Part 34 (1/2)
”Worst case,” Ben corrected him, ”would have her ditching Greg along the way, for someone even more stupid.”
”An ex-con polygamist who'd cook crystal meth in the bathroom,” Eden added.
”While selling grenade launchers out of the trunk of his car,” Dan contributed, and it was weird. Even though the idea of Ivette being so freaking irresponsible royally p.i.s.sed him off, he and Eden and Ben were all standing there, smiling at each other ruefully, in a rare moment of harmony.
Maybe because it was either smile or cry. And they'd all lived this nightmare long enough to know that crying wouldn't change anything.
”Even if we don't find her in time,” Dan told his sister and brother, ”it's going to be okay. One way or the other, we're going to win this thing.”
But Ben was clearly worried. ”Maybe we could get insulin on the street, and-”
”And your picture will end up on a milk carton,” Eden pointed out.
”So I'll dye my hair,” he countered. ”I'll go surfer blond. I've been wanting to make a change-”
”If you really think that's all all that would have to change-” Eden started to say. that would have to change-” Eden started to say.
But Izzy stopped her. ”Let's not escalate this yet,” he said, aiming his words at Ben, too. ”We've still got time to find her.”
”Did you get the address,” Jenn asked, ”where Ivette was working? Maybe we can start there.”
”She's in Montana,” Izzy told them. ”Apparently the old guy knew he was going to kick, and wanted to spend his last few days at his cabin, outside of Missoula.”
”Missoula, Montana,” Dan repeated. ”Fantastic.”
”Would it be useful,” Jenn suggested, ”if one of us flew up there and-”
”No.” Dan cut her off a little too sharply, but then reached for her, pulling her up and out of her seat and into his arms. ”I'm sorry, baby,” he told her, closing his eyes as she hugged him back. ”But it would be a waste of time.”
”Her air travel was negotiated by the client,” Izzy reported. ”It's hard to imagine her agreeing to go up there without having a way to get back home.”
”But it's not hard to imagine,” Dan said, ”Ivette cas.h.i.+ng in a plane ticket and buying a much cheaper seat on a bus.” He looked at Jenn. ”Which is why it would be a waste of time. She could be anywhere.”
”Including on her way back to Vegas,” Izzy pointed out. ”If she lost her cell phone-”
”Abandoned it while making her getaway,” Ben corrected him.
”Lost or abandoned it,” Izzy said. ”That explains why she hasn't called you back.” He looked around the room from Dan to Jenni to Ben to Eden. ”I haven't given up hope. Eden and I left her a message back at the house. We stuck it to the fridge.”
”a.s.suming Greg doesn't come home first, see it, and tear it up,” Eden interjected. ”Come on, Ben. Get your meter.”
As Ben left the little kitchen, Dan saw that Jenn was watching him.
”This is is going to work,” she said quietly, so only he could hear, as she hugged him again. going to work,” she said quietly, so only he could hear, as she hugged him again.
”I'm going to cry like a baby when you leave,” he told her just as softly.
Across the room, Izzy had to be tired-Eden, too. They both were silent, Eden finis.h.i.+ng up her apple and Izzy staring almost hypnotically at Eden's a.s.s, which, in the extremely tight shorts she was wearing, left little to the imagination.
Except maybe Izzy was just taking a quick combat nap with his eyes open, because when Eden moved to throw her apple core into the trash, he didn't track her. He just stared into s.p.a.ce.
But the SEAL looked up, snapping back to present and alert when Eden quietly asked, ”Any luck finding Neesha?”
Dan let Jenn answer. ”None,” she told them. ”I went to that mall, while Dan stayed with Ben down at Child Services, but I didn't see her-or anyone who looked like the man who chased you. Ben would still very much like to find her, though. And oh, while I'm thinking about it! I completely forgot last night...Neesha left you a twenty-dollar bill. She asked us to give it to you, Eden. She said that she took it from you-or maybe, Izzy-I guess, the last time she was here?”
Eden shook her head, refusing the bill that Jenn had pulled from the pocket of her jeans. ”I'm not missing any money.”
”Twenty bucks?” Izzy asked. ”Whoa, that's great. That's actually mine. Wow, yeah. It clears up a...big mystery.”
Eden looked at him. ”What big mystery?”
”Um,” Izzy said. ”Well, I was was missing some money and...Now I know what happened to it.” He smiled brightly. ”Mystery solved. Yay?” missing some money and...Now I know what happened to it.” He smiled brightly. ”Mystery solved. Yay?”
Eden didn't smile back at him. ”You were missing some money,” she repeated.
And Danny knew exactly where this was going, and it wasn't going to be pretty. He beat a retreat, pulling Jenn with him toward the living room. She didn't resist-in fact, she hurried him along, and even stopped Ben and pulled him with them, too.
”Show me how that works,” Jenni told Ben, pointing to his blood glucose meter.
It was a valiant attempt at giving his sister and Zanella privacy, but it was completely in vain. This apartment was so small, there was no way someone in the living room could help but overhear a conversation going down in the kitchen.
”First you have to wash your hands,” Ben told Jenn. ”And then you take one of these test strips and put it right here...”
”Great,” Dan heard Eden say to Izzy. ”My brother only thought I was a prost.i.tute. But you? You thought I was a thief. Thanks so so much.” much.”
”Then you p.r.i.c.k your finger on the side, because it hurts less,” Ben said. ”At least that's what they say. It's all pretty much the same.”
”Sweetheart...”
”Don't touch me,” Eden said sharply, and Ben looked up, looked at Dan, clearly ready to go to their sister's a.s.sistance if he needed to.
”It's okay,” Jenn murmured to Ben, even as she met Dan's eyes. ”He would never hurt her.”
”Why didn't you say something?” Eden asked from the kitchen. ”Hey, Eden, I'm missing some money. Have you seen it?” ”Hey, Eden, I'm missing some money. Have you seen it?”
”Because it wasn't that important?” Izzy said, phrasing it as a question, as if hoping it was the right answer.
”Because you you thought I thought I stole stole it,” she countered. it,” she countered.
”Can we talk about this later?” Izzy asked, a tad desperately. ”We're both really tired and-”
”Neesha didn't take it last night,” Eden said. ”It had to be, what? The night before? Which means that all this time, you've been willingly-eagerly-sleeping with someone you think would steal money from you.”
”It's not that simple,” Izzy told her.
”Isn't it?” she asked. ”Because from my end? It's extremely simple. In fact, I can simplify it down to three little words: go to h.e.l.l.”
And with that, she marched out of the kitchen, grabbed her handbag, and left the apartment, slamming the door shut behind her.
Zanella, meanwhile, was silent.