Claire looked from Phil to Tony. “None of the packages or letters that we’ve received have tested positive, have they?”
“No,” Tony reassured, as he squeezed her hand. “Eric and Phil are just being overly cautious.” Turning back to Phil, Tony said, “Why don’t you go ahead and drive Claire and Nichol. I need to go into the office, and Eric can take me. I like the idea of being overly cautious until we know more.”
Claire rolled her eyes and straightened her lips. Finally, she said, “All right. Phil, I’m sure you’ll be enthralled while Emily and I discuss attire to take to the island next week.”
He grinned. “I’ll take my iPad. You won’t even know I’m there.”
“Oh, no. If you’re coming, you have to give us your opinion. It’s a requirement.”
Tony shook his head and grinned at Phil. “Hey man, better you than me.”
Nudging Eric, Phil asked, “Do you want to trade?”
Eric shook his head. “Not in a million years.”
Claire was almost to the door, when she looked back and said, “Excuse me, I heard that.”
Just then, the door flew open and they all heard Nichol’s excited voice as she said, “Momma, hurry up! Come on, Momma.” She tugged on Claire’s hand.
Tony watched the green of his wife’s eyes shimmer as they made contact with his own. He knew what she was thinking and did his best to appear innocent.
“So demanding,” Claire muttered under her breath. “Just like someone else I know.”
This time it was Tony’s turn. After a feigned cough, he murmured, “Umm, I heard that.”
Phil waited until Claire was gone before he said, “I’ve been searching for Patricia.”
Tony’s stomach knotted. “Is there evidence or is this intuition?”
Phil shrugged. “I just want to rule her out. Eric and I were brainstorming about women in-the-know with a grudge.” With a smirk, he added, “The list isn’t as long as you’d expect.”
Eric said, “We talked about past house staff, but everyone’s been cleared. It’s just Patricia who’s MIA.”
“I won’t be satisfied until I’ve found her,” Phil confirmed.
“Keep us posted,” Tony said.
“Yes, sir.”
It was his first parent-teacher conference. Jillian had just recently begun third grade, and Harry was thrilled with his new more involved role. Ron and Ilona had been wonderful. Jillian was even spending the night at Harry’s house every other weekend.
He’d learned so much in the past year. It wasn’t only about his new investigative agency and his new surroundings, but Harry also learned the names of all the Disney princesses, to only months later be informed by his daughter that she was too old for princesses. The new craze included dolls that looked like Zombie Barbies. Harry truly hoped that craze would pass soon. To avoid the DVD’s she brought over and watched, Harry had introduced her to Nancy Drew. He didn’t think she was too young to get some tough-girl detective work. After all, someday she could take over his new company. Regardless what they did, Harry enjoyed spending time with his favorite girl.
When Harry had gone back to California for Amber’s trial, he told Liz the truth. He let her know, in confidence, that he’d been the one to first suspect Amber in connection with Simon’s death. He told her that it was the picture that she’d mentioned. There was no other way that his sister would have gotten that picture than from the perpetrators of his kidnapping and ambush.
Liz didn’t take the news well. Not only was she upset at Harry for telling the FBI, she was upset that she’d added fuel to his firestorm of suspicions. She claimed that she couldn’t move to North Carolina due to SiJo. Liz said that they needed her experience and knowledge, but Harry suspected that wasn’t the full truth. Somehow, after months of trying to make their long-distance relationship work, Harry didn’t care. He’d told himself that Jillian would be his number-one concern, and he’d meant that. All in all, he was content.
Harry pulled up to Jillian’s school at 6:45 PM. Their conference was scheduled for 7:00 PM. As soon as he opened the door to the school, Harry saw Ron, Ilona, and Jillian. When his daughter saw him, she ran and grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her parents.
Ron extended his hand. “Hi, Harry, are you ready for this?”
He grinned. “Yeah, I am. I’m kind of excited about it.”
Ilona, who was straightening Jillian’s blonde ponytail, looked up. “Well, Jillian is quite the little genius, just like her mother, so I don’t expect any surprises.” She looked into their daughter’s eyes. “Should I?”
“No, Mom,” Jillian replied, as they all laughed.
Harry had no idea what to expect. To him it was all a surprise.
At exactly 6:58 PM, the school bell buzzed and they heard the announcement:
The 6:40 PM session of parent-teacher conferences is now complete. Please exit the classrooms for the 7:00 PM session. Thank you.
With the anticipation building, Harry accepted Jillian’s hand as she led him to her class. The walls were covered in posters, colorful letters, and math equations. Harry’s gaze scanned the room, taking in the colorful posters and tiny desks. His light blue eyes stopped on the large desk at the front of the room. Behind the desk, smiling and extending her hand to Ilona, was one of the most beautiful brunettes he’d ever seen. When her green eyes met his, he momentarily forgot his own name. It was Jillian who came to his rescue.