26
Rowan slowly drove through the parking lot of her and Evan’s favorite restaurant, feeling like a stalker. It was nearly 6:00 p.m., and the lot was full. But there was no sign of Evan’s silver truck.
Just as there’d been no silver truck at their shell of a burned-out home, their regular Starbucks, his gym, the trailhead of their favorite hike, the top of Pilot Butte, or two other lookouts they liked.
Where are you?
She couldn’t get the thought out of her head that he’d been abducted. Like Rod and then Sophia and Zack. As each hour passed, her hands grew tighter on the steering wheel, and the painful knot in her gut grew larger. She’d called every acquaintance she could think of, but no one had spoken with Evan recently.
Deflecting their curious questions hadn’t been easy. Rowan had finally come up with a story about Evan’s phone not working. Lame, but people seemed to believe it.
Special Agent Peterson had called her an hour ago and said that Evan’s phone appeared to have been shut off around eight that morning, because there’d been no cell tower connections since then. According to Noelle, she’d run into Evan at about 7:30 a.m., as he was leaving the sheriff’s department.
He vanished within a half hour of leaving.
Special Agent Peterson had put out a BOLO for Evan’s truck and then asked Rowan another dozen questions about Evan’s routines. He’d said that since Evan was a law enforcement officer investigating the murder of another, the situation definitely warranted attention from the FBI.
“But what about Zack?” Rowan had asked. “You should be looking for him.”
“We have plenty of resources to do both,” he’d assured her.
Twice she’d left messages for Evan’s lieutenant, Louis Ogden, but he’d never called back.
“Asshole,” she stated loudly in her vehicle. “Avoiding me because he probably thinks I’m pissed about Evan’s suspension.”
She was pissed about the suspension.
Noelle had contacted several officers and other detectives to see if they’d heard from Evan but come up empty. She had called Rowan a few minutes ago, saying that a general unease was spreading through the department about Evan’s disappearance.
“Unease?” Rowan had snapped. “It’s getting dark, and I’m going out of my head with worry. If he was recovering from the shock of being suspended, he’d have contacted me by now. This isn’t normal. Something has happened to him!”
Noelle had agreed and asked Rowan to meet her at the department at six thirty.
Rowan arrived fifteen minutes early, parked in the visitors’ lot, and looked at the black, furry face in her rearview mirror. “Ready, Thor?”
A moot question.
She let him out and attached his leash. Together they headed toward the public entrance.
“Hey. Aren’t you the search and rescue dog lady?” asked a young guy slouching near the front doors.
Rowan shortened Thor’s leash and scanned the man. He wore a backpack and appeared to be in his late twenties. Occasionally she and Thor were recognized by someone who’d been involved in a previous search or read about them in the media. “Yes, that’s me.”
“Cool. I’ve heard about you two. Figured the big black dog strolling into the sheriff’s department could only be Thor. Can I get a picture of him?” He pointed a large camera at Thor. Rowan hadn’t initially noticed the 35-millimeter hanging around his neck.
She stopped, accustomed to requests to pet Thor or take his picture. He was a striking animal; she understood people’s fascination. He looked like a dog who should have his own TV show.
The camera clicked a few times. “You’re the girlfriend of the detective that got suspended this morning, right?”
Rowan suddenly noticed the camera had moved to point at her, not Thor.
How can he know Evan was suspended?
He’s a reporter.
Angry, she directed Thor toward the doors a few steps away.
“Hey! I heard he was selling stolen evidence. Is that true?”
He moved a step closer, but Rowan yanked open the door and guided her dog inside.
“He’s going to be canned, right? This is going to open up a shitstorm of queries into the integrity of—”
The door closed behind her, cutting off his voice.
What. The. Fuck.
Fury raged through her, and she welcomed it. The sensation was much better than the constant fear that had settled in her bones.
Who leaked his suspension?
She mentally rolled her eyes at her question. Law enforcement was notorious for gossip. It would be more unusual if no one knew about the suspension. Rowan stopped at the desk to check in. The deputy at the desk immediately recognized her—and Thor—and gave Thor a dog treat.
Thor knew full well he’d get a little snack every time they came in. One time a new employee had forgotten, and Thor had planted his butt and stared at him, refusing to move until Rowan requested the treat.
“You’ve got a reporter hovering out front,” she told the deputy. “He took my picture as I came in.”
“I know,” said the deputy. “I kicked him out of the waiting area, but there’s not a lot I can do about him out front unless he’s causing bigger problems.” She informed Rowan that Noelle hadn’t returned to the department yet and told her to have a seat.
An idea struck. “Is Lieutenant Ogden still here?” Rowan asked.
The deputy checked her computer screen. “Yep.”
Rowan took Thor through the metal detector and moved deliberately toward the locked inner door. “Can you tell him I’d like to talk for a minute?” She paused at the door, and the deputy remotely unlocked it.
“You bet.”
“Thanks!” A flicker of guilt went through her that she’d taken advantage of the young woman’s familiarity. But Rowan had a bone to pick with the lieutenant. She and Thor worked their way toward Louis Ogden’s office, occasionally pausing as various people greeted her and her dog. As they passed by, Detective Maxine Nelson stepped out of the conference room where Evan and Noelle had set up their investigations.
“Rowan!” Pleasure and then guilt flickered in her eyes. “I’m sorry to hear about Evan.”
“Just what have you heard?” Rowan’s voice was sharp.
“Ahhh ... that he was suspended.” Maxine took a half step back, making Rowan wonder how angry she appeared.
“What else?” When Maxine hesitated, Rowan said, “I’m headed to talk to Louis. This is bullshit. Everyone knows that.”
“I spoke to Louis,” said Maxine. “Until some evidence clears Evan, he really had no choice.”
“Guilty until proven innocent? Fuck that.” Rowan continued down the hall, her vision tunneling.
Will no one stand up for him?
The lieutenant’s office door was open, and he was putting some items in a messenger bag, clearly getting ready to go home for the day. He glanced up as she entered. “Rowan! And Thor, of course. What can I do for you?” The cheer in his voice sounded fake.
“Have you heard from Evan since he left this morning?”
“Uh . . . no, I haven’t.”
“He’s missing,” Rowan said flatly. “No one has talked to him since you suspended him. His phone has been turned off since eight a.m.”
“Well ... give him some time. I’m sure it was a shock— I was shocked.” He raised his eyebrows as if he truly were surprised by what he’d had to do.
“He’s missing!” Rowan snapped. “I’ve gone to every place he could be and spoken to his friends. And the fact that it happened while he’s investigating a cop killer case along with other missing people is highly unnerving. Did you know that Sophia’s son, Zack, was possibly abducted today?”
Louis stopped nervously packing his bag and looked her in the eye. “I know. And the FBI has taken the lead on Zack McLeod.”
“The FBI is also stepping up because a law enforcement officer has vanished. Unlike this sheriff’s department, who sits around twiddling their thumbs!” Her words were unfair. But only a tiny bit. “Evan told me he felt someone was targeting him. First the auto body shooting. The fire. And then the false evidence and now this !” She couldn’t stop. “What are you waiting for? His body in a trunk?”
The mental image terrified her.
Annoyance shone in Louis’s eyes. “Procedure dictates—”
“ You know him, Louis. You’ve worked with Evan for years. He would never do this!” Thor circled Rowan and then pressed his ribs against her leg, reacting to her emotions.
“Maybe he needed some time—”
I don’t believe that.
“Who has opportunities to fuck with evidence, Louis? To me that points at someone in your department. Why? Why would someone try to get Evan in trouble and kicked off a case?” She couldn’t stop talking, her panicked brain in fast-forward. “Who could do that? And if making him look bad wasn’t enough, who could make him vanish into thin air?”
All emotion left the lieutenant’s face. “I put up with your rant because I like you, Rowan, and you’ve done good work for us. But you’ve crossed a line. I’m done talking.” He picked up his bag. “I’ll walk you out.”
I can’t let him end this.
“No thanks. I’ve already dealt with a fucking reporter out front who knows all about Evan’s suspension.” Rowan paused as an idea occurred. “Actually, I bet that reporter doesn’t know everything. I can fill him in on how Evan was suspended due to false evidence and that he was working on a cop killer case.” She sucked in a breath, not caring how hard she pushed him. “And now he’s vanished, and his employer doesn’t seem to care !”
Louis leaned toward her. “I care!” he said in a loud whisper. “My hands are tied at the moment. He’s a fucking adult who can come and go as he pleases. And there’s no evidence of an abduction.”
“Have you looked for evidence?”
“Like what? Unless someone reports to us that they saw something, I’m not sure what you want me to do.”
Stunned, Rowan couldn’t speak for a long moment. “You’re the head of the detectives department and you don’t know what to do ? Are you joking?”
“ Fine. I’ll assign someone.” He pointed at his office door. “After you.”
Relieved, Rowan turned and led Thor out the door.
Why don’t I feel pleased?
“Start in your own parking lot,” said Rowan. “I don’t know how he got to my parents’ to pick up his truck, but someone from here drove him—or he Ubered. He didn’t go in the house or speak to anyone at home.”
“Cameras?” Louis asked as they walked down the hall.
“Evan’s truck wasn’t parked in camera view. He had parked on the street.”
“So you don’t know that it was Evan that picked up his truck,” stated Louis.
Rowan blinked. The lieutenant was right. “No.”
“Maybe you should leave the investigation to us,” he said sourly.
She halted and spun toward him. “The only reason you’re even going to look is because I just made a scene.”
He held her gaze. “You implied a lot of things about my department that were out of line. You’re lucky I didn’t kick you out of the building.”
Rowan searched his eyes and spotted concern lurking behind his annoyance.
I’ve made him worry too.
“Thank you.” She forced out the words. “Evan’s often said you were someone he could rely on.”
Please let me rely on you now.
His expression softened. “We’ll find him.”
Her knees suddenly seemed weak, and her muscles unreliable. She’d been running on adrenaline, and it’d suddenly exited her body.
I hope so.
I don’t know what I’ll do if they don’t.