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Cecily smiled at Andy and told him Bryce had found Grady’s book. “Not a clue, though, just a book he left lying around.” She finished her bagel and wiped her mouth. “Did you ever get the phone records for the guesthouse?”
“Since it’s a separate dwelling with its own phone number, there’s an expectation of privacy on Grady’s end, which might require a warrant.”
“Might?” She frowned. “In other words, you haven’t looked yet.”
He held up a hand in apology. “Things have been busy. I did find his parents, remember.”
Cecily feared he’d used updating her on his findings as an excuse to have breakfast with her, since he hadn’t told her much. She didn’t want to pick a fight, not if he was still a source of information.
You’re using him.
The realization hit, and a wave of remorse washed over her. She fished her wallet from her purse and flagged down their server. “I have to get going,” she said to Andy. “Breakfast is on me. Thanks again for your help.”
“Am I being dumped?” Andy said. “Not that we had anything going, but I like you, Cecily. I thought things might go somewhere.”
Heat rushed to her face. She sighed. “I like you, too, Andy. As a friend and a colleague. Like I said, I appreciate the help, but I don’t want there to be strings attached—for either of us.”
He dragged a wedge of pancake through a puddle of syrup. “Understood. I’ll keep up my end of things searching for Grady. No reason for him to be ignored over a misunderstanding on my part.”
The server dropped the check on the table, and Andy grabbed it. He gave Cecily a wry smile. “Consider this my break-up gift to you.”
“I’ll fill you in on anything I find out,” she said. “You’re right. No reason for Grady to get the short end of the stick, and you have the skills.”
“It’s my time that’s the issue, but I’ll spread the word around the station.”
“Appreciate it,” she said yet again. Could she believe Andy would continue to search for Grady? She didn’t think he would out and out lie to her, but he was right. How much time could he put into it, given his caseload? As he’d said, they had no evidence of foul play.
She walked to her car. What could she do?
Maybe Derek had more information.
And maybe Bryce’s call influenced her decision to be straight with Andy. When Bryce had admitted he wasn’t calling about Ginger, a piece of her heart had melted. She’d been a bitch last night. He was being the better person.
It shouldn’t be about being better. They should be open and honest with each other.
She resolved to accept Bryce for who he was, not who she wanted him to be. Although she wanted the same from him, she wouldn’t demand it. She’d have to wait, watch as things developed.
Telling herself it wasn’t because she didn’t trust Andy, but that she was cutting out the middleman, she stopped by the station. Okay, she wasn’t really cutting out the middleman, she was adding another one. One without any potential emotional baggage. Cecily found her supervisor and explained what had happened to Grady.
“Yes, I’ve distributed the picture Andy gave us,” her supervisor said. “I’ll make sure everyone keeps the word out.”
“Can you include El Paso County?” Cecily explained about the Stargate Park address Grady had given as his place of residence. “Maybe he’s hanging around there again.”
“I’ll take care of it,” her supervisor said. “It’s your day off, so get out of here. You do anything remotely resembling work, and the accounting department will say it’s overtime and you’ll shoot my schedule, and my budget, to hell.” She delivered the directive with a sympathetic smile.
Cecily thanked her and took off. After dealing with chores and errands, she changed into ranch clothes and headed for the Triple-D.
Three pickups by the barn told her Bryce, Frank, and Tim were here. That their usual mounts weren’t in the paddock told her they were out working. Zephyr was munching hay, so Cecily went to the house in search of Derek.
Tanya stood at the stove attending to a pan of chopped onions. She turned, her brown eyes conveying sadness and concern. “I heard about Grady,” she said.
Had there been an update? Derek hadn’t called. Nor had Bryce or anyone from the station. Or Heather, or anyone from Protective Services.
“Any news?” Cecily asked.
Tanya gave the pot another stir. “Only he’s gone. Nothing else since I got here.”
Cecily thanked her, thinking she’d said the words more times today than in a normal month. “Lunch smells good. Is there enough if I stay?”
Tanya laughed. “There’s plenty.”
“Thanks,” she said one more time. “Is Derek in his study?”
“That’s where he said.”
Cecily strode down the hall. The door stood open, so she tapped the jamb and entered. “Hey, big brother. Any new developments?”
He glanced up from his computer. “I threw my weight around with the phone company, convinced them it was my home, my phone, and I thought someone might have been sneaking in to make calls.”
“And?”
“And no calls, in or out to that number, so that’s a dead end. Turns out Grady’s parents are rich, so I tried to pursue the ransom angle.”
“They’re on a cruise in Europe. Would the kidnappers know that?” Her mind ran through a series of what ifs. “They could have sent a ransom note, or called. His parents wouldn’t have gotten the message. What if the kidnappers think that means his parents don’t want to pay, and they kill him instead?”
“Slow down, Sis. If they mailed a note, it wouldn’t have gotten there yet. Seems an inefficient means of communication, anyway, since it means they have to keep Grady alive until they’re sure the note got there.”
“Overnight delivery?”
“I spoke with the housekeeper. All their mail is being held at the Post Office.”
“If they knew Grady was here, would they have tried to contact you?”
“If so, nothing’s come in.” He jiggled the mouse and clicked a few times. “What I’ve been trying to do is put together a profile on Grady using social media.”
Cecily gave herself a mental kick. She could have done that. Why hadn’t it occurred to her? Was she so tied to law enforcement channels that she forgot all about the obvious? “What did you find?”
“He has a page, but hasn’t posted in over six months. I found some of his friends and one of them has been helpful.” He smiled. “I think she likes him in a teenage crush kind of way.”
“Let’s hear it for teenage infatuation.” Cecily’s hopes rose. “Summary?”
“Grady’s friend—her name is Avery—confirms what we already know. He’s smarter than he lets on, and comes from money. He stopped coming to school in May, which didn’t make sense because it was so close to graduation. He’d said he hadn’t applied to any colleges, so she assumed he was fed up with school and didn’t care about a diploma. Once she realized he’d been absent for over a week, she tried calling and texting his cell, but he never answered.”
“How does this help us?” Cecily asked. “Other than to know he had a friend. Do you think he’s trying to get back to her?”
“If he were, wouldn’t he have confided in her?” Derek asked. “Asked for her help?”
Cecily tried not to laugh—at least not too loud. “You were a teenage boy once, if you can remember back that far, big brother. How much did you confide in a girl who might have had a crush on you? Don’t tell me you weren’t aware of how hot you were in high school.”
Derek’s face reddened.
“I thought so,” Cecily said. “Did this Avery girl say Grady had returned her affections?”
“Not openly,” Derek said. “She said he was very private about everything. She sensed there was something wrong and hoped by being his friend, she could help.” He stared at her. “Like someone else I know.”
Now it was Cecily’s turn to blush.
Derek continued. “What she said was odd. She thought—she had no proof—but she thought there were problems between Grady and his stepfather. When she realized he was gone, she thought the stepfather might have been the cause.”
“Interesting,” Cecily said. “Because everything I got from Heather said it was Grady’s mother who was the problem. I wonder what else we’re missing. Can we—you—run a background check on the stepfather?”