think much of it until just now… ” Cicely licked her lips. “The last show we worked together, I do remember she kept getting a lot of phone calls that night, and she seemed agitated. I mean the phones are always going crazy and she could handle them like a pro, but this particular night, she seemed really bothered by it.”
“Did she tell you who it was?”
Cicely shook her head. “No. Well, she said it was some PR person hounding her, which we get a lot of.”
“Who do you think it really was?”
“Jack.”
Sondra crunched on her ice. “What makes you say that?
“Well, a few weeks before Tracy… disappeared, my husband and I were having dinner at Flow and Jack came over to say hi. Jimmy went to the restroom, and I asked him how he was—really—and he said he still loved her, but that he wished her nothing but happiness. But… ”
“But you don’t believe him.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just… sometimes, when you love someone, you’ll do things you never thought you would do—good and bad.”
“Did you tell her about what Jack said?”
“No. It wasn’t my place to tell her that kind of news.”
Sondra tapped her finger against the bar, disturbed. “I ran into Jack myself not too long ago.”
“Really,” Cicely said, surprised. “Where?”
“In New York—he was in town on business. He also said he saw Tracy the night before her disappearance. Told me that she told him she was unhappy.”
“Unhappy about what?”
“He said she ran away before she told him anything.”
Cicely wrinkled her nose. “Did he tell the police?”
“No. Said he didn’t know what difference it would have made and he didn’t want to lay that on Phillip. You know, him wondering if his wife was doing her ex, that kind of thing.”
“I could see that.”
Sondra chewed on what was left of the nail of her index finger. “What did you think of Phillip?”
Cicely shrugged. “He seemed nice enough. I never thought he was her type though. If I’m being honest, I think Jack was her soulmate, but you know, it doesn’t always work out with your soulmate. Still, she seemed like she was really in love with Phillip.”
“Did you like him? Phillip, I mean.”
“Um… he was okay. I mean, it took me a while to warm up to him, but he seemed alright. Like I said, though, I wouldn’t have picked him for her, that’s for sure.”
Sondra snorted. “That’s the same thing I said.”
“He was… quiet, just… I don’t know. Just a different energy from Jack, which we were all used to and loved.”
“In that letter he sent my mother, he went on and on and about what a great marriage he and Tracy had.”
“Well, maybe it’s like you said, he was trying to protect you all from whatever was going on between them.”
“I guess.”
“Maybe they just realized that they had rushed into things,” Cicely said. “I mean they hadn’t even known each other a year when they got married.” Cicely picked up her wineglass. “Besides, she was probably too embarrassed to talk about any problems. Whatever they may have been. Of course she’s not here, so we can’t ask her.”
Sondra picked up her glass. “There wasn’t anything in her journal either.” She paused. “Tell me about the last time you talked to her.”
Cicely swallowed her wine before she spoke. “Well, we did the ten together that Thursday. And except for that business with the phone calls, she was fine. Anyway, she was taking a personal day on Friday, so we talked about that as we walked out together that night. She said if I wasn’t doing anything over the weekend to give her a call and we’d go catch a movie or something. I called her Saturday afternoon and got her voicemail. I called her again on Sunday when I hadn’t heard from her and left her another voicemail. Again, at the time, I didn’t think anything of it. Like she got busy with other stuff and forgot to check her messages. She wasn’t expected back to work until
“Did she tell you who it was?”
Cicely shook her head. “No. Well, she said it was some PR person hounding her, which we get a lot of.”
“Who do you think it really was?”
“Jack.”
Sondra crunched on her ice. “What makes you say that?
“Well, a few weeks before Tracy… disappeared, my husband and I were having dinner at Flow and Jack came over to say hi. Jimmy went to the restroom, and I asked him how he was—really—and he said he still loved her, but that he wished her nothing but happiness. But… ”
“But you don’t believe him.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just… sometimes, when you love someone, you’ll do things you never thought you would do—good and bad.”
“Did you tell her about what Jack said?”
“No. It wasn’t my place to tell her that kind of news.”
Sondra tapped her finger against the bar, disturbed. “I ran into Jack myself not too long ago.”
“Really,” Cicely said, surprised. “Where?”
“In New York—he was in town on business. He also said he saw Tracy the night before her disappearance. Told me that she told him she was unhappy.”
“Unhappy about what?”
“He said she ran away before she told him anything.”
Cicely wrinkled her nose. “Did he tell the police?”
“No. Said he didn’t know what difference it would have made and he didn’t want to lay that on Phillip. You know, him wondering if his wife was doing her ex, that kind of thing.”
“I could see that.”
Sondra chewed on what was left of the nail of her index finger. “What did you think of Phillip?”
Cicely shrugged. “He seemed nice enough. I never thought he was her type though. If I’m being honest, I think Jack was her soulmate, but you know, it doesn’t always work out with your soulmate. Still, she seemed like she was really in love with Phillip.”
“Did you like him? Phillip, I mean.”
“Um… he was okay. I mean, it took me a while to warm up to him, but he seemed alright. Like I said, though, I wouldn’t have picked him for her, that’s for sure.”
Sondra snorted. “That’s the same thing I said.”
“He was… quiet, just… I don’t know. Just a different energy from Jack, which we were all used to and loved.”
“In that letter he sent my mother, he went on and on and about what a great marriage he and Tracy had.”
“Well, maybe it’s like you said, he was trying to protect you all from whatever was going on between them.”
“I guess.”
“Maybe they just realized that they had rushed into things,” Cicely said. “I mean they hadn’t even known each other a year when they got married.” Cicely picked up her wineglass. “Besides, she was probably too embarrassed to talk about any problems. Whatever they may have been. Of course she’s not here, so we can’t ask her.”
Sondra picked up her glass. “There wasn’t anything in her journal either.” She paused. “Tell me about the last time you talked to her.”
Cicely swallowed her wine before she spoke. “Well, we did the ten together that Thursday. And except for that business with the phone calls, she was fine. Anyway, she was taking a personal day on Friday, so we talked about that as we walked out together that night. She said if I wasn’t doing anything over the weekend to give her a call and we’d go catch a movie or something. I called her Saturday afternoon and got her voicemail. I called her again on Sunday when I hadn’t heard from her and left her another voicemail. Again, at the time, I didn’t think anything of it. Like she got busy with other stuff and forgot to check her messages. She wasn’t expected back to work until
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