Brian came over to take drink orders. Leo asked for a Glenlivet on the rocks, and Sam said she’d stick with water. Her stomach was flipping. It felt incredibly weird to be sitting in this beautiful place whileMaeve was missing. She could be anywhere, something terrible could be happening to her. She looked at Leo.
“Edward and Nola are your investigators, right?” she asked.
“They have their own work, but yes—sometimes.”
“What kind of things do they investigate?” she asked.
“Matters concerning my cases. My clients. In a criminal case, for example, they will investigate witnesses or other potential suspects. Sometimes after a deposition, when the witness has given answers under oath, Edward and Nola will investigate to see how truthful, or untruthful, the testimony actually was. They trace family connections, property ownership, financial irregularities. And Nola has a specialty in profiling and criminal psychology.”
Sam nodded, remembering the work Nola talked about when she went to the prison. “Do they ever look for missing persons?” she asked.
“They don’t do that sort of work for me,” Leo said. “Why do you ask, Sam?”
“Haven’t you heard about Maeve?” Sam asked.
“Yes, of course,” Leo said. “Forgive me—I didn’t realize you were referring to her. You haven’t heard from her?”
“No.”
“Are you close?”
“Well, not really,” Sam said. “But we know each other. She works for Kate. She and Kate adore each other—Maeve is almost like another niece. They work with each other every day.”
“Might Maeve have gone off on her own?” Leo asked. “Maybe she feels upset about the wedding being called off—especially if she really cares about Kate. Not only that, but she was also the first to find the murder victim. It makes sense that she would have to get away.”
Sam ran that through her mind and shook her head.
“I can see the wheels turning,” Leo said. “Do you want to tell me what you’re thinking?”
“Just that ... I don’t think she left on her own,” Sam said.
“That’s troubling,” Leo said. “Have you talked to Conor and Joe about it? Let the police in on the situation?”
“Yes,” Sam said. “They’re investigating. I think it’s all connected. Kate and Conor do too.”
“What’s connected?”
Sam found herself wanting to tell him all of it. “Belinda’s murder and Maeve being taken.”
“Taken?” Leo asked.
“Yes,” Sam said. “It all goes together, Leo. It’s crazy, but it all has to do with the number 1740. That was stenciled on the door of Suzanne’s truck, and it links up to this doctor—Jonathan Tyler, a psychiatrist at a hospital in Narragansett—who was murdered in the exact same way as Belinda. Maeve, Kate, and I went to the hospital where he worked ... and we found a note ... and it’s gone, along with Maeve. I think it’s the reason she ...”
She was interrupted by Brian dropping off their drinks just as Mike, Anne, and the Aldriches approached the table.
“You can’t stop there,” Leo said to Sam. “Keep going.”
“What have we missed?” Anne asked.
“The most extraordinary story,” Leo said. “Connections we never dreamed of. Edward and Nola—Sam asked if we do work to find missing persons, referring to Maeve. I said no, but I am rethinking it. The elements are completely in your wheelhouse.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Mike said, slapping the table. “I have been thinking the same thing. The police are on it, focused on the murder. But this is all of a piece. And ‘1740’ is the thread we need to follow.”
“Sam, can you tell us more?” Nola asked.
“Yes, start at the very beginning, even if you think we already know it,” Edward said.
“Sure,” Sam said. She watched Nola pull a notebook from a canvas bag. As Sam began to talk, Nola began to write. Sam kept her voice low, so people at nearby tables couldn’t listen. That might not have been necessary. The older people leaned in close, to hear what Sam had to say, and she felt a wave of comfort wash over her—a feeling of hope.
