| |
My deputies stood assembled around me in a semicircle, and I met each of their solemn gazes before I spoke. “Thank you all for coming in. As many of you know, I was involved in a car accident yesterday morning.”
“Glad you’re okay,” Riley spoke up.
Murmurs of agreement rose from the others, and I nodded appreciatively. “Thank you. Head still hurts like a bitch, and I’m sore as fuck, but we need to hit the ground running.”
From their mildly curious stares, I could tell they hadn’t heard the news yet. “I wasn’t the only one in the car yesterday. Jules was with me, but...” I drew a harsh breath before continuing. “When I came to, she was gone.”
My deputies stiffened, wariness and anger entering their eyes. I relayed everything that had happened, and the man’s last words to me before I blacked out again. It still didn’t feel real. My mind had replayed the memory thousands of times, and I’d begun to wonder if it was all a figment of my imagination, just some terrible dream that I’d concocted.
I shook the thought from my head. No. There had definitely been another person there, and he’d taken her from me. Jules and I had been on the verge of a breakthrough, but she hadn’t had time to tell me what was bothering her. She’d told me she was supposed to have been married, and I wondered if it was somehow related to her abduction. Was it him? Was that who’d kidnapped her? I cursed the fact that we’d been in my personal vehicle, because at least the cruiser had a dash cam.
I turned my focus back to the men in front of me. “Have any of you been to the scene yet?”
Hawkins tipped his head toward O’Neill. “We were up yesterday when McBride towed your car back to the shop.”
“Did you see anything?”
He shook his head. “Nothing out of the ordinary. Some broken glass, some orange plastic from what I’m assuming was a marker light.”
I nodded thoughtfully as I processed the information. Whoever was driving the vehicle had hit me damn hard. The impact would’ve been severe enough to do more damage to the front end than just busting out part of a headlight.
I drew back on my memory from the following morning. The vehicle had been a black blur as it plowed through the stop sign and into my fender, but I was positive the shape had been an SUV. There more than likely wouldn’t have been much time to clean up any debris before someone would’ve stumbled on them. That left me with one other option—the vehicle that hit me was armored. That in a way helped to narrow it down a little bit. It was outrageously expensive to outfit a vehicle like that, and few people could afford it. Definitely no one around here, that was for certain.
I glanced up at my men. “We need to get back up to the scene and see if we can find any other distinguishing marks or evidence,” I said as I pulled my phone from my back pocket, which O’Neill had returned to me as soon as I’d arrived this afternoon. “You guys head on up and I’ll meet you there. O’Neill,” I turned to the man as I addressed him. “You’ll stay here and hold down the fort.”
He gave me one concise nod, and I strode back to my office, dialing as I went. There was really only one way out of Pine Ridge, and the main road went through Kalispell.
After three rings, Tom Rooney, the sheriff down in Kalispell, answered. “Donahue. What can I do for you?”
I looped behind my desk and wiggled my mouse to wake the computer monitor. “Need a favor. We have a missing persons here.”
My voice cracked as I said it, and I steeled my spine. I was determined to stay positive and not let myself think about the alternative. I quickly walked him through the events of yesterday morning, telling him about her recent change in behavior and her last words to me.
“My vehicle was struck at the intersection of Main and I-93, and a passenger was taken from the scene.”
He remained stoically silent as I gave him Jules’s description and told him my suspicions about the armored SUV. After a long pause, he finally spoke. “BOLO?”
I grimaced. “I didn’t catch the plate number, and no one seems to have seen anything.”
A deep breath filled the other end of the line, then— “You know I’ve got to ask,” he said haltingly. “No license, no way to trace her... you sure she didn’t leave willingly?”
It was a good question, but I was getting fucking tired of hearing it. “Positive,” I bit out.
Rooney sighed resignedly. “Send me a picture and I’ll circulate it, see what I can turn up.”
With that, he hung up. I started the phone for a minute, dozens of emotions swirling inside me. Fury that someone had taken her from me. Guilt that I hadn’t been able to stop them. Irrational anger that anyone thought she would willingly leave. The emotions bubbled to the surface, and I lashed out, swiping the contents of my desk onto the floor.
“Goddamn it!”
I was angry with her for not opening up sooner. I was angry with myself for not trying harder to convince her to trust me. And I was absolutely furious with the person who had the fucking balls to take her from me in broad daylight. When I found him—and I knew with absolute certainty that it was a him—I would make the rest of his days on this earth, what few of them there may be left, absolutely miserable.
I stood there breathing hard, my chest rapidly rising and falling with each breath. The wave of rage that rose within my chest threatened to consume me. By sheer force of will, I tamped it down and scrubbed my good hand over my face. I opened my eyes and caught O’Neill standing in the doorway silently, just watching me. I was ashamed that he had seen my outburst, seen my weakness. I opened my mouth to lash out at him, but he spoke before I had the chance.
“Give me her information, and I’ll start running it through the databases. Something’s bound to turn up.”
I clenched my fists and swallowed hard, gratitude for his offer overwhelming. “We need to question everyone in town, see if they’ve seen anything. Find a witness.”
I had a feeling I knew the place to start. Since Jack had dropped me off in town, my cruiser was still at home. I stormed out of the station and settled in the extra cruiser out back. It was an older style sedan, and it felt uncomfortable as fuck. I fumbled the seat belt with my left hand, still in a splint from the hospital, and my arm got tangled in the fabric.
“Fucking son of a bitch!”
The clasp made a loud clank as it smacked off the window, and I dropped my chin to my chest, my hands going to my head. I needed to lock down my emotions, I knew it, but it was so fucking hard to separate myself from the situation. I felt fucking impotent, useless. Where the hell had Jules been while I was in the hospital? How was she holding up? Was she scared? Hurt? That made me feel even worse. I couldn’t believe I’d let my guard down. A second was all it took, and she’d been ripped from my life without a trace.
I started the cruiser and drove the six blocks back into town and parked in front of Rosie’s Café.
“Lordy be!” Rosie’s honeyed voice called out as I walked through the front door. “We heard you were in an accident. Sit down, Sheriff, and relax.”
I waved her off and approached the counter that separated the dining area from the kitchen. “Thank you, ma’am, but I just stopped in to ask a couple questions.”
Her expression turned teasing, and she winked. “You want me to make your favorite chicken for the wedding?”
A jolt shot through me, and my heart twisted in pain. Over twenty-four hours had passed already. Would there even be a wedding?
No. I wouldn’t let myself think like that. I had to find her and bring her home where she belonged. She meant everything to me, and I couldn’t imagine life without her.
“No, ma’am. I, uh...” Emotion rose up, threatening to choke me. “I need to ask you something.”
Immediately her mirth vanished, replaced with concern. “What’s wrong?”
Only everything. “Did you happen to see anyone strange come through town yesterday?”
She looked contemplative for a moment. “We had a family stop in for breakfast, said they were headed up to the resort.”
Fuck. “I’m looking for a loner. Dark hair, dark eyes. Could’ve been with someone else, probably another man.”
“No one like that.” She eyed me speculatively. “What happened?”
I aimed my stare over her shoulder, unable to meet her eyes. “When Jules and I left here yesterday morning, someone ran the stop sign at the intersection of I-93. The impact knocked me out, and when I woke up... Jules was gone.”
Rosie was quiet so long that I finally dropped my gaze to meet hers. There was something so fierce, so intent there, I couldn’t make out exactly what it was.
“We’ll find her,” Rosie said firmly. “Whatever you need, Sheriff, you let me know. I’ll let everyone know to contact you if they’ve seen anything.”
“Thanks, Rosie.”
She nodded perfunctorily. “People don’t just disappear. We’ll find her,” she reiterated.
I offered a small smile I didn’t feel, then turned and trudged out the door. It was nothing I hadn’t expected. If someone had put that much effort into kidnapping Jules, I was sure he’d taken care to conceal himself until he was ready to make his move. I needed to get up to Briarleigh to see if anyone Jules worked with had heard or seen anything.
Ten minutes later, I walked in the side door, despair tugging at me. I stopped by Jack’s office first. He’d dropped me off at the station a couple hours ago and told me he’d be here if I needed anything.
I paused in the open doorway when I heard voices. One I recognized as Jack’s; the other belonged to Mia. Their heads snapped toward me, and my gaze collided with Mia’s. She looked distraught, her eyes red as if she’d been crying.
“I’m so sorry, I never thought...” Her hand fluttered to her mouth, and Jack looped one arm around her shoulders.
I tried to smile but failed. “It’s not your fault.”
I knew from Jack that they’d been in Spokane with their lawyer the day before Jules had disappeared. Yesterday was Jules’s day off, so Mia had no reason to check in on her.
“Would you mind if I questioned some of the employees, see if they noticed anything?”
“Of course.” Jack nodded. “Check with Jenn first. She leaves in about an hour, and I don’t want you to miss her. She’s in the pro shop.”
“Thanks.”
I meandered that direction and waited not-so-patiently off to the side while the young brunette finished up with a customer. She offered me a worried smile as I stepped up to the counter. “Can I help you?”
I introduced myself, then launched into my reason for being there. “I’m investigating a disappearance.” I almost choked on the words, unable to believe I had to say them. Fuck, this was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. I swallowed hard and continued. “Jules has been missing for twenty-four hours, and we suspect she may not have left on her own.”
Jenn’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, my God! I—I...” She stuttered and trailed off, looking disturbed.
I couldn’t bear to see the worry and pity evident in everyone’s eyes, so I did what I’d done for years: I pushed it down, pretended it wasn’t there, and focused on the job at hand. I poised my pen over the notebook in my hand. “Was she involved in any recent altercations that you’re aware of?”
“N-no. Everyone loved her.”
Jenn’s voice trembled, and I took pity on her. “I believe the man who took her had dark hair and eyes. Have you seen anyone like that?”
She shook her head. “During the week it’s pretty slow still. No one has come in here, and I don’t remember seeing her with anyone except Tony.”
I remembered the man; he was the supervisor she and Mia were working with for the spa. “If you think of anything else, please let me know.”
I handed her a card and left, then stopped to speak with several more employees. Two hours later, I had exactly nothing to show for my time and effort. No one had seen a man matching the suspect’s description, nor had they heard of her being involved in any kind of disagreement. It was just as Jenn had said; everyone loved Jules and watched out for her.
I stopped by Jack’s office, and he retrieved a copy of her office key for me. I entered and glanced around the nearly bare space. Though there were a few papers scattered over the desk, I found nothing in any of the drawers or cupboards. I sifted through the files on her computer, but nothing jumped out at me. I locked up her office as I left, and worry came back full-force as I exited into the dark, cold evening air. It was literally as if she’d disappeared without a trace.
She’d never told me her full name or where she’d come from, and the knowledge that I might not be able to find her finally started to sink in. After all, how the hell did one go about finding a ghost?