Chapter 44

Caroline

My hand fumbles for my buzzing phone on the nightstand, my eyes squinting at the time. It's after one a.m. A surge of panic rises within me as I answer the call.

"Hi, Caroline. It's Jeffrey. Sorry to call so late."

Jeffrey, Evie's younger son who lives in Rome. This can't be good. "Is everything okay?"

"Sort of. I'm heading back to the States. I've been trying to reach my mom, again, with no luck. Thought maybe you knew a better way to reach her."

I take a moment to regroup. The last time I was woken in the middle of the night, my husband had suffered a heart attack.

I find my pain meds next to the phone and dry swallow a tablet. My doctor explained the importance of keeping the drug in my system for the next week. He's stopping by later to check on me. Who knew house calls are still a thing.

"What's going on?" I ask.

A pause. "I had a blow-up with my dad. I'm going to finish the semester back home."

Whatever Evie has shared about Marco was not flattering. He's a ne'er-do-well with a roving eye. Actually, his eye wasn't the problem body part.

Jeffrey asks, "How's your leg? Sorry, I should have asked earlier. I'm a bit distracted."

Evie always described Jeffrey as the worrier child. "I'm okay. Are you?"

"Honestly, I'm concerned about my mom. She's been acting weird. She never misses our calls and now it's becoming a habit. It's not like her."

Having no children of my own, it's hard for me to fully grasp parent-child dynamics. "Maybe . . ."

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe she's having a good time."

Silence tells me he's considering the thought. "Well, she did say she met someone."

I'm glad I didn't have to share that with him. Apparently, Evie told them. "Then, there you go. All is well. She's just busy with fun things."

Jeffrey's tone turns grim. "You probably know my mom's been through the wringer. She's vulnerable. Easy prey. Could be something is up with the guy she met."

I shift my position, careful to avoid moving my leg too much. "Why do you say that?"

"Call it a feeling. No one knows who he is. I mean, he's a literal stranger."

I can't argue with the logic. I have no idea who Evie is with or his intentions. And Jeffrey is right. Evie is vulnerable.

Guilt for pushing my friend to go to Yosemite alone is ramping up. "Let me see if I can reach her and I'll have her call you."

"Thanks, Caroline. I appreciate it."

"You're a good son."

"Not sure about that. But my mom . . . she's the best."

I'm not one to emote and I suspect the same is true of a twenty-something young man. He's managed to worry me. I say goodbye, hang up, and try Evie's phone, not surprised to get the voicemail. Yosemite isn't known for good reception.

As I'm leaving a message, I recall something. I make another call.

"Paul, I'm sorry to wake you."

"Yes, ma'am. Is everything all right?" His voice sounds groggy.

"Can you stop by? I need help with my phone," I say, aware it sounds like an oddly frivolous request in the middle of the night.

"Yes, of course. I'll be at your door in twenty minutes."

"Thank you, Paul. I don't know how I would ever manage without you."

"Thanks for coming over so quickly,Paul," I say, waiting for him to step inside.

My trusted chauffeur and part-time bodyguard stands in my doorway, dressed as always in a black suit and black tie around a crisp white shirt collar. He has a concerned look on his face. "Are you feeling all right? Should I call the doctor?"

"I'm okay. It's about Evie."

I hobble back to the living room and lean the crutches against the sofa. Once Paul takes a seat beside me, I explain about the call from Jeffrey.

"That does seem out of character for your friend, but what is it you need at this hour?"

I hand over my phone. "When I was planning on going to Yosemite with Evie, we agreed to share each other's locations. We downloaded the app to each of our phones."

"That was smart. A way to keep tabs on each other."

"Exactly, in case we got separated on one of our hikes or for . . . any other reason."

Like if I hooked up with someone. I may have no interest in a relationship but companionship, that's another story.

It never occurred to me that it would be Evie who would be willingly whisked away by a dashing local man. She is by far the more cautious of the two of us. It's one of several reasons to worry.

"Jeffrey got me thinking I could locate her wherever she is. I spent a while trying to figure it out but can't."

Paul takes the phone from me and fiddles with it, tapping and swiping. The man is two decades my senior and more capable with tech than I am.

Paul hands the phone back to me. "Is this what you need?"

He has opened the app to a section I don't recognize and I squint at it in surprise. Staring at the screen, I speak barely above a whisper. "Evie, my dear, what on earth are you up to now?"