Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
For the next three days, Stella’s heart jumped every time her phone got a notification.
She kept dreading Fighter Wolf’s messages, and was disappointed every time the notification wasn’t him.
She worked, avoided thinking about him, and thought about how she could break this news to her father.
She did some digging around town and found out that Fighter Wolf’s name was Blaze Mercer.
Rumor had it he’d helped quite a few people through his work at Steel Protection.
Just last week, he’d helped stop the threats some kid had been making to Cascade Timber.
She waffled between thinking of ways to break it to her dad that her mate was his sworn enemy, and fighting with her bear to forget all about him.
On Sunday morning she unlocked the diner, disabled the alarm, and turned on the lights. The breakfast staff trickled in. She started a pot of coffee and loaded the cash drawers. When she flipped the open sign at six, Nell still hadn’t arrived for her shift.
She texted Nell at seven. Hey. Are you sick this morning? Just let me know what’s up.
Stella rearranged the floor, covered Nell’s section, and rang the register herself when the front got slammed.
When the afternoon manager came on at two-thirty, Stella went back to the office and gave Nell a call.
Not showing up or texting was very out of character for her. The phone rang and went to voicemail.
After her shift, she drove past Nell’s apartment. She lived in a converted Victorian on Pine Street that had been split into six small apartments. Stella helped her move last year. Nell’s blue Subaru was in its spot.
She frowned and pulled into the parking lot instead of going straight home. Maybe Nell was sick and her phone was dead. If Stella popped in, she could help her if she needed anything. She parked beside Nell’s car, walked up the stairs to the apartment on the second floor, and knocked.
“Nell. It’s me. Are you okay?”
Nothing.
She knocked again. Harder.
“Nell. I’m worried about you. Why didn’t you come to work today?”
Something inside her told her something was wrong.
She put her ear to the door and listened.
Nothing. She walked down the hall to Nell’s window, cupped her hands around her face, and looked through.
The lights were off. She couldn’t see much.
Then her eyes caught the shape of Nell’s backpack on the coffee table. Nell carried that bag everywhere.
Stella went back home and told herself she was being nosy and overreacting.
But three more days passed and Nell didn’t show up for any of her shifts.
She didn’t answer any of Stella’s calls or texts.
Every time she passed, Nell’s car was still in the same parking spot, gathering autumn leaves and dust. After her shift on Wednesday afternoon, she decided to call the school.
She pulled up the Bright Institute’s main number and tapped it. A cheery female voice answered on the second ring. “Bright Institute, how may I direct your call?”
“I need to speak with the dean of student affairs about one of your students.”
“One moment.”
The hold music was Vivaldi.
“Margaret Foster’s office, this is Margaret.”
“Margaret. I’m Stella Keenan. I run the Fate Mountain Diner. My assistant manager is a student there.”
“Stella. Hi. What can I do for you?”
“Nell Meadows hasn’t been showing up for her shifts and isn’t answering her phone.
I went by her house, and she didn’t answer her door.
But her car’s been sitting there the whole time.
I’ve known Nell for two years. We’ve grown close, and this just isn’t like her.
I’m starting to really worry. I was hoping you could tell me if she’s been to class this week. ”
“I can’t release attendance records to non-family.”
“I know. I’m not asking you to put it in writing. I’m asking you to tell me, off the record, whether she’s been on campus.”
A longer pause.
“Hold on a minute.”
“Thank you.”
The hold music came back on. Stella sat at her kitchen table with the phone against her ear, watched the second hand on the clock above the stove, and tried to keep her breathing even.
The line picked back up. “Stella.” Margaret’s voice had changed. “Nell Meadows has missed every class this week.”
Stella closed her eyes.
“Have you called her family?” Margaret asked.
“I’m calling her mom next.”
“I’ll check with campus security. A missing young woman isn’t something we take lightly.”
“Thank you.”
“Let me know if you learn anything.”
Stella hung up and scrolled through her contacts to Nell — emergency. A woman answered on the second ring.
“Mrs. Meadows, this is Stella Keenan. I’m Nell’s manager at the Fate Mountain Diner. I’m so sorry to bother you. I wanted to ask if you’ve heard from Nell since Sunday?”
“No, I haven’t. Is there a problem?”
Stella explained her concern.
“Nell has never just disappeared like this. Missing work and classes doesn’t sound like her.” Her mother’s voice cracked.
“Has she mentioned anything about anyone bothering her? A man. A classmate. Anyone.”
“Not that I know of.” Mrs. Meadows took a sharp breath.
“I’m going to find her. I promise. I’m going to the police station as soon as we get off this call.”
The Fate Mountain Police station was a low brick building on Cedar Street, a block off Main. The officer at the front desk was Officer Andre Holt, who was the mate of Joy Kincaid, a long time Fate Mountain Diner regular. He stood up when she came in.
“Stella,” Andre said. “What can I do for you?”
“I need to report a missing person.”
He asked for Nell’s full name. Date of birth.
Description. Last contact. Last sighting.
Vehicle description and plate. Place of employment.
School. Roommate or significant other. Any conflicts in her life.
Any reason she might want to leave town.
She told him everything, and Andre wrote it all down.
“I’ll call the property owner of her apartment and get them to let me in for a wellness check. If we come up empty, we’ll file an official missing person’s report.”
She left the station with Andre’s card in her pocket and drove home. Stella’s phone rang at nine-thirty and she answered.
“Stella, it’s Andre.”
“What did you find?”
“She’s not in the apartment. Her wallet’s in the backpack on the coffee table. Phone and keys aren’t there. No sign of a struggle. No sign she packed to leave. Suitcase is still in the closet.”
Stella gulped. “Thank you, Andre.”
Stella sat on her couch and her bear paced inside her. She’d promised Mrs. Meadows she’d find Nell. She intended to keep that promise.