Chapter Twenty

Brent sat on the desk chair in Joe's room. "I don't think she called. She's making up a story to keep us here."

"It's plausible enough that Elise wouldn't want to see us right now. Besides, there's not a whole lot we can do. Cece is the only one who knows where she is and we don't have any other good leads. I don't think we've got much choice except to humor her unless we can track down that Perry Clyman guy, who gave her the fake ID."

"I’m going to do a web search on him, now that I have reliable wi-fi service, but in the meantime maybe Sylvia knows something. Maybe Elise told her where she planned to go next."

Joe scoffed. "As if that druggie friend of yours would tell us anything."

"It's worth a shot." Brent dug in his pocket and pulled out the blue post-it they found in Elise's office. "Do you want to call this number, or should I?"

"She's your friend, if you can call her that."

Brent took out his cell phone and punched in the number. He listened a little while, then hung up. "Went to voice mail."

"Well, if we're not going to see Elise tonight, it looks like I'll have to find something to do, or else spend the night stretching canvases for Cece."

"What's wrong with that?" Brent gave a little half-smile. "Since she's such a big fan of yours and has no interest in you in any other way, I would think you'd be glad to do her a favor. Maybe you can weasel some information out of her."

"Not likely. She'll just talk my ear off about the local art scene. Besides, maybe I can think of more exciting things to do on a night in my hometown than play with canvas and wooden frames, okay?"

Brent shoved his phone back in his pocket. "Sorry if you can't take a joke."

"I put up with you, don't I?"

Brent stood up. "I think I'll look up an old friend tonight, since it looks like we're stuck here. And who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and run into someone who's seen her."

Joe nodded. "I've got a couple churches I'm going to check on. It'll keep me busy to get out and see how some of my statues are doing. Better than hanging around this place."

"Especially since the hostess can't wait to jump your bones."

"Will you stop that? You're pissing me off even more than usual."

"Okay, but when she shows up at your door in the middle of the night wearing nothing but a negligee, don't say I didn't warn you." Brent shoved his hands in his pockets and left the room.

Joe reached for his jacket and keys. On his way out, he stopped to talk to Cece, who he found sprawled across a hulking green sofa, flipping through a book. She looked up when Joe walked in and removed her reading glasses. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

"No, everything's fine."

"Are you sure? You're welcome to watch TV, help yourself to anything in the fridge, whatever you want. And later, if you don't mind, I'd love to have your help with those canvases."

"I've got a few artworks I want to go check up on and I don't know what time I'll be back."

Cece sat a little straighter. "I'm often up late."

"We'll see."

Cece faked a smile. "If I learned anything from being married, it's that when a man says 'we'll see,' he means no." She sighed. "How late will you be out? I can have Lupe fix you something to eat or draw your bath when you get in, if you like."

"I don't want you or her putting yourselves out on my account. You've been very generous, and I appreciate it."

Cece waved a hand. "Friends should always be there for friends."

Joe frowned. "So do you think she'll really want to talk to me tomorrow, or was she just putting me off so she can get away again?"

"I think she means it. She's got some things she needs to sort out first. A woman's instincts are often right, you know."

"I think she's wrong in this case. She shouldn't have run away. It's not going to solve anything."

Cece shrugged. "It might solve more than you think. Even if it doesn't, it's what they do in her family and it's worked before."

"I'd hardly say that."

"Don't you think so? Cece's eyes widened in surprise. "It got her mother out of the trailer park and into a middle-class home with a reliable breadwinner."

"Yeah, real reliable. Abandoned his family to take off to God knows where."

"But it turned out okay. Her mother found herself another man. Elise may not have liked him, but at least he stuck around. And he did pay for all that dance training."

"As if that was the most important thing."

"It got Elise a scholarship so she could leave that hick town and go someplace where her talents would be appreciated."

"So she could get mixed up with weirdoes in a city she didn't hardly know," Joe pointed out.


"But it also got her to a place where she could build her own future. Here she had friends, even when they weren't the best influences. She found people who were willing to look out for her."

"If you can call it that."

"I do call it that. What about me? What about that dancer friend of hers, Lamia? What about you and Brent--"

"Don't remind me about him."

"I'm sorry," Cece said, her green eyes wide with sincerity. "That was tactless of me. But he did help her out in school, you know. And after she gave up her dance scholarship, it was Brent who got her that job at the art supply store so she could finish college. It was also because of him that she ended up in the passion play at the cathedral, or didn't you know that? If Elise hadn't ended up playing Mary Magdalene that night, you two might never have met. Please don't tell me I misremember."

"No, you're right. I had done some sculptures for the church, and they unveiled them during a big Easter celebration." He smiled, remembering. "I almost didn't go, even though I was the guest of honor. I don't like to go where people are going to fuss over me. But when I saw Elise playing the Magdalene that night I just knew she had to be the one to model my next statue."

"That girl is blessed with good bone structure," Cece admitted.

"I don't even think Elise realized she did so much for me. She thinks all she does is just stand under the lights in my studio, but it's more than that. She inspires me. I've had other models, but none like her. She never wanted things from me like all the other girls, and the funny thing is that the less she wanted from me, the more I wanted to give."

"So you see?" Cece said, returning to their original topic. "Running away from home did her a lot of good. If she hadn't, would she have met someone like you who would treat her right?"

"Maybe not. But we're talking about something different here. She's running away from people who love her. She's running nowhere."

Cece sighed. "You have a good point, but if you go pressuring her right now she'll just keep running."

"I know. It's hard, though."

"If there's anything I can do--"

"Thanks," Joe said. "But right now all I really need is to get out for a little while, check on my statues and clear my head a little."

"That's the best thing," Cece agreed. "Get a different perspective. If I go to bed before you get back, I'll tell Lupe to wait up for you."

"That won't be necessary."

"Don't be ridiculous. I pay her very well not to mind."

"Thank you, then. I'll try to be quiet when I come in."

Cece laughed. "Make as much noise as you want, Joe. It's good to have a man around the house for a couple of days. Noise comes with the territory." She picked up her book and settled back into the depths of the sofa. "You just go on and amuse yourself, and don't worry about putting us out. That's what we're here for."