Page 7 of Birdie by the Bay (Wynn Harbor Inn #2)

To describe David Wynn as furious when Harlow told him about her conversation with Janice was somewhat of an understatement. In fact, she had to beg him not to book a flight to California to track him down and knock some sense into him.

Instead, the two of them, along with Eryn and Aunt Birdie, gathered for an emergency family meeting at her aunt’s place to do a little digging around.

Harlow mentally prepared herself for the worst and began scouring the internet, searching for stories about her accident. Knowledge was power. She needed all the information she could get her hands on to prepare herself for whatever Robert might be plotting.

She found story after story, most of them lies, insinuations about her mental health, her physical health, her going into seclusion. There was even a story about Wynn Harbor Inn’s fire with the writer hinting perhaps Harlow’s family was plagued with mental issues.

They dug up dirt, about the fire, about her mother and father. They even interviewed Madge Chalmers, the local cleaning lady her father occasionally hired, a woman who wasn’t necessarily a fan of Harlow’s.

To her credit, Madge pointed out the cause of the tragic fire was never determined and insisted the Wynn family was not responsible.

“I’ve read enough.” Harlow closed the search screens and leaned back in her chair. “It’s as bad as I figured it would be.”

“Why would Robert do such a thing?” Aunt Birdie asked.

“In his defense, not all of this is his doing. Half of these writers spend their days sitting around making stuff up.” Harlow placed a light hand on the back of her neck. “The only way to squash the rumors is for me to make more public appearances.”

“Which is the exact opposite of what Robert wants you to do,” Eryn pointed out.

David paced. “I don’t care what they say about me, but it makes me furious to hear what’s being said about my daughter.”

“Unfortunately, it goes with the territory.” Harlow and Robert needed to talk, to clear the air. Perhaps he wasn’t behind the rumors and figured if she kept a low profile, they would die down.

“You don’t think he’s trying to make you appear unstable to gain control of your assets, do you?” her aunt asked.

“It’s possible. Anything is possible at this point.

” Harlow excused herself. She went outside and dialed Robert’s number.

It was no surprise the call went directly to voicemail.

“I spoke with Janice. She’ll be handling my press releases going forward.

I’m sure you’ve seen the stories, the lies being printed about my instability.

They need to stop. Janice is a pro. She and I will work together to handle squashing the rumors.

” She told Robert he could contact her if he wanted to discuss it before ending the call.

Harlow returned inside. “I left Robert a message, letting him know Janice would handle the press releases.”

“Where is he?” her father asked.

“California, or maybe Palm Beach. He could be in New York at our apartment. To be honest, your guess is as good as mine.”

Eryn pressed her palms together. “Do you have iCloud on your iPhone?”

Harlow thought about it. “I think so.”

“I’m sure your account has a phone tracker app, using GPS to locate the phones associated with the account.” In less than a minute, with Harlow’s help Eryn had accessed her account. “I see a few phone numbers listed. Which one is Robert’s?”

She rattled his number off.

“I found it. Standby.” Eryn hummed under her breath, her fingers flying across the screen. “According to his phone, he’s in New York.”

Birdie clapped her hands. “I’m ready for a little spy mission.”

“You want to spy on my husband?”

“Why not? If he’s innocent, he has nothing to hide. Aren’t you at all curious about what he’s so busy doing that he can’t be with you?”

On the one hand, Harlow was very much interested in what Robert might be up to. On the other, she might not like what her aunt found. But then, if he was up to no good, working behind the scenes to take complete control of their assets and business, she needed to know ASAP. “I am.”

“Let me take a quick trip to the Big Apple and do a little poking around.” Aunt Birdie slipped her reading glasses on, studying her laptop screen. “I found some empty seats on an early morning flight. This would work out perfectly.”

“If anyone can find out what Robert is up to, it’s your snoopy aunt. She’s the perfect person for the job,” David teased. “I had better get back home. I left Lottie at the house.”

“I’m sorry I dragged you away from your cards and casserole night,” Harlow apologized.

“You didn’t drag me away. It’s important for me to know what’s going on,” her father said. “So, I guess Birdie is heading to New York.”

“Just as soon as I book a plane ticket,” she said. “It will make me feel like I’m helping.”

After her father left, Harlow jotted down the address to the apartment and handed it to her.

“I want to go,” Eryn said.

Aunt Birdie glanced at the paper. “Two sets of eyes are better than one.”

“What about me?” Harlow asked.

Her aunt tucked the paper in her pocket and knelt next to Harlow. “It will be difficult for Eryn and me to fly under the radar if you’re with us. News folks from here to Timbuktu are looking for you.”

“I’m sure they are.”

“Not to mention, traveling right now will be tricky,” Eryn chimed in. “Let Aunt Birdie and me handle this. If Robert is up to no good, we’ll find out.”

“I’ll pay for the plane tickets.”

“It’s not necessary.” Her aunt protested.

Harlow held up a hand, cutting her off. “I insist. I have a friend who manages a hotel close to the apartment and will book a room for as long as you need.”

Eryn started to put her phone away.

“Hang on.” Harlow stopped her. “The other numbers associated with our cell phone account…can you check the location of another one?”

“Sure.”

Harlow scrolled through her phone, tracked down Jillian’s number, and read the numbers aloud.

“The cell phone is also in New York right now,” Eryn said. “Whose is it?”

“Jillian’s, although I shouldn’t be surprised. They spend a lot of time together.”

“All the time?”

“More than they should,” Harlow bit her lower lip. “Something tells me I won’t like what you find.”

“We don’t have to go,” Eryn said. “Seriously, the decision is yours. Maybe it would be best to put it on the back burner for now.”

Harlow was on the fence. On the one hand, she was curious to know what Robert was up to. On the other, whatever they found could very well be the last straw, as far as her marriage was concerned. “If he’s handling business like he should be, there’s nothing for you to find.”

“Correct,” Birdie confirmed. “But Eryn is right. It’s up to you.”

“I say make the quick trip to New York. I want…I need to know what he’s doing.”

“A wise decision. And if he’s plotting and planning your harm?” Her aunt sprang to her feet. “We’re about to even the playing field.”