1 Love Is Patient, Kind and Above All True
2 Chapter Twenty One
Jason looked at Donnie's pale face. He knew something was wrong. The older gentleman's eyes darted to Elizabeth. Jason excused himself from the seat.
Donnie began whispering in frantic desperation. Something was mentioned about Jaime, which Jason couldn't quite make out. "What?"
Donnie pulled on Jason's arm urging the conversation to be taken inside. Jason looked back at Elizabeth who'd been quietly observing the scene. "Excuse me Elizabeth." She nodded her permission for a pause in their conversation.
Putting an arm around the man's shoulder, Jason listened intently to what Donnie had to say. "Go ahead," Jason said signalling that they had enough privacy to talk. As they walked into the living room, Donnie continued to wring his hands.
"Mr. Morgan…Jaime's coming home today."
Jason saw no undue stress at the news. "Yes, what's the matter?"
Donnie paced the room. "She was supposed to arrive at the airport at 11:15 this morning."
Jason looked down at his watch. He knew that noon had been a half an hour ago. "Maybe she's running late," he offered. It was 1 p.m.
"Signor," he grimaced, "Jaime wasn't at the airport and her bags had already arrived."
Donnie pointed to the suitcase that sat in foyer. This concerned Jason a little. "Did they announce a delay in the flight?" Jason racked his brain to think up possible scenarios where Jaime wouldn't arrive in the past two hours.
Donnie shook his head. "Mr. Morgan, she would have informed me. Jaime had a cell phone."
The older man sat himself down on the couch. He was breathing hard. Jason knew he was more than worried at this point. And Jason had to agree. This seemed more like a planned situation than some mishap circumstance.
"Jason?" Elizabeth's voice seemed to echo through the living room.
Both Jason and Donnie's head snapped up to see Elizabeth standing before them. "Elizabeth? Is there something wrong?" Jason asked.
"No. But I think I should be asking you the same question!" she exclaimed, looking at the somewhat alarmed servant.
Jason felt Donnie's eyes bore into him. Get rid of her, they seemed to say. "Elizabeth, everything's fine. Jaime's just late."
Elizabeth seemed to study both men. "I don't think so. If something's wrong with Jaime, you guys have to tell me!"
Donnie rose from his seat, "Signorina, please! I try not to be rude, but I need to discuss something with Signor Morgan. Privately."
Donnie seemed to get his point across. Elizabeth nodded and backed away from the situation. Donnie sat back down. "Can you help me signor?"
Jason nodded his head. They had to find out if Jaime did indeed get on the plane. Jason needed to know if anyone saw her set foot on the aircraft. "Donnie, you need to phone Jaime's father."
The old man seemed to cringe at the idea. "I cannot do that. He hates me for Jaime's desire to leave the family."
Jason kneeled before the man, "Look, we need to know if she got safely onto the plane or if she was taken somewhere in the airport and they're still in Rome."
Donnie nodded. "Fine. If it will find Jaime."
***
The phone rang at the Nam residence. A maid ran to pick up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello, is Mr. Nam there?" a man's voice asked.
"Yes. Just a minute," the maid answered. She set down the phone and left the study.
Mr Nam was a distinguished man. He had jet-black hair with streaks of grey. "Hello?" Lee answered with a slight accent.
"Mr. Lee?" the man asked.
"Yes. Who is this?" he sighed.
"This is Donnie, your driver in Venice?"
The mention of Donnie's name sent a quiver of fury through his body. "Yes," he grimaced. "What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you knew if Jaime left for Venice already?"
Lee stifled a chuckle. Apparently my daughter's "second father" can't keep track of his "daughter". "Why? Don't you know? She left this morning at nine. My driver dropped her off at the airport."
There was a pause on the other end. He thought he might have heard some whispering. "Why do you ask Donnie?" Lee asked suspiciously.
"Oh," Donnie replied. "Did your driver's see if she got on the plane, or did they just drop her off?"
Lee began to get irritated. "Why are you asking these questions? Isn't she already at the airport waiting for you?" He looked at his watch. She'd probably been waiting more than a couple of hours by now.
"Oh, uh, yes. Of course," he stammered.
Lee knew something was wrong. "Has she contacted you?"
"Why, of course," he replied.
Too quickly, thought Lee.
"Uh, so Jaime was on the plane right?" Donnie asked for the second time.
"I do not know," Lee unwillingly admitted.
"Tell me!" he demanded, "Has someone hurt Jaime?"
Donnie's silence spoke volumes. Suddenly he decided to reply, "No. Okay. Ciao!"
The hum of the dial tone rung in his ears. Lee rushed over to his library, shouting for one of his men. "Lien!"
The large Asian man entered the library. "Yes sir?"
"I need you to tell me all that you saw when Jaime left for Venice."
Lee stood behind the desk in the library, moving papers around, trying to keep himself from looking fearful and anxious.
"Sir. We followed her into the airport secretly. Jaime went through the gate and we didn't see her again," he explained.
"What do you mean?" he asked anxiously.
"When she went through the door, we lost her. We tried to find her in the crowd, but I think she knew we were following her and was trying to ditch us."
Lee pondered over that thought for a moment. He could see her doing that to his men. She'd done it before.
"Lien," he paused a moment, "I need you to find out all you can about who saw her last in that airport and if there was any unusual commotion. She hasn't arrived in Venice and we don't know what people could have done to her."
Lien stood before Lee and nodded, bowing to his boss.
Lee commanded, "Quickly!"
Lien left the room and Lee sat down in his leather bound chair. His fist clenched at the thought of his daughter hurt and alone. The scenarios flashed through his mind.
If anyone has taken my daughter, so help me, they will pay.
2 Chapter Twenty One
Jason looked at Donnie's pale face. He knew something was wrong. The older gentleman's eyes darted to Elizabeth. Jason excused himself from the seat.
Donnie began whispering in frantic desperation. Something was mentioned about Jaime, which Jason couldn't quite make out. "What?"
Donnie pulled on Jason's arm urging the conversation to be taken inside. Jason looked back at Elizabeth who'd been quietly observing the scene. "Excuse me Elizabeth." She nodded her permission for a pause in their conversation.
Putting an arm around the man's shoulder, Jason listened intently to what Donnie had to say. "Go ahead," Jason said signalling that they had enough privacy to talk. As they walked into the living room, Donnie continued to wring his hands.
"Mr. Morgan…Jaime's coming home today."
Jason saw no undue stress at the news. "Yes, what's the matter?"
Donnie paced the room. "She was supposed to arrive at the airport at 11:15 this morning."
Jason looked down at his watch. He knew that noon had been a half an hour ago. "Maybe she's running late," he offered. It was 1 p.m.
"Signor," he grimaced, "Jaime wasn't at the airport and her bags had already arrived."
Donnie pointed to the suitcase that sat in foyer. This concerned Jason a little. "Did they announce a delay in the flight?" Jason racked his brain to think up possible scenarios where Jaime wouldn't arrive in the past two hours.
Donnie shook his head. "Mr. Morgan, she would have informed me. Jaime had a cell phone."
The older man sat himself down on the couch. He was breathing hard. Jason knew he was more than worried at this point. And Jason had to agree. This seemed more like a planned situation than some mishap circumstance.
"Jason?" Elizabeth's voice seemed to echo through the living room.
Both Jason and Donnie's head snapped up to see Elizabeth standing before them. "Elizabeth? Is there something wrong?" Jason asked.
"No. But I think I should be asking you the same question!" she exclaimed, looking at the somewhat alarmed servant.
Jason felt Donnie's eyes bore into him. Get rid of her, they seemed to say. "Elizabeth, everything's fine. Jaime's just late."
Elizabeth seemed to study both men. "I don't think so. If something's wrong with Jaime, you guys have to tell me!"
Donnie rose from his seat, "Signorina, please! I try not to be rude, but I need to discuss something with Signor Morgan. Privately."
Donnie seemed to get his point across. Elizabeth nodded and backed away from the situation. Donnie sat back down. "Can you help me signor?"
Jason nodded his head. They had to find out if Jaime did indeed get on the plane. Jason needed to know if anyone saw her set foot on the aircraft. "Donnie, you need to phone Jaime's father."
The old man seemed to cringe at the idea. "I cannot do that. He hates me for Jaime's desire to leave the family."
Jason kneeled before the man, "Look, we need to know if she got safely onto the plane or if she was taken somewhere in the airport and they're still in Rome."
Donnie nodded. "Fine. If it will find Jaime."
***
The phone rang at the Nam residence. A maid ran to pick up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello, is Mr. Nam there?" a man's voice asked.
"Yes. Just a minute," the maid answered. She set down the phone and left the study.
Mr Nam was a distinguished man. He had jet-black hair with streaks of grey. "Hello?" Lee answered with a slight accent.
"Mr. Lee?" the man asked.
"Yes. Who is this?" he sighed.
"This is Donnie, your driver in Venice?"
The mention of Donnie's name sent a quiver of fury through his body. "Yes," he grimaced. "What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you knew if Jaime left for Venice already?"
Lee stifled a chuckle. Apparently my daughter's "second father" can't keep track of his "daughter". "Why? Don't you know? She left this morning at nine. My driver dropped her off at the airport."
There was a pause on the other end. He thought he might have heard some whispering. "Why do you ask Donnie?" Lee asked suspiciously.
"Oh," Donnie replied. "Did your driver's see if she got on the plane, or did they just drop her off?"
Lee began to get irritated. "Why are you asking these questions? Isn't she already at the airport waiting for you?" He looked at his watch. She'd probably been waiting more than a couple of hours by now.
"Oh, uh, yes. Of course," he stammered.
Lee knew something was wrong. "Has she contacted you?"
"Why, of course," he replied.
Too quickly, thought Lee.
"Uh, so Jaime was on the plane right?" Donnie asked for the second time.
"I do not know," Lee unwillingly admitted.
"Tell me!" he demanded, "Has someone hurt Jaime?"
Donnie's silence spoke volumes. Suddenly he decided to reply, "No. Okay. Ciao!"
The hum of the dial tone rung in his ears. Lee rushed over to his library, shouting for one of his men. "Lien!"
The large Asian man entered the library. "Yes sir?"
"I need you to tell me all that you saw when Jaime left for Venice."
Lee stood behind the desk in the library, moving papers around, trying to keep himself from looking fearful and anxious.
"Sir. We followed her into the airport secretly. Jaime went through the gate and we didn't see her again," he explained.
"What do you mean?" he asked anxiously.
"When she went through the door, we lost her. We tried to find her in the crowd, but I think she knew we were following her and was trying to ditch us."
Lee pondered over that thought for a moment. He could see her doing that to his men. She'd done it before.
"Lien," he paused a moment, "I need you to find out all you can about who saw her last in that airport and if there was any unusual commotion. She hasn't arrived in Venice and we don't know what people could have done to her."
Lien stood before Lee and nodded, bowing to his boss.
Lee commanded, "Quickly!"
Lien left the room and Lee sat down in his leather bound chair. His fist clenched at the thought of his daughter hurt and alone. The scenarios flashed through his mind.
If anyone has taken my daughter, so help me, they will pay.