An unlikely romance sprouts from a chance encounter between Cliff and Hannah after she spurns his good deed. ----------
Cliff tries doing a good deed for financially distressed Hannah by paying for her expensive car repairs. He expects nothing in...
Hannah slumped into her office chair after hearing what Detective Shultz had to say. An earlier arrest warrant for James had been issued the day before he assaulted her. He was accused of embezzling funds from clients of the accounting firm he worked for to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars.
The news stunned Hannah. "I...I don't know what to say."
The detective remained standing, towering over her. "According to James's parents, they think you have plenty to say."
Hannah felt completely disconnected. "I don't follow. Why do his parents think I have anything to do with this?"
"After the incident where he assaulted you, James called and confessed to them all he had done. He owned up to the theft and rationalized to his parents he did it at your behest. They say you got your hooks into their son and promised to go away with him if he could come up with enough cash for the two of you to start a new life."
Hannah jumped from her seat and stood toe to toe with the woman. "That's a ridiculous lie. It's obvious James's parents are trying to shift the blame away from their son." She considered another possibility. "Or maybe he did tell them that story and is trying to cast shade on me because I rejected him."
"Or maybe it's true," Detective Shultz said not backing away from Hannah. "Maybe your video didn't capture what happened before he assaulted you. Did you tell him a measly couple hundred thousand wasn't enough for the type of lifestyle you anticipated? Did you get cold feet after realizing how much trouble the two of you would be in?"
The detective wouldn't break eye contact with her. She went on to say, "I checked you out, Ms. Blessing. For someone so young, you were a rising star and enjoyed a higher than average income before you were fired, certainly more than my detective's salary. Since then, you've fallen on hard times. How badly do you miss your fancy townhouse and luxury car? Exactly when did you decide to weaponize your beauty against your ex-fiancé to get him to do your bidding?"
Hannah's heart pounded. At first, she had been angry. Now she was afraid. "None of what you say is true." She hated how fear made her voice crack and her hands tremble. She worried how it made her look guilty. "James broke up with me three, no four months ago now. I admit he tried to make up, but I've since moved on. I wanted nothing more to do with him. After I made myself clear, I don't know, something inside him must have snapped. The James I knew would never steal. He would never hurt anyone."
The detective stared at her and said nothing.
"I'll take a polygraph. I'll do whatever it takes to convince you."
The detective continued to stare at her and said nothing.
It felt as if a brick had landed in her stomach. "Are you going to arrest me?" She imagined being marched out of the club in handcuffs, her triumphant return to a prestige managerial position shattered, and her career and reputation forever ruined.
The detective pointed to the chair. "Sit down, Ms. Blessing."
She bristled at being ordered around in her own office but decided to comply. Detective Shultz pulled the visitor chair and sat across from her. "I want you to tell me in great detail about every encounter you've had with James after your breakup."
Grateful to have the focus shifted away from her, Hannah told her everything to the best of her memory. Then the detective made her tell it again, Hannah figured to see if she would trip up. The woman must have been satisfied because she moved on to new questions.
"You say you and James dated for many years. Did you have any favorite locations, places you would go to be alone, places only you and he knew about?"
She thought about it. "We went away together to the beach and sometimes to the mountains, but we always stayed in hotels. We didn't have a secret hideaway like, for instance, a cabin in the deep woods. Neither he nor I are the camping type. All the places we stayed at were well-known commercial establishments."
"Did James ever mention to you whether he owned or had access to other property that his parents might not know about?"
"No, and I don't believe he would keep that from me. At least not while we were a couple. I don't know about now. Like I said, he's not the same man."
The detective continued to pepper her with questions. "Did he ever mention future plans, places he wanted to visit or move to, any leads as to where we might find him?"
Hannah sighed. "I thought we would eventually get married. Whenever I broached the subject, he would obfuscate, but there was this one time." She stopped to collect her thoughts. "He showed me a travel magazine with a quaint little wedding chapel in the islands."
"The islands? Where specifically?"
"I recall the article being about the Bahamas. That's the best I can tell you."
"To your knowledge, does James have skills he could use to evade capture? Can he pilot a boat or fly any type of aircraft?"
"No. I would've known about that."
"Is he a survivalist type? Could he live off the land for an extended period?"
If the situation weren't so serious, Hannah thought she would laugh. "I already told you neither of us were into camping. He's an accountant. The closest he's ever been to nature is sitting on a park bench while eating lunch."
The detective stood. "Is there anything at all you can tell me that could help us find him?"
"I don't think so, but if you leave a card, I'll be sure to contact you if I recall anything else."
The woman plunked her business card onto Hannah's desktop. "Do you have any plans to leave the area in the near future?"
"No."
"Be sure to contact me before you do. Ms. Blessing, you're still a person of interest in this case. I'm sure we will speak again."
Without saying another word, the woman turned away and left the office.
Hannah slumped in her chair and rested her forehead in her hand. Being the focus of a criminal investigation added to her anxiety. She muttered, "Why now? Why on the day of the biggest event of the year?"
Her nerves were raw, and she wondered. What else could possibly go wrong?
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What else could possibly go wrong is a question I've learned is best not asked!
