It was the third—maybe fourth—time Noah had reread the page. The novel had been on his must-read list for some time. It was by his favorite science fiction author, but concentrating was an impossible task considering all that was going on. Reclining on the bed, he looked up to Zara, who stood at the bedroom window, looking down at the street.
“Simon just pulled up,” Zara told him without turning around.
“Is he coming in?” Noah asked, still stretched out on the bed, his head resting on several pillows piled against the headboard.
Zara didn’t answer immediately. Instead she silently watched to see what Simon was doing. Finally, she shook her head. “No. It looks like he’s picking up Loyd.”
“Those two are a pair,” Noah grumbled. He closed the book and tossed it next to him on the bed.
“Yes, I was right. Loyd’s getting in the car.”
“You think they took it with them?” Noah asked.
Still gazing out the window, Zara shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe it’s time,” Noah suggested.
“If we could get ahold of that document, then you could take a picture of it. It would give us something to show Chris rather than just telling him our crazy story.”
“Then let’s do it now,” Noah said, getting up from the bed. “Let’s see if it’s in his room.”
“What if the room is locked?” Zara asked.
“We won’t know unless we try.”
Zara followed Noah to the door. The moment he opened it, Zara cried, “Close the door! That cat’s out there!”
Noah shut the door and turned to Zara. “Are you going to let a cat keep you locked up in here?”
Zara shook her head emphatically. “I can’t deal with that cat right now.”
“Just don’t look at him. Think of something else; keep your mind off it. You can do it,” Noah urged.
Zara closed her eyes for a few moments—concentrating—and then she opened them again and nodded. “Okay, I can do this.”
Noah opened the door and peeked out into the hallway. Max sat by Danielle’s closed bedroom door, his golden eyes looking Noah’s way as his tail swished back and forth behind him.
“Okay, he’s by Danielle’s door. Just don’t look at him. Pretend he’s not there.”
“Easy for you to say,” Zara grumbled. Hesitantly she followed Noah out of the bedroom, leaving the door ajar. Together they moved quickly down the hallway and past the black cat. Max didn’t follow them. Instead, he remained by Danielle’s room, watching the pair.
When they reached Loyd’s room a few minutes later, they found it unlocked.
“Yes!” Zara exclaimed when Noah opened the bedroom door. Together they started looking through the room, with Noah opening dresser drawers and Loyd’s suitcase while Zara looked around the room and in the closet and bathroom.
“I don’t think it’s here,” Noah finally said.
“Dang. I should have realized that when we found the door unlocked. He’s certainly not going to leave that around for someone to see,” Zara grumbled. “Especially if Chris happened to come into his room.”
“Oh crap!”
Zara turned to Noah; he stood at the bedroom window, looking outside. “What is it?”
“It’s a police car; it just parked in front of the house. And it looks like Walt and Danielle just pulled in behind it.”
“You get out of here; I’ll stay. If they’re bringing some cop in the house, I don’t need to be in the entry when he walks in. If Danielle asks where I am, say I took a walk.”
With a nod, Noah hastily left the room, closing the door behind him. He made it to the living room sofa by the time he heard the front door opening. Looking around frantically, Noah spied a magazine on the coffee table and picked it up. Opening it, he pretended to read.
A few minutes later he heard Danielle say, “Hello, Noah.” She walked in the living room with Walt and a man Noah had never seen before.
Noah looked up from the magazine and smiled. “Afternoon, Danielle, Walt.”
“Umm…Noah, I would like you to meet a friend of ours, Police Chief MacDonald. Chief, this is one of our guests, Noah Bishop.”
Noah closed the magazine and tossed it back on the coffee table before he stood up and shook the chief’s hand in greeting.
“Actually, Mr. Bishop, I’m here to speak to your wife,” the chief explained.
“Zara? Why do you want to talk to her?”
“Is she in her room?” the chief asked.
Walt stood silently by Danielle, listening, when he heard a meow. He turned around and spied Max sitting in the doorway, watching.
Noah shook his head. “No, she went for a walk. I don’t expect her back for a couple of hours. What is this about?”
Walt frowned at Max. Who doesn’t like you?
“A couple of hours? That’s quite a walk,” the chief said.
Noah shrugged. “She wanted to do some Christmas shopping and decided to walk down to the shops.”
Walt glanced from Max to Noah, back to the cat. Maybe she’s allergic.
The chief glanced at his watch. “I suppose I can come back later when she returns.”
“What is this about?” Noah asked. “Why would the police be interested in my wife?”
Don’t take it personally, Walt silently conveyed to the cat.
“Mr. Bishop, how long have you and your wife been married?” the chief asked.
“Not long, why?”
“What’s your wife’s maiden name?” the chief asked.
“Maiden name?” Noah frowned.
“Or the surname she used before you two were married,” the chief clarified.
“Ummm…Smith. Why?”
“How long have you known your wife?” the chief asked.
“I met her in middle school. What is this about? Why do you want to talk to my wife?”
“A missing person’s report came across my desk, with a photograph of the woman, and according to Danielle, she looks just like your wife.”
Noah stared at the chief a moment and then let out a sigh and sat back down on the sofa. “That’s what this is about? Some woman in a photograph resembles my wife? That’s all it is, a resemblance. I can assure you my wife is not a missing person.”
“Are you sure your wife’s last name didn’t used to be Leighton?” the chief asked.
“I think I know my wife’s maiden name.”
“The reason I ask, the missing woman is named Zara…Zara Leighton,” the chief told him.
Noah stared at the chief a moment and then said, “That is an interesting coincidence; they have the same first name. I suppose I can see why you wondered if it was her. But, no, it is not the same woman.”
“Okay. But I’ll need to come back later and talk with your wife,” the chief said.
“Chief MacDonald, my wife is a private person. She also doesn’t feel comfortable around strangers. I can assure you this missing woman is not her. But if you would like Danielle to talk to her when she returns later, I’m sure she won’t mind. But quite frankly, I know my wife, sir, and she would not be comfortable talking with you. Zara is dealing with some issues, and she does not need the additional stress of an unnecessary interrogation from a perfect stranger.”
“What kind of issues?”
Noah stared at the chief for a moment before answering. “None that need concern the local police, but if you must know, she is a bit phobic. I’m sure Danielle can attest to that. She doesn’t like shaking hands or unnecessary physical contact. She prefers small groups, and while she’s friendly after she gets to know someone, she would have difficulty with the type of interrogation you’re suggesting. Chief MacDonald, we are here on our vacation. I’m sorry this woman is missing, but it has nothing to do with us.”
Max, he just said his wife is phobic—it means she’s afraid of things. Maybe she’s afraid of cats, Walt suggested.
Danielle glanced to the chief. “This probably is some bizarre coincidence. I can talk to Zara when she gets back. And I’m sure she’ll verify what her husband just told you. Noah’s right, this is their vacation, and it’s not really fair to put her through this.”
The chief looked at Danielle for a moment, considering her suggestion. Finally, he nodded and said, “I suppose that will work. Like you said, it’s probably just a bizarre coincidence.”
Ten minutes later Danielle stood outside by the police car with MacDonald.
“So you really believe it’s just a coincidence?” the chief asked.
“I don’t know what to believe. But I do know Zara doesn’t seem comfortable around strangers. She never comes downstairs when Chris’s uncles are around. She claims she isn’t a breakfast person, but maybe she just doesn’t like being around that many people at one time. But she hasn’t seemed to have a problem talking to Walt or myself.” She then added with a laugh, “As long as I don’t try shaking her hand.”
“I do wonder—is she here of her own free will?” the chief asked. “Is Noah controlling her somehow?”
Danielle shrugged. “I haven’t noticed anything like that. He’ll leave her here and go out without her—and I know she’s taken walks on the beach without him. And she’s in town by herself now. So it’s not like they’re always together. But I’ll talk to her.”
“It’s always possible she is this missing person, but not because she’s been held against her will, but because she wants to disappear,” the chief suggested.
When Danielle returned to the house a few minutes later, she was greeted by Walt.
“I think Noah lied about Zara walking to town,” he told her.
“Why do you say that?” Danielle asked.
“Because after you went outside with the chief, Noah went to the kitchen to get some cookies, and I headed upstairs. When I went by their room, the door was ajar. Zara was in there. I saw her. She was standing by the window, looking outside. I don’t think she saw me.”
Danielle glanced toward the kitchen. “So he lied?”
“Either that or she came back when we were in the living room, and she went upstairs without us seeing her. There is another thing,” Walt said.
“What?”
“Max is convinced Zara hates him. His feelings are hurt.”
“Hates him? Did she do something to him?”
“Other than ignore him—refuse to look at him, no.”
“That’s good. I thought maybe she did something to my sweet cat. Like kicked him or something.”
Walt arched his brow. “Sweet cat?”
“He is sweet,” she said defensively.
“Tell that to the poor rodents he terrorizes.”
“You’re going to have to talk to Danielle,” Noah said after he returned to their bedroom.
“Talk to her about what?”
Noah recounted the conversation he’d had with the chief.
With a sigh she took a seat at the foot of the bed. “I wondered why you guys were taking so long.”
“I thought you might have overheard our conversation from the hallway.” Noah sat down on a chair next to the bed.
Zara shook her head. “Not with that cat out there. I looked out, saw him walking toward the living room.”
“The cat is the least of our problems.”
Zara studied Noah for a moment. “Did you really tell them we met in middle school?”
“It’s the truth, isn’t it?”
Zara chuckled. “What were you, twelve? You were so angry.”
“I had a reason to be angry,” he said. “They killed my mother.”
“And for all intents and purposes, my mother killed herself. When we were kids, I used to wonder which was worse.”
“Did it really matter?”
Zara pulled her feet up on the bed and wrapped her arms around her bent legs. “I suppose not in the big picture. We both ended up in the same place.”
“You were the first person I ever trusted,” he said. “But now…”
Zara shook her head. “Don’t go there, Noah.”