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Seven

Aunt Yana? Reid glanced at the photo of Tina’s aunt hanging on the wall, then back at the woman standing in the doorway. Yep. Aunt Yana, all right.

She wore a deep-blue, long, flowing duster over silk ivory pants. Colorful stones dangled from her ears and circled a long, slender neck. In spite of the incredibly awkward moment, it was impossible for Reid not to be stunned by the older woman’s beauty. A short crop of thick, straight sable-brown hair accented high cheekbones, aristocratic nose and gypsy-green eyes.

Her mouth, wide and full, slowly curved up at the corners as she closed the door behind her.

‘‘You…you’re home early,’’ Tina sputtered.

‘‘My shoot finished ahead of schedule.’’ Yana slid a large straw handbag from her shoulder and dropped it on the entry table along with her keys, slid her gaze from the tip of Reid’s bare toes to the towel draping his hips, then up to his face. ‘‘Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, Katina?’’

‘‘I—oh, of course.’’ Tina gulped. ‘‘This is Reid Danforth. Reid, my aunt, Yana Alexander Dimetri Romano.’’

Not quite certain what the proper etiquette was for the situation, Reid simply nodded. ‘‘A pleasure, Ms. Romano.’’

‘‘I think just Yana would be more appropriate.’’ Folding her arms, Yana glanced back down at the towel. Amusement danced in her eyes. ‘‘All things considered.’’

‘‘Yes, ma’am.’’

‘‘Reid,’’ Tina whispered, her voice strained. ‘‘Could you, ah, put me down?’’

‘‘Oh. Right.’’

When her feet touched the floor, Tina tightened the belt of her robe. Her face had gone from pale to rosy pink. ‘‘We were just…ah, going to have breakfast.’’

‘‘Of course you were.’’ Yana’s smile widened. ‘‘It smells wonderful.’’

‘‘I’ll set another plate.’’ Tina shifted from one bare foot to the other. ‘‘Just give me…us, a minute, to ah—’’

‘‘I believe I hear something buzzing.’’ Yana glanced at the sport coat lying on the sofa, then looked back at Reid. Though the sound was faint, it was definitely a buzz. ‘‘Yours, I assume?’’

He’d have to kill whoever was calling him, Reid decided. Holding tightly to the knot of the towel, he stepped to the sofa and retrieved his cell phone from his jacket.

‘‘Excuse me.’’ He backed toward the bedroom where he’d left his clothes.

‘‘Take your time, dear,’’ Yana called after him. ‘‘My niece and I could use a minute alone to say hello.’’

Closing the bedroom door behind him, Reid snapped the phone to his ear. ‘‘Yeah.’’

‘‘Reid, where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you all morning.’’

‘‘Kimberly?’’ He heard the stress in his sister’s voice. ‘‘Are you all right?’’

‘‘You have to come to Crofthaven right away. In the attic. They, they were working there this morning, and found—’’

At the sound of her quiet sob, fear snaked through him. ‘‘Found what, Kim?’’

‘‘They found a body.’’

At least a dozen patrol cars were already at Crofthaven when Reid pulled in front of the mansion’s main entrance. Several uniformed officers standing outside turned at the sight of the black BMW screeching to a halt, then quietly returned to their conversations after Reid hurried past them.

The first officers on the scene had carefully taken in every detail of the activities at Crofthaven. Later they would have the inside scoop to give to the rest of the station, not to mention their friends and family. And if they were really lucky, they just might find their faces on TV or in the newspapers.

The public, not to mention Abraham’s rival candidates, would eat up every tasty morsel of the juicy story.

‘‘Reid.’’ Ian was coming down the stairs as Reid stepped into the foyer. ‘‘Thank God you’re here.’’

‘‘Tell me what’s happened.’’ Reid met his brother at the base of the stairs. ‘‘Kimberly called and said they found a body in the attic, but I didn’t get much more out of her.’’

‘‘She’s pretty shook up.’’ Ian dragged a hand through his hair and sighed. ‘‘Reid, we think it might be Victoria.’’

It was like taking a punch in the gut, and it was a moment before Reid could speak. ‘‘Vickie?’’

‘‘’Fraid so.’’

Victoria Danforth had suddenly disappeared five years ago and, though there’d been a nationwide hunt and several private detectives had been hired, no one had ever found a trace of their cousin.

‘‘How is that possible?’’ Just the thought of it made Reid’s stomach clench. ‘‘How could she be up there all this time? We searched everywhere.’’

‘‘That section of the house has been closed up for years,’’ Ian said. ‘‘And it also appears there was some kind of hidden compartment. If Dad hadn’t decided to reopen that wing and renovate, we might not have ever found the body.’’

‘‘Are they sure it’s her?’’

Ian shook his head. ‘‘The coroner’s up there now, taking pictures and running a few preliminary tests. It could be days or even weeks before we have a positive ID.’’

At the sound of hushed voices, Reid glanced toward the living room. ‘‘Uncle Harold and Aunt Miranda?’’

‘‘They’re in the living room with Dad and the rest of the family. If it is Vickie, they want to know as soon as possible.’’

All the years of not knowing if their daughter was alive or dead. He couldn’t even imagine the agony his aunt and uncle had gone through. But even through their devastating loss, even as the months and years had passed without a trace of what had happened, they, and the entire family, hadn’t given up hope that one day Vickie would be found alive.

And they wouldn’t give up hope now, either, Reid thought somberly. Not until they had tangible, physical proof.

‘‘What about the press?’’ Reid was surprised they weren’t already swarming the mansion like locusts. ‘‘What do they know?’’

‘‘Nothing yet. Dad’s called in a couple of favors to keep this quiet for a day or two, but I doubt we can contain it much longer. Nicola will put together a statement today.’’

‘‘And the police?’’

‘‘They want to speak with the entire family,’’ Ian said. ‘‘Right now they’re questioning Joyce.’’

Reid frowned. ‘‘Why Joyce?’’

‘‘Procedure.’’ Ian shrugged. ‘‘I guess they figure the housekeeper always knows everything, sees everything.’’

‘‘That’s certainly true with Joyce,’’ Reid said with a nod. ‘‘When we were kids, I always swore that woman had eyes in the back of her head and superhero hearing.’’