn’t have closure. Wouldn’t you want someone to help you?” I counter.

“Don’t do that, Layla. You can’t flip this around and try to make me feel guilty for not wanting my wife of 17 days to commit herself to standing in the line of fire for a complete stranger! But you know what the worst part about this is? The worst part is that I have to go along with it and watch whatever horror may or may not unfold because regardless of what I say you’re going to do this anyway!” Will pulls his shirt off in a fury and throws in on the floor, followed by his pants. This had become the highlight of my day but tonight it’s certainly not the same as it has been over the last two weeks.

“I’m sorry,” I say softly.

“You’re only sorry that I don’t support this potential suicide mission. And now I have nothing left to say.” Will walks into the bathroom and slams the door.

Wow. I thought we’d make it longer than 17 days before we had our first major fight. I’ve never seen Will so angry with me before. I just need him to understand. I’m not trying to send myself on a suicide mission. I’m trying to help Blasi’s family. The night Marcus died Will got a glimpse of the pain I experienced for months. He has no real idea of the emptiness and the grief this family is feeling. Their imaginations are running wild with scenarios of where their father is. His wife is holding out hope that he’s going to come home alive. They’ll never be able to move on until they know for sure what happened to him. They have to lay him to rest so that they can finally get some themselves.