Part 31 (1/2)
Jade exhaled impatiently. ”Shanna, you said it yourself-it wasn't right. If it had been right. . . Rick would have stayed with me. Maybe. I think. I don't know anymore.”
Shanna's sudden sound of shock alerted Jade to the fact that her sister hadn't realized just how far things had gone with Lucian. ”Jade!
You didn't.”
”Shanna-”
”A total stranger.”
”He's not exactly a stranger. He saved my life in Scotland.”
”Did he?” Shanna queried sharply, her aqua eyes sharply narrowed on Jade. ”Or was he part of it? Don't you find it amazing, the way that he disappeared after it all? And now people are being horribly murdered in the States-and here he is again!”
Jade pushed the paper toward her. ”He's in New Orleans. People were murdered in Ma.s.sachusetts!”
Shanna fell silent. ”What's his explanation?”
”He . . .”
Shanna threw up her arms. ”Great. He doesn't have an explanation. So you invited him right over and into bed.”
”At least I'd met him. What about you?”
''I went to the movies. And Dave didn't show up anyway,” Shanna murmured. She stared at her sister. ”He's sick, too. Like Rick. Rick Beaudreaux. Remember? That really great cop you've been dating.”
”I'm going to break it off, Shanna, as soon as I can.”
”Great. He's at death's door, and you're going to break his heart”
”He isn't at death's door-he's just really, really sick.”
Frustrated, Shanna just stared at her. ”Where is this Lucian now?”
”I don't know.”
”Oh, great. He just up and disappeared again.”
”No, he was here a long time.”
Shanna made a snorting sound. ”Good to hear that he isn't just wham, bam, thank you, ma'am.”
”Shanna, stop it. We had a drink, we took Danny home, he stayed.”
”And then?”
”All right-and then he disappeared.”
”Jade, Jade, Jade!” Shanna murmured.
They both jumped when the phone started to ring.
”I'll get it,” Shanna told her.
”No, I'll get it.” Jade nearly had to s.n.a.t.c.h the receiver from her sister's hand. ”h.e.l.lo?”
”Miss MacGregor?”
”Yes?”
”This is Sean Canady. Detective Sean Canady.”
”Oh, yes. How are you?”
”Worried at the moment.”
”Really?” She sank back into her chair.
”Who is it?” Shanna whispered.
Jade covered the mouthpiece. ”Sean Canady.”
”The cop?” Shanna demanded, frowning.
”Miss MacGregor, are you alone?”
She hesitated. ”My sister is with me.”
He was quiet for a minute. ”Lucian is not there?”
Her heart quickened and then seemed to miss a beat. ”How do you know about him?”
”Is he there?”
”Do you know a Maggie?” she cross-queried.
”Yes. My wife.”
”Well, your wife is trying to find him, too.”
”Yes, yes, I know that.”
”What the h.e.l.l is going on?” Shanna demanded in a whisper.
Jade shook her head, shus.h.i.+ng her sister.
”I'm here with my sister. I don't understand why you're calling.''
”I don't mean to alarm you terribly, but I thought you should know that you were acquainted with the young man from the automobile crash the other day.”
”I was?”