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She dressed in jeans and a black sweater. She slipped out of her hotel room without calling her mother or checking her messages. Jessie left the hotel on a personal mission.

Morning refreshed the streets. Dog walkers were out, people bundled in coats and scarves. Moms jogged by rows of houses, along sidewalks broken by old trees, their babies bundled in strollers. The neighborhood didn't seem quite as picturesque with the wind chill factor riding up her back.

The walk took on new importance to Jessie. Between last night and this morning, she finally understood what Melanie wanted her to do with the diamond. A few tears snuck out and slid down her cheeks.

She tried not to think about her sister. Instead, she redirected all her emotions on Brent. Since meeting him, everything had gone wrong. All starting with the kiss that never should have happened. The list of wrongdoings didn't stop there. He'd been the one to bring the news of her sister's coma. He'd tried to steal the diamond from her. Their interactions led to her being worse off than before.

Each time she tried to open up to him, he set her back ten feet. So what if she saw something special in him? Despite himself, she liked his bluntness and stubbornness; she liked being around him. Or at least she used to. None of that mattered anymore. Not after last night. He didn't even bother to help her off the floor or ask if she was hurt. He'd revealed his true nature. He made it clear the one thing he wanted from her—the only thing—was the diamond.

She turned a corner on a street full of stately old homes, and the kind of architecture people associated with classic San Francisco. She didn't stop to look at and appreciate the beauty of the neighborhood. Her sore feet kept moving, over the downhill incline and towards her destination: the marina. She saw a ferry glide over the dark blue waters in the near distance. She wished she could get on a boat and sail away. Her heart hurt. Her chest stung. The coat she wore did little to keep her warm and she tucked her mouth inside the collar to feel the warmth of her breath on her lips.

The diamond in her pocket was a curse. A deceptive, seductive object of bad luck that had broken up her family on more than one occasion. The first time she'd made a bad choice, lying to her sister for the sake of sparing her brother more pain, and in the process she'd paid for it with her sister's cold shoulder. Her brother Mark wasted away in prison because of gemstones. Diamonds, gemstones, rocks, crystals, whatever their names, she didn't want anything to do with them or with the Harrison brothers. They were one and the same. They'd torn her family apart. They broke hearts. She couldn't stand to have them come between her and what mattered most to her.

Jessie looked straight ahead. The long stretch of grass created her final hurdle. She crossed over the greenery of a public park area and made her way to the wide walking path. Bikers, runners, and people out for a stroll moved at various speeds around her. A long rail separated the land from the bay and Jessie walked over and leaned on it. “No more,” she said to herself. Everyone and everything else she blocked out, except for the image of Brent's face and she cursed his name. She then took the diamond out of her pocket and gave the stone one last look before she tossed it into the ocean.

The front of Luke's house appeared in gaps in the thin fog. Brent approached his brother's home with fresh impatience. The disaster with Jessica last night hung on his every breath. Remorse battered him hard. Not once had he stopped agonizing about the way he'd treated her or how he'd used his strength to nearly do her harm. The shock in her eyes crossed his mind each time he replayed the scene. He'd shattered any trust he'd built with her up until that point. His actions had gotten him nowhere except back to where he started. And the diamond was still in her possession. She held the only link to the Abbott Tiara and to the other six diamonds. Did she know their location? He'd have to get her to tell him. If she would ever talk to him again.

Brent answered the phone ringing in his pocket. “Where are you?” he said to Luke.

“I'm at the hospital,”
he responded.

Good.

“Is it Melanie?”

“There's no change in her status. She lays there and won't open her eyes.” Luke coughed back emotion. “I'm calling for a different reason,” he said, regaining his composure. “Detective Brennan paid me a visit this morning.”

The tone of his brother's voice stirred up unease. “Okay.”

“The police tested the vault for fingerprints.”

“Whose are they?”

“Melanie's.”

Brent said nothing.

Luke added, “Her fingerprints are all over the vault, the lab, the doorknob—everywhere.”

The news spiked alarm up Brent's back. This information nailed proof to Jessica's declaration that she got the diamond from Melanie. It was the only way. “You're telling me Melanie stole the diamonds from you.”

“
Without a doubt.”

“How do you think she got the codes?”

“I have no idea. The detective and his team don't know either. What am I supposed to do with this information? I can't think straight. It makes me sick. My wife shouldn't have been in the vault in the first place. Why would she steal from me?”

Luke unleashed a string of expletives. Brent let his brother rage. He did the same internally, for other reasons. The turn of events darkened any hope he held. Melanie didn't just steal only from Luke. She stole from their company. Brent couldn't overlook that fact. “Did she leave a note? Any explanation whatsoever?”

“There's nothing.”

“The investigation isn't over.”

“I think she took them to meet whomever attacked her. That person must have stolen them off her, otherwise she wouldn't have been hurt. He could be anywhere and the diamonds are gone.”

This was the moment Brent chose his side—for now. On the subject of Jessica Cahill and her green diamond, Brent stayed mute. A ripple of wind beat on his face and he turned his back to Luke's house.

“There's more too. The video surveillance is a dead-end. The main camera in the rotunda was due to receive a new lens for weeks. According to Detective Brennan, the lens got caught up in funding issues and wasn't purchased in a timely manner. What are the chances? The lens on the security camera is damaged. There are only blurry images. I thought Detective Brennan was kidding and then he showed me the tape to see if I could identify Melanie.”

“What does the image show?”

“Two adult figures, but nothing more. The tape is blurry past the point of recognition. They met at night which makes the video almost impossible to see. Melanie's face and body are grainy. The other person is a man, we did confirm that, but he's a moving blob on a dark screen.” Luke broke down. He began to cry. “How could she do this?”

“She loves you,” Brent reminded him.

“That doesn't mean anything to me anymore.”

“Do you need me at the hospital?”

“No. I need to be alone. I'm coming home.”

“I'll see you later today.”

Of course, he understood. Betrayal cut deep. It changed your perception in an instant. Melanie had taken the diamonds. That he knew. Still, the question burned a hole in his tolerance.

Why did she take them?

The trust he felt towards Melanie died, but he wouldn't show that to Luke. The Melanie he knew wouldn't put Luke through this for anything. There had to be an explanation. Regardless, Brent would keep his thoughts on Melanie to himself for the time being.

He remained outside of Luke's home and contacted the person he couldn't seem to track down. The one thing he needed to confirm, he relied on Daniel to answer. Their information exchange had been cut short because of Jessica's visit to his house.

Brent sent him a message:
Where have you been?

Daniel:
Around.

Any idea what has happened?

No

You broke into the wrong room.

My associate got both rooms right.

Both rooms?

The mother's room was a distraction.

You went through the daughter's room?

I have something you'll want to see.

“Brent,” Kendra said, coming out of the front doors. “What are you doing out there?”

“Sending a message,” he replied and walked over to her.

Kendra frowned. “This is not a good morning. Luke's at the hospital.”

“I know. I stopped by for a different reason.”

Kendra's professional tone didn't waver, despite her personal connection to their family. Their younger brother, Damon had gotten her pregnant and he'd abandoned her. Brent and Luke made sure their nephew was provided for, although Kendra worked extra hard at her job to make sure she earned every bit of her salary. Since the birth of her son, she put in more hours and longer days to prove herself.

They proceeded inside the house. “Let me take your coat,” she said.

“I can get my own coat. How's my nephew these days?”

“He's busy; he finds every small object in the house and tries to swallow it. One day you'll have children, you'll understand.”

The implication of having children he ignored. “When will I see Zach?”

“I've been holding off on bringing him to the house, given the circumstances. Vivian asks about him though. She's so over the twins.”

“My niece, is she around?”

“She's at preschool. Your Aunt Stevie and I are trying to keep everyone's schedule normal. Luke hasn't said anything to them. Lydia and Annabelle are too young to understand, but Vivian isn't. She's perceptive. She's been asking about her mother.”

“I won't pretend to be much help there.”

“I haven't seen Luke like this before. I'm worried for him.”

“He won't rest until Melanie's awake and talking. None of us will.”

The big question of “What if…” hung between them like a block of cement about ready to drop on one or both of them. Neither one pushed the topic.

“Melanie is the reason for my visit,” Brent said.

“You and everyone else's.”

“Did you give Melanie the codes to the vault?”

Kendra narrowed her eyes. “I will tell you what I told Detective Brennan, and that's
no
, I did not give her the codes. I can't get over that you're even asking me. I owe you and your brother everything. You of all people get how hard I work to make sure I don't jeopardize your generosity.”

“Yes, but you and Melanie are friends.”

“That doesn't mean I'm in the business of betraying you or your brother.” The defensive set in her jaw softened. “I wish I could tell you how she got those codes. At least then we'd have answers.”

“Did the police search the house?”

“They fingerprinted the lab, the vault, and her office. Other than that they checked each room. The diamonds weren't on her when she was found at the Palace of Fine Arts.”

At least the whereabouts one of them is known,
he thought.

“You know what I think?” Kendra said.

“What?”

“You've come to snoop.”

“I've come to help my brother.”

Kendra held his gaze. “Are you sure you're not trying to help yourself?”

Brent leaned in close. “Did you give her the codes to the vault?”

“No.”

She looked steadfast in her answer. He had no choice but to take her word for it.

The automatic doors to Luke's house slid open. Daniel walked inside, dressed in his jeans and black t-shirt. No coat. No gloves. A body immune to Northern California's frigid fall. Oblivious to their argument, he stretched out his long arms and walked a direct path towards Kendra.

She rolled her eyes. “What's he doing here?”

“There's the most beautiful woman I've seen today,” Daniel said, grinning.

“Because the other girls at the strip club have gone home.”

Confidence beamed with every step that led him to her. Daniel placed a kiss on her cheek. “Jealousy on you looks gorgeous. Brings out your eyes.”

“No seriously, you have no reason to be in this house. There are no meetings scheduled.”

“Business must go on,” Daniel said.

“I'll let Brent be the judge of that, which, given that the both of you are here means I can't stop you from whatever work excuse you've created to justify being in this house.”

“We're taking a look around Melanie's office,” Brent announced.

Kendra moved to block the entrance to the hallway. “No.”

Brent walked around her. “The police aren't doing anything. I want a look.”

Daniel stepped up next to Kendra and picked her up in one fell swoop. She screamed. “Put me down!”

“Either kiss me or let me through.”

“Just put me down.”

Daniel held her closer. “I need an answer.”

“I'll give you five minutes.”

“Daniel,” Brent said, nodding for him to put her down.

He set her on the floor. Kendra glared at Brent.

“I have Melanie's best interest at heart,” Brent said.

“Luke doesn't want anyone in there,” she said, finding firm ground and stepping away from Daniel.

Brent and Daniel proceeded to walk ahead.

“You'll want to see this,” Daniel said, slipping him a piece of paper.

Brent opened the folded piece of paper and silently read the note written in Meanie's hand.

You are the only person I trust

Find Elizabeth

You'll know what to do

“What's that?” Kendra said, following them and trying to get a look at the note.

Brent refolded the note and tucked it into his pocket. “Nothing that concerns you.” He remembered Jessica asking about Elizabeth yesterday and he couldn't ignore the connection of the name on the note to Jessica's question. “Actually, hang on a sec. Does Melanie have any friends by the name of Elizabeth?”