Chapter 4

4

T he October breeze rustled through the trees and whipped Elsie’s hair across her face. Anxiety bounced inside her, keeping her on high alert. She tightened her grip on the phone she hadn’t set down since they left her house twenty minutes before, as if she could force Mila to call by sheer will.

Boo’s excited barks thundered through the front door of Dean’s cabin, tucked deep in the woods on the outside of town. She winced, hating how upset the dog was at being left home alone for hours. “Poor guy. You should have brought him to my place.”

Dean unlocked the door and shrugged. “Wasn’t exactly sure where the night would lead so I thought it’d be wiser to leave him home. Don’t let his pathetic whines fool you. He’s fine.”

The door swung open, and Boo bounded out. His tail wagged like crazy as he jumped on Dean. The dog swiped his tongue against his owner’s face.

“Okay, buddy. Good to see you, too. Get down.”

Boo dropped his paws then zeroed in on Elsie, running to her side and leaning all his weight against her legs. His tail thumped against her shin, and she had no doubt he’d leave a pound of silky fur on the black material.

“Hey, there, big guy,” she said, swiping her hand along his back. “Sorry I took your dad away for so long.”

He barked as if to say she’d been forgiven and bolted into the front yard to relieve himself before leading the way into the house.

Dean chuckled and swept a hand toward the door, gesturing her inside. “Follow the boss.”

Ducking her head, she stepped into the surprisingly charming home. Dark wood lined the floors, broken up by cozy rugs to designate the different areas—living room, dining area, even Boo’s spot complete with a burgundy dog bed and food dishes. The open concept flowed into the kitchen where white marble countertops capped cabinets painted a deep gray.

The sound of crunching gravel turned her toward the still-open door. A deputy’s cruiser pulled in beside Dean’s truck. “Looks like someone’s here.”

Boo growled and his body went rigid.

She rested a hand on the top of his head to keep him in place.

Dean took one step over the threshold and squinted. “It’s Sadie. I told her to let me know if she learned anything. She must have come straight here after her shift.”

Knots twisted in Elsie’s stomach. As much as she’d enjoyed getting to know Sadie over the past year while volunteering at the women’s shelter, watching her climb out of her car in her uniform caused goosebumps to ripple up Elsie’s arms.

Boo barked and trotted out to greet the newest arrival.

Sadie waved and strolled up the porch steps. “Morning. How you doing, Elsie?”

“Not good. Did you find something?” She swallowed past the lump in her throat and clenched her hands into fists. She’d been on the receiving end of life-changing news before, but the last time she’d been blindsided. This time, her heart stalled as she waited for whatever Sadie had come to say.

“Can we sit down to talk?” Sadie asked, a frown pulling down her mouth. Fatigue etched lines around the corners of her eyes and loose wisps of hair slipped out of her low ponytail.

Nausea swam in Elsie’s stomach. Her knees turned to Jell-O.

Dean hurried to her side and steadied her with a firm hand on the small of her back. “Sitting’s a good idea.” He led her to the brown leather sofa and sat beside her, sliding his palm up to rest between her shoulder blades.

Sadie closed the door behind her and settled onto the oversized chair across from the sofa. “Mila’s car was found early this morning.”

The information slammed against Elsie like a freight train. She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the threatening tears from falling.

Dean’s arm wrapped around her, his free hand reaching for hers. “Was she in an accident? How is she now?”

“She wasn’t in the car,” Sadie said.

Elsie’s eyes flew wide. “What do you mean? Where was she?”

Sadie shrugged. “I don’t know where she is. Her car was found in the middle of nowhere with plenty of gas and no discernable mechanical issues. No way to know if she left the car there or something else happened.”

Shock and annoyance overshadowed the fear in her gut. “Of course someone else did this. Someone took her car—took her —and left her stuff somewhere. She wouldn’t just leave her vehicle and walk away. She wouldn’t worry me and Jimmy.” Hysteria spiraled inside her, squeezing her windpipe and making her words harder to get out.

“Honey, I don’t disagree,” Sadie said, reaching across the empty space to rest a hand on her knee. “But we have to look at every option. We can’t miss something because we didn’t want to think the impossible might have happened.”

The reassurance wasn’t enough to remove the unease from Elsie’s shoulders. “What happens now?”

Sadie settled back in her chair. “An investigation has been opened at the sheriff’s department, with me as lead investigator. Tommy and Owen will be helping, as well as city police when needed—both from Pine Valley and Water’s Edge. Law enforcement from the whole county is on alert, and Mila has officially been named a missing person.”

The tears she’d held back rushed out at the declaration. This is what she wanted when she’d called the police last night. For them to take her seriously and go out and find Mila. Now that she was on their radar, they would find her and bring her home.

Because anything less than Mila back safe and sound with her son would be a nightmare she didn’t want to experience.

Boo whined and trotted to the front of the couch, laying his head on Elsie’s lap. Dean tightened his hold around her, keeping her upright when he felt her muscles go lax.

“I know this is hard,” Sadie said, compassion clear in her steady voice. “But we need to move quickly. Is there anything at all you can tell me? Is there anyone who would want to hurt Mila? Anyone who’s given her bad vibes or made her feel a strange way?”

Elsie shook her head. “No. Nothing.”

He locked eyes with Sadie for a beat. He could see the wheels spinning in her head. Understood her thinking. Hell, he’d been an officer for years before moving back to Water’s Edge. The next few hours were crucial for collecting as much information on Mila as possible if they wanted to find her alive, and some of what they found might not be easy for Elsie.

Sadie refocused on Elsie. “What about the opposite of that. A guy who’s been calling lately? Asking her out or showing her positive attention?”

“I swear, nothing out of the usual has happened. She would have told me.”

Dean unhooked his arm from around her shoulders and clutched both of her hands in his lap. Her skin was ice-cold. “You mentioned you two planned to talk last night. Do you think she had something to tell you?”

A light stain kissed her cheeks, and she glanced down at their joined hands.

“What is it?” he asked, sensing she was holding back.

Shifting, she bit into her bottom lip. “I can’t be sure, but she indicated the talk was more about me. Wanting to know my thoughts on certain things that had nothing to do with her.”

His gaze went back to Sadie, who raised both dark brows. Curiosity brewed inside him, but he wouldn’t push. If Elsie thought for a millisecond any knowledge she held would lead to locating Mila, she’d spill all her secrets.

“We may need to look in your home,” Sadie said, drawing attention back her way. “Search through Mila’s things. See if anything points to where she could be or who may want to harm her.”

A shiver shook Elsie’s shoulders. “Go ahead. Do whatever you have to. I just want to be there when it happens.”

“Absolutely. I can execute the search if it makes you more comfortable.”

“You’ll need to come while Jimmy’s at school,” Dean cut in, thinking two steps ahead. Sadie and her fellow deputies probably already had a plan of what they needed to do and when, but the child’s well-being was of utmost importance.

Elsie squeezed his hand and stared up at him with watery eyes. “Thank you,” she mouthed, as if the words were lodged in her throat.

Her turmoil was like a weight on his chest, and he offered her a tight smile. This was why he was here. Not only to offer a hand in helping find Mila, but to support Elsie. She shouldn’t have to carry this burden alone.

“Of course,” Sadie said. “We can head back to your house now, if that works for you two. I’d like to see her room sooner rather than later.”

“We’ll meet you there in twenty minutes,” Dean said. He still needed to clean up and grab a shower. He could call Calvin during the drive back to town and explain the situation. He had a couple of cases he was juggling, but nothing Calvin couldn’t handle if he took off a day or two.

Sadie stood. “If you don’t mind, I’ll have Tommy meet us there. I’ve been awake all night and don’t want to miss anything. A second set of eyes is always good.”

Elsie nodded.

“We’ll see you soon.” Dean jumped to his feet and walked Sadie to the door.

He’d worked with a lot of great cops in his life, and Sadie was a damn good one. He had total faith in her, and knowing Tommy and Owen were on the case as well loosened the knot a bit in his stomach. The Wells brothers were a staple in Water’s Edge and law enforcement was in their blood.

Before Sadie stepped outside, he stopped her with a light touch on the arm. “Is there anything else you can tell me? Something to help Elsie feel a little better about all of this?”

“Trust me. I wish I had more information to share. I’ll see you both soon.”

He returned to the living room. Boo had jumped on to the couch and snuggled close to Elsie. She looked so small, so scared on his oversized furniture. Her face ashen and pale, her eyes red and puffy. Her misery shredded his heart.

He needed to move quick to clean up and get back to Elsie’s place in time, but he couldn’t walk away from her yet. Crouching in front of her, he rested one hand on her knee while petting Boo with the other.

“This is so surreal,” she said, her gaze fixed straight ahead and voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t believe anyone would hurt her. That anyone would steal her from her family. It has to be a mistake. An accident. Some weird cosmic twist of fate that took her somewhere. Somewhere we have to find.”

He swallowed the logical response circling his brain. There was no reason to crush her hopes but statistically speaking, something bad had probably happened to Mila. “We’ll figure this out. Mila has a smart and dedicated team of sheriff’s deputies searching for her right now. I’ll talk to Calvin, and I know he’ll help anyway he can, and I won’t stop until we bring Mila home. I promise you, okay?”

She drew in a shuddering breath. “Okay.”

“Are you all right here with Boo while I get ready?”

“I’m good.”

Straightening to his full height, he ran a hand over his shaggy hair. He wished he could jump in the shower but there wasn’t enough time. Not only did he need to get them back to town, but he didn’t want to leave Elsie’s side for too long. Not right now when the bomb Sadie had dropped was so fresh.

“If you want water or something to eat, help yourself.”

She pressed a hand to her stomach. “I don’t think I could eat anything right now.”

“Understandable. I’ll be quick.”

He cast her one long look before hurrying down the hall to his bedroom. He had to steel his nerves and gather his thoughts if he was going to be of any use to Elsie right now. The last thing she needed was him acting based on emotions and whatever this unshakeable attraction was between them.

No, he had to put a lock on the feelings she stirred inside him. Not just for her sake, but for his. Dealing with a missing persons case was something he could handle. Getting lost in Elsie’s big hazel eyes was not. Elsie Sweet was off limits, and he’d be wise not to forget it.