It was a night she wished she could forget. Nessa sat on the sofa, her arms wrapped around her legs as she stared at the two officers, the hotel manager, and Knox argue. Heavy knocking on their hotel room's door had interrupted her and Knox's heavy make-out session.

Detective Daniel Chavez eyes Nessa warily as she yawned into her hand. He clearly hadn't expected Knox and Nessa to be together in his hotel room.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Marsden," the hotel manager, Carl, said before rubbing his hands together in nervousness. "I told them you were detained but they insisted it was an emergency."

"Do you have some kind of a warrant?" Knox asked. He had pulled on a white shirt after the manager had arrived, the two detectives in tow.

"I didn't think we'd need one," Detective Rick Conners grinned. "We thought you'd want to know firsthand."

"Know what?" Knox asked, clearly not amused.

"That we found that engagement ring you gave to Jessica Spencer," Rick whispered loudly.

"What does that have to do with me?" Knox asked.

"It was delivered to us," Detective Chavez continued. "It was delivered to us at the station. Don't you think that's odd?"

"What I think is odd," Knox said slowly, "is that you two took it upon yourselves to track me down in order to tell me this bit of uneventful news."

"Who sent it?" Nessa asked from the sofa, her brows raised with curiosity.

"That's a good question," Rick answered, his eyes glued on Knox. "That's why we came here to talk to your boyfriend."

Knox cursed under his breath before turning to Carl. "Is this how you do your job? By allowing uninvited guests to people's rooms?"

Carl paled. "No sir, I--" 

"Forget it. Go back to the lobby," Knox ordered Carl. "I'll deal with these two."

Carl's eyes darted between the two detectives and Knox before he nodded and scrambled out the door.

"Tell us again the last time you saw Jessica Spencer," Detective Chavez ordered.

"My story isn't going to change from two years ago," Knox answered. "She came into my suite the afternoon before the wedding. We had promised not to see one another a day before the wedding."

"And what did she want to see you for?" Rick asked. "A little hanky panky before you said I do?"

"Stop!" Nessa raised her hand in the air.

All three men turned to look at her.

"You can't tell us to stop," Detective Chavez said, turning to his partner. "Can she?"

"No." Rick muttered. "Unless she is a lawyer."

"Are you a lawyer," Daniel asked Nessa.

"No, she isn't," Knox muttered.

"Then why is she telling us to stop?" Daniel asked Knox who seemed just as perplexed as they were.

"Because you asking whether or not Jessica had slept with her future husband right before they were to be married is none of your business," Nessa answered.

"She's feisty," Rick whispered to Knox.

"She wanted to know if I loved her," Knox answered. "Jessica could be a bit insecure about things."

"A beautiful woman like her was insecure?" Rick asked. "I find that hard to believe."

"I'm not interested in what you believe," Knox said. "She came to the room for about five minutes and left shortly thereafter."

"Did you two fight?" Detective Chavez asked.

"No."

"Really?"

"I'm not playing games with you. If you don't have any other questions--"

"Just one," Daniel held up a finger. "Your old hotel was burned to the ground."

"Two years ago, yes," Knox nodded.

"Why didn't you replace your hotel in the same spot? Why rebuild in a different location?"

Something flashed in Knox's eyes before he answered. "We decided this location was better."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, and of course to leave behind the stigma of a hotel that was destroyed in a fire."

"It was a blessing no one was hurt in that fire."

"Yes," Knox agreed. "Our alarms were sufficient in getting everyone out of the hotel."

"To be clear, your story is that Jessica left the night before her wedding?" Rick asked.

"It's not my story," Knox gritted his teeth. "It's all I know. I saw her that afternoon and the next morning she was gone."

"Her family thinks she left the country," Detective Chavez said. "Is that what you think?"

"I don't know," Knox answered. He gave Nessa an odd look. "For all I know she could be dead."

"You know," Rick pointed a finger between Knox and Nessa. "I thought you two were lying about being a couple but it's obvious we interrupted a very private evening."

"My apartment was broken into," Nessa said.

"What?" The two detectives look at one another.

"Before you continue accusing Knox of murder, I highly doubt he was the one who broke into my place. He rushed over to help me." Nessa raised her chin. 

"A lot of unusual things are happening," Rick said. "And they all seem connected to you." He stared at Knox who was still eyeing Nessa.

"I think it's best that you two leave now," Knox said, his voice low. 

Detective Chavez turned towards the door. "We're keeping an eye on you."

"Is that a threat?" Knox asked.

"No, it's just a heads up." Daniel grinned before leaving.

"A heads up," Rick repeated as he walked out the door.

As the two detectives exited the elevator, Daniel turned to his partner. "He didn't even blink when I showed him the ring."

"He's like a robot." Rick shuddered. "It's no wonder he was left at the altar."

"Women don't leave rich men at the altar." Daniel shook his head, staring at the ring tucked in a clear plastic baggie.

"Don't you think it's odd that his hotel mysteriously had a fire not too long after his bride to be left him at the altar?"

Rick shook his head. "He had a really rough patch."

"No, there are too many coincidences. Think about it. We have the first woman who disappeared. His hotel burned down. Now women connected to him are dying."

"And his current girlfriend just got robbed," Rick reminded him. "Do you think someone is out to get him?"

Daniel scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know but I have an idea where we can start."

"Start what?"

"Our search for Jessica Spencer."

Rick frowned. "We're homicide not missing persons."

"Just hear me out," Daniel said. "If we find Jessica Spencer, we'll crack open this case."

"Her family has been searching for Jessica for two years. They think she ran away because she had pre-wedding jitters. Also, she sent them a letter telling them she ran away. How do you think you and I are going to find her?"

"We'll follow the clues."

Rick groaned.

"And the first clue," Daniel said, grinning. "Is going to be at the old Luxmar hotel."

"The one that burned down?"

"That's the one."

"Why?"

"I have a feeling more happened the afternoon Jessica Spencer disappeared.