A Forever Masterpiece (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 3) (34 page)

"Right here, next to this broken chain." Shara pointed to a spot right by the edge of the rug.

Hunter stared at the spot, then studied the ring again. "Hold on, there's some sort of inscription on the inside." He raised the ring toward the light and squinted. R + A. Together forever.

R plus A. R plus A.

It dawned on Hunter almost immediately. "I think this is Rusty Lange's wedding ring. Question is, does the A stand for Amelia or Anne? Either way, this proves that Sylvia's been in this house."

Chapter Twenty-Six

"She's getting bigger and stronger." Cherie's voice was full of pride as Becca returned them home two hours after picking them up. "She doesn't look as fragile any more. I can actually hold her!"

"Maybe by Christmas, you can bring her home. Speaking of Christmas, how would you all like to spend part of Christmas day with Hunter and I?" She couldn't imagine how their first Christmas without Cherie's husband and Henry's dad would go, and Becca wanted them to know they weren't alone.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose."

"You wouldn't be," Becca assured her. She hadn't brought this up to Hunter yet, but she knew he'd be in. Shara and the Sundstroms would be there, and she wasn't sure about Joe and his wife yet, as Hunter still hadn't said much to him after the Thanksgiving fiasco. Rissi and family wouldn't be able to make it out, but Becca would go visit them soon, especially once she made the trip to her grandparents, er, the Langes to tell them the truth about what their son did. Maybe it would help them, too. Who knows?

"Can we, Mom? I want to see Hunter again too," Henry asked from the back seat.

"We'll make dinner and play games, or watch a movie. It's my first Christmas with Hunter here in Virginia. I'm excited." Becca pulled up in front of Cherie's house.

"Oh, your first? I couldn't-"

"It would be a pleasure to have you both by. Completely up to you. Think about it." She smiled over at the woman.

"Thanks, Becca. Hey, congratulations on your first sale! I forgot to say that earlier." Cherie grabbed her purse, then pushed the door open.

"I couldn't believe one sold so fast!"

Henry climbed out of the car and ran to the open window to give Becca a hug. "Tell Hunter hi for me."

"I sure will. You and your mom have a good night, okay? See you soon." She smiled, watching the two walk inside. They were going to be okay.

When Becca arrived home, Hunter, Jesse, and Shara were in the living room. The expression on their faces alerted her that something was wrong.

"What's going on?" Becca dropped her purse on the table and ran toward them. She stood before the coffee table. She didn't like the hesitance and wondered why no one said anything.

"You might want to sit down," Hunter said softly. "Shara found something in your art room today."

"What? I showed you guys all of my paintings already, even the dark ones!" Becca sat beside him. Did he go looking for a new one to see how she'd been feeling?

"This isn't about any paintings. Well, I guess it kind of is. You don't by chance recognize this ring, do you?" Hunter placed something in her hand.

Becca held it up, turning the ring with two fingers. "No... Should I?"

"We aren't sure. I found it in your art room doing another check on things," Shara said. "There was also a chain which must have broken."

"There's an inscription with the initials A + R." Hunter gently took the ring from her and pointed it out.

"What?" She did not hear him correctly.
No way!
That meant ... What the heck did it mean? "Sylvia. She's been in this house. In my room! What does she want? This has to stop!" Becca jumped up from her seat, feeling the anger and fury take over. She clutched the ring in her hand until the edges dug in her skin and cramped her hand. "She did it. She took the painting. But why is she messing with us in eerie ways?"

"I don't know, angel. I don't know what the hell her game is, but I do know we've got to step up the ante and find her."

"So she starts with notes, then comes out in the open last summer. Now it's texts and things like this? I swear this chick and her crap reminds me of
Pretty Little Liars
." Shara also jumped to her feet.

"What?" Hunter asked.

"It's ... never mind. A show I watch. The girls always get texts from someone anonymous, they have for years. It reminds me of what Sylvia is doing, or whoever this is."

"Umm, okay. This woman is obviously off her rocker." Jesse piped up. "Sylvia. Not you," he added when Shara glared at him.

"How is it she's wanted by the police, but eludes anyone finding her? If that was her in the video at Brock's studio, she's really pushing it. How is it she's right under our noses? In our house! Have either of you gotten any texts?" Becca fumed. Both Shara and Jesse shook their heads no.

"So it's Joe, Vince, you, and I." Hunter's tone was thoughtful. "All of us who had a part in the plane crash, then the lawsuit. And she's finding things that weren't even discussed before, like Joe's connection to Nathan, and Vince's admission about why his niece was in an accident to begin with. I don't get it."

Becca looked at the ring again. "Should I email a picture of it to Amelia and ask her if it was theirs? I don't know if it's the one Rusty wore when he was married to Anne." She doubted it. Rusty should have died with that ring on, unless Sylvia took it. Ugh, just that thought alone made her insides twist.

Hunter nodded. "Might not be a bad idea. Good thinking, Bec. You do that, and we need to figure out a time to meet with both Vince and Joe."

She wasn't looking forward to either encounter, but if it meant putting an end to these messages and other things, she'd do it.

"Joe, I wish you'd call me. I know we didn't part the best when you went home after Thanksgiving, but please don't disappear like this. I'm sorry I was so upset. There's a lot to tell you. I miss you. Please give me a call." Hunter disconnected the phone and dropped it on the bed. Why wouldn't he answer? Why didn't he call? He hoped everything was all right with Joe and Sandra.

Becca appeared in the doorway of their bedroom, her face twisted in a worried frown. "No answer again?" She made her way to his side and leaned in for a kiss.

"No. Granted, this is only the second time I've called him since he left, but it worries me. Is he done? Did he give up because of what I said to him? I know there's a lot of mistrust, but Joe was family to me. I thought..." He shook his head. "I don't know. I figured we still had a shot to make amends, you know? It hurts, especially because he said my dad would hate this between us. He's right. Whatever Joe did or didn't do, I just want to know he's okay."

"I'm sorry. Maybe he's avoiding you because of the way I acted." Becca sat on the bed, pushing his phone over.

"I don't think so. We were pretty harsh that night, and then the next morning. I should have tried. Why did I let him walk out of here without at least putting some anger to rest?"

"Don't do that, Hunter." Becca tugged on his hand, guiding him to stand before her. The fear was in her eyes. "We're not supposed to do the should haves, remember?"

Knowing and doing were two different things. "We're so close, Bec.
So close
to putting this all behind us, but the one person we want to find is toying with us. What if she got to Joe and Sandra? What if we're next?"

"I keep thinking the same things." A tear slid down her cheek. Hunter brushed it away gently. "I want to be free of the fear. We're getting married next year, I have my family to get to know. We're making new friends like Cherie. It's like normal is almost upon us, but Sylvia's got the puppet strings. Did you try calling Vince?"

"No. I'm looking forward to that even less." Hunter frowned. "Should we leave it quiet about Stuart Ellis? How do you feel about all that?"

Becca shifted her feet and looked away. "I don't know. If Vince killed him, he shouldn't get away with it. But it's going to dredge up a lot of things. Then I think about how it's an open case, and if Mr. Ellis has family, they deserve to know. What do I do? Go to the police and give them a tip? Tell them who I am and my connection, or leave it anonymous? It makes me wonder how Sylvia found this out and why she wanted it out in the open. I'm afraid, Hunter. Even talking to someone about everything, I still have so much confusion."

He held her hands in his and eased her to stand. Kissing her temple, Hunter held her close. "I know, Bec. I know. Hold on a little longer. We're getting there." At least, he hoped they were. "I'm going to double check all the doors and windows again."

Becca exhaled. "Okay."

He sensed her hesitance. "I'll be right back. I'm being extra cautious, I know."

"I'm just as cautious. Hurry back." Becca let him go.

Hunter went through every room. Nothing had changed in the hour since he'd last checked. He ran into Jesse at the bottom of the stairs.

"Heading to bed?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah. Hey man, I'm sorry you're being dragged in all of this. I hesitated before for this reason, but I wanted you to have a place to stay and not have to freeze in your truck."

"You know, if it weren't for her, I might not be here. But I don't want to give credit to someone who obviously has it out for my sister and the people she loves." Jesse made a sour face.

"She's been in hiding for months, ever since she jumped from the plane. To this day, I still don't know what her plans were with Becca. I have nightmares of her on the island from twenty years ago, but I can't trust that they're accurate. Sylvia's the last missing piece to understanding what happened back then."

"I still wonder, if she hadn't overheard anything, if I would have reunited with Becca earlier. Guess it doesn't matter twenty years later, does it?" Jesse shook his head, running a hand through his hair. Hunter guessed that to be his nervous habit, as Jesse did that a lot since being here.

"No, I guess not. But you're like me, playing the game of what if all the time." Hunter headed to the front door to get a visual that all the locks were in correct position. He checked the back doors. All was well. This paranoia was going to get to him, but knowing someone had been in the house wreacked havoc on his mind. He wouldn't be satisfied until Sylvia was found and locked away so she couldn't play her sickening games any more.

"Before work tomorrow, I'm going to talk to the police. Doesn't matter whose ring that is. It was in my house when it shouldn't have been. We're going to get to the bottom of this." Decision made, Hunter said goodnight to Jesse and headed upstairs to go to bed with Becca.

"Hi, Uncle Joe. Is Dad ready yet?" Hunter dropped his backpack in his father's office as he waited around for him after school. His last day of school, finally, and tonight they were supposed to go to the basketball courts and practice, so he could show the camp people how well he was doing.

"Not yet, Hunter. He'll be along soon." Joe patted his back. "Ready for summer?"

"Yup. I'm going to do a lot of playing on the courts. Maybe I'll be good enough for the team next year and the coaches will give me a shot."

"I bet you'll do just fine. I'll be right back, okay? Stay out of trouble."

"No trouble for me. I'll sit in the chair and wait for Dad," Hunter promised.

Joe laughed. "You might be waiting a while. You could always go home and let him meet you later."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm too excited! Mom's not home yet, and I wanna hang with you guys."

"All right, all right." Joe smiled at him again, then left the office.

Hunter grabbed a blank piece of paper and crumpled it. He stood and tossed it toward the trash can. Missed. Big time. So maybe he was still a little out of practice. He did a series of shots from different angles, only half the time making it.

"Shooting trash can hoops, huh kid?" a voice from behind him asked.

Hunter whirled around, still holding the wadded paper. Oops. Caught. "Um, yeah. Just waiting for my dad." He backed up and sat down. "And I'm not a kid. I'm twelve. Practically an adult."

"This is Charles Beckman's office, right?" the guy asked. Hunter figured he was an adult, probably almost eighteen already, if not a little older. What kind of trouble was he into?

"Yeah, he's my dad. What do you want with him?" Okay, where was Joe or Dad right about now? Hunter wished he wasn't in the office alone with this guy. He seemed really upset about something, and Hunter had no idea what he would say or do.

"I really need to see him. It's important," the guy insisted. He studied the office, then Hunter.

"Hunter! Go see Joe so he can take you home." Dad entered the office, and he seemed pretty pissed. He glared at the guy.

"But Dad-" he protested.

"Go. Please. Don't ask any questions. Tell Joe I said to take you home and to stay with you until your mother gets there." Dad's voice was firm and edgy. It scared the crap out of Hunter.

"Okay, fine." He didn't argue. Hunter bolted from the room, but he heard part of the conversation.

"I have to see her," the guy insisted. "I know I wasn't supposed to come back, but I can't live with this guilt. I did exactly what I was told to, so why don't I feel good about it?"

That sounded really ominous, and Hunter was afraid to mention anything to Uncle Joe on the way home. But by the way Joe talked and acted, he had a feeling his uncle knew the situation.

Hunter wasn't supposed to be there, and now he was afraid of what that visit meant.

Becca stared at the computer screen in horror the next afternoon. She got a reply back from Amelia. The confirmation she didn't necessarily need, but got anyway. The ring belonged to Rusty. When Amelia and Rusty divorced, Sylvia had begged for the ring and to appease her, Amelia gave it to her. She wore it on a chain around her neck for years. When asked how Becca stumbled across it, she lied and said they finally found it on the plane. Why she had to go and say that, Becca didn't know. She just wasn't comfortable giving all the latest information to Amelia about the texts and the painting.