Chapter 13

 

I tugged the dog’s leash and we headed toward the park until the two were inside. Nervous glances and fake smiles aside, there was so much wrong with their story. I didn’t believe Zayne would have gone off to college without her car, not to New Mexico State. Las Cruces is a mid-size town without much in the way of public transportation and all the fun places to go are off campus. No kid I ever knew went to that school without a car, if they had one. Secondly, it’s April. She wouldn’t start school until the fall semester. Plus, it would be too easy to check, which is exactly what I planned to do.

We walked to the end of the block and doubled back, veering to Elsa’s front door rather than going on to our own.

“Okay, you’ve got me ninety percent convinced,” I said, the minute she let us in. “That dark-haired guy—is he the one you’ve seen around quite a bit?”

“The one you were talking to out in the driveway a minute ago? Yes, he’s the one.” She bustled to the kitchen and returned with a dog biscuit for Freckles.

Meanwhile, I had my phone out and was already looking up the number for the admissions department at NMSU. A female who sounded about twelve years old answered. I told her what I wanted to know and she put me on hold for a good five minutes.

“I’m sorry,” she said when she returned. “I can’t find the right records.”

“So, Zayne Delaney isn’t registered?”

“Well, she could be. I just can’t find the record, and Mrs. King isn’t here today. If you call back tomorrow, she might be able to tell you.”

I tamped down my impatience and said I would try again.

“Well, that was frustrating,” I said, declining Elsa’s offer of coffee. “You said you know the aunt? That’s Rick Delaney’s sister?”

“Yes. Donna. Let me see if I can find her number.”

I still wanted to look for a logical explanation that didn’t involve anything sinister. With luck, Donna Delaney could provide it. I dialed the number Elsa gave me, then put my phone on speaker so we could both follow the conversation. Donna answered, slightly breathless, and apologized that she had been out in the yard when the phone rang.

“No one hardly calls my landline anymore, and I’ve fallen out of the habit of listening for it,” she said.

I introduced myself and told her I was with Elsa. They gave each other happy little hellos.

“We’re a bit concerned about your nieces. Elsa’s noticed some odd doings at their house and their parents haven’t been around in awhile. Clover told me Zayne has gone away to New Mexico State, but I can’t seem to verify it. Would you happen to know?”

We heard a long sigh over the line. “No one keeps me in the loop. I’d like to think the girls are in school, not just hanging around the house, but I really don’t know.”

“I’ve noticed the two of them coming and going at all hours,” Elsa said, “but never together. They used to do everything together. Now there’s this boy hanging around. I suppose he’s clean-cut enough …”

But looks could deceive.

“I’ll try to reach my brother by phone. I think the crew is on location in some foreign desert, but maybe they’ll have cell service or be able to get a message. It’s possible Zayne is traveling with them.”

Possible, but why wouldn’t Clover have simply told me so?

“Elsa, thanks for keeping an eye on the girls,” Donna said. “I’ve worried about them for a long time, but Rick and Jane didn’t seem to think it was necessary to send them to live with me. I suppose life in small-town Colorado would have bored them to death anyway, and I would have had my hands full.”

I glanced at Elsa as she and Donna said goodbye. This miraculous woman had certainly had her hands full with me. I was lucky she’d given me a strong upbringing and, although not all my choices are great ones, at least we both came through it alive and well. And we’ve remained friends.