Page 119 of Grave Danger
“Planet Jupiter,” she said, quieter still.
“Oh, my goodness, Yasmin,” she said, breathing out her words.
“Are you mad at me, Mommy?”
“No. It’s not your fault. But I need you to listen to me, okay? I want you to go get your suitcase and pack up everything you brought inside. I’m going to do the same.”
“But we just got here. We didn’t get to go to the beach yet. Are we leaving before we even go in the ocean?”
“I don’t know. Mommy has to figure something out. Just pack your bag. And be quick about it.”
“So we are leaving?”
“I don’t know, honey. Ireallydon’t know whatwe’re going to do now.”
Chapter 44
Jack’s phone conversation with Yasmin ended abruptly. He laid his cell phone on the bar top.
He was at the Area 31 restaurant on the sixteenth floor of the Epic Hotel in downtown Miami, seated at the bar with Dr. Vestry. The annual gala for the Miami Children’s Hospital was in the hotel’s grand ballroom, and the doctor had agreed to break away and meet Jack in the lounge. He was underdressed for the Saturday-evening crowd, but Dr. Vestry more than made up for his fashion shortcomings. Her sequined gown, Judith Leiber handbag, and diamond earrings glittered more than the panoramic view of Biscayne Bay at twilight.
“Planet Jupiter?” said Dr. Vestry. “Children have quite the imagination, but that’s rich.”
It was at the doctor’s urging that Jack had dialed Zahra’s cell one more time. The theme for the hospital’s fundraising gala was “Vegas Night,” and evidently, she was feeling lucky. Jack hadn’t expected anyone to answer, much less Yasmin.
“She could have meant the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County,” said Jack. “Or a little farther north there’s Jupiter Island. Both are straight up I-95.”
“You should call again.”
“Give it a minute,” said Jack. “Yasmin said her mommy was at the door.”
“Zahra is not going to call you, Jack.”
“Let’s see.”
“Jack, who is the psychiatrist here? I’m telling you, in my professional opinion, there is no way Zahra is going to—”
Jack’s cell vibrated. The caller ID was not a number he recognized, which probably meant that the warranty on his car was about to expire. Or...
Jack answered, and the voice on the line was Zahra’s.
“It’s me,” she said.
“Zahra, where are you calling from?”
“A landline.”
“No, I mean where are you?”
“I’m with Yasmin, and we’re safe.”
Jack stepped away from the noisy bar area and found a quieter place outside on the terrace, away from the crowd. He was standing at the rail, cell phone in hand, overlooking the Miami River below and the parade of yachts and sailboats coming in from the bay.
“As your lawyer, my advice is to turn yourself in.”
“As Yasmin’s mother, I say your advice stinks.”
There was no smooth segue to the drawings—the reason for his meeting with Dr. Vestry in the first place—so Jack just said it. “I went to your town house. I saw Yasmin’s practice drawings in the wastebasket. And your drawing as well.”