“I see. Well, I’m sorry you drove all this way for nothing, but I’m afraid I can’t let you in, not without a warrant or a guest pass.”
There it was.
“Are you sure? I’d think Ms. Wiggins would want to do her civic duty and help out with our investigation.”
The guard was unflappable. “She may very well want to, but without her buzzing you in or adding you to the guest list, I’m afraid we won’t be able to find out.”
Ellie ground her molars together. “If it’s just the car that’s an issue, we could park outside, and I could walk in?”
In her experience, gated communities often cared more about preventing unauthorized vehicles than foot traffic, because burglars tended to think twice about robbing a house without getaway wheels.
Not this guy. Before she even finished, the guard was shaking his head. “I really do apologize for the inconvenience, but I risk my job if I don’t follow community policies. The residents here pay for gated access for a reason, I’m sure you understand. Now, you two both have a nice day, and feel free to come back when you have that warrant or a guest pass.”
The security guard dismissed them by turning his back and returning to the kiosk, leaving Ellie to seethe and mutter under her breath.
“He seems nice.”
Shane’s dry comment shook a surprised laugh from Ellie. Her bodyguard didn’t speak up without prompting much, but when he did, he often voiced snide little gems like that. “He definitely takes his job seriously.”
She glared at the security guard one last time before slumping. He was only doing his job. Unfortunately for her, his job and hers were at odds at the moment.
Shane shot her an inquisitive glance. “Where to?”
“Go ahead and make a U-turn and drive us back to that little downtown area we passed on the way. I’ll just have to think of something else.”
She stared out the passenger window as the Explorer cruised along the sun-washed roads that led to a cute little area full of cobblestoned streets, palm trees mixed with live oaks, and a mixture of boutiques and cafes that boasted patios with outdoor seating, all under an array of colorful awnings.
The sidewalks teamed with midday shoppers and diners, and the SUV crawled along the busy road, passing a long streak of full parking spaces before Shane zipped into an empty spot a block away.
“Hungry?” Ellie asked Shane, but he only gave her the I’m on the clock look he normally did. If the man ever ate, she didn’t know.
Ellie climbed out and headed into the bustling shopping area, irritated by the long, unproductive drive and hoping that lunch might refuel her lagging spirits and prompt a new plan. A quick glance back reassured her that her shadow was doing his job just a couple steps from her heels.
She passed three boutiques, a nail salon, an ice cream shop, and a Cuban café before popping into a pub with an open table tucked away in the corner of the brick-lined patio. After ordering a blackened shrimp salad, Ellie sipped sweet tea from an oversized glass and people-watched while reevaluating her plan.
Had her spur-of-the-moment decision to jump in the car and head down to Florida been an error in judgment? Because it was really starting to appear that way.
Ellie flopped her chin into her palm and sighed. Instead of lowering her head like a stubborn ox and bulldozing forward, maybe the smart action right now was to accept this one failure, take the loss, and head home. If they hopped back on the road as soon as she finished eating, they’d arrive in Charleston in time for dinner, and she could figure out where to take the case from there.
Except, she was a stubborn ox. They were here now, after a six-hour drive, and the idea of turning around and leaving without taking another stab at questioning the woman rankled. Ellie frowned at her tea. If only she had the vaguest notion of how to speak to Letitia without that bulldog at the gate chasing her off. Without Letitia Wiggins, she wasn’t sure how to go about finding information on Kingsley, either.
Ellie chewed the end of her straw while countless pedestrians strolled by before pulling out her phone and dialing.
“Miss me already?”
Despite her sour mood, Ellie smiled at Jillian’s greeting. “Believe it or not, I’m calling to see if there’ve been any updates yet.”
“Nothing on Bethany as far as I know, but I think Valdez is making some headway with Fortis’s case.”
The waitress set Ellie’s salad in front of her. “Let me know if you need anything else,” the young brunette whispered.
Ellie smiled. “Thanks, I will.”
The waitress left.
“Who you talking to?” Jillian asked.
“The waitress, my order just came. I’m drowning my sorrows with shrimp salad.”
“Yum, sounds like a sound judgment call to me. I’ll let you go so you can hop right to that sorrow drowning, unless you needed something else?”
Ellie was about to say no but hesitated. “Actually, would you mind pulling up and printing me a copy of everything we have on Letitia Wiggins and the Far Ridge Boy’s Academy? I’m especially interested in any records we might have on Kingsley while he attended.”
“Nope, no problem, I can do that.”
“Thanks. You know, while you’re at it, could you cancel my lunch with my mom tomorrow?”
“Hell no. Sorry, not sorry. I consider myself a decently brave person, but I’m definitely not brave enough to risk the wrath of Helen Kline.”
Ellie laughed. “Rats. I figured maybe I could sneak that one in there, and you might agree before you noticed. Oh well, worth a try.”
“You keep right on dreaming. See ya!”
After they hung up, Ellie rummaged through her purse until she located her earbuds. Once she adjusted them in her ears, she started playing the podcast again, soaking up more of Crawford’s description of Letitia Wiggins while she forked a few bites of shrimp and romaine into her mouth.
The
