Alex wound up at
Juliana’s house while James conducted the first interviews. He grimly took in
the huge two-story home that dwarfed his own twenty-year-old ranch-style house.
If not for his foul mood, he might even have appreciated the beautiful and
sparkling new Mediterranean-style home.
Two ulterior motives compelled him to pick up Juliana. First,
he wanted to see if she really had moved back to San Jose—he’d believe it when
he saw it. Second, he wanted to snoop around her house even though she’d
allowed the police to search it earlier. He wasn’t taking any chances, especially
after her vanishing act. Not that he thought she was involved in the kidnapping.
To his surprise, Juliana opened the door before he jabbed the
doorbell. His heart did a double beat as he took in her capris and silky T-shirt.
Her intoxicating, trademark perfume intrigued him still, twelve years later. His
eyes raked her from her blonde hair to her bare toes, his heartbeat quickening
as a tiny smile lit her beautiful face.
She inclined her head, dainty hand resting on the doorframe.
“Hello, Alex.”
“Juliana.” The frosty businesslike nod belied his internal upheaval.
She ushered him into the large, airy house, and he strained
to hear any unusual sounds as he scanned the entryway and beyond. He searched
for any clue that might disprove her dream and produce Lisette alive and well.
A vise seized his heart at the thought. He wanted Juliana to
be clean with him almost as much as he wanted to find his niece.
Juliana’s eyes widened. “Have a look around. I’ve nothing to
hide from the police or you.”
Damn. She always knew his thoughts—without resorting to reading
his mind. They’d been in tune in a way he’d never experienced, not even with
his twin sister.
“I’ll wait in the family room.” She swept her hand toward a
large room to the left and with a provocative sway to her hips, sauntered away
from him.
Too damn distracting, and he wanted to kick himself for
looking. And thinking. And feeling.
He blew the cobwebs out of his head and began his
exploration in the roomy, sterile kitchen. His methodical search of each room
proved futile, and relief sluiced over him. Despite the lack of furniture in
the house, it appeared Juliana was home to stay.
* * * * *
Andrea’s condominium was in an older, centrally located
neighborhood. Meticulously landscaped grounds surrounded the slightly
worse-for-wear condominiums. Lawns were freshly mowed, and the pungent smell of
cut grass wafted up in the summer heat. Juliana stifled a sneeze as the
brilliant sun caught her eye.
How had Andrea ended up in such a humble neighborhood after a
marriage to the son of one of the richest men in the world?
When Alex parked his SUV in the guest parking spot, strange
perceptions that escaped meaning ratcheted up a thumping in her head.
To her relief, no reporters skulked around. Despite the lack
of media, the case had engendered plenty of airtime. Children snatched from
their homes under their parents’ noses tended to create vast tension and fear. Certainly,
in any abduction case, a parent wanted all the public exposure they could
generate. Nonetheless, Juliana was glad she wouldn’t be accosted going into
Andrea’s house.
Andrea’s front door opened as soon as Alex and Juliana
hopped out of Alex’s tall SUV. Andrea ran out and flung her arms around Juliana
as if she’d found a long-lost relative. Juliana stifled her pleasant surprise
at her high school friend’s warmth. She didn’t deserve the warm, fuzzy feeling
that she belonged.
She eased out of Andrea’s arms and regarded her with a
mixture of sadness and welcome familiarity. Still tall and slender, Andrea seemed
like the same girl she remembered from high school.
Andrea clasped Juliana’s hand and they entered the
condominium. The instant Juliana stepped across the threshold, the strange
sensations that had assailed her in the driveway intensified. They nearly smothered
her
Juliana’s house while James conducted the first interviews. He grimly took in
the huge two-story home that dwarfed his own twenty-year-old ranch-style house.
If not for his foul mood, he might even have appreciated the beautiful and
sparkling new Mediterranean-style home.
Two ulterior motives compelled him to pick up Juliana. First,
he wanted to see if she really had moved back to San Jose—he’d believe it when
he saw it. Second, he wanted to snoop around her house even though she’d
allowed the police to search it earlier. He wasn’t taking any chances, especially
after her vanishing act. Not that he thought she was involved in the kidnapping.
To his surprise, Juliana opened the door before he jabbed the
doorbell. His heart did a double beat as he took in her capris and silky T-shirt.
Her intoxicating, trademark perfume intrigued him still, twelve years later. His
eyes raked her from her blonde hair to her bare toes, his heartbeat quickening
as a tiny smile lit her beautiful face.
She inclined her head, dainty hand resting on the doorframe.
“Hello, Alex.”
“Juliana.” The frosty businesslike nod belied his internal upheaval.
She ushered him into the large, airy house, and he strained
to hear any unusual sounds as he scanned the entryway and beyond. He searched
for any clue that might disprove her dream and produce Lisette alive and well.
A vise seized his heart at the thought. He wanted Juliana to
be clean with him almost as much as he wanted to find his niece.
Juliana’s eyes widened. “Have a look around. I’ve nothing to
hide from the police or you.”
Damn. She always knew his thoughts—without resorting to reading
his mind. They’d been in tune in a way he’d never experienced, not even with
his twin sister.
“I’ll wait in the family room.” She swept her hand toward a
large room to the left and with a provocative sway to her hips, sauntered away
from him.
Too damn distracting, and he wanted to kick himself for
looking. And thinking. And feeling.
He blew the cobwebs out of his head and began his
exploration in the roomy, sterile kitchen. His methodical search of each room
proved futile, and relief sluiced over him. Despite the lack of furniture in
the house, it appeared Juliana was home to stay.
* * * * *
Andrea’s condominium was in an older, centrally located
neighborhood. Meticulously landscaped grounds surrounded the slightly
worse-for-wear condominiums. Lawns were freshly mowed, and the pungent smell of
cut grass wafted up in the summer heat. Juliana stifled a sneeze as the
brilliant sun caught her eye.
How had Andrea ended up in such a humble neighborhood after a
marriage to the son of one of the richest men in the world?
When Alex parked his SUV in the guest parking spot, strange
perceptions that escaped meaning ratcheted up a thumping in her head.
To her relief, no reporters skulked around. Despite the lack
of media, the case had engendered plenty of airtime. Children snatched from
their homes under their parents’ noses tended to create vast tension and fear. Certainly,
in any abduction case, a parent wanted all the public exposure they could
generate. Nonetheless, Juliana was glad she wouldn’t be accosted going into
Andrea’s house.
Andrea’s front door opened as soon as Alex and Juliana
hopped out of Alex’s tall SUV. Andrea ran out and flung her arms around Juliana
as if she’d found a long-lost relative. Juliana stifled her pleasant surprise
at her high school friend’s warmth. She didn’t deserve the warm, fuzzy feeling
that she belonged.
She eased out of Andrea’s arms and regarded her with a
mixture of sadness and welcome familiarity. Still tall and slender, Andrea seemed
like the same girl she remembered from high school.
Andrea clasped Juliana’s hand and they entered the
condominium. The instant Juliana stepped across the threshold, the strange
sensations that had assailed her in the driveway intensified. They nearly smothered
her
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