30. Gone Girl
Chapter 30
Gone Girl
Tuesday morning, Neve parked behind the clinic, grateful for a few hours sans Reece so she could clear her mind from the distraction he was. He would soon be leaving for his errand in Durango, but first he had wanted to get in a run on some mountain trails alongside Shane, even though snow was on the ground and it was a bone-chilling ten degrees. A stiff wind and ninety percent humidity made it feel even colder.
“I need to get into shape,” he’d claimed when he’d started the new regimen two days ago. From Neve’s perspective, he was already in beach-body shape. How could you improve on perfection? And apparently, sex three times a day—sometimes more—didn’t condition him enough for the elements he would soon be facing .
Much too soon.
She squeezed the thought out along with her breath. Don’t think about it. Just enjoy this happy bubble you’re living in while it lasts .
Hefting her bag over her shoulder, she stepped from her Tahoe and headed for the clinic’s back door. When she inserted the key into the lock, the door creaked open as if it hadn’t been latched. She stopped dead in her tracks.
Had she not secured it yesterday? Hard to believe, after all the frights she’d had lately. She twisted the knob, and it rotated freely. It wasn’t locked, yet her key hadn’t unlocked it because she’d never gotten the chance to turn it.
She peered inside. It was dark. Nothing stirred, and nothing looked out of place.
I’m being ridiculous .
She backpedaled anyway and dialed Reece. No answer. She followed this up with a text, but her hopes sagged when she recalled there was no cell reception where he was. Next she tried Shane on the off chance his phone service worked, but she got the same result.
Looking around the parking lot, she didn’t notice anything unusual. No dark cars, nobody lurking behind a tree trunk. What if she dashed home and got Pearl? Pearl would sniff out trouble. Except … damn! Reece had taken Pearl with him, insisting the dog resembled a meatloaf and needed to trim down.
Should she text Charlie for backup? No, he’d said something about heading to Grand Junction. Noah was busy with inventory, so she didn’t want to bother him.
Her calendar dinged with a reminder that she had a new patient showing up in fifteen minutes. This woman had been frantic with a cat that couldn’t stop throwing up. Neve hadn’t been able to turn her down.
She glanced back at the door and admonished herself. “Stop it, you chicken! You’re being ridiculous. Pull up your big-girl pants and go in.” She fired off a new text to Reece and entered the building, her key gripped between her knuckles. She flicked the switch to the interior back entry lights. Harsh and fluorescent, the lights flooded the space, and relief coursed through her. At least the electricity worked. She turned to close the door behind her.
In one swift intake of air, several things happened at once: An arm crushed her upper chest, a sharp stab stung her neck, and her knees buckled. As she slipped into muffled darkness, the bossy-girl voice in her head whispered, “My bad. Your instincts were spot on.”
At the trailhead, Reece showed Shane the last text Neve sent him as they chugged water and caught their breath inside Reece’s parked truck. It was their first chance to check messages since their run. Beside him, Pearl’s ridiculously loud panting only matched her sloppy slurping from her water bowl.
“I’ve got one from her too and a missed call.” Shane showed Reece his screen.
Reece fired up the engine, waiting for his truck and phone to connect, and dialed her number as he pulled onto the highway. It rang … and rang … and rang.
“She might be with a patient,” Shane suggested.
“She might,” Reece agreed. He remembered something about a new patient with a sick cat.
“I’ll try calling her. You drive,” Shane instructed.
When they reached the outskirts of town fifteen minutes later, they still hadn’t raised her.
Reece turned toward Shane. “Mind if I drop you and take off? I’m going to run by the clinic.”
Shane flicked a finger toward the windshield. “I’ll go with you. You can drop me after that, or I’ll walk home.” In a town only a few blocks square, almost every resident was within walking distance of Bowen Street.
They had nearly reached the town limits when Hailey called. “Hey, Reece. I set up a last-minute appointment with Neve to get Chance his shots, but when I drove to the clinic, she wasn’t there. Is she with you?”
“No. I have messages to call her, but she didn’t say what it was about. Was her Tahoe there?”
“Hmm. That doesn’t sound like her, but maybe I misunderstood.”
“Shane and I are headed to the clinic now. We’ll check things out and keep you posted. ”
Reece pulled into the parking lot behind the clinic, spraying gravel in his hurry to park and get out. Neve’s Tahoe wasn’t there, and when he raced to the back door, he found it locked. He pounded but got no answer.
“Maybe she had to run an errand, or she’s at home,” Shane suggested.
Reece nodded, quelling his rising worry. Something wasn’t right. “Maybe.” He sped around the building, Shane on his heels. The front door’s new glass panel had been installed, and Reece shaded his eyes and peered inside.
“Anything?” Shane asked from a step or two below.
“No, everything looks like it would if the clinic was closed. Dark, with a few nighttime lights on.” Reece rattled the doorknob, but it didn’t give. “Locked.”
“Do you have keys?”
“No, but she keeps spares in her home office. I was gonna go to the house next to see if she’s there.”
A car pulled up to the curb. A woman popped out of the driver’s side, slammed the door, and rushed up to them. “Is the vet here yet?”
Shane shook his head. “Doesn’t look like it. Did you have an appointment?”
“An hour ago. It was last minute, but Dr. Embry said she would fit my cat in. I’ve never been to this clinic before, but it has good reviews and was the closest one, and I have a very sick kitty.” Tears welled in the woman’s eyes.
Shane’s eyebrow dipped. “What’s wrong with your cat?”
The woman wrung her hands. “I have that cat litter that turns color if a cat has certain ailments, and it turned blue, which means a urinary tract infection, though I have no idea why that would make her throw up.” The woman babbled on about the cat litter and what had eventually brought her to Neve’s door. Impatient, Reece tuned her out and turned back to the glass, once again panning the interior.
An extra splash of light caught his eye. “Shane,” he barked. “There’s a light on in the back hallway that’s usually off. I can tell because that area’s brighter.”
His buddy’s demeanor was unruffled. “Go get the keys. I’ll get some more information from this lady, then I’ll run home and get my patrol car and meet you back here.”
Reece didn’t hesitate .
He reached Neve’s house in record time, but neither she nor her vehicle was there. His internal alarm bells rang louder. He sprinted from his truck and into the house.
Keeping a tight rein on his mounting panic, Reece got Pearl and Mr. Whiskers settled with food and water before gathering his winter clothes, tactical gear, first aid pack, and extra water and food. As he loaded up his truck, Pearl whined and wiggled pitifully. “Aren’t you exhausted after our run, meatloaf?”
She tilted her blocky head and gave him a look that said, “Aren’t you?”
“Good point. All right, get in. Let’s go find your mama.” He gestured for her to leap into the back seat. She did, but from there she inelegantly climbed into the front passenger seat. “Don’t make me regret this,” he warned.
He pulled into the clinic’s back parking area, disappointed when Neve’s Tahoe still wasn’t there. Shane eased into the spot beside him moments later, in uniform and with his search and rescue gear in the vehicle.
Reece headed for the back door. “So what did that woman end up doing with her sick cat?”
“I told her to take it to Dr. Bunting.”
Reece inserted the key and turned the lock. “I should contact her office and see if she’ll take Neve’s appointments today. I don’t think she had many lined up, but—”
“Don’t bother.” Shane followed Reece into the hallway and shut the door. “The cat woman tried calling Bunting’s office when Neve didn’t show up but was told by staff that something unexpected came up, and the doc was out of the office. They didn’t know when she’d be back.”
Reece turned and looked at his friend. “Coincidence?”
“Probably.”
“Mind if I take a look?” Reece raised a hand as Shane was opening his mouth. “I promise not to touch anything.” The harsh hallway light that was usually off was the only hint that something was off. But a ticklish, eerie disquiet had been growing inside him, seeping into the marrow of his bones.
Dialing Neve’s number once more, he started toward her office. As he passed one of the exam room doors that opened onto the hallway, he caught what sounded like the old-timey melody “Rescue Me,” but it came from far away. A frisson of fear threaded its way through him, and he stopped.
“Shane! You’d better come here.”
A beat later, Shane was beside him. “What?”
“Hear that? That song is Neve’s ringtone for me .” He held up his phone. When the song stopped, he hit Neve’s number again.
Shane snapped on latex gloves and entered the exam room, where he flipped on the overhead light. He inched inside, scoured the room with his gaze, then turned toward Reece. His eyes darted to something behind the door, and his face grew grim. “Shit.”
A vise gripped Reece’s chest. “What is it?” he rasped.
Shane pointed. “Take a look. But don’t fucking touch anything.”
A few steps in, Reece wheeled, his eyes landing on Neve’s bag, some of its contents scattered across the floor. There lay her wallet and sunglasses. One corner of the phone that continued its jaunty song stuck out from her bag.
A chill sped up Reece’s spine, turning him ice cold. “What the hell happened here?”
Shane started taking pictures with his phone. “I don’t know.”
“Do you see her car keys?”
“No. But they might still be in her purse. I’m gonna call the sheriff. Why don’t you step outside until I’ve had a chance to check the entire place?”
“But—”
“Reece.” Shane glared at him. “Don’t fuck this up.”
“What if she’s in here somewhere, hurt?” Reece’s voice shook.
Shane took a step toward him. “Then I’ll find her. I’m checking right now.” Reece backed up, and Shane opened the outer door for him. “Go to your truck and sit tight. Don’t let Pearl out. There might be evidence in the parking lot, and we don’t want her running around and disturbing it.”
Reece stumbled to his truck, a feeling of utter helplessness swamping him, pulling him into a tempest of terror.
Neve, where are you?
Seconds later, he shook himself out of his daze and called Noah. Quickly filled him in.
“Fuck!” his brother yelped. “What can I do? ”
“I’m not even sure what I can do.” Pearl whined and panted from the passenger seat, then turned in agitated circles. Reece looked up as Shane walked toward him. “Hang on.” He lowered the passenger side window and pressed the phone to his chest. “I’m on with Noah.”
Shane draped his arms across the window frame. “She’s not in there. There’s no blood, no sign of a struggle besides the bag, which looks like it might have been kicked in there rather than someone yanking it off her. Neve could have kicked it in there herself.”
“But why?”
“A pet emergency? Maybe she flew out of there so fast she dropped her bag.”
“You believe that?”
“No.”
“I want you to do me a favor and find out where Chelsea is,” Reece clipped.
Shane’s eyes popped wide. “Chelsea Selkirk?”
“Yes.”
“You think she’s got something to do with this?”
Yes.
Bright red-and-blue lights strobed across the building, broadcasting Sheriff Chesterton’s arrival. He parked behind Reece and got out. Meanwhile, a small crowd of curious townsfolk began gathering on the dirt road beyond the clinic’s parking lot.
Shane pulled away from Reece’s door and turned to meet his boss. The sheriff hitched up his pants and gave Shane a bob of his head. “Deputy O’Brien.” He acknowledged Reece with another bob. “Hunnicutt.”
The two lawmen put their heads together. Reece sharpened his hearing, picking out words here and there, itching to hear the entire conversation.
“Reece?” came Noah’s voice.
Shit! He’d forgotten his brother was on the line. “Sorry. Forgot you were there.”
“I’m coming over there. Charlie’s in GJ, but I’ll let him know what’s going on. We’ve got you, bro.”
He ended the call at the same moment Chesterton lifted his stubby chin. “Why don’t you step out of there, Hunnicutt? I’d like to ask you some questions. ”
Gladly . Reece couldn’t stand to sit anymore anyway. He felt like Pearl, ready to spin in circles. When he opened his door, he wasn’t prepared for her launching herself through the opening. She ran to the other side of the truck while the lawmen gaped at her.
“Damn it, Pearl! Get back here!”
Reece raced around the truck. The two men moved in, looking at the dog, whose nose was stuck to the ground.
“Hunnicutt, get your dog under control. Now,” the sheriff warned.
Pearl flattened her body and crawled a foot or two under the truck. What the hell was her problem? Reece crouched down and tugged on a leg. “Pearl, come. Now!” The dog responded with a whine. “Pearl!” She looked at him over her shoulder with frantic eyes but didn’t move. “I swear to God, dog …”
Reece dropped to his elbows and shimmied under partway, intending to wrap his arms around her sausage body and pull her out. Hopefully, he could minimize her impact on the scene.
She put her head down on her paws and whimpered, her eyes trained straight ahead. When Reece tried to grab her, his gaze caught on a shiny object.
“Sheriff! Shane!” He raised his head and smacked it on the underside of the truck. “Goddamn it!”
Shane dropped to his haunches beside him. “What is it?”
Keeping one hand on Pearl so she wouldn’t lunge toward the item, Reece rubbed his sore head. “I think Pearl found something important.”
Shane stared at the object. “Holy fuck!”
Reece couldn’t have said it better himself.