I didn’t like the sound of that, but I agreed nonetheless. At least to Bradley, I did. But I had absolutely no intention of coming back up to Willow Point after dark all by myself.
I just had to figure out who to bring.
***
I was back in Harbour Falls by three, so I stopped by Adam’s office to get him up to speed on my strange visit to Willow Point. Bradley had said to come alone, but there was no way I was doing that. I’d thought about it while driving back and decided that Adam was my best bet. He’d know how to stay out of sight, so Bradley would think I’d come alone. But Adam would also be able to—if need be—protect me in a heartbeat. Of that, I had no doubt.
The front entrance of the office building was unlocked, so I let myself into the reception area. To my surprise, Helena was seated at the secretary’s desk, filing her long nails and looking rather bored.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I asked, walking over to the desk.
Helena explained that the usual secretary had called in sick, so she’d offered to fill in for the day. “Not much going on over on the island,” she said, sighing and setting the nail file down. “You saw how dead the café was the other day.”
I nodded; the café had been empty when Adam and I had stopped by to talk with Helena and Nate. Things wouldn’t really pick up until fishermen started stopping in for coffee and soup in the spring.
I motioned to the hallway leading back to Adam’s office. “Is Adam here?”
Helena shook her head. “No, Maddy, he’s not. He and Nate had to go down to Portland for some important last-minute meeting.” Damn!
I groaned. “That’s why I kept getting forwarded to voicemail when I tried to call his cell after leaving Willow Point.”
“Hey,” Helena said softly, “how did it go out there? Was Ami helpful? Did she have any information on the mystery guy?’
Her voice sounded hopeful, so I felt bad when I had to break the news that I’d not even seen Ami.
“That’s too bad,” she muttered, resigned and deflated. “I guess we’re back at square one.” Helena turned her head, but I caught her swiping at a tear in the corner of her eye.
“Helena?”
“It’s never going to end, is it?” she whispered.
“Hey, don’t say that. All’s not lost.” I walked around the side of the desk and knelt down beside her. “I have a backup plan. It’s already in place. There’s a guard up there named Bradley. He’s Ami’s guard.” Helena was still looking away, but I knew she was listening. “We talked today, and I think he’s genuinely concerned for her. He said he can sneak me in tonight so I can see Ami. So, see, there’s still hope.”
Helena finally turned to me, doubt in her moistened eyes. “Won’t you get caught?” she asked, sniffling. “Don’t they have cameras up there?”
Her cheeks were streaked with tears, so I grabbed a tissue from the box on the desk and wiped them away. “They do,” I replied, trailing the tissue under her eye. “But Bradley knows how to get around them.”
Helena stilled my hand, withdrew the tissue from my grasp. Dropping my hand to my lap, I reluctantly met her gaze. “I certainly hope you’re not planning on going up there all by yourself,” she said softly.
Helena looked aghast when I didn’t answer right away, so I quickly tried to assuage her concern. “No, of course I wouldn’t do that.” Helena breathed a sigh of relief. “I was hoping to take Adam. That’s why I stopped in.”
Tossing the tissue to the desk, Helena said, “Maddy, I don’t know when he and Nate will be back, though. Sometime tonight, I imagine, but probably not in time for Adam to go with you.”
“Well, then,” I said, standing. “I guess I will have to go alone.”
“No way,” Helena declared, grabbing my arm. “Listen, I have an idea…”
I perched on the side of the desk, waiting for her to continue.
“First, we can leave voicemails for Nate and Adam. I know they’ll check them as soon as they’re out of their meetings. And if they do get back in time, Adam can go with you. But if not, Maddy, then I am going.”
“Oh, I don’t know…” I trailed off.
I hated the possibility of putting Helena in any kind of danger. What if the mystery guy was up there and spotted her. What if he recognized her from that long ago night? Adam could take care of himself, but I wasn’t so sure with Helena. “You don’t have to come with—”
“Yes, yes I do,” she countered, interrupting me. “It’s the least I can do. Ami dragged you into our mess, but it isn’t right for you to keep taking all the chances. Besides, Adam wouldn’t want you to go alone.”
“I guess,” I said hesitantly, still not sure if this was such a good idea. But she was right about Adam not wanting me to go alone, I was sure he’d disapprove…strongly.
“Great,” she said, standing and straightening her blouse. “It’s decided then. We better get going.”
“I think we should stop at my house first,” I said. “It’s too early to leave now anyway, and this will give the guys more time to call back. Maybe they’ll even return early.”
Helena agreed. As we readied to leave, I added, “You do realize if Nate and Adam don’t get back in time, neither is going to be very pleased we did this on our own.”
“No doubt.” Helena nodded as she picked up her purse. “But I don’t think we’ll have a choice.” Sadly, this appeared to be the case.
We locked things
