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“I didn’t know they were in therapy. They seem so happy and cute together,” I say.
Jerry chuckles, “You can’t be that dense, Savvy.”
It dawns on me what Jessie is referring to, and my face scrunches up reflexively. Not wanting to go down that path, I ask again, “What are you guys searching for?”
Jerry clicks a few more keys before answering me. “It’s been too quiet around here, so I double-checked the video footage.”
“Did you find anything?”
“Yes, but not from the cameras we installed. Look at this,” he says as he pulls up the video from the front gate security shack. “This was from Monday, as Aiden and the guys were leaving for their five-day road trip. When they pull out of the driveway, you can see Amy sitting on the front porch of the house across the street.”
“Can you zoom in on her so I can read her facial expression?” I ask. He does, and she seems to be forlorn when Aiden’s car passes by. I expect her to get in her car and follow him, but she does something else entirely. She buries her face in her hands and cries. After about ten minutes, she leaves.
“That’s different,” Jessie says.
“Yeah, it is, and not only her tears. If you look into her eyes, they’re sad and full of emotion. When we caught her on the property, her eyes were hollow and distant. I don’t think that’s Amy Smith we’re looking at. I think that’s Amy Potslawski,” I state, unsure of what this development could mean for us.
Jessie throws up her hands in exasperation. “Great! Now, we have both of Amy’s personalities to contend with. At least when she’s Amy Smith, we know what her motives are. Can this situation get any worse?”
I close my eyes and absorb a moment of peace before I tell her, “Jessie, it can always get worse. Remember that it’s always darkest before the dawn.”
Chapter twenty-nine
Aiden
I’m surrounded by my security when Swank runs to catch up to me as we walk across the tarmac toward the private terminal. I couldn’t have been prouder of how he played in our games this week. He skated hard and fast, determined to win—and win we did.
“We should go out and celebrate! Ditch the bodyguards, and let’s go have some guy time! When was the last time you and I hung out, just the two of us?”
“Another time, Swank. I have a lot on my plate right now, what with the initial custody hearing less than a week away and playoffs around the corner. How about we celebrate after winning the Stanley Cup?”
He points at me, “I’m going to hold you to that, Shaw, and you’re buying!”
Laughing and in a great mood, I joke, “Don’t I always?”
“That’s what friends are for, buying beer and letting their buddy crash at their house. So how about it?”
“How about what, Swank?”
He rolls his eyes at my lack of understanding. “How about you let me crash in the cottage?”
“No can do. We have church tomorrow, and I want to spend some time with the family. If I’m lucky, I’ll get home in time before Penny is in bed. You have an eight-bedroom house on Tybee Island that people dream about living in. Why don’t you sleep there?”
Swank pouts, “Because it’s lonely, and I don’t have anyone to come home to. My place is big and empty, not to mention it’s been a financial drain. I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford to keep it after next season.”
I don’t really know what to say, and I never understood why he bought such a large place to begin with. “You could always sell it and get something smaller,” I suggest.
“Yeah, maybe. I’ve heard rumors that the Rockets might trade me once you retire. If that happens, there will be no point in keeping it. Maybe I’ll put it on one of those rental sites during the regular season and come back to visit during the summers.”
“Are you ready to go, Mr. Shaw?” Roger asks politely, urging me to move along. I hold up a finger, silently asking him to give me a minute.
Turning back to Swank, I tell him what I’ve been considering lately. “Um, I might not be here when you come back to visit. There’s a really good school up in New York for gifted children like Penny and I’m considering enrolling her. Where she goes, I go.”
Roger nudges me, “Sir, the vehicle is out front, and it’s time for us to go. The area has been secured.”
Swank frowns and waves me away. “I’ll see you at practice on Monday.”
I give him a quick two-finger salute as Roger, Scott, and Jeremy escort me to the car that Jack has brought around. On the drive home, I remember to switch off the airplane mode on my phone and immediately get a few texts as they come through. One is from my mom, who informed me that she and my dad would not be at my house when I arrived. The second is from Gretchen, apologizing for having to cancel her visit tomorrow after church. Her husband’s mother fell ill, and they had to leave out of town. She promised to reschedule as soon as they return.
