The Perfect Liar (Last Stand #5)(85)
Author: Brenda Novak

"I can see why you’d be worried, but…what can I do for you, Mr.

Harter?"

"I’ve lost contact with her. Tati doesn’t have a cell, and Kalyna won’t pick up, at least for me."

"Kalyna was here a few minutes ago. She’s fine."

"Tati wasn’t with her?"

"No. Did she know Tati was coming?"

"I doubt it. Kalyna wouldn’t pick up for her, either."

"What time did Tati leave?" Ava asked.

"About ten. When she called from the airport to tell me what she was doing, she said she’d check in with me as soon as she got there and keep me updated. It’s only a short plane ride, which means she’s been there for hours, and I haven’t heard a word."

Ava covered the phone. "That’s weird, isn’t it? Do you think she could’ve been in the car when Kalyna came here?"

"I guess," Luke said with a shrug.

"Would you like me to look into it?" Ava asked Mr. Harter.

"If you could. I’d call the police, but I might be worrying for no reason.

I’d hate to send a false alarm."

"I understand," she said. "I’l see what I can find out and get back to you."

Her phone signaled another call. Expecting it to be the detective, Ava said goodbye to Mr. Harter and switched over. She left the phone slanted so Luke could hear, but it wasn’t the detective. It was her father.

"Ava? Jeez, finally you answer."

Oh, no, not now. Pulling the phone away from Luke, Ava straightened. "What do you want, Dad?"

"What do you think I want? I’ve been calling and calling. I’m sorry, honey. I should never have left you like that. I went back to the restaurant not long after, but you were already gone. Are you okay?"

Ava didn’t know what to say. She’d tried so hard to establish a relationship with this man, especially since her mother had gone to prison.

He was all she had. But she couldn’t circumvent the roadblock his wife posed. As long as he was with Carly, Carly would come between them, because she wasn’t interested in accepting Ava or anyone else in Chuck’s life. Carly wanted to prove to herself and everyone else that Chuck cared only for her.

"I’m fine," Ava said. "But…I don’t want to hear from you again, Dad.

Not while you’re with Carly."

The silence that descended told Ava her father was as shocked as she’d expected him to be. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Carly’s my wife!"

"I understand that. I know she matters more than anything to you, and that’s why I’m getting out of the way. Maybe it’l make your life easier.

Since it’s what you want, I hope you can hold the marriage together, but from now on, I’d rather not be involved."

"You’re upset," he said. "You don’t know what you’re saying."

Ava laughed, a little sadly. "I know exactly what I’m saying. And I mean it."

"Come on, Ava. Now you’re acting like Neal."

"Neal deserves more than you’ve ever given him. And so do I." She closed her eyes against an onslaught of pain as she hung up. It wasn’t easy to sever that tie, not when she’d clung to it so tenaciously. But it was done, and she knew she’d be better off. She couldn’t cope with the continual disappointment.

"Hey," Luke said. "You okay?"

The sympathy in his expression as he leaned down brought a lump to Ava’s throat. But she didn’t regret her decision; she only regretted the fact that she’d let her father put her through so much before making it. "I’m fine." Lifting her chin, she turned her mind to business. "I’ve got to go over to Kalyna’s, see if Tati’s there."

"Well, you’re not going alone, I’l tell you that much," he said, and pulled her to her feet.

Kalyna’s apartment was only a five-minute drive. Luke parked the BMW in a resident’s spot because all the guest spots were taken, but Ava wasn’t too worried about his car being towed away. They wouldn’t be here long enough to inconvenience anyone for more than a few minutes.

"Maybe Tati’s flight was delayed," Luke said as he got out of the car and waited for Ava. "And that made her miss her connection."

"You think she had a layover? Phoenix is Southwest’s hub. There should’ve been plenty of direct flights. It’s not as if San Francisco is a small, out-of-the-way airport."

"She could’ve had a stopover in L.A," he said as they crossed the parking lot.

Ava could’ve found Kalyna’s address in her file, but there was no need. Luke had been here before. That was how everything started…"But even if she missed her connecting flight, there would’ve been another one by now," she said. "Flights between L.A. and San Francisco run hourly."

"Does she know the area? Maybe she rented a car but got lost."

Once her eyes had adjusted to the bright sunlight, Ava checked the numbers on the doors they passed. "If Kalyna hasn’t seen her, I’l have Jonathan check with the car rental companies. If she rented a car, we should be able to find out where and when, which would give us a starting point."

Luke stopped at an apartment on the right and rang the bell. No one answered, so Ava knocked at the door–and was surprised when it swung inward beneath the subtle pressure of her hand. A quick check told her the door had been locked but the latch hadn’t caught the last time someone went in or out.

"Kalyna?" she called.

There was no response. Ava started to go in, but Luke pushed her behind him just before he drew a gun from the waistband of his jeans.

"You brought… that?" she whispered.

He didn’t look back at her. His body was alert, his eyes focused on the inside of the apartment. "Better safe than sorry," he murmured. "Wait here."

Pointing the muzzle at the ceiling, he stepped cautiously inside. But Ava didn’t wait. Just as eager to see what was going on as he was, she followed. It was difficult to feel any danger when she was with him.

If Tati had ever reached the apartment, there was no sign of it. There was no sign of Kalyna, either. The living room, kitchen, bedroom and bath were all empty. "She must not have gone home when she left your place,"

Ava said as they stood in the master bedroom.

Luke frowned at her. "Why didn’t you wait in the hall?"

"There was no need. No one’s home."

"There could’ve been someone in here." He returned the gun to the waistband of his jeans. "What about this suitcase?" he asked, touching the edge of it with his foot. "You think it’s Tati’s?"

"Not necessarily. It could belong to Kalyna. She just got back from Arizona. Maybe she hasn’t finished unpacking."