Chapter 7

Dressed and sharing a more substantial breakfast that a cup of coffee, they discussed potential places where Stephanie might go to hide.

“Do you still have that apartment in New York?” Lindsay asked.

“Yes, but I already had building management check there.”

“What about the Hampton house?”

He thought for a minute, then shook his head. “She couldn’t get there by herself.”

“She has your eyes.” Lindsay noted.

He smiled fondly and nodded. “She can be stubborn like me too…but she’s also very sensitive and caring. Stephanie is my poet.”

“A musician like her daddy?”

He shrugged. “Jake’s the musician. Steph will be the songwriter…or run the football team.” He chuckled.

“And Jesse?”

“Jesse’s the businessman. He’ll make sure that the others don’t get out of control or cheated.”

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Frankly I’m out of ideas. We’ve looked everywhere we can think of, talked to her friends….I don’t know what else to do.”

“That’s why you called us.” She tried to reassure him. “We have people on the team who have been very successful in finding missing kids – even those that don’t want to be found. Have faith.”

He nodded, sighed again and asked. “What’s your plan for today?”

“I’m going to meet with the rest of the team and see what they’ve found, and then I think I’ll take another run at some of Stephanie’s friends – particularly Becky.” Lindsay answered.

“Do you think she knows where Steph is?”

“I think she knows more than she’s telling us.” She grimaced. “I just hope her parents persuade her to talk. I hate bullying kids. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going back to the house to see if anyone has heard anything or come up with any new ideas. Richie’s coming in today, so I’ll have to fill him in on everything.”

She frowned at him. “Everything?”

Noticing her frown he amended “Almost everything.”

Relieved she smiled. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s got a ways to go yet, but he’ll be ok.”

“I’m glad he’ll be here for you.”

Jon nodded. “He’s one of the few people I’ve always been able to count on.”

Pausing at the door he leaned down to kiss her goodbye. “Keep me updated.”

She nodded, gave him a quick hug and preceded him out into the hall.


In the conference room at the lab, the whole team had assembled again. Brian looked around the table. “Anything new to report?”

Tom spoke up first. “We rechecked that area behind the garage. There wasn’t much, but there were some scuff marks on the wall that could have come from shoe prints and the bushes there are pretty strong. A girl her size could have climbed over. The area on the other side is paved, so there were no tracks to follow.”

“Still no sign of this being abduction other than that foreign hair in the bedroom?” Brian asked. Around the table heads shook.

“I think it’s safe to assume this is a runaway situation.” Lindsay said. “Her father finally spilled the beans. He and his wife had an argument earlier in the day. Stephanie overheard it and was upset.”

Brian nodded. “OK, so any ideas on where to look next?”

“What about other properties they own?” Mark asked. “The guy’s loaded. I’m sure he must own several homes.”

Brian looked at Lindsay. “You’re our resident Bon Jovi expert. What do you know about what property he owns?”

Trying not to blush, Lindsay answered. “There’s an apartment in New York City, but Jon says that he’s already had building management check that. And there’s a summer home in the Hamptons, but he’s sure she wouldn’t be able to get there by herself.”

“That’s it?” Mark asked in disbelief.

“Contrary to popular belief, yes” she replied dryly.

“Did he have any ideas on where to look?” Brian asked.

Lindsay shook her head. “No, but I’d like to take another run at Becky. I still think she knows something.”

Brian agreed. “Just make sure her parents are there.”

Half an hour later she was sitting across the table from a scared looking thirteen year old and her grim looking parents. She may have looked scared, but she was stubborn.

“I don’t know where Steph is.” She insisted mulishly.

Lindsay sighed. “I’m sorry Becky, but I don’t believe you. You are her best friend. You share everything. Phone records show that she called you the night before she disappeared.” She paused debating how much to say. “Did she tell you about the fight her parents had?” She saw the surprised look on Becky’s face. Lindsay nodded. “Was she really upset?”

When Becky hesitated her mother spoke up. “Becky if you know anything you have to speak up.”

Becky bit her lower lip. “But I promised Steph I wouldn’t tell!”

Lindsay, sensing victory, went in for the kill. “Becky, Stephanie’s parents know she’s upset and they want to talk to her and explain what she heard. They’re worried sick about her. She’s alone and they want to know that she’s ok. You know that with her father’s celebrity there are a lot of people who would take advantage of that if they could get a hold of her.” Becky frowned uncertainly. “Please Becky, help us find her before she gets hurt.”

“I don’t know for sure where she went. All she said was something about want to listen to the waves, and that she needed Rob to drive her.”

“Who’s Rob?” Lindsay asked.

“Our oldest son” Becky’s father replied “He goes to college in the city and was home for a break. He left yesterday morning to go back.”

Lindsay stood up and headed for the door. Stopping she looked back at Becky. “Thank you Becky. You did the right thing.”

Heading out the door she almost ran down the hallway to Brian’s office. “I think I know where she is.”

Brian grabbed his jacket. “I’ll drive.”

When they got into the car he said “Where to?”

“East Hampton. I’ll have to get directions to the house.” With that she pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

“Hi babe.” The warmth in his voice caused her to blush in remembrance.

“How did you know it was me? Or did you?”

“I programmed your numbers into my phone while you were getting dressed this morning. Or do think I call everyone babe?” he admonished her.

“Actually, now that you mention it, yes.” She answered honestly. “I figured it saves you having to remember names. And it drives the girls wild.” He laughed

Seeing the inquiring look she was getting from Brian, she brought her mind back to the matter at hand. “How do I get to the Hampton house?” she asked in a businesslike tone.

Sobering instantly he gave her the directions. “Is that where she is?” he asked anxiously.

“I don’t know for sure, but it’s a possibility. What kind of staff do you keep there?”

“Just a housekeeper that comes in once a week when we’re not there, and a gardener that comes when he needs to.”

“What about security?”

“There isn’t a lot. Just the local patrols and a locked gate on the street side. It’s kind of hard to secure the beach. We take extra when we’re there. You’ll need the code for the gate. I’ll call the housekeeper. ”

“No, don’t. If Stephanie is there she may run if someone shows up and then we’ll be back at square one again.”

“Ok, the code is 1987 in case you get there before me.”

She laughed. “Not very original Jon. Any fan could figure that one out.”

“That’s the beauty of it. It’s so obvious, they’ll never think to try it.” He replied smugly.

The second part of his previous statement registered. “What do you mean if I get there before you?”

“I’m on my way.”

“Jon, no. Let us check it out. She may not even be there and you need to stay home in case she tries to contact you.” She paused “and if she is there she may still be too upset to talk to you.”

“But…”

“Jon, please, trust me. Let us do our job. I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything.” Silence. “I promise, if she’s there, I’ll bring her home.”

“Ok” he finally gave in reluctantly. “Just promise me you’ll call as soon as you know anything.”

“I promise.”

“What makes you think that she’s in the Hamptons?” Brian asked when she’d hung up. “I thought her father said she couldn’t get there alone.”

“Becky said that Stephanie mentioned wanting to listen to the waves and needed Rob – Becky’s older brother – to drive her.” She shrugged. “It was the only thing I could think of that fits.”

Brian nodded. “Nice job.”

“If I’m right.”

Gazing out the window she contemplated what it would mean to her if she was right. On one hand it would be a great start to her career here and wonderful to be able to return a young girl to her family. On the other hand, she would no longer have any excuse to be a part of Jon’s life. Despite what he told her this morning, she didn’t believe for a minute that he had any real feelings for her. It was simply circumstances. Once Stephanie was found, he would go back to his life and she would be left to find her way in this new life she was forging for herself. The up side was that she had some wonderful memories to sustain her during the long, lonely nights. Better prepare yourself for goodbye. You know it’s coming. It always does.




Chapter 8

Turning into the laneway, Lindsay got out and opened the gate. Parking, Brian got out and glanced around. “You go check out the beach, I’ll take a look around the house.”

Lindsay looked at him in surprise.

“If she’s here she might get frightened seeing a strange man approaching her. I think she’ll deal better with you.”

Nodding, Lindsay headed towards the water. She didn’t have to go very far. Just beyond the water’s reach sat a girl, her arms wrapped around her knees and her long brown hair floating on the breeze. She looked so forlorn that Lindsay’s heart went out to her instantly. Hesitating, Lindsay debated how best to approach the girl without scaring her.

Walking up quietly behind her she spoke softly. “Stephanie?”

The girl jumped up and spun around looking for an escape route.

“Stephanie, it’s ok. I’m not here to hurt you. My name is Lindsay Chandler. I’m with the crime lab. You’ve had everyone very worried.”

Stephanie snorted. “Yeah, right.” Dejected, she plopped back down on the sand.

Sitting beside her, Lindsay chose her words carefully. “I can see why you came here. It’s beautiful, quiet, peaceful…a good place to think.” Stephanie nodded. “Steph, sometimes adults can say and do things that don’t make a lot of sense. They say mean things to hurt each other in response to their own pain. They don’t always mean it.”

Stephanie turned to look at her with eyes so like her father’s Lindsay heart melted. “You know about the fight?”

Lindsay nodded. “Your dad told me.”

Stephanie shook her head, “No, do you know about the reason for the fight?”

Lindsay hesitated, but decided lying to the girl was not in anyone’s best interest. “Yes.”

“So I guess everyone knows now.” She frowned.

“I don’t know about everyone. As far as I’m aware the only people who know are the four of us – your mom and dad, you and me. Richie arrived today, but I don’t know if your dad told him….and I don’t know who your mom may have told.”

Stephanie grimaced. “Make that six then.” She said cryptically. Before Lindsay could ask who she was referring to she asked another question. “Are my parents going to get divorced?”

“I don’t know.” Lindsay answered her honestly. “Is that why you came up here? To stop the fight?”

She gave a snort of laughter. “I may be young, but I’m not stupid.” Gazing at Lindsay consideringly she continued. “If Dad told you what’s going on he must trust you. I guess I can too.”

Looking back at the water, Stephanie told her story. “I’ve known this was coming for a long time. My parents may think that they hid it from us, but they don’t lie very well. I went into the den early one morning last year and found Dad sleeping on the couch. He tried to tell me that he that he’d been up late writing and had fallen asleep on the couch, but his guitar wasn’t there. After that I think he made sure he slept in one of the guest rooms. There’ve been lots of other little signs. It’s not the divorce that bothers me….lots of my friends parents are divorced. Maybe they’ll both be happy again. It’s the reason behind it. Hearing that fight,…a lot of things suddenly made sense. I could see there was something different in the way Dad looked at Romeo, but I just ignored it. The other night after I ran upstairs I started to think – if not Dad, then who? I realized it must be Sam – he’s an instructor at Mom’s dojo. He’s around a lot when Dad’s away. In fact he was there Thursday night. He even helped me carry a bunch of stuff upstairs.” She shrugged. “He’s a nice enough guy I guess. And Mom does seem to be happier when he’s around. I just can’t believe that Mom did that to Dad….and then to blame him!” She clenched her fists.

“I’m sure she had her reasons.”

“Maybe.”

“Steph, why did you run?” She seemed so calm about the situation Lindsay couldn’t figure it out.

She sighed. “I needed some time to think everything through, sort out my feelings. And I guess I wanted to force them to bring everything out into the open.” She shrugged again. “I just had to get away for awhile and I knew they’d never let me go by myself, so….I left. How did you find me anyway?”

“We’d looked everywhere else we could think of. Then I finally got Becky to break and tell me.”

Stephanie looked confused. “But I didn’t tell her where I was going.”

“She told me you wanted to listen to the waves and needed a ride. This place seemed to fit.”

“You’re good.” She looked impressed.

Lindsay smiled. “Lucky guess.” Stephanie smiled back. “Are you ready to go home now?”

The smile faded and she nodded. “I guess.” Rising she turned towards the house and stopped when she saw a man standing several yards away.

“It’s ok, that’s Brian – my boss.”

Lindsay hung back as the young girl trudged slowly to the car. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

“Is she there? Do you have her?” He asked anxiously.

“Yes, I’ve got her. I’m bringing her home.”

“Oh, thank God! What the hell was she doing there anyway?” Now that the fear was alleviated, the parental anger came through.”

“Jon, she knows everything. She’s been expecting something to blow for a long time. She’s a very bright girl, but she’s still just a girl trying to deal with a major crisis in her life. I think she just wanted to make you both sit up and take notice. Sit down and talk to her. Be patient with her.”

“I’ll try.” He promised. “I’ll see you when you get here.”



On the way back to New Jersey, Lindsay tried to make conversation. Although Stephanie answered politely, it was obvious that she didn’t really want to talk. As they turned into the driveway Lindsay could see Stephanie visibly brace herself for what was to come. Pulling out a business card, Lindsay wrote her home number on the back.

“Stephanie, if it becomes too much and you need a break, or just need someone to talk to….I’m here.”

She nodded. “Thanks.”

As the car came to a stop the front door of the house opened and everyone came pouring out. As Jon crushed his daughter to him, his eyes caught Lindsay’s. Thank you he mouthed and she nodded swallowing her tears.

Releasing Stephanie to her mother, Jon approached the car. Shaking hands with Brian he expressed his appreciation for all their help. Turning to Lindsay he reached for her. Reading his intentions in his eyes she gave him a warning look, shooting a glance in Brian’s direction. He smiled and took her hand. “Thank you for bringing me my daughter back.” Then, unable to help himself he pulled her into his arms for a hug. “I’ll call you later.” He whispered. She just smiled. She didn’t notice Richie watching closely.

As they drove away Lindsay wondered if she’d seen him for the last time.


Chapter 9

After finishing the final report, Lindsay packed up and headed home. She was looking forward to a quick meal, a hot bath, and curling up on the couch to watch TV or maybe read a few chapters of that new romance novel she’d picked up last week.

She’d read the same page three times and still didn’t know what it said when there was a knock on her door. Afraid to hope she rose slowly to check the peep hole. Smiling, she opened the door. Her greeting went unsaid as he scooped her up in his arms and spun her around in his exuberance.

Laughing, she scolded him. “You nut, put me down!” Chuckling he kissed her firmly before setting on her feet. Releasing her he spun around again before collapsing onto the couch.

Shaking her head at his antics she moved to close the door before returning to stand in front of him. Grinning he reached out, grabbed her arm and pulled her down on top of him.

“Have I told you how wonderful you are?” he asked as he ran his hands down her back.

Crossing her arms on his chest she got comfortable. “I really didn’t do anything. I only found her first because I knew more about you that the other members of the team. They would have found her without me.”

“Maybe, but I doubt that they would have talked to her like you did. I want to thank you for that too. You helped her more than you know.”

“She told you about that?”

He nodded, then wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. Gasping for breath she looked down at him. “What’s with you tonight?”

“For the first time in a long time I feel…..free, like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Everything is out in the open and we’re working things out, and best of all, I’ve found you. I’m actually looking forward to the future again. Particularly the immediate future.” His voice dropped an octave with his last statement sending shivers down her spine even as his hands slid down her back and his thumbs slid under the hem of her nightgown to graze the bottom of her butt cheeks, pleased to find that she was naked beneath the gown. If that and the unmistakable gleam in his eye wasn’t enough to convince her, she could hardly ignore the blunt evidence pressing against her stomach.

Even though her stomach had sunk at the phrase “working things out”, she couldn’t bring herself to deny him. If this was to be their last time together, so be it.

With that thought in mind she let go and let her senses take over. Shifting upwards slightly she captured his lips with hers. Sliding her tongue along his bottom lip she grazed it with her teeth before sucking it into her mouth. Deciding a little torture wouldn’t hurt him she rocked her hips against him. She was rewarded with a sucked in breath and his hands sliding fully under her nightgown to cup her buttocks and knead them lightly rocking her more firmly against him. When he moved to roll her under him she resisted and pushed him back. Raising slightly she grasped the bottom of his t-shirt and started to pull it up. She only got it as far as his shoulders before she got distracted by all that bare skin in front of her. Leaning down she traced his ribs first with her fingertip and then with her tongue. Breath rasping in his throat he lifted his shoulders enough to get his shirt the rest of the way off, and then decided that turn about was fair play.

Turning his hands he lifted her nightgown until she was forced to raise up and let him remove it entirely. Returning immediately to her exploration of his chest she played with his nipples while he fought for control. Reaching down he grasped her legs and pulled her knees up on either side of his hips. With her now open to him he let his fingers trace down the crevice between the firm globes of flesh that he had gripped earlier, down along her wet cleft, exploring and teasing as he went. Now it was her turn to gasp for breath. Pausing she savoured the feelings coursing through her in the wake of his fingers. Suddenly she arched and she threw back her head as he found her opening and speared her with first one then two fingers. Frantic, she reached for the button at his waistband. Quickly opening it and sliding the zipper down, she released him from his jeans. The tables were turned again as she took him in her hand. She could feel the blood pulsing through him. Once again she was fascinated by the feel of velvet on steel, the tip was so soft she long to touch it with her tongue. She started to bend down, but he grabbed her shoulders preventing her. Glancing up she saw the sweat gathered on his upper lip and forehead. “No.” He rasped. “I’m too far gone for that. I need to be inside you.”

Thrilled at her ability to arouse him, she kissed him deeply and slid her lower body over his. Unable to wait any long he grabbed her hips, positioned himself and thrusting upwards as he lowered her, buried himself to the hilt. Gasping at his sudden entry Lindsay held motionless, letting her body adjust to his possession. When her breathing had calmed enough to move, she slowly sat up enjoying the feel of his shaft sliding even deeper into her. The sound of his breath groaning in his chest had her smiling in triumph. Missing the glint of his blue eyes beneath his lowered lids, she wasn’t prepared when he held her hips down and thrust upward hard, once, twice, three times before pausing to let them both catch their breath. Grinning at the helpless look on her face Jon slid his hands up to cup her breasts and tease the hard peaks. Leaning back she rocked her hips then moved up and down first slowly then faster and faster until the sensations overwhelmed her and she went over the edge. He gave a throttled shout and followed her, catching her as she collapsed on him. Settling her comfortably on his chest he held her close as they both dozed off still intimately joined.




The next morning as they were getting ready to leave her apartment Jon turned to her. “Oh, by the way, Richie’s staying and we’re going to do some writing, and these sessions can run pretty late, so I may not get a chance to get away to see you for a few days.”

“No problem.” She swallowed around the lump in her throat and pasted a smile on her face.

“Really?”

“Hey, when the creative muse hits you’ve got to ride it for as long as it lasts.”

“Wow, you really do understand.” He gave her a big hug and a sweet tender kiss. “Thank you.”