“Touché,” he said. “It’s a small bank in Gloucester.”
My eyes widened. “Gloucester, Massachusetts?”
“Yep,” he said. “She’s from around here. I don’t know if MJ already told you.”
“She did not.”
“She may have erased that from her memory,” Tony said. “But that was the main thing Melanie Joan liked about Natalie Blythe—you know, before everything went pear-shaped. ‘A Boston girl,’ MJ said.” He gave me a picture-perfect grin. “Claimed Natalie reminded her of you.”
“Great.”
“Before things went pear-shaped. Don’t forget I said that.”
I took a breath. Thought. “It makes sense she’d come back home to lick her wounds.”
“And, trust me, she could afford a nice place in Gloucester on what we’ve been paying her.” He rubbed his chin and gazed up at the ceiling, giving me a view of a strong jaw, a cultivated five-o’clock shadow. He wore a thick gold ring with a red stone in it. His college ring—Stanford. I didn’t know many men my age who still wore their college rings. I was sure my shrink would have plenty to say about it.
“Gloucester’s drivable,” I said. “I mean, if she really does live near her bank.”
He nodded. “Too bad I don’t have a home address for her.”
A thought came to me. I sat down at my desk and pulled up my recent image search. I clicked on the picture of the women in matching T-shirts, Natalie Blythe at the center.
“You know what Natalie does for a living these days?” I asked Tony. “I mean, besides not ruining Melanie Joan’s career?”
“No idea,” he said.
I stared at the picture on my screen. The women’s shirts were pale pink, one word across the front in glittery cursive:Infinity. It was sourced from one of the women’s Substacks—not Natalie’s—calledMy Health Journey. And when I skimmed the entry, I saw that it was about joining a yoga class. The author didn’t say where.
“Find something?” Tony said.
“Maybe,” I said.
I remembered what Melanie Joan had told me—how Natalie was always late to the set because she’d been meditating or doing yoga. I googled “Infinity Yoga, Gloucester, Mass.,” and within seconds, I found a website. It was actually calledInfinity Wellness Center, but I knew it was the right place. At the top of the home page was a quote:
“In today’s high-pressure world, we all must take time to recharge. Find peace within, and the possibilities are ‘infinite.’ ”
—Natalie Blythe, Owner
I turned the screen around so that Tony could see. “Found her,” I said.
“Man,” he said. “You’re good.”
I made myself not recall the last time he’d told me something similar. I called Blake into the office. “I’m going to Gloucester,” I said.
“Now?” Blake said.
“We’d better hurry,” Tony said. “That spa may close soon.”
I looked at him.“We?”
“Sunny,” he said. “If Natalie is Book Babe, you’re going to have to convince her that it’s essential to publicly make peace with Melanie Joan, ASAP.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Who better to do that than the guy who proverbially signs her checks?”
I thought about it.
