Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Josh whirled on Tank. He held a finger out like a spear. "You can't talk to me like that. You were in love with Mandy. You probably still are, and now you want to make me look crazy."

Tank shook his head. "Josh, you're right. I was in love with Mandy. Was. Years ago, when we were kids. Yes, I still care about her, but I'm not in love with her. And more important, she's not in love with me."

Tears filled Josh's eyes. "I don't believe you. Where are you hiding Mandy?"

He ran into the table as he tried to reach Tank. Tank moved so that he kept something between them. This wasn't going to turn out well.

Moving out of the range of fire, I ran to the counter and my phone, but before I could dial for help, Toby walked in the front door. He quickly assessed the problem, since Josh was still yelling at Tank, and he ran over and grabbed Josh's arms, pinning them behind him. He glanced at me. "Call Greg now. We've got to get him calmed down."

When Greg and an ambulance arrived, Josh was tied to a gurney, and the EMTs had given him something to calm him down. He was still talking about Mandy as the EMTs pushed the gurney out to the ambulance. The third came up to Greg.

"We'll take him to the Bakerstown hospital. They'll assess him." He was writing on a clipboard. "Is he prone to these outbursts?"

"No. He hasn't been sleeping, and his fiancée is missing. He's just overwhelmed," I said, not waiting for Greg to answer.

The EMT frowned at the clipboard. This time when he looked up, he focused his gaze and his questions toward Greg. "Is he a suspect in her disappearance? Should we keep restraints on him?"

Greg sighed and took off his baseball cap. "I don't believe Josh hurt Mandy, but this, well, I didn't think he'd do this either. I'll call Bakerstown and ask them to put a guard on his room. Maybe if we can get him some sleep, he'll be more rational in a few days."

"Okay. We'll let the hospital know he's coming." The EMT looked over at me. "Does he have any next of kin we can call?"

I shrugged. "I really don't know him that well. I bet Amy might have that information."

"We'll get the hospital something," Greg said to the waiting EMT, who nodded and headed out to the ambulance. Greg waved Toby over. "Get your coffee, then head over to the station. I need you to call Royce in Bakerstown and ask for the officer. We'll chip in for the cost. And ask Amy to pull his business license. Maybe it has something on it."

"I'll talk to Kyle too. We should keep the store running, right?" I looked from Greg to Toby. "I guess I'm not sure what to tell him."

"I'll stop in after I talk to the two of you." Greg met Toby's gaze and sat down at the table. Toby went back to the coffee bar to pour himself a large coffee to go. "Hey, get me one while you're back there. If that's okay with Jill."

"Of course." I sank back into the chair at the table. "Wow. I've never seen Josh act like that. He's been cold before. Odd. But never violent. I'm not sure what he would have done if he'd gotten ahold of Tank."

"According to Kyle, he hasn't slept in days." Tank ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want to press charges or anything. The guy needs help and sleep, not legal troubles."

"That's kind of you." Greg met my gaze, then dropped it quickly. "So what were you guys talking about when Josh went off?"

"Mandy. Oh, and the missing journal." I picked up my coffee and took a drink. It was cold. I nodded toward Tank. "Josh had found out that Tank and Mandy had dated in high school. Or was it college?"

Tank shifted in his chair. "Both. I dated her until I left for Mexico. I asked her to come with me, she said no, and we broke up. End of story."

Greg pushed on. "Then your professor asked you to come back and look at Josh's journal?"

"Yeah. I didn't know that Mandy would be involved. Frankly, I thought she'd be married by now with kids. That's why we broke up; she wanted the house and sheepdog life. I wanted to be free to travel from one dig to the next until I made my name. Then I could write books about the find forever." Tank drank some of his coffee, grimaced, then drank more. "I was in love with her. I just couldn't give up my work to hang around here."

Greg kept his eyes on his notebook. "And the missing journal? Have you read it?"

Tank leaned forward. "I have. It's definitely from the right time frame. And it has Gabriel Santiago's name in the book. We'd have to have the paper and ink tested to be sure, but in my opinion, the book's legit."

"And now it's missing?" Greg pushed.

Tank shrugged. "I think Josh misplaced it in all that antique stuff. You should see the room we were working in. It was filled with junk. Some good stuff, but a lot of junk too."

Greg closed his notebook. "Thanks for your input. You're free to go."

Tank stood, looked at me, then took his cold mocha and left the table. He paused at the counter and dropped a ten. Then he headed out the door without another word.

Greg watched him, then turned back to me after he left the building. Toby had left after dropping off Greg's coffee, so it was just the two of us. Greg tucked his notebook into his pocket and sipped his coffee. "This is exactly what I meant earlier. You can just be sitting in your store, and the case explodes all over your dining room."

"I think Josh is just exhausted." I stood and dumped my cold coffee and poured myself a fresh cup. I came back to the table. "On the other hand, I don't know what to think about Tank. I thought he was one thing, and he keeps surprising me."

"So you didn't know about him dating Mandy?"

I tried to think about when I had found that out. "Steve from the scuba shop told me. He said Tank and Mandy were supposed to get married; then Tank left for Mexico and broke her heart."

"When were you in the scuba shop?" Greg sipped more of his coffee.

I blushed. "Once with Josh, the day you asked me to babysit him. He wanted to rent a boat, and we went there to talk to Steve."

"That's the only time?"

I rolled my shoulders. "No, I was there a second time when I was avoiding Esmeralda at the diner. Not my finest hour, but I stepped inside to hide and noticed the picture with Tank, Mandy, and Steve. They were close in the day."

Greg rubbed his face, then stood. He kissed me. "I'll see you later at home."

"That's it?" I stood and followed him toward the door. "No lecture?"

"Not today." He waved as he stepped out of the shop. He held the door open for Deek, and as the men greeted each other, I wandered back to the coffee bar.

"I was coming back up from Diamond Lille's and saw the ambulance leave. Do you know what happened?" Deek leaned against the coffee bar, waiting for an answer.

"Josh almost attacked Tank." I watched the street to see if any of the town people were watching the store. Nothing happened in town that everyone didn't know about immediately. I felt bad for Josh.

Deek grinned. "No, really, what happened?"

"I told you. Josh was upset about Mandy and Tank's prior relationship and the missing Santiago journal, and he went after Tank. Nothing big, but I guess Josh hasn't been sleeping, so they took him in for observation."

"Wow, I didn't think the guy had it in him." Deek reached over and filled a cup with coffee.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, I mean, it's awful that Josh would break like that. Kyle's been worried about him for days, but to go after someone? I didn't think Josh had it in him." Deek glanced at the clock. "I'm going to run upstairs and grab my laptop so I can write until my shift starts. Are you okay?"

"What, you think I'm freaked out about Josh?" I waved Deek away with two fingers. "Go get your laptop. I can't read a book that hasn't been finished."

"I love your confidence in my publishing future." He went around the coffee bar and back to the office, where he'd go upstairs to his apartment.

After he left, I took a deep breath and leaned against the wall. Josh's emotions had swamped me, and I hadn't been able to do anything to help Tank out. Of course, I wasn't in the shape Tank was in, so I probably would have gotten in the way and put Tank in peril.

I didn't like fighting, especially not this up close and personal. I didn't even like to watch boxing matches on television. Luckily, boxing wasn't Greg's favorite sport either. I needed to calm down and think about what had happened. Was Tank right about Josh losing the journal in the antique store? With his lack of sleep, not remembering where he'd left the book was a possibility.

I decided to talk to Kyle right after my shift ended on my way home to run Emma. Then I thought I'd take a trip up to the farm to talk to some of Mandy's family and friends.

Josh's heart was breaking along with his mind. He needed closure so he could focus on other things. Like his business and the wild goose chase this journal was sending him and Tank on as they searched for Santiago's gold bars.

* * * *

Kyle was helping a customer when I came in, but he waved at me and excused himself to come and greet me. "What a morning, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess Greg told you to keep the store open?" I looked around at the neatly arranged furniture gleaming in the sunlight from the large picture windows.

"He and I talked about my role here and what I've done in the past for Josh. I think it's best that we keep things going as normally as possible. Then when he comes back, he doesn't have to dig out from under money issues from having a closed shop. I want to help out. He's done a lot for me." Kyle smiled and held his hand up at the customers, letting them know he'd be right back. "He gave me the money for my down payment on the house when my girl got pregnant. He's a good man."

"I know he is. Hey, can I look around the shop and the room where he and Tank were working? He's lost a journal."

Kyle took a couple of steps backward, toward the couple who seemed to have decided on a midcentury dining room set. "Yes, please. He was frantic about the book. I hope it's just sitting somewhere and not stolen. That's going to break Josh's heart."

"I'll be careful and hopeful." I pointed toward the back. "Is the conference room this way?"

"Down the hall at the end of the showroom and to the left. The door is open." He started to walk away but stopped. "Greg said I could tell Tank he couldn't work in there anymore. I don't think he was happy, but at least he left. I don't like that guy."

Neither did Josh. I smiled and headed in the direction of the conference room. I needed to find that journal. Because if it had been stolen, there was a lot more going on here than we thought.

When I opened the door, I took a deep breath. Tank had been right about one thing: the conference room was a disaster. So different from the neat and tidy showrooms that made up most of the store. Here, boxes and piles of papers were thrown all over the room. On a bulletin board, a picture of Mandy and all the places Josh must have already checked were posted on the board. Along with several questions. Who picked her up at the farm stand? Why would she get into a car without knowing the person? The answer was written next to that question. She wouldn't. Then a list of names, including Tank's, were written below that.

Josh had been considering Tank a suspect in Mandy's disappearance for a while. But if Tank was here, in the room, why would he continue to work with Josh after seeing this?

I peeked around the other side of the board and saw a mirror image. The subject of this board was focused instead on the missing treasure and partially on the murder of the professor. Maybe that was the side that was visible when Tank was there. "Smart trick, Josh."

I took a picture of both sides of the board, then continued to look around the room. I didn't find the book. And I had a feeling I knew why. Tank had the book. It was the only explanation. Josh was too detailed in his work to lose track of it. Especially one so valuable.

I texted Greg. Any chance you could look at Tank's hotel room for the missing journal?

The response came back quickly. No. But I'll reach out to the Bakerstown PD and see if they are interested.

Or I could…I was still typing when the answer came back. Greg knew what I was thinking.

I can't condone it, but he'll be here filling out paperwork for the next hour or so. He's staying at the Castle.

Now I just had to figure out how to get into Tank's room without anyone discovering me. This was stupid.

"He's been sleeping in here," Kyle said, behind me.

I almost dropped my phone. I tucked it into my jeans as I turned around. "You're worried about Josh."

"Aren't you? I know Josh can be a pill, but he's a nice guy and he loves Mandy. Having her gone is killing him. I'm afraid what he might do." Kyle picked up trash around the room and put it into a sack. "And that Tank guy, Josh is worse after that guy leaves. He locks the door and stays in here for hours."

"He thinks Tank knows where Mandy is."

Kyle's head jerked up, and he stared at me. "I think he does too. The guy literally smirks as he leaves the room. Like he knows something Josh doesn't. I really don't like him."

"I'm beginning to feel the same way." I took my phone out and snapped a picture of the map Josh had been working on. There were five spots circled. Two, Josh had drawn an X through. The olive tree and the South Cove Community Center. I glanced at the time. If I was going to get to the Castle, figure out a way to get into Josh's room, and get out before he got back, I needed to move.

The thought of this being considered breaking and entering haunted me as I drove up to the Castle. I knew the manager, casually. We'd planned Aunt Jackie's engagement party here, before it had turned into Amy's party. Long story. But convincing someone to let me into a guest's room—that was tricky.

When I entered the hotel lobby, a young man was at the desk. He smiled as he greeted me. "Miss Gardner, how can I help you today?"

Okay, so he knew me. Great. I saw a name tag and breathed out. "Thomas, how are you? I didn't know you were working here."

"I started when I went to school. It's part-time so I can finish my degree. Deek tells me all the time how lucky I am to find a job in my field this close." He leaned back on the table behind him. "What can I do for you today?"

Deek's friend? No, he was part of the writing group Deek held at the bookstore. I'd met him there last month when I came in to talk about the bookselling side of the author job.

"Actually, she's with me." We both turned to the front door.

Esmeralda swept into the lobby area and up to the reception desk. "You have a guest by the name of Theodore Tank Harding? We need to see his room."

"I'm sorry, miss, I don't know if I can allow you access." He glanced to the back. "The manager, he's gone for the day."

"I have a letter of permission from Mr. Harding. He's down at the station now, and he claims not to be involved in the disappearance of Mandy Jensen. Now the only way we can prove his story is to check his room. Detective King would have come himself, but he's a little busy trying to save Miss Jensen's life. So please give us a key." Esmeralda held up the letter on South Cove Police Department letterhead.

Thomas glanced at the letter, then reached for a master key. "He's in 302. Drop this off at the desk when you leave."

As we walked to the elevator, the key in my hand, I leaned into Esmeralda. "Tank gave his permission?"

She side-eyed me and shook her head. "We appreciate your help with this investigation, Jill."

I got the message. Stop talking. Our adventure was off the books. I felt like I was a secret agent or spy. I knew that I was way over the line here. And my friend Esmeralda was jumping into the unknown with me. I guess I shouldn't have questioned her loyalty.