he has untapped potential.”
I checked my watch. I was overdue at the shop. “Is Jake going to join us?”
“I’ll see what’s holding him up,” Pryce said.
As soon as he was gone, Orabell hurried to the doorway, peered out, then said to her husband in a whisper, “Shall I tell them?”
“Yes, Mummy, I think you should,” Halston said in a serious tone.
Orabell hustled to her seat on the sofa. Taking a deep breath, her hands clasped in her lap, she leaned toward us. “We believe that Pryce had something to do with Melissa’s disappearance.”
“Not something, Mummy,” Halston said. “Everything.”
C HAPTER F IVE
I t was at least three seconds before either one of us had the wherewithal to respond.
“Let me make sure I understand,” Marco said, leaning toward them. I could tell by his expression that every brain cell in his head was at attention. “You’re stating that Pryce is responsible for Melissa’s disappearance?”
Orabell nodded vigorously.
“Would you clarify what you mean by that?” Marco asked.
I was practically on the edge of my chair.
“To start with,” Orabell said in a hushed voice, glancing toward the doorway as though to be sure Pryce hadn’t sneaked up on us, “he and Melissa had the most dreadful argument on Friday evening. We could hear them quite clearly from our porch. It runs along the front and side of our house facing this one, you see.
“Well, by the time Pryce was finished with her,” Orabell continued, “Melissa was weeping uncontrollably. Then Claymore and Jillian pulled up, and the weeping stopped immediately. We assume Melissa went inside to compose herself.”
“Did you hear what they were arguing about?” I asked, my pen at the ready.
“I caught only snatches,” Orabell said, “and that mostly from Melissa, as her voice tends to be on the strident side when raised.”
“Can’t be of much help on this, I’m afraid,” Halston said, tugging one earlobe. “Hearing isn’t what it used to be.”
“Would you share what Melissa said?” I asked Orabell.
“I can’t believe you would do this to me,” she said.
I was taken aback by the woman’s sudden change of attitude. “It’s just part of the interview process.”
Orabell smiled. “No, darling, those were Melissa’s words. ‘How can I show my face in town? This will ruin me.’ She was referring to their breakup.”
“Their breakup?” I repeated.
“You didn’t know?” Orabell asked. “Pryce called off their engagement.”
I was shocked—and yet I wasn’t, or shouldn’t have been, since he’d done it to me. Why hadn’t Pryce told us that up front?
Or had he? I recalled our first conversation, when he’d said,
Did you know that
I’d planned to marry Melissa?
I hadn’t caught it at the time, but now the use of past tense made sense.
“I’m saving the best for last,” Orabell said eagerly. Her eyes sparkled as she whispered, “‘You will pay for this.’”
“She threatened Pryce?” I asked.
“Yes, indeed,” Orabell said, as if this were the most delicious gossip to hit the Midwest in decades. “And two days later”—Orabell snapped her fingers—“she vanished.”
I’d wanted to vanish, too, after Pryce had dumped me. And, boy, had I wanted to make him pay. But for Pryceto have taken action against me because of that? I couldn’t see it happening.
While I scribbled notes, Marco said to Orabell, “Are you certain of what you heard?”
“Yes, darling. My eyesight is horrible, but I have excellent hearing.”
“That she does,” Halston said drily, his teeth clenched even tighter than before.
“Abby and I will be here this evening around five thirty to conduct more thorough interviews,” Marco said. “Will you make yourselves available?”
“We will for you, dear boy,” Orabell said, rising. “Not here, though. You must join us for after-dinner cocktails in our home.”
“Thanks for the offer, but we don’t drink while we’re working
I checked my watch. I was overdue at the shop. “Is Jake going to join us?”
“I’ll see what’s holding him up,” Pryce said.
As soon as he was gone, Orabell hurried to the doorway, peered out, then said to her husband in a whisper, “Shall I tell them?”
“Yes, Mummy, I think you should,” Halston said in a serious tone.
Orabell hustled to her seat on the sofa. Taking a deep breath, her hands clasped in her lap, she leaned toward us. “We believe that Pryce had something to do with Melissa’s disappearance.”
“Not something, Mummy,” Halston said. “Everything.”
C HAPTER F IVE
I t was at least three seconds before either one of us had the wherewithal to respond.
“Let me make sure I understand,” Marco said, leaning toward them. I could tell by his expression that every brain cell in his head was at attention. “You’re stating that Pryce is responsible for Melissa’s disappearance?”
Orabell nodded vigorously.
“Would you clarify what you mean by that?” Marco asked.
I was practically on the edge of my chair.
“To start with,” Orabell said in a hushed voice, glancing toward the doorway as though to be sure Pryce hadn’t sneaked up on us, “he and Melissa had the most dreadful argument on Friday evening. We could hear them quite clearly from our porch. It runs along the front and side of our house facing this one, you see.
“Well, by the time Pryce was finished with her,” Orabell continued, “Melissa was weeping uncontrollably. Then Claymore and Jillian pulled up, and the weeping stopped immediately. We assume Melissa went inside to compose herself.”
“Did you hear what they were arguing about?” I asked, my pen at the ready.
“I caught only snatches,” Orabell said, “and that mostly from Melissa, as her voice tends to be on the strident side when raised.”
“Can’t be of much help on this, I’m afraid,” Halston said, tugging one earlobe. “Hearing isn’t what it used to be.”
“Would you share what Melissa said?” I asked Orabell.
“I can’t believe you would do this to me,” she said.
I was taken aback by the woman’s sudden change of attitude. “It’s just part of the interview process.”
Orabell smiled. “No, darling, those were Melissa’s words. ‘How can I show my face in town? This will ruin me.’ She was referring to their breakup.”
“Their breakup?” I repeated.
“You didn’t know?” Orabell asked. “Pryce called off their engagement.”
I was shocked—and yet I wasn’t, or shouldn’t have been, since he’d done it to me. Why hadn’t Pryce told us that up front?
Or had he? I recalled our first conversation, when he’d said,
Did you know that
I’d planned to marry Melissa?
I hadn’t caught it at the time, but now the use of past tense made sense.
“I’m saving the best for last,” Orabell said eagerly. Her eyes sparkled as she whispered, “‘You will pay for this.’”
“She threatened Pryce?” I asked.
“Yes, indeed,” Orabell said, as if this were the most delicious gossip to hit the Midwest in decades. “And two days later”—Orabell snapped her fingers—“she vanished.”
I’d wanted to vanish, too, after Pryce had dumped me. And, boy, had I wanted to make him pay. But for Pryceto have taken action against me because of that? I couldn’t see it happening.
While I scribbled notes, Marco said to Orabell, “Are you certain of what you heard?”
“Yes, darling. My eyesight is horrible, but I have excellent hearing.”
“That she does,” Halston said drily, his teeth clenched even tighter than before.
“Abby and I will be here this evening around five thirty to conduct more thorough interviews,” Marco said. “Will you make yourselves available?”
“We will for you, dear boy,” Orabell said, rising. “Not here, though. You must join us for after-dinner cocktails in our home.”
“Thanks for the offer, but we don’t drink while we’re working
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