He discovers the front of it is shattered to pieces.
Like his life is without her.
A few days later, he replaces the iPad and discovers that the surfer added a new photo of Keatyn. She's on the beach in front of the shrimp shack named Buddy's. He knows the place well, as he took some photos of her and the surfer eating lunch there the day of her birthday party. He checks the photo he took that day. She's wearing the same bikini top and cutoff shorts. Her hair is braided the same. She's got on the same sunglasses.
The only difference is that in this photo, she has the shorts unzipped and one side slid down exposing her hip. What he couldn't see from his vantage point that day is staring him in the face now-a fresh tattoo.
He blows the photo up to discover a pair of Chinese symbols.
After meticulously going through the surfer's photos on his new fan page, he discovers that the boy has a matching tattoo on his wrist. They are tied together. Matt and Lacy.
And he needs to be tied together with them.
In the script.
And in life.
He studies all the photos the surfer has of his friends and memorizes their faces. The next morning, he gets up early, checks to see where the best waves are in the area, loads up his board, and heads there. He quickly spots the one named Mark and when they are done surfing he talks to him, mentioning he knows Brooklyn and Keatyn.
Mark smiles and animatedly tells him how Brooklyn is off living his dream, surfing with the pros. How his dad got him some sponsors and he committed to giving it a shot this year. How Matt knows he's going to do awesome, dude.
"I was wondering about his tattoo. Do you know where he got it? I've been thinking about getting one but don't want to go just anywhere."
"Oh, dude, you need to see Tiny. He'll do you up good. Man is a true artist." He flashes his own tattoos as do some of the other guys. All done by Tiny.
"Thanks, I'll look him up. By the way, what does his tattoo mean?"
"Chaos, man. Like life is divine chaos."
Vincent waves goodbye, loads up his board, then sits in his car and thinks.
Chaos.
How fitting.
He grabs his phone, finds the tattoo artist, and goes straight to his shop.
He only has one tattoo. His body is his temple, and he takes extremely good care of it. He's never understood how people could mar their skin up with numerous tattoos and piercings.
But as he walks in Tiny's shop, he understands the need-the conviction-one must possess to commit. And he is fully committed.
He discovered that Tiny is not at all small, as his nickname would suggest. Vincent wants him and only him to do the tattoo, and he waits for two hours while the man finishes up a portion of large tiger covering a man's shoulder. The shop is clean, at least. And he understands what Mark meant by the man being an artist. The walls of the shop are covered with amazing designs, some small and simple, others grand and colorful.
"Well, what are you thinking?" Tiny asks him.
Vincent shows the man the photo of Keatyn, although he has it zoomed into the tattoo.
"I did this," Tiny says.
"Yes. I was referred."
"Why do you want the same thing?" he asks curiously as he takes the phone from Vincent and makes the photo smaller, seeing Keatyn at the beach.
"We're friends," Vincent replies. "It just so happens that I've always wanted a chaos tattoo myself. She suggested I come see you."
"She needed a little medicinal weed to get through it. How about you?"
Vincent considers it, but he wants to feel every single prick of the needle. He wants to bleed for his beloved Lacy. "No, I'll take the pain."
During the tattooing, Tiny asks a lot of questions about how he knows Keatyn and Brooklyn. He feels like he's being interrogated and it puts him on edge. When he realizes the man is just trying to make conversation, he politely asks the man to stop talking. He wants to focus on the pain and the way it arouses him.
He also realizes that he needs to do something about Matt.
He can't kill him yet. Not until he has Lacy.
But he needs someone to get close to him. Someone who could follow him on the surf tour.
A girl.
He comes up with a simple but elaborate plan.
The next day, he calls his friend. "Hey, Bobby," he says. "I'm looking for a girl."
"Aren't we all?" Bobby quips. "Whatcha need?"
He gives him the specifics, and Bobby sends over all the test shoots of the unknowns who are looking to play Tommy Steven's daughter. He finds one who looks similar to Keatyn-a leggy blonde with a pretty smile. Nothing like Keatyn's but close enough for what he needs. He calls an acquaintance who does press for one of the surf apparel manufacturers and mentions the girl. He knows they have a staff that travels to all the big tournaments to model and sell their wares.
A few days later, the girl is offered a job.
A few days after that, Vincent calls her. He tells the girl that he'd like her to become friendly with a young surfer named Brooklyn Wright. That he works for the company who hired her and that they are considering endorsements, but need to know what kind of guy he is off camera-like what's going on in his personal life. Are there any skeletons in his closet?
At first, she isn't sure about this arrangement, but he assures her this is common practice in determining which surfers they should sponsor. He also lets her know that he needs her to commit to doing this through the end of the tour. She mentions it's a long commitment and that she has had some good auditions and really wants to act. That's when he tells her how much he will be paying her to frolic at exotic beach locations.
Immediately, she agrees.
What she said to him when they spoke still haunts him. Heard you've been checking out rehabs. You should seriously check yourself in. Get some help. You'll only find me if I want to be found. Oh, and I've been fucking my way across Europe. Maybe you should come and get me.
Through his contacts, he is introduced to a man who specializes in finding people. Usually, because they have ratted out the boss in some way and go into hiding. When Vincent is at his wit's end, this man is offered to him. He checks Keatyn's passport and discovers she hasn't left the country, but he takes it a step further, scanning her photo into a facial recognition software that will allow him to discover if she left the country under a false passport.
The man assures him that she hasn't, but that if she does, he will find her.
What about social media? Could she have started a new one? Could he find her that way?
The man confirms that he could and sets up a program that constantly searches for her new profile.
But just in case he's wrong, he sends a man to keep watch on her friend, Damian, who is touring with his band.
One thing the man was useful for was mentioning that when people go into hiding, they typically go somewhere they know. A relative or friend's home. Vincent searches real estate records and the tabloids. He knows Tommy and the whore own properties in Malibu, New York City, and France. But the man also offers up more suggestions. Could she be with her paternal grandparents in Texas? What about Tommy's mother, who lives in southern California?
Vincent has all these places checked.
But she is at none of them.
They even have a man pose as a utility repairman, something about a possible gas leak, who gets into Tommy's New York apartment and reports back that no one is currently living there.
Another dead end.
Which makes him furious-mostly with Abby.
It's all her fault.
All of this, is all her fault.
And he's going to make her pay.
He sends her a note and lets her know just that. That she can hide her daughter, but that he knows exactly where Tommy and her girls are.
And he's going to keep letting her know his plans until he gets his Lacy back.
Time passes. Every week he goes to the club. He's hired private investigators, thugs, and has everyone from surfers to airport personnel on his payroll. But no one can find her. No one has heard from her.
One night in late September, Vanessa and her friend are at the club. As is typical, RiAnne dances and Vanessa saunters into his section-and she's in a funk.
She tells him about Juan Fabio Martinez. How wealthy his family is and how she's supposed to go out on their yacht for a long weekend at sea. She also admits to missing Keatyn.
"For the last two years, we've gone to the yacht party together and had so much fun. It's going to be weird not having her with me," she says.
"Maybe she'll show up on her own," Vincent suggests, trying to make her feel better.
Vanessa smiles. "I don't know if she has her phone still, but both Bam and me texted her to remind her of the party. It'd be like Keatyn to randomly show up. Of course, I would have to be mad at her if she did."
"Understandable," Vincent agrees.
"Oh, and don't mention the party in front of RiAnne. I don't want her to know the party is this weekend-she'll expect an invite. And even though I am furious with her, there's a part of me that hopes Keatyn will show up."
A few bottles of champagne later, and Vincent has secured an invite of his own.
And much like Vanessa, he is hoping Keatyn will show up to the yacht party.
"What's wrong?" Keatyn says.
"Did you tell Vanessa where you are?" Garrett asks.
"No."
"Keatyn, it's important that you tell me the truth. I won't yell at you if you did. I know this has been hard on you, but if you did, it's imperative that I know."
"I swear to you on my sisters' lives that I'm telling you the truth. What's going on?"
"Vanessa may be missing."
"Missing how?"
"She apparently posted something on Facebook about how she talked to you. That you wanted everyone to know you were getting better."
"She just wants to act like she knows what's going on."
"Well, that may be, but she went to a club last night and RiAnne says no one has seen her since." He swallows loudly. "Vincent was at the same club."
"And you think something's happened to her? But you told me if I kept my friends in the dark they'd be safe. Did you lie to me? Do you think he's done something to her?"
"We don't know. We aren't running surveillance on him twenty-four-seven anymore."
I'm shocked. "Why not?!"
"I was told to cut back."
"By who?"
"James."
"Is it a money thing?"
"I think they were pretty surprised at how much the bill was, yes. But in their defense, it's been almost a month and we haven't produced any compelling results. The goal was to gather information that we could use against him. Other than him being at the same places as some of your friends, his going to Oregon, New York, and a few coincidental Facebook things, we have nothing. Nothing we could take to a judge, anyway."
"Do you think for my safety we should be watching him more?"
"I don't know that twenty-four-seven is the answer, but, yes, I'd like to have the freedom to do what we think is best. For example, my man followed him to the club, but then went off duty."
"From now on, you have the freedom to do what you think is best. Just bill me. And you need to give me more details about Vanessa because what you're saying doesn't make sense. Vanessa never went to a club alone. She made RiAnne and me go with her. And she may not have told RiAnne who she was leaving with, but she would have told her she was leaving. RiAnne was always her cover."
"What do you mean, her cover?"
"It's just not that unusual for her to go off with a guy for the weekend. And when she did that, she always told her dad that she was staying at RiAnnes. What did RiAnne say, exactly?"
"On her own wall, she said that Vanessa is missing, but on your Facebook wall she said, Vanessa is off radar and I'm going to be pissed if you two are having a reunion without me.
"Off radar means RiAnne has no idea where she is. You need to send her a message. Don't write on her wall. Send her a direct message. Tell her that Vanessa is not with me. That I haven't spoken to her or anyone else since my party. Tell her-and this is important-that I pinkie swear. She'll come home, Garrett. She always does. I'm sure it's just a coincidence that he was there."
"Like it was just a coincidence that he was in New York at Brooklyn's tournament? I don't think so. When she comes home, Keatyn, I'd like her to come home alive. We can't find Vincent either."
"What do you mean?"
"We can't find him. He's not at home. Didn't go to his office today. His assistant said she wasn't sure when he'd be back."
"Wow," is all I manage to mutter out. My mind is going in a million directions. Trying to process it all.
"When she went off with guys before, did she go to the same place? Is there somewhere we can look for her?"