Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
London
It was still dark when Quinn came awake, but, although she had ample time until her alarm went off, there was no way she could go back to sleep.
She reached for her mobile, her heart aflutter with hope, and turned the screen away from Gabe so as not to wake him.
It was just after five o’clock, and she realized with mounting panic that her mobile had been silenced since ten o’clock, per the schedule she had set.
She should have thought to take it off Do Not Disturb, in case Logan tried to call, but there were no missed calls.
There was, however, a text sent from an unregistered number just after midnight. Quinn opened it.
Keep Max safe. Don’t involve the police.
The text had to be from Logan. Perhaps he’d lost his phone, or maybe he couldn’t text from his own number. Or what if someone was impersonating him?
She decided to risk it and immediately replied.
Where are you? What happened?
But the message showed undelivered. Perhaps Logan was out of range, or maybe he’d taken out the SIM card or had disposed of the phone. Something was clearly very wrong, but she now had more questions than answers, and she wasn’t about to get any clarity.
“What is it?” Gabe asked as he came awake and peered at the screen over her shoulder.
Quinn passed him the phone. “What does this mean?” she exclaimed, her frustration boiling over.
“It means Logan is in trouble.”
“What sort of trouble?”
“Maybe he got mixed up in something he shouldn’t have,” Gabe said disloyally.
“But what if someone else sent that text? Logan could be in danger, and now they know I won’t go to the police because I’ll think that I’m following Logan’s instructions. What should I do?”
“Tell Sean. It’s the only thing you can do.”
Quinn shook her head. “I just don’t understand. Logan hasn’t put a foot wrong since Max was born, and he hardly goes out these days. He responded when Emma texted him yesterday afternoon. What could have happened since then?” She turned to look Gabe full in the face. “Do you know anything?”
“I swear, I don’t,” he replied. “If there’s anyone Logan would have confided in, it’s you. Or Jude.”
“He never said anything to either of us. What should I tell Jude?”
“Tell him the truth.”
“But he’ll want to come,” Quinn replied.
“Maybe he should. You shouldn’t have to deal with this yourself, whatever this is.”
“I’m scared, Gabe. If this was Logan, he expressly told me to keep Max safe, which must mean he’s in danger. And what do we tell Max? He’ll know something is wrong, but he’s too young to comprehend anything beyond the fact that his dad is not here.”
“Well, we certainly don’t tell him his father might be in trouble. Let’s tell him Logan had to go on a work trip.”
“I hate to lie to him.”
“It’s better than frightening him. We can tell him more once we know what we’re dealing with.”
“All right,” Quinn agreed. “Do you think it’s safe to take Max to nursery school?”
Gabe considered the question. “The school won’t allow anyone who was not previously authorized by Logan to take Max out of the building. I think he’ll be safe, but maybe you should consult Sean before you decide. I trust his judgment.”
Quinn nodded. “I don’t think I should call him from the house. Max might overhear the conversation.”
She could hardly phone Sean this early in the morning, so she would have to wait until at least eight, by which time Max would be up and getting ready for school.
“You can go for a walk or phone Sean from the car,” Gabe suggested. “I’ll ask Max to help me make breakfast. He won’t suspect a thing.”
“Thank you,” Quinn said and hugged him. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Well, let’s hope you never have to find out,” Gabe said and pulled her close. “It’s too early to get up, and you’re extremely tense. Let me give you a massage.”
Quinn knew precisely what sort of massage he had in mind but didn’t protest. There was nothing she could do at this moment, and Gabe was right, she was tense, and he always knew how to make her feel better.
She surrendered to his ministrations until she heard Max’s piping voice calling for her from Alex’s bedroom.
“I got him,” Gabe said. He jumped out of bed, pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, and headed for the door.
Quinn dressed, took a quick shower and brushed her teeth, then pulled her hair into a ponytail and was out the door before Max could ask her about Logan.
She was in no mood to walk, but speaking in front of the house was risky, so she got into her car and pulled out her mobile. Sean answered on the second ring.
“I’m sorry to ring so early,” Quinn began, but Sean cut across her.
“What happened? You wouldn’t be calling me otherwise.”
Quinn told him about the text and expressed her concerns. “What do you think, Sean? Should I go to the police?”
“No,” he replied. “Logan is clearly not missing, so there’s nothing to report.”
“But he might be in danger.”
Quinn had hoped that Sean would help her to decipher Logan’s cryptic message, but all he was telling her to do was wait, which was the hardest thing.
And she needed to explain the situation to Max.
She might be able to hold off on the conversation for a few hours, but once she collected him from school, she’d need to tell him something, since Logan would have called and asked to speak to him if he were really on a business trip.
“I don’t know why Logan didn’t use his own phone, but if he’s able to text, for the moment we have to assume he’s safe. The only reasonable advice I can give you is to do nothing until you hear from him again and know more.”
“Thank you, Sean. I appreciate your help.”
“Don’t mention it. Let me know if you hear from him again.”
“I will,” Quinn promised.
She knew she should go back into the house, but she couldn’t seem to find the strength to get out of the car.
It had taken her hours to fall asleep last night, and now she was tired and cross.
She was also angry. Logan had sent the text at a time when he’d hoped she’d be asleep.
He had not wanted her to answer, nor had he planned on giving her more information until he was good and ready.
He didn’t have to ask her to look after Max.
She would do so regardless, so the only reason he’d messaged her was to warn her off reporting his disappearance to the police.
“What are you mixed up in, Logan?” she said under her breath as she finally reached for the door handle.
Max appeared to be in good spirits when Quinn dropped him off, and asked if they could have pizza for dinner.
That was a promise she could confidently make, so she gave him a hug and a kiss by the gate and watched him run through the door.
Ruth Watley gave her a friendly wave, then disappeared inside once all the children had gone in.
Quinn returned to the car and considered her options.
She could go for a walk to clear her head, but she was too tired, and not in the mood to be around other people.
She could research the Bellamys but thought that was premature.
She preferred to allow the story to play out in its own time without jumping ahead.
Taken together, the earring and the claddagh ring were confirmation of the victim’s identity, which was an important first step in any investigation.
She now knew who, where, and how. What she needed was the why.
And she could also use a distraction from her mounting concern for Logan.
Ready to dive in, Quinn got herself a large coffee, texted Nicole to thank her for her help, then set off for home. She had work to do.