Chapter Two
Office
The deputy in charge, Cohen Lathan, had put out a BOLO on the couple’s car mostly because Charly had pushed him.
They were searching the woods around Charly’s property still.
She wasn’t so sure they would do the job the way she would, but the decision hadn’t been up to her.
Cohen hadn’t wanted her in the way—potentially disturbing evidence and so forth.
Clearly, he wasn’t aware of Charly’s reputation. The guy was a couple years younger than her thirty-four years. A newbie to the area—meaning he’d only been in Marshall County for about five years. A good cop he might be, but he didn’t know this place the way she did.
Exasperation swirled through her, but Charly opted not to make a fuss about his decision.
She had a good relationship with the sheriff’s department as well as Guntersville PD.
She had no desire to step on anyone’s toes.
The police had their way and she had hers.
When they were finished, she would redo the search using her own methods.
Her father, who used to be sheriff of Marshall County, had been a fine tracker.
She would bet money she knew how to follow a trail far better than the deputy leading this thing.
A forensics guy had taken fingerprints from Willow cabin and had a look around for potential evidence.
All Charly could say to that was: good luck.
No matter how well she cleaned, it was not possible by any stretch of the imagination that she had cleaned away all fingerprints from previous occupants.
There were likely hundreds of fingerprints to be found.
She rolled her eyes. Whatever. Let them look!
It was their time and resources. She just wished they would wrap this up.
She only had a couple of hours of daylight left, and picking through the path left by the couple and/or their abductor after the four deputies traipsed around the woods wouldn’t be easy.
Charly swallowed at the tension tightening in her throat.
Why would anyone abduct the honeymooners?
Why here? If they were rich or had some desirable resource, had the person watching them waited until they were here—away from the security they might have back home?
God. She wrapped her arms around herself.
Surely, her imagination was running away with her. If someone had harmed those people…
“Don’t even go there yet,” she growled. No need to borrow trouble.
The two may have taken a hike and gotten lost. One could have been injured and the other was attempting to haul him or her out.
Or maybe they’d made it back and gone to the ER, which would explain the missing vehicle.
Except why not call or return by now? Then there was the issue of the cell phones.
Certainly, the devices being left behind may have been a simple mistake.
Everyone forgot their phone at one time or another.
The man from the woman’s contact list, the one named Billie, hadn’t called back or arrived.
Depending on where he was coming from it could be tomorrow before he showed up.
Then again, he may have changed his mind.
But if he did call back or show up, maybe he could provide some insights into the possibilities—the ones Charly didn’t want to think about.
She paced the floor some more back and forth.
From her front door she could see anyone arriving up the long stretch of drive to the kitchen.
The windows allowed her to see the road that disappeared deeper into her woods where the guest cabins were.
The two sheriff’s department cruisers were parked out front.
She’d suggested the deputies use Lola for their foray deeper into her property.
Maybe they needed a helicopter. A rescue team.
Finally, the distant sound of Lola’s engine brushed her ears.
Charly hurried outside. Her heart rate climbed a dozen more beats per minute as she watched her UTV roll into view.
As soon as the vehicle stopped and the engine shut down, four lanky deputies climbed out.
The grim set to their expressions warned they hadn’t found anything.
Cohen swaggered up to her. “Well, Ms. Nix, we didn’t find a sign of anyone or any indications of foul play.
Once a missing persons report is filed we can start an official search.
” He adjusted his sunglasses. “Fact is it would be very helpful if you could reach a relative who knows about this couple. We need as much information as we can get about where they may have gone or what kind of trouble they might have been in. The whole honeymoon thing could have been a cover.”
Charly would really like to argue the idea, but the truth was she couldn’t say. The two seemed nice. She’d had no reason to suspect they were anything more than what they presented themselves to be. As much as she wanted to protect her guests, she couldn’t prove anything one way or the other.
“I appreciate the effort,” she assured him. “You’ll let me know if you hear anything back on that BOLO or those fingerprints?” The last she said just to be nice. She had zero hopes that effort would be useful in any way.
A new worry had started to gnaw at the edges of her mind.
What if the two actually had been abducted?
What if they had come here as an escape from some sort of trouble?
Charly considered the fact that the reservation had been made weeks ago so that really didn’t seem feasible.
Then again, they may have been planning whatever had gotten them into trouble for months.
The whole idea sounded ludicrous.
The sound of another vehicle arriving drew their collective attention toward the road that wound through the acres and acres of woods that separated the retreat from the main highway.
SUV. Black. Too shiny to be from around here.
Even as the thought occurred to her, dust from the gravel drive that the vehicle’s movement had stirred up began to settle on its glossy exterior.
“You expecting another guest?” Lathan asked.
“No. Not until Friday.” Charly studied the tinted windows. She couldn’t tell yet if there was one person in the vehicle or more…man or woman.
“Maybe your missing couple got a new ride,” another deputy suggested with a half-hearted chuckle.
“Maybe,” Charly agreed rather than tell him that wasn’t very likely. But then again, maybe she was wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time. Maybe their rental broke down and they got another one.
The SUV found a spot away from the two cruisers and parked. The driver’s-side door opened and Charly couldn’t help holding her breath.
Male. Blond hair.
Not Martin Willard—the groom who’d brought his bride here for a quick honeymoon. Martin had black hair. His new wife, Briana, had blond hair.
The man who’d emerged from the SUV wore all black, shirt, trousers and a lightweight jacket. Even his shoes were black. She would bet his socks and underwear were as well.
“That’s not one of the missing guests,” Charly said, putting all the uniforms at ease.
The blond-haired man’s gaze scanned the group before narrowing in on her. “Are you Charlotte Nix?”
Charly descended the two steps off her porch. “I am.”
“I’m Billie Jagger. You called me.”
She nodded. “You sent that text message to Mrs. Willard.”
He surveyed the deputies once more. “Is there an update? Has Briana returned?”
“I’m afraid—” Charly began but Deputy Lathan cut her off with, “Let’s see some ID, sir.” He stepped closer to the new arrival.
Billie Jagger didn’t hesitate. He removed his wallet from his hip pocket and showed his driver’s license.
“Chicago,” Lathan said. He harrumphed. “How do you know Mr. and Mrs. Willard?”
“Briana is my sister.”
“Have you heard from your sister in the last twenty-four hours?” Lathan asked while one of the other deputies walked around the man’s SUV as if he suspected he was hauling contraband.
“I have not,” Billie said. “When I last saw her or spoke to her she was in a limousine heading to the airport with her new husband. They were supposed to be back in Chicago yesterday afternoon.”
“Do you know of any reason one or both might want to disappear?” Lathan went on.
Charly hadn’t gotten the impression from the newlyweds that either of them wanted anything but each other.
What was Lathan implying? Was there something he hadn’t told her?
She’d briefly toyed with the idea after he brought it up, but he spoke now as if he knew something.
Maybe only to prompt a particular reaction from this man.
Billie shook his head. “None at all. If my sister and her husband are missing, something has happened to them. They wouldn’t do this sort of thing willingly.”
Lathan’s gaze narrowed with suspicion. “What sort of thing?”
Dear God. What was he doing? This man’s sister was missing!
“Deputy—” Billie looked to the name tag on the other man’s shirt “—Lathan, I’m aware you don’t know my sister and her husband.
I understand you have to look at any disappearance from all angles.
But I really wish you wouldn’t waste precious time.
If my sister is not where she said she would be, then something has happened to her. End of story.”
Well, the stranger sure told Cohen with that one. Charly pressed her lips together to prevent a smile. “You call me,” she said to the deputy, “the instant you get something back on the vehicle.”
Cohen glanced at Charly, clearly annoyed by her attempt at a dismissal, then turned back to Billie Jagger. “I’ll need your number. I’m sure we’ll have more questions.”
Billie reached into his jacket, retrieved what appeared to be a business card and handed it to the deputy. “I’ll have questions as well—once we’ve had time to figure out what’s going on here.”
“You come to the office tomorrow and file a missing persons report,” Lathan directed. “Assuming the couple doesn’t show up by then.” He hitched his head toward the cruisers and the four swaggered away.