Chapter 7 Jake #2
“Hi, I’m Charlotte, Liv’s sister. Do you have an update?” She looked at the detective hopefully.
“Nothing has been uncovered yet, no,” he replied.
“We would like to ask Mr. Johnson some more questions, if you’re up to it.
” He gave Jake a half-smile. “It’s been less than twenty-four hours, so we still have plenty of cause for optimism.
These cases are usually a matter of a misunderstanding.
There’s often a good explanation for what’s happened — perhaps something that isn’t yet obvious.
That said, it’s unusual for someone to disappear without their clothes or any of their personal possessions — cellphone, credit cards, and such. So, we want to move quickly on this.”
Charlotte frowned. “What? She had no clothes? Dad, you didn’t tell me that.” She turned to Jake. “Why would she have no clothes on? What were you . . . ?”
Jake raised his eyebrows at her, and Charlotte stopped, instantly understanding.
“We were celebrating the anniversary of our engagement,” Jake explained to Detective Banks. “There was nobody else at the quarry. It was kind of our secret place.”
“Of course,” Detective Banks said, as his trainee scribbled away, blushing.
“Although I should mention you were on private property. Anyways, the circumstances do mean that Ms. Grainger likely couldn’t have gone far, and it probably wasn’t premeditated on her part, given she left her purse and phone. ”
He looked at the Graingers, his smile kind.
“This is helpful. It means we have a reasonably defined search area, at least to start. Our team is already on their way, right now, and Officer Phelps and I are heading out to join them. We will cover it in a grid system, combing through all the surrounding forest, in case she’s in there and has been injured, or there are any clues as to her whereabouts. ”
Detective Banks glanced back at Jake. “If nothing turns up in our initial search of the forest, we also need to look at the lake, which will involve divers and potentially a dredging system. We understand you found her engagement ring at the bottom of a cliff, is that correct?”
Jake nodded. “Yeah, on the flat rocks below the highest point of the cliff.”
“And where was she when you last saw her?”
“Taking a walk, heading along the ridge toward that the highest point. I was packing up the picnic, giving her a minute. She was wearing her ring at that time, but . . . you know. Nothing else.”
Detective Banks twisted his mouth. “That would suggest she took the ring off at the high point of the ridge and dropped it, or even threw it over. Mr. Johnson, did the two of you have a fight? Why did you need to ‘give her a minute’?”
“No. No fight. Nothing like that,” Jake replied, aware that Burt’s eyes were narrowed, and Charlotte and her mother were staring at him.
“We’d been talking about the wedding, and she was .
. . antsy, I guess. Maybe a little nervous, but nothing to be concerned about.
As far as I knew.” His last words fell into silence.
“And the ring couldn’t have fallen off accidentally? It wasn’t too big?”
Jake shook his head. “We’d had it resized — it fit perfectly.”
Detective Banks turned to Charlotte. “Perhaps your sister confided in you about having cold feet?”
Charlotte frowned. She was stroking her mother’s arm.
“No, not really. I mean, I always tease her about how she’ll never know what it would be like to be with anyone other than Jake, and she’ll get defensive.
One time she asked if I thought Jake might get bored with her — feel he was missing out.
” She half-smiled. “I told her she was an idiot. Anyone can see you’re mad about her,” she added, nodding at Jake.
“Generally she seemed excited about the wedding, wasn’t she, Mom?
Liv had it all planned down to the last detail — like, I’m her maid of honor and I really don’t have anything to help out with, except plan a bachelorette party.
Everything’s already booked and paid for. ”
She wrinkled her nose. “Plus, even if she was having second thoughts, she would never just run out on Jake. Not in a million years. And not naked. No,” she shook her head, her voice thickening, “something must’ve . . . happened to her.”
Tilly emitted a small sob, and Charlotte kissed the top of her head.
“Okay, then,” Detective Banks said, rising, gesturing for his colleague to do the same.
“That’s all for now. Obviously the next twenty-four hours will be crucial, and we’ll keep you informed.
You can expect several phone calls today as we go through our search.
But you folks need to stay put, in case she shows up.
You can keep her cellphone for the moment, and we’ll let you know if we need it.
And we’ll keep hold of Olivia’s clothes for now, until we know more.
“Mr. Johnson.” He turned to Jake. “I recommend you go home, in case she manages to make her way there. But please don’t go anywhere else. Or leave town.” He nodded to Burt and Charlotte. Tilly was weeping into her shoulder. “We’ll speak later.”
Burt stood and ushered the officers out.
Don’t leave town.
That sounded ominous.
In these situations, it was always the boyfriend or husband, right? Was Jake under suspicion? Did the Graingers think he’d done something to Liv?
“I’ve got to get home,” Jake muttered, to nobody in particular. “He’s right. If Liv managed to make her way there, she didn’t have her keys, and I’ve been here all night—”
“I’ll drop you.” Charlotte picked up her car keys. “We can bring Liv’s cell. Keep both your phone and hers charged and on full volume, in case we need to call you, or in case somebody calls Liv, and they know something.”
Charlotte was packing up Liv’s leather purse. Tilly was still crying. “Dad,” Charlotte said to Burt, who looked defeated, “you need to take Mom upstairs to bed, bring her a cup of tea, and let her rest, okay? And stay by the phone.”
Burt nodded. “Okay, honey. Bye. Be safe.”
Charlotte drove Jake the ten minutes through the Landfall community, out to the highway, over the creek bridge, and along to the street to the little bungalow he and Liv had bought last year. The fresh coat of yellow paint was obnoxiously cheerful in the May sunshine.
“You’ll be okay,” Charlotte laid a sisterly hand on his arm. “We’ll find her. Like they said, it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours yet.” Her voice wavered on the last part — for the first time, she looked unsure.
Jake bit his lip thoughtfully, finally nodding. “Thanks Char.” He climbed out, his long legs always awkward in Charlotte’s little car, and walked along the front path.
He’d half-expected to find Liv’s scratched, bruised, naked body slumped on the front stoop, having made an epic journey all the way home only to find herself unable to get inside.
She could have died overnight on the doorstep because he’d been lying in comfort in the Graingers’ green guest room, knocked out on sleeping pills to ease his pain, his suffering.
But their stoop was empty. As was the house.
All the warmth and beauty Liv had breathed into creating their home, with its soft white couch, taupe pillows, barnwood feature wall above the small fireplace, rustic dining table, and mismatched chairs — all of it seemed cold and lifeless now. Without Liv.
Where was she?
He was fairly sure the police wouldn’t find her in the forest. The ring had been by the water — she must have gone into the lake. Would the divers find her beautiful body, bloated and white, in its depths?
Jake’s body buckled at the thought. He doubled over, collapsing to his knees on the refinished oak floors that he and Liv had spent so much time on.
Palms on wood, he retched, over and over again, throwing up nothing but green tea and stomach acid, until his body finally gave up and he slumped, exhausted, to the floor.