Page 45 of Wild Idol (Tyson Wild Thriller #82)

J D and I put the survivors up in a luxury hotel.

For them, the escape from the island was just the beginning.

They had a long journey of recovery ahead of them.

With nothing but the clothes on their backs, they would need food, medical care, and a stipend of cash to get started in the civilized world.

They’d undergone years of conditioning, believing that Solomon was their savior and protector.

That would all have to be unraveled and wouldn’t happen overnight.

They’d need therapy and support. They’d need bank accounts and passports.

They would need to re-integrate into society.

It would be easier for the new members. The long, devoted followers of Solomon would have a harder time.

Cult deprogramming and reintegration weren’t our strong suit. From the hotel, Jack called his buddy Tom Halford, who specialized in that kind of thing. He said he’d be on the next plane to San Montego.

Ivy tried calling her father, but it was no surprise when he didn’t answer. Worry tensed her brow. “He’s not picking up. ”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” I said. “But we talked to the impostor in your father’s home. There’s a good chance that…” I didn’t want to say it, but she knew where I was going.

I’m sure that Ivy was dealing with a range of emotions. She called her sister, Anna. I don’t think the two had spoken in years.

The phone rang a few times before a woman answered.

“Anna?” Ivy said in a tentative tone.

“Ivy? Is that you?”

“Yeah. It’s me.”

Anna was silent for a long moment. “Why are you calling?”

There was venom in her voice, no doubt a lot of unresolved history.

“I’m not sure.”

There was a long silence.

“Where are you?” Anna asked.

“I’m in a hotel room in San Montego,” Ivy replied.

It had been so long, the two girls really didn’t know what to say to each other.

“What are you doing there?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Still following that dirtbag?”

Ivy’s face tensed. “Have you talked to dad? ”

“No. I tried calling him, but he hasn’t returned my calls. I figured he was off on one of his adventures, but I’m starting to get worried about him.”

“I think you should be,” Ivy said in a meek voice.

“Why do you say that?”

“I think he may have been kidnapped or…” Ivy didn’t want to say it.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said,” Ivy barked, her voice filling with worry and frustration. “It’s a long story.”

“It’s always a story with you, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t call to fight.”

“Why did you call?” Anna’s tone was sharp.

“Because I’m worried about dad.”

Anna scoffed. “You? Worried about dad? That’s rich.”

“Don’t start.”

“What’s going on?”

Ivy gave her an abridged version.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“This isn’t one of your dramatic stories?”

“No!” Ivy said. “Where are you?”

“I’m at home. ”

“In Los Angeles?”

“That’s where I live,“ she sang in a smug voice.

“You don’t have to be such a bitch.”

Anna balked. “You don’t have to be a lot of things, but you choose to be them anyway.”

“Look, I can see this was a mistake to call.”

“Oh, no. You can’t just call, get me all riled up about dad, tell me some fantastical story, then hang up and walk away like you always do!”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I don’t know what to believe with you.”

“I’m telling you the truth.”

“So all of a sudden, you’re a born-again, normal person? All of a sudden, you care about dad?” Anna scoffed again. “I call bullshit. You never cared about him.”

Ivy was in tears by this point. “How could I? He did terrible things. He was a horrible person.”

“No, he wasn’t. You just chose to believe everything Mom told you.”

Ivy looked confused.

“Mom was no saint,” Anna said. “I’ve tried to tell you this a hundred times, but you never listened.

Mom was the one that was having the affair.

She left dad. She told me to say bad things about him so she could get custody.

I was old enough to say no. But you weren’t.

You started saying whatever Mom wanted you to say. ”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is.”

“I don’t remember that.”

“I do!”

That hung there for a moment as Ivy tried to process everything, thinking back to when she was a child. She looked trapped in a hazy fog.

After a long moment of silence, Anna asked in a soft voice, “Do you think dad’s really in trouble?“

“Yes! He’s really in trouble.”

Anna took a moment to process it. “I won’t be able to get to Coconut Key until tomorrow.”

“I’m with two county deputies now.”

“Are you under arrest?” Anna snarked.

“No! I am not under arrest,” Ivy said, growing frustrated again.

I told Ivy I would call the sheriff and have him send a patrol unit to do a wellness check on her father.

She relayed the information to her sister, then I called the sheriff.

“I’ll send Erickson and Faulkner,” he said after I told him the story. “When are you two nimrods getting back in town?”

“Hopefully tomorrow. ”

“Good. There’s been some new developments in the Sable Fox case.”

I lifted a curious brow. “I’m all ears.”