Chapter 19
Maggie rushed out of Polly’s house and dropped into her car.
She was late. Well, technically not late, but she wasn’t early. And dammit, she’d wanted to get to the town meeting early, or at least before Polly so her friend didn’t choose them front-row seats again.
She sped out of Polly’s driveway and down the street. Thank God the community center was close.
Today was not her day. It had started well, waking up beside Ethan, then she’d been on a roll with her website designer. She’d felt inspired and driven and like she was getting somewhere with this travel business.
But then she’d seen it—a comment on her latest post, from someone named Jade.
Her stalker had always chosen a name starting with J.
Jody. Janet. They never had a profile photo.
And they always commented on her looks or her life being aesthetically perfect.
This time, the comment had read: Picture perfect, as per usual.
Then the signature green heart.
All she’d posted was herself holding a mug of coffee with the caption, “New beginning.”
And that was when her day had been ruined.
When she reached the community center, she was in such a rush that she didn’t look at her phone before answering the call that came through.
“I know, I’m late. I’m—”
“Maggie, it’s Lilith.”
She froze, partway to the door. “Why are you calling me?”
“For the same reason I called yesterday. And last week. Because you still have boxes of stuff at my house. And I need to talk to you about something.”
“About what?”
“When are you coming over?”
“I’m busy right now.”
“This is important. You know, it’s so like you to assume that your life is more important than mine. That’s the definition of selfish. And immature. And self-absorbed. All things you never seemed to outgrow. If you—”
“Goodbye, Lilith.” She hung up and closed her eyes, the tightness in her chest feeling like a knot.
Selfish.
Immature.
Self-absorbed.
She shook her head. No. She wasn’t letting the woman’s words affect her.
Inside the center, she scanned the crowd. Polly was in the center of the third row on the right-hand side. But no Ethan yet.
Quickly, she moved forward and dropped into the seat beside her best friend.
“Hey.” Polly frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Lilith.”
She scowled. “What did the old witch do this time?”
“Nothing worth talking about.” Maggie scanned the room. “Ethan’s not here yet?”
“I don’t think so. Did he tell you he’d be late?”
“I actually haven’t had a chance to talk to him today. I didn’t want to distract him while he was trying to locate the missing woman.”
“The town’s going to lose it when they find out.” Polly paused before leaning closer. “So…we haven’t talked about your staying at Ethan’s last night.”
Her cheeks heated. “This is not the place to do that.”
“Because you—”
“Yes.”
Polly screeched.
“Shh!” Maggie slammed a hand over her friend’s mouth.
Basil turned from the second row to frown at them. The frown turned into a smile when he saw her hand over Polly’s mouth. “Finally, someone’s muzzled the woman.”
Polly yanked Maggie’s hand off her mouth, leaned forward, and whacked him.
“Ow!”
“Turn around, Basil.” When he did, Polly lowered her voice and leaned even closer. “So you—”
“Had sex, and we’re back together. But that’s all I’m willing to share right now because Basil is in front of us, and Anika and Mark are arguing behind us.”
She’d heard the words “frying pan” and “head” a few seconds ago, so nothing good was coming from that argument.
Polly’s grin widened. “I’m so happy for you.” She slipped her arms around Maggie’s shoulders. “He’s so lucky to have you.”
“I’m the lucky one.”
When someone sat in the seat beside her, she smiled and turned, thinking it was Ethan. It wasn’t.
It was David Collins, the town recluse.
Dammit, she’d forgotten to put her bag there to hold it for Ethan. David didn’t look at her or say anything, but she hadn’t expected him to.
Back when she’d been a kid, David’s wife had gone missing.
For a while, the sheriff’s department had suspected he had something to do with it.
They hadn’t found enough to prove it was him though, so he’d walked free.
And ever since, people kept their distance.
Which was easy, because he kept his distance from them too.
Now he lived alone in the mountains. She was surprised he was here at the meeting at all.
She glanced over her shoulder—and suddenly forgot all about David Collins. Because stepping into the center were Ethan, Ryan, and Connor…and a woman. A familiar woman.
“It’s her…” The words were barely a whisper, but Polly heard.
She turned her head. “Who’s the badass in boots?”
Ethan caught her gaze and winked before he and his team found seats on the other side of the aisle.
The woman sat on the end of the row, beside Ethan.
She leaned into Ethan, and he smiled at whatever she said.
It made Maggie’s stomach roll, and she felt like she was right back in that bar eleven years ago.
“Maggie.”
She jumped and swung her gaze to her best friend.
Polly’s frown deepened. “Do you know her?”
“No.” Her phone vibrated, and she glanced at a text from Ethan.
Ethan: Hey. I have a friend I want you to meet after.
A friend. Of course she was a friend. Maggie shouldn’t feel jealous about that.
She glanced back up to see Ethan looking at her. He smiled before turning back to the front.
Maggie: Can’t wait.
She hit send on the text, but her belly still constricted, completely contradicting the two words she’d just written.
As Ferris spoke in front of the town, Ethan’s gaze returned to Maggie. He could only see the side of her profile, but he knew something was wrong. He hadn’t had a chance to call and check in today. Damn, he should have called her.
“Yo, Squid, you listening or what?”
Ethan looked back at Ferris, who was discussing the agenda. “I can multitask.”
Jay scoffed. “You’d be the first man.”
He lifted his phone to type a message.
Ethan: Are you okay?
The three dots from Maggie popped up, then disappeared before the text came through.
Maggie: Yeah, just a rough workday.
What had happened?
He’d spent most of his morning getting Jay up to speed on the missing woman, then they’d spent the afternoon using the drone to search the area where Priya Tan had disappeared for heat patches. They hadn’t found any.
Ferris cleared his throat. “As you all know, Blanche has decided to step down as manager of the community center. She’s done an excellent job over the last thirty years, bringing us weekly bingo and Friday night dancing and monthly markets. But now she’s going to enjoy her retirement.”
There were a few cheers, and the older woman rose and waved to the crowd. She said a few words of thanks before sitting down again.
“Now,” Ferris continued, “I’m excited to announce that our new manager will be a home-grown local—Raven Price.”
The crowd clapped, but there were also a few hushed murmurs coming from behind Ethan.
Both he and Jay turned their heads to see a couple of guys about their age looking less than pleased at the announcement, one of whom worked at Trap.
“What’s their problem?” Jay mumbled under her breath as they both looked forward again.
Ferris glanced at the front row. “Raven, would you like to come up and say anything?”
Ethan felt Connor tense beside him when the woman they’d seen in the bar the other week walked to the front of the crowd.
She was wringing her hands, clearly nervous as she stepped in front of the microphone. “Hi, everyone.”
“Is this a joke?” a guy behind Ethan yelled.
Raven’s face fell.
“The fuck?” Connor scowled, as he turned to glare at the guy.
Ryan set a hand on Connor’s shoulder.
Raven straightened, clearing her throat.
“I just want to say that I’m excited to assume this role.
Blanche has done a wonderful job at the community center, and I want to honor her work.
I also want to bring in a few new activities, particularly aimed at a younger crowd.
I’m looking forward to fresh starts and new beginnings. ”
There was a scoff in the row behind them. “Yeah, okay.”
Connor turned. “You got a problem?”
“What if I do?”
When Connor straightened, Ethan turned to his friend. “Ignore him.”
“Please don’t hesitate to come to me with any ideas, questions, or concerns,” Raven finished, before quickly stepping away.
Connor followed her movement with his eyes, but Ethan knew he was also distinctly aware of the guys behind them.
Ferris returned to the microphone. “Okay, now on to a less…favorable topic of conversation.”
The guy behind him scoffed again. “What could get less favorable than Raven Price?”
Connor swung around. “Keep going and see what happens.”
Ferris cleared his throat. “Last night, we had another woman go missing in our woods.”
Gasps sounded throughout the center, the faces of locals visibly paling.
“What the hell?” a woman from the front yelled.
“Are none of us safe?” another yelled.
Ryan stood and moved to the front of the room to take the microphone. “I know this isn’t the news we want. And unfortunately, this time she’s a local—Priya Tan.”
More gasps, this time louder. There was also the murmur of voices.
“A person jumped in front of her car while she was driving,” Ryan continued. “Priya swerved and hit a tree. She was dragged out of her car but managed to get free. That’s when she called us.”
“But she’s still missing?” Anika called out.
“Yes. But we’re not giving up. Half our team is out there right now.
We’re taking shifts. We’re not stopping.
We’re going to figure out where she’s been taken.
But until we find the person responsible, it’s important to remember that every missing person has been taken from remote areas of this town.
They’ve gone missing in the mountains and near the river. And they’re always women.”
More voices, louder now.
“I’m not telling you this to scare you.” Ryan spoke over the crowd. “I’m telling you because knowledge is power. Don’t go into the forest or down to the river alone. Stay in pairs and groups. Stay in busy areas.”
Ward, who wasn’t in uniform, rose from the front row and stepped beside Ryan. He looked short and round in comparison.
He lifted his hands. “Guys. Come on. I know Ryan and his team are new. But they’re trying. And so are my team. We’re here to protect you. You feel scared, need help? Call me.”
Ethan scowled.
Jay leaned in close, her voice low. “Who’s Tubs?”
“The county sheriff.”
“Huh. I pictured him taller. And maybe with a bit more hair on his head.”
“He’s just an obstacle.” But Ethan and his team did need to find the woman, and they needed to find her fast. It was his job, his responsibility, to protect the people of this town, and he didn’t take that lightly.
He turned to glance at Maggie again, but her gaze was already on him. Or maybe on Jay.
Her eyes flared. She offered him a small smile before turning to the front again.
What was going on with her?