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I thanked the bartender and made my way over to the front desk, where a petite blonde woman was typing away at a computer that looked like it had been around since the dawn of the internet. She looked up as I approached, a polite smile on her face.
"Hi, I'm looking for someone who might have been staying here recently. Her name is Natasha Kingsbury."
Lila's brow furrowed, and she tapped a few keys on the computer. "Kingsbury, you said? Let me check our records."
She scrolled through the screen, her eyes scanning the information. Finally, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't see anyone by that name in our system. I've been working here for the past week, so I would remember if she had checked in."
I felt my shoulders slump, a wave of defeat washing over me. I had been so sure that I would find Natasha here, that I could confront her and get her to admit to all the ways she had tried to sabotage Jake’s life. It looked like I was back to square one.
I thanked Lila for her help and walked out of the hotel, feeling more lost and confused than ever. If Natasha wasn't at The Rusty Hook, then where was she? And why had Hailey been so sure that she was up to something?
I climbed back into my car, my mind spinning with questions and doubts. I decided to head home so I could regroup and come up with a new plan. Maybe I could talk to Jake and see if he had any ideas about where Natasha might be hiding out.
As I drove, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something, that there was a piece of the puzzle that I just couldn't see. I replayed every conversation I'd had with Hailey and every odd behavior I'd noticed from Natasha. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make sense of it all.
I was so lost in thought that I almost missed the turn for my street. I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs from my mind. I needed to focus.
As I pulled into my driveway, I felt a sudden sense of unease wash over me. Something wasn't right, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.
I turned off the engine and sat there for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts. That’s when I heard the buzz of an incoming text message.
I glanced down at my phone, expecting it to be from Jake or maybe Laney, but it wasn't. It was from Hailey, and as I read the words on the screen, my stomach dropped to my feet.
"Molly, I need to tell you something. I'm so sorry, but I'm the one who blackmailed you and my dad into dating. I'm the one who created the fake online dating profile. I feel so guilty, and I don't know what to do."
I stared at the phone, my mind reeling. Hailey? Sweet, innocent Hailey? How could she be behind all of this? It didn't make any sense.
But as I kept reading, the pieces started to fall into place.
"I took the photos and used an AI image editor to change them, but I swear I didn't release them. I would never do that to you and Dad. I just wanted my dad to be happy and I knew he would be happy with you. I think my mom found them on my phone and sent them to herself. I caught her with my phone when I was in the bathroom one day. I’m really sorry. For everything."
A rush of anger and betrayal, mixed with a strange sense of relief. At least now we knew the truth, even if it was a truth that hurt like hell. I didn’t know what to do with the anger I was having for Hailey; she was just a kid and trying to pull some kind of a parent trap with her dad and me. Natasha, however, was a grown ass woman who exploited her daughter, and Jake, and me, in a whole new way.
With a deep breath, I typed my reply.
It’s not easy admitting when we’ve done something wrong. Thank you for telling me the truth. I’m coming over now and the three of us can talk this out.
Hailey had played us and there was no getting around it. Looking back now it made so much sense, but I just hadn’t seen it. She primed me with her journal. She even slipped up yesterday and said, “That’s why I wanted you to be with my dad, because I knew you’d make him happy.”
I face-palmed myself for missing that one.
But what was the deal with the fake dating profiles? Only Hailey held the answers. There was no sense in me dwelling on it. All I knew was she loved her dad and she just wanted him to be happy. Good intentions or not, however, we were still in a bit of a sticky situation and not the good kind.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I couldn't dwell on the past, not now. I had to focus on the present and the good news that the answers were at last uncovered.
As I pulled up to Jake's house, I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I knew we needed to have a serious talk with Hailey, to make her understand the gravity of what she had done. More than that, we needed to come up with a plan to use this information to protect ourselves and our relationship from any further fallout.
I walked up to the front door, my hand poised to knock, when I heard a sound that made my blood run cold. It was Jake's voice, raised in a panicked shout, calling out Hailey's name.
I burst through the door, my heart in my throat, to find Jake pacing the living room like a caged animal. His face was pale, his eyes wild with fear and desperation.
"Jake, what's going on?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Where's Hailey?"
He turned to me, his expression crumpling. "She's gone, Molly. I can't find her anywhere. She's not in her room, not in the backyard, not next door, and she’s not answering her phone. It's like she just vanished into thin air."
I felt my stomach drop, a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead. "What do you mean, gone? Jake, what happened?"
He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I don’t know.”
