Lillian found Jay and Robin in the kitchen after she got Delbert and Camille settled into their suite. True to his word, Delbert had taken the sheets and towels and insisted they’d be fine.
“So, we have guests.”
“I thought we weren’t opening for a few more days?” Robin raised an eyebrow.
“We weren’t. But Camille and Delbert needed a place to stay and… well… I let them stay.” She couldn’t help the long sigh that escaped.
“Delbert will be fine.” Jay shrugged. “But Camille is always a handful. Hope she doesn’t expect my normal meals. I still need to get more supplies before we open fully. Going to try and take the ferry to the mainland and load up.”
“She’ll have to take whatever we have.”
“So, Robin and I were just going to check out the camera in your office.” Jay pulled out his phone. “I think I have it working again after the storm.”
He tapped on his phone, looked at it, then frowned. “Hey, there’s some video it captured. Must have been right before the storm. It syncs up to a recording in the cloud, so we can see it.”
He tapped some more buttons and she and Robin crowded around him, looking at his phone.
“I need to make that bigger. Is that…”
“That’s Dana, isn’t it? Arguing with someone in my office?”
Jay enlarged the photo. “It is. The date and time stamp say it’s the day we closed up the inn.” He turned to Robin. “Remember when we saw her coming back out of the kitchen after we closed up Magnolia House?”
“I do.” Robin frowned. “But Dana? You think she stole from Lillian?”
Jay stared at the photo on the phone and frowned. “I know this guy.”
“You do?” Lillian looked at him.
“He used to do maintenance and repairs at that restaurant. You know, the one I was fired from and they accused me of stealing their money.”
“That cannot be a coincidence,” Robin said.
“No, it can’t. And Dana must know him.” Lillian frowned. “It looks like they’re fighting or arguing.”
“We’re going to have to find Dana.” Jay stared at the phone screen again. “I can’t believe it. This guy must have been the one who stole from the other place, too.”
“Possibly. Well, probably.” Lillian sighed. “We’ll deal with Dana when she comes back. Send her to me when she comes in.”
“I’ll be coming with her. You’re not dealing with this alone,” Jay insisted.
“That’s probably best.” She turned to go. “I’m headed to my office. Let me know if she comes in.”
Chapter 24
“I can’t believe that Dana is part of this.” Robin turned to him after Lillian left.
“I can’t either.”
“She seems so responsible. And she’s a sweet girl.” Robin frowned. “Or at least I thought she was.”
“She had us all fooled.” Jay set down the pot he was holding with more force than he meant to. “I’m usually a good judge of character, and she struck me as honest and—” He scowled, annoyed at himself, upset that he’d missed any signs of Dana’s deception. “Doesn’t matter. We have her on video.”
He paused and frowned at the sound of voices outside the kitchen door. He strode over to the doorway. There, standing right outside the door was Dana and a man. The man had his back to the doorway and a firm grip on each of Dana’s shoulders, shaking her. “You will do as you’re told,” the man snarled.
“Dad, you’re hurting me.”
Dad? This man was Dana’s father?
“Then do as you’re told. Give me back the money.”
“I’m going to return it. You can’t steal from Miss Lillian. You can’t.”
Jay tried to process what was happening right in front of him. As he paused the man raised a hand ready to strike Dana.
Jay jumped forward and grabbed the man’s hand and the man whirled around, losing his grip on Dana.
“Ah, the infamous thief.” The man’s lips twisted into a mocking grin. “How’d that go for you at your last job? They were mighty quick to convict you.”
There he was. The man on the video with Dana. The man he thought he recognized, and now he was sure of it. The man who’d stolen from his last job and made it so Jay had ended up in jail. He watched the man closely, watching his every move, still clasping the man’s hand in his.
“And yet, it was you who stole from them,” Jay finally said.
“Haven’t met a safe yet that I can’t crack,” the man bragged, then jerked his hand away from Jay.
“Dana, step away from him.” Jay motioned to the side with his head.
She took a few steps back, out of the man’s reach.
“This is your father?”
Dana nodded, her eyes wide.
“You can call me Freddy, though.” The man tossed another mean grin.
He kept looking between Dana and her father. “And you helped him steal from Lillian?”
“I— I didn’t want to. But he—”
“Shut your mouth, girl,” the man snarled again.
Dana took a few more steps back.
He felt Robin come up to stand beside him. “What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry, Robin. So sorry. I was bringing back the money. I was.” Tears trailed down Dana’s face.
Robin took a step forward. “Dana—”
“No, stop.” Jay held out a hand. “We’re just going to call the sheriff and get this cleared up.” He reached into his pocket for his phone.
That distraction was a mistake. Before he could comprehend what was happening, the man grabbed Robin and pulled her tight against him.
“No, you’re not.”
Jay couldn’t mistake the glint of a knife in the man’s hand. He swallowed, willing himself to stay calm and think. Just think.
“Dad, let her go. Don’t hurt her,” Dana pleaded.
“I think this little lady is my ticket out of here. Give your phone to my daughter.”
Jay nodded and took a step toward Dana. He reached out his phone to her without letting his gaze leave Robin and felt the phone taken out from his grip.
“Okay, there. Dana has the phone. Now let Robin go.” He took a step toward the
