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Twister looked up from the notebook. “That’s really good, bro. I had no idea.” He handed the notebook back, then looked at his watch. “We better get showered and downstairs. Maddy’s called a meeting.”
“Twist?”
“Yeah?”
“Feel free to share anything with the guys. I won’t mind.”
Twister grinned. “Oh, you will once they start ribbing you.”
Shark returned his grin. It only meant that Shark was firmly entrenched as one of their brothers. He could only embrace every smart-ass remark. Didn’t mean he couldn’t hold his own.
* * *
Maddy glanced at Shark as he walked with her and her mom into the palace, his gaze connecting briefly with hers. He gave her a reassuring nod, then was stopped by a different greeter in the foyer.
He took them from there up the stairs and into the residential wing. Shark had learned that the prime minister was out of the palace. It was a good time for them to meet with Fabrice. Nervously wiping her hand on her new sundress, the bright color bolstering her, she screwed up her courage and followed along until they reached a polished mahogany door.
The greeter knocked, and Maddy heard Fabrice’s voice for them to enter. The greeter opened the door, and Maddy and her mom slipped inside, then it closed behind them.
Fabrice stood, looking drawn and tired, but a bright smile wreathed her face. “Maddy, Mrs. Towson. How kind to come for a visit. I’m so happy to see you.” She hugged Maddy hard, almost desperately. Then turned to her mom. “And you, Mrs. Towson.” She hugged her mom.
“Where’s Kenzy. I was hoping to see him?” Maddy asked.
“He’s napping, so hopefully he’ll be up by the time you must leave. Come, I have lunch prepared.”
She turned and walked toward the balcony, and she and her mom followed. There was a table with silverware and napkins. The day was sunny and warm, but the breeze off the ocean was cool and salty.
They sat down, and the lunch kicked off with questions about Kenzy and how he was doing and flowed through questions from Fabrice about Maddy’s completion of her PhD and her job.
Maddy was honest. Her mom knew everything about that terribly ill-advised relationship. In fact, she was proud of Maddy for finally standing up for herself. She then told Fabrice all about her appointment to Old Dominion, and her research efforts which was why she was in Haiti.
As the conversation wound down, Maddy signaled her mom, and she reached down for her purse. “Oh, a call from my husband. Would you excuse me for a moment?” She rose and left the balcony, heading into the living area. She then came back out and said, “I have to go. Something’s come up.” Maddy rose, but her mom waved her down. “No, you stay and catch up with Fabrice. Hopefully, you’ll get to see the little one.”
Maddy smiled, hugging and kissing her mom before returning to her chair. The sound of the door closing seemed ominous in the suddenly tense air. Fabrice looked out to the ocean, taking a soft breath.
A horrible sense of foreboding washed through her, and she stared at her friend. “Tell me everything is good with you and your husband, Fabrice. I’m worried about you.”
Fabrice turned abruptly toward her, fear in her eyes, her expression tentative, then she forced a smile. “Everything is fine. He’s ill. That’s all. Flu most likely.”
Maddy’s dread expanded. “I don’t believe you, sweetie. I overheard that terrible argument between you and the prime minister. What is happening?”
Fabrice broke into tears, picking up the napkin and covering her mouth to muffle the sobs. “I don’t know,” she wailed. She looked fearfully toward the door, then got up and switched seats to be closer to Maddy. She lowered her voice. “The prime minister won’t let me see my husband under the excuse that he might be contagious. I can’t get any answers, and I’m watched constantly.”
Maddy soothed Fabrice for another fifteen minutes. She couldn’t promise her anything, and it was frustrating to find out that the president’s wife wasn’t allowed to see him.
She was scared for her friend and concerned about the sheer political ramifications. When she left, after a brief glance at her sleeping son, Maddy was even more upset.
She slipped out of the living quarters to an empty hallway. Before she could stop herself, she turned left instead of right, toward the bedroom. Fabrice was preoccupied with her son for probably another ten to fifteen minutes. When she got there, she opened the door, but when she glanced inside, there was no one there.
She bit her lip and closed the door, looking behind her, she spied a staircase. Her heart beat once…twice. She didn’t often think of risk or fear in her line of work. Sure, she went to foreign countries to gather data, but she’d never felt…unsafe. She sensed this was a golden opportunity to find out more. She also realized that if she took that step, she’d be putting herself in danger, and she’d be putting her father in a terrible situation.
In a quick calculation, which included the anger she’d spark from not only her dad but Shark, she decided she had to go for answers. He wasn’t happy about being left in the waiting room.
She swallowed hard and pushed her fear aside. This was too important an opportunity to ignore. She headed toward the doorway, and as she descended, she felt the temperature drop. The basement. Nothing good ever came from going into a dark, dank basement. A chill trickled down her spine, and her stomach tied into a tight, frozen knot.
She heard voices when she got to the bottom. Peeking around the corner, she saw a man who was obviously a guard talking to a maid. She glanced at the locked door he was guarding, and that was when she felt the little hairs on the back of her neck start to rise.
The maid was shamelessly flirting with the handsome, young man. She could smell fabric softener and hear a washer and dryer going. The woman giggled and they embraced, then kissed. She took his hand and dragged him toward a room in the back. They went through the door.
