Left to Vanish
L E F T
T O
V A N I S H
(An Adele Sharp Mystery—Book Eight)
B L A K E P I E R C E
Blake Pierce
Blake Pierce is the USA Today bestselling author of the RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seventeen books. Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising fourteen books; of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising six books; of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising seven books; of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising six books; of the JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising nineteen books; of the AU PAIR psychological suspense thriller series, comprising three books; of the ZOE PRIME mystery series, comprising six books; of the ADELE SHARP mystery series, comprising thirteen books; of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the new LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising three books (and counting); of the new ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising six books (and counting); of the A YEAR IN EUROPE cozy mystery series, comprising nine books); of the AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising three books (and counting); and of the RACHEL GIFT mystery series, comprising three books (and counting).
An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.
Copyright © 2021 by Blake Pierce. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright IgorZh, used under license from Shutterstock.com.
BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE
RACHEL GIFT MYSTERY SERIES
HER LAST WISH (Book #1)
HER LAST CHANCE (Book #2)
HER LAST HOPE (Book #3)
AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES
CITY OF PREY (Book #1)
CITY OF FEAR (Book #2)
CITY OF BONES (Book #3)
A YEAR IN EUROPE
A MURDER IN PARIS (Book #1)
DEATH IN FLORENCE (Book #2)
VENGEANCE IN VIENNA (Book #3)
ELLA DARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER
GIRL, ALONE (Book #1)
GIRL, TAKEN (Book #2)
GIRL, HUNTED (Book #3)
GIRL, SILENCED (Book #4)
GIRL, VANISHED (Book 5)
GIRL ERASED (Book #6)
LAURA FROST FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER
ALREADY GONE (Book #1)
ALREADY SEEN (Book #2)
ALREADY TRAPPED (Book #3)
EUROPEAN VOYAGE COZY MYSTERY SERIES
MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (Book #1)
DEATH (AND APPLE STRUDEL) (Book #2)
CRIME (AND LAGER) (Book #3)
MISFORTUNE (AND GOUDA) (Book #4)
CALAMITY (AND A DANISH) (Book #5)
MAYHEM (AND HERRING) (Book #6)
ADELE SHARP MYSTERY SERIES
LEFT TO DIE (Book #1)
LEFT TO RUN (Book #2)
LEFT TO HIDE (Book #3)
LEFT TO KILL (Book #4)
LEFT TO MURDER (Book #5)
LEFT TO ENVY (Book #6)
LEFT TO LAPSE (Book #7)
LEFT TO VANISH (Book #8)
LEFT TO HUNT (Book #9)
LEFT TO FEAR (Book #10)
THE AU PAIR SERIES
ALMOST GONE (Book#1)
ALMOST LOST (Book #2)
ALMOST DEAD (Book #3)
ZOE PRIME MYSTERY SERIES
FACE OF DEATH (Book#1)
FACE OF MURDER (Book #2)
FACE OF FEAR (Book #3)
FACE OF MADNESS (Book #4)
FACE OF FURY (Book #5)
FACE OF DARKNESS (Book #6)
A JESSIE HUNT PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES
THE PERFECT WIFE (Book #1)
THE PERFECT BLOCK (Book #2)
THE PERFECT HOUSE (Book #3)
THE PERFECT SMILE (Book #4)
THE PERFECT LIE (Book #5)
THE PERFECT LOOK (Book #6)
THE PERFECT AFFAIR (Book #7)
THE PERFECT ALIBI (Book #8)
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR (Book #9)
THE PERFECT DISGUISE (Book #10)
THE PERFECT SECRET (Book #11)
THE PERFECT FAÇADE (Book #12)
THE PERFECT IMPRESSION (Book #13)
THE PERFECT DECEIT (Book #14)
THE PERFECT MISTRESS (Book #15)
THE PERFECT IMAGE (Book #16)
THE PERFECT VEIL (Book #17)
THE PERFECT INDISCRETION (Book #18)
THE PERFECT RUMOR (Book #19)
CHLOE FINE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES
NEXT DOOR (Book #1)
A NEIGHBOR’S LIE (Book #2)
CUL DE SAC (Book #3)
SILENT NEIGHBOR (Book #4)
HOMECOMING (Book #5)
TINTED WINDOWS (Book #6)
KATE WISE MYSTERY SERIES
IF SHE KNEW (Book #1)
IF SHE SAW (Book #2)
IF SHE RAN (Book #3)
IF SHE HID (Book #4)
IF SHE FLED (Book #5)
IF SHE FEARED (Book #6)
IF SHE HEARD (Book #7)
THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES
WATCHING (Book #1)
WAITING (Book #2)
LURING (Book #3)
TAKING (Book #4)
STALKING (Book #5)
KILLING (Book #6)
RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES
ONCE GONE (Book #1)
ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)
ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)
ONCE LURED (Book #4)
ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)
ONCE PINED (Book #6)
ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)
ONCE COLD (Book #8)
ONCE STALKED (Book #9)
ONCE LOST (Book #10)
ONCE BURIED (Book #11)
ONCE BOUND (Book #12)
ONCE TRAPPED (Book #13)
ONCE DORMANT (Book #14)
ONCE SHUNNED (Book #15)
ONCE MISSED (Book #16)
ONCE CHOSEN (Book #17)
MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES
BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)
BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)
BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)
BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)
BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5)
BEFORE HE FEELS (Book #6)
BEFORE HE SINS (Book #7)
BEFORE HE HUNTS (Book #8)
BEFORE HE PREYS (Book #9)
BEFORE HE LONGS (Book #10)
BEFORE HE LAPSES (Book #11)
BEFORE HE ENVIES (Book #12)
BEFORE HE STALKS (Book #13)
BEFORE HE HARMS (Book #14)
AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES
CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)
CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)
CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)
CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)
CAUSE TO SAVE (Book
#5)
CAUSE TO DREAD (Book #6)
KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES
A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)
A TRACE OF MUDER (Book #2)
A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)
A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)
A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
CHAPTER ONE
At night, the reddish hue of Castle Sforzesco could just be glimpsed amidst surrounding trees in the arms of Milan. Signora Calvetti admired the view as her sedan pulled through the gated driveway, stray gravel crunching beneath the tires.
The driver glanced in the mirror, tipping his hat once. “Are you sure you don’t want help with the luggage, Signora Calvetti?”
Gianna pulled her single blue suitcase close, patting it affectionately with a gloved hand, and shook her head, silver curls shifting about her high cheekbones, feeling her diamond earrings swish. “Thank you, Enrico, but no. You might think me old and ill-abled, but I can carry this small thing myself.”
Her driver flashed a starlight smile. “You don’t look a day over forty, signora.”
“Fifty-eight last month, and don’t you forget it!” Calvetti chuckled softly, shaking her head and opening her own door before Enrico could hop out and open it for her as he was oft to do.
She pulled the suitcase behind and hefted it in one hand. No wheels, nor extending handle. Gianna refused to allow her life of creature comforts to extend so far it ruled out a little bit of healthy exercise. And with how often she traveled for work, there came plenty enough opportunities.
She hefted the small blue case and looked up, admiring her home. Though, perhaps most might call it an estate. Beige and cream siding mimicked seaside sandstone and the cobblestone walkway hinted at a bygone era beneath the railed terrace of the mansion which overlooked the tennis courts, private pool, and small guesthouse lodged up against an encircling marble wall.
Gianna waited as Enrico circled the car around the marble fountain roundabout and slowly made his way back up the drive toward the gates again. She watched him leave, the blue suitcase still gripped firmly in her gloved hand. The day be damned when she needed someone else to carry her own burdens.
She nodded resolutely, then turned toward the mansion. The place was a lot more spacious since the children had moved out and she’d gotten rid of that sorry excuse for a husband nearly three years ago.
She pressed her lips together and was approaching the doors of her home when a flicker of light caught her attention.
Gianna paused, frowning, one foot on the lowest step. She glanced over toward the guesthouse. Another flicker in the window… Hesitantly, she lowered the suitcase to the first step, releasing her grip and staring in the direction of the smaller guesthouse.
Not a flicker. A light. Difficult to spot due to the cast iron lampstand between the houses. As she’d passed from one side to the other, the light had flashed on either side of the metal protrusion. She wrinkled her nose—how had a light been left on?
The gardener?
She frowned deeper now, beginning to move in the direction of the guesthouse.
If that damned wastrel and his brood were squatting in the guesthouse again, she’d give him a scolding to be remembered. She wouldn’t fire him—no, he’d been loyal to the family. But one must have boundaries in life.
She picked up her pace, leaving her blue suitcase behind her against the lowest marble step, gravel crunching beneath her shoes as she stalked toward the guesthouse.
“Hello?” she called out, feeling a mild annoyance rising.
She’d wanted to come home, relax in the hot tub, drink some wine, and doze off watching whatever new recommendation she could find in the romantic comedy genre. Now, though, beneath the glare of the moon, her own scowl intensified.
“Hello?” she called louder.
No answer.
Perhaps her children had been through. Though she’d made it clear that now they had their own places they ought to announce any visits. She sighed. They’d often been the most unruly of kids. Especially given how much attention the nannies had lavished.
She stalked toward the guesthouse, clearing her throat and approaching the front door.
The door had been left open too.
She paused now, hesitant. “Hello?” she called, voice louder. “Is anyone in there?”
Her eyes darted to the security cameras on the marble wall directed toward the driveway. Even from here, she could see the glinting blue lights of the alarm system up at the main house. She’d never bothered to place a system in the guesthouse. No one had lived here for years.
Now, though, she was beginning to regret this security blind spot.
She hesitated, swallowing and standing on the cobblestones facing the door. A slow shiver crept up her spine, and for a moment, she thought to turn back, to call the police…
A soft, moaning sound echoed from the guesthouse and she yelped instinctively, jolting back.
She watched as the open door widened further, the moaning coming from the creak of the hinges as the wind caught the frame. The light was on in the entryway. No one inside. No sign of a disturbance at all.
The gardener. He’d probably gone in to use the restroom.
She nodded to herself. Yes. The gardener. She shook her head once and then walked with purposeful strides back toward the open door. Just a quick look around to make sure nothing had been taken. Then she’d lock up and give the old family employee a stern talking to.
Boundaries. They mattered. She’d always known it.
Muttering to herself, though not quite falling into the crime of grumbling, she approached the open door. Business on one side, gardeners on the other… It would be nice to have a getaway at some point where others took care of her for a change. Maybe a hotel in the countryside. Or, perhaps, to her own summer home in Aquitaine.
She stepped into the house, carried by the relief of a future hope.
“Hello?” she said a final time, just in case.
But her query was met only by the whining hinges and the whispering breeze. The bright entryway light, which she’d spotted through the window, glared down at her, illuminating the small hallway. No sign of disturbance. No shoes by the door. Nothing.
She nodded resolutely and approached the light switch on the opposite side of the hall. As she moved into the guesthouse, up the hall, a floorboard creaked.
She frowned. The hinges of the door behind her groaned. She began to turn, hesitantly, one finger extended toward the light switch.
And then, the sudden sound of sprinting feet.
She yelped, whirling around. Rough hands shoved her hard against the wall. Her eyes widened and she tried to scream, but leather-clad fingers jammed into her mouth, holding back the sound. She tried to bite down, but the fingers jerked back, pushing her face against the cheap wallpaper
.
Heavy breathing, a soft growl. And then something around her throat. She choked, gasping, trying to yank free. A shadow—a strong shadow—was behind her, pushing hard, holding her in place. She gasped, strangling, trying to scream but finding her breath was now in short supply.
It felt like… beads around her neck? A single black emblem, hard to discern, dangled from the edge of a gloved hand, attached to whatever was strangling her. She stared, her eyes bulging, fixated on the dangling ebony as the strange beads tightened on her throat.
A hoarse voice whispered in her ear. “Did you miss me?”
And then, darkness came calling.
CHAPTER TWO
“I don’t know,” Adele murmured softly, shaking her head.
“My uncle spoke highly of you,” said a soft voice near the fireplace. “Is there anything he might have told you?”
Adele’s lips felt numb and she brushed her blonde hair from her eyes, her gaze hazy as it moved from the cold fireplace up to where Brigitte Henry watched her. She’d never met Robert’s niece before the funeral. Now with it over, she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to see the young woman again. Brigitte had the same eyes as her uncle, oddly solemn and mischievous all at once. A searching, knowing gaze. An exposing gaze.
And Adele felt exposed, standing in the study of her old mentor’s mansion, before a cold fireplace, one hand braced against a leather chair.
“I don’t mean to trouble you,” murmured Brigitte, attempting a smile, but then seemingly deciding this wouldn’t help matters, so she left it and just watched Adele. “Only, yesterday, when I asked if you’d be willing to help settle some of this, I didn’t realize Uncle might have changed the will.”
Adele winced, shrugging again. “I really don’t know. I’m very sorry.”
Brigitte sighed, turning to face a pile of cardboard boxes where some of Robert’s books had been stowed. Adele had overseen this task personally. The books had been Robert’s favorites. Very few things were valued by the man as much, and she was determined to see them packed properly.