Chapter 2

2

L ight snores broke through the pitter patter of raindrops playing on the sound machine, signaling to Elsie that Jimmy was fast asleep. She tiptoed into his room, careful not to wake him, and stared down at the sleeping child who had captured her whole heart.

Blond hair spilled across his forehead, and his gently rising chest moved the superhero-covered blanket. The one-eyed monster nightlight cast an eerie green glow across the room, highlighting the toys still cluttered on the navy-blue rug.

She’d help him pick them up in the morning, so Mila didn’t lecture about keeping his space tidy. By the time they’d returned home, and she’d steered Jimmy though his bedtime routine, she’d been too exhausted to go the extra mile.

And now, wine and girl talk called to her much more than tidying Jimmy’s room.

“Goodnight, little man. Love you.” She blew him a kiss then tiptoed out to the hallway.

A lamp on the end table in the living room lit her way to the kitchen. The open concept of their small three-bedroom home allowed her to keep an eye on the hallway and ears tuned into any noise Jimmy may make while getting out two stemless wineglasses. She found her favorite bottle of chardonnay in the refrigerator, as well as a few snacks, and carried her bounty on a wooden tray to the coffee table.

Like her store, most of the furniture in her house was secondhand. Painted and tended to make each piece exactly what she and Mila wanted. The result was an eclectic mix of colors and patterns, anchored by the pale blue walls. Nothing matched completely, but the thick stripes in the couch complimented the distressed white of the end table. The bold colors of the framed prints on the walls were a perfect match for the busy pattern on the armchair tucked beside the fireplace.

Throw in baskets filled with solid-colored blankets placed close to the furniture and an abundance of decorative pillows, and no place in this world could feel more like home.

Wanting to chase the slight chill from the air, she built a fire then grabbed a burnt orange throw and tossed it over her lap as she settled into the corner of the sofa. She poured herself a glass of wine and sighed. She’d lied to her best friend earlier. Told her she had no feelings for Dean. But his odd reaction to her pizza invitation earlier hit her with a block of disappointment. Something she couldn’t ignore any longer.

She took a sip of the cool white wine. Whatever. She’d talk it all through with Mila and hopefully get the scoop on what her bestie had going on. Tomorrow she’d wake up lighter and with more clarity. Setting her glass on the end table, she opened a book on her phone and waited.

Elsie woke with a jolt. A touch of cool air skimmed her cheek. The light from the end table shone bright, and she blinked against its attack. The fire had gone out and the chill from the dark night outside rushed down the open flue.

Groggy, she reached for her phone and stared wide-eyed at the time.

4:32 am.

The wine bottle and snacks still sat on the table, untouched except the single glass she’d poured before she must have dozed off.

Weird. Mila always woke her and encouraged her to go to her room if she fell asleep on the couch. Her meticulous roommate most definitely would put away the food so it wouldn’t spoil or attract rodents.

A rush of alarm mingled with fatigue and pushed her to her feet. Mila’s name sat on the tip of her tongue, but she held it in. She didn’t want to wake Jimmy. Jogging down the hall with her phone clutched in her hand, she swung into Mila’s room and flipped on the light.

A neatly made bed greeted her.

Anxiety squeezed her chest. Mila should have been home hours ago. She checked her phone. Maybe she’d missed a call or text, explaining her delay.

Nothing.

Her hands trembled, and a lump formed in her throat.

Calm down. It’s probably a big misunderstanding. Just call Mila, she’ll laugh and explain everything.

Blowing out a shaking breath, she dialed Mila’s number and pressed the phone to ear. Her heartbeat pounded harder with each ring.

“You’ve reached Mila. Leave a message and I’ll call you back as soon?—”

Elsie disconnected before the voice message ended and quickly shot off a text.

Mila, call me asap. Wondering where you are.

She hit the send button then stared at the screen. “Come on, Mila. Write me back. Call me. Anything to let me know you’re all right.”

Seconds turned into minutes, each one causing increasingly horrifying scenarios of what was keeping Mila from her phone—from her home—to spiral in her mind. Maybe she’d gotten into a car accident and was hurt or scared. Maybe she’d been taken to the county hospital, and no one had thought to call her roommate.

Unable to wait for a response to her text, she called again.

“You’ve reached Mila. Leave?—”

Frustrated tears clouded her vision. This wasn’t like Mila. She wouldn’t just not come home after work. Wouldn’t not call or text or let Elsie know what kept her out later than expected. Not when they’d made plans to chat. Not when her son waited in his bed.

Not knowing what else to do, she called 911. She tapped her foot against the carpeted floor while waiting for the dispatcher to answer.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“My roommate hasn’t come home from work, and I can’t get ahold of her. She won’t answer her phone. Won’t text me back. I don’t know what to do.” Not wanting to wake Jimmy, she shut off the light and hurried back to the living room.

“Okay. When was she due home?”

“A little over five hours ago.” She wrapped her free arm around her middle, praying she wouldn’t get sick.

“And you said she was working this evening?”

“Yes,” Elsie said, irritation sharpening her voice.

“Could she have stopped somewhere else after work? A significant other? A diner or bar? A friend’s house?”

“Not without calling to tell me. I know her. Her son is asleep in his bed and will want to see his mom before school. She wouldn’t leave me to worry. Wouldn’t go some unknown place and chance not seeing her son when he wakes up.”

“Ma’am, I can understand why you’d be upset, but at this time there’s no reason to suspect anything is wrong. If she hasn’t come home by tomorrow evening, contact the sheriff’s department.”

“Are you serious?” Elsie shrieked. “You can’t do anything?”

“I’m sorry, but at this time, there’s not anything I can do to help. I’m sure it’s just a big misunderstanding.”

Disgust swirled in her stomach as Elsie disconnected. No way this was a damn misunderstanding. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones, and she wouldn’t sit around and wait to do something to help her best friend. If the police couldn’t help her, she’d call someone who could.

Scrolling to Dean’s information, she pressed his number and held her breath.

“Elsie? Is everything all right?” Grogginess coated his words, but nothing could hide his concern.

“Something’s wrong. Mila hasn’t come home. I need your help.”

Darkness swallowed the world outside Dean’s truck as he sped toward Elsie’s house in Pine Valley. He cut the time in half, his racing heart keeping his foot pressed on the gas pedal. By the time he reached the house tucked in a quiet neighborhood, he’d spoken with everyone he could think of and still had no idea where Mila was.

Not the news he’d hoped to deliver to Elsie.

Turning into the driveway, his headlights bounced off the front picture window and highlighted Elsie’s slender form. His entire body hummed with a need to gather her in his arms and comfort her. Tell her everything would be all right and he’d do whatever he could to find Mila.

As soon as he cut the engine, he jumped out of the truck and jogged up the sidewalk. The front door flung open before he reached the top step of the porch.

Elsie stood in the doorway with her arms wrapped around her middle and fear in her eyes. Tears fell down her cheeks. “Did you find her?”

The hope in her voice tightened his throat. “Not yet.”

Closing her eyes, she inhaled a deep breath and her body trembled.

“Hey, now.” He stepped forward, guiding her into the house, and closed the door behind him. “We’ll find her. I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation for why she hasn’t called or come home.”

Elsie melted against him and sniffled, her tears soaking through his long-sleeved t-shirt. “What do I tell Jimmy if she’s not home by the time he wakes up?”

Dean rested a hand against her spine and moved his palm in a small circle. “We’ll figure that out when the time comes, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

She pulled back and stared up at him with wide eyes. “We?”

He lifted the side of his mouth. “I’ll stay here with you as long as you want. No one should be alone when they’re scared and worried about someone they love.”

“Thank you,” she said falling against him again.

His arms went back around her, and he breathed her in. A combination of citrus and earth tightened his stomach. “Let’s take a seat. We didn’t get a chance to talk much on the phone.”

She led the way to the white and blue striped sofa and the loss of her body against his was almost painful. He gritted his teeth and opted for the frilly armchair in the corner. As much as he wanted to be close to her, self-preservation warned him to keep a little distance.

“Looks like you had quite the night planned,” he said, nodding in the direction of the wine and snacks on the coffee table.

A whisper of a smile touched her full lips. “We planned to have some long-awaited girl talk when she got home from work. That’s how I know she didn’t go to some guy’s house I don’t know about or stop by a bar. She wouldn’t have left me waiting for her. Knowing I planned to stay up so we could hang out.”

He leaned forward and nodded along with her words. She’d already told him most of this on the phone, but nervous energy poured off her in waves and he understood she needed to say it all again. To feel as if she was helping in some way—if only by repeating information.

Elsie wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Something happened. I just know it. Why wouldn’t the police help me? Why isn’t someone out there looking for Mila right now?”

“Mila needs to be missing longer than a few hours before law enforcement will step in. In this case, she hasn’t returned from work yet, which doesn’t seem alarming if you don’t know the situation.”

A flash of irritation pinched Elsie’s face. “That’s ridiculous. It’s the middle of the night, and I can’t get a hold of her. What else has to happen to show the police something’s wrong?”

He rubbed his palms up and down his thighs, hating the bureaucratic bullshit tying everyone’s hands. Having the freedom to act as he saw fit was one of the things he loved most about giving up his badge and becoming a private investigator.

“They know something’s wrong. I promise you that. I put in a call to the sheriff’s department on the way here. We lucked out. Sadie’s working.” Sadie Pennel was not only a smart and respected deputy, she also volunteered at the women’s shelter with Elsie and Jenna. She’d taken what he had to say very seriously and assured him that she’d do whatever she could—both on and off duty.

“You talked to Sadie? What’d she say?” Elsie scooted to the edge of the couch as if ready to leap into action herself.

“She’d head out and search the roads for accidents or anything else suspicious. If you know where Mila was working tonight, it’d help to pass that information along. Give her a better idea of where to look.”

Elsie lifted her hands then let them fall on her lap. “I have no clue. We could call the agency she works for, but chances are low anyone is in the main office to take our call. I know she travels a lot. Helps folks in Pine Valley, Water’s Edge, and places in between. She could be anywhere.” Sobs shook her shoulders, and she covered her face with her hands. “Oh God. She could be anywhere. ”

Unable to stay away a second longer, he hurried to the couch and sat beside her. He folded her hands in his and lowered them, pinning her with his gaze. “Listen. We will find her. I promise you. Do you know the name of the company she works for?”

“Hometown Healers. Her boss’s name is Tamara, but I don’t know her last name.”

“Perfect. I’ll put in a call to the company and see if I can get anyone on the phone. If no one answers, I can at least leave a message and give them a heads up. Why don’t you make a pot of coffee? We can brainstorm a little. Keep calling Mila and even speak with Sadie again. How does that sound?”

Elsie blew out a long breath and stood. “Okay. I feel better having you here. Thank you again for coming.”

He smiled up at her. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now.”

Watching her walk into the kitchen, he winced at how true his words were.