43. Theo
Theo couldn’t sit still. He’d told Bodie he’d leave and let him find Casey, but as soon as he was back in his car, he knew he wouldn’t be able to let someone else take care of it alone.
Theo’s car stood out, but he was going to follow Bodie. For all Theo knew, Bodie could have Photoshopped Casey into that picture from Japan to throw him off the scent.
He pulled out onto the main road just in time to see Bodie get back in his car. He held back as far as he could while still keeping him within eyesight.
Bodie drove toward Theo’s home—which Theo supposed wasn’t particularly odd, because there were many other suburbs and destinations in that direction.
Bodie stopped outside Salt Coffee and went inside. Was the guy going to get a drink? Or did he know Casey used to work there?
After five minutes, Theo decided what he was doing was ridiculous. He double parked his car, yanked open the door, and went inside.
Bodie was talking to the woman who had served them last time. Was her name Meg?
‘Sorry, Bodie, I haven’t seen him for a while. Is everything okay?’
‘I’m not sure yet. But thank you. If you do see him, can you let me know?’ He handed her a business card.
Meg nodded. ‘Sure.’
Bodie turned and saw Theo, but he didn’t seem surprised. ‘I suspected you were the one in the Porsche following me here.’
‘Well, I’ve changed my mind about sitting back while you look for Casey.’
‘So what do you propose?’
‘We’ll look for him together.’
‘Does that mean you believe I’m not the stalker?’
‘Not necessarily. But either way, you won’t be able to do anything to Sarah if I’m around.’
‘Whatever, dude. I don’t know what I have to do to convince you I’m on Sarah’s side, but if this is it, all I ask is that you don’t slow me down.’
‘We could take my car? It’s faster than yours.’
Bodie snorted. ‘Nice way of showing off your wealth.’
‘That wasn’t my intention. I was just stating a fact.’
‘I don’t care whose car we drive.’
‘Good. Then we’ll take mine. You can navigate.’
Bodie rolled his eyes. ‘I think you have some control issues, man.’
Theo ignored him and went back out onto the street.
Once they were in the car, Theo turned to him. ‘It sounds like Casey hasn’t been to the café recently. Have you spoken to Gabe?’
‘Yeah. He said he hasn’t seen Casey in days.’
‘Do you know where he lives? Or does Gabe?’
‘I’m afraid not.’
‘Didn’t you ever talk about that kind of thing? You were sleeping together in Sarah’s living room for God knows how long.’
‘Hey, I hardly ever slept there. I have my own apartment, you know. Casey was the one crashing there all the time.’
‘Do you know what he did after he stopped working at the café?’
‘No.’ Bodie was quiet for a moment. ‘But he did have this weird fixation with superyachts. He talked about trying to get hired as a bartender for some billionaire while sailing around the world.’
‘Um, okay. So did he ever go for an interview?’
‘How should I know? I always thought the dude was weird. We may have had a common friend in Gabe, but I never liked Casey.’
‘So what you’re saying is that you have no idea how the guy spends his time or anything about his personal history?’
‘Like you’re any better!’
‘Okay, okay. We won’t get anywhere if we keep arguing like this. Let’s think logically. He’d probably be back from Japan, wouldn’t he?’
‘I haven’t seen him, but I’m assuming yes.’
‘And have you tried calling his number?’
‘Yeah, I got it from Gabe. But he’s not answering.’
‘Maybe we should go back and keep an eye on Sarah. At least we’ll know if he shows up to talk to her.’
Bodie sighed. ‘I guess.’
‘Unless you can think of any other places to check first?’
‘I can’t,’ he admitted.
‘Fancy a stakeout?’
‘Wouldn’t that make us stalkers?’ he pointed out.
‘No. We’re ensuring her safety. It’s completely different.’
Bodie looked like the last thing he wanted to do was sit in a car with him for an indeterminate amount of time, but he eventually nodded.
‘Whatever.’
They drove back to the salon, and Theo parked across the street.
There was no sign of the police, and the inside of the salon looked dark. Had Sarah turned off the lights to deter any further attention?
A handful of women had returned and were standing out the front, but they didn’t look as aggressive as before.
‘Do you think Sarah is still there?’ Theo asked.
‘I don’t know. I’ll go check.’
Bodie climbed out of the car and walked across the street. After peering through the window, he disappeared around the side. Theo wondered if this was a ploy to lose him, but he returned after a couple of minutes and got back in the car.
‘I think she left.’
‘She doesn’t have a car. I wonder if she caught a bus.’
Bodie dialled a number on his phone. After a second, he pressed his lips together. ‘She’s not answering when I call.’
‘Maybe tell Gabe and ask him to let you know if she goes home. In the meantime, we’ll check out her parents’ house. She might have gone there.’
Theo was starting to feel uneasy. It was likely Sarah was fine, and he still wasn’t convinced Bodie wasn’t the stalker, but if it was actually Casey, he could be with her now.
Bodie made a call. ‘Hey, dude. Is your sister there?’
A beat.
‘Can you let me or Theo know if she shows up?’
Another beat.
‘Cool. Thanks.’
He hung up and turned to Theo. ‘He’ll keep us posted.’
It was a twenty-five-minute drive to Fran and Dave’s house. Theo jumped out of the car when they arrived, convincing Bodie to stay put.
He thumped on the front door a little harder than he should have, but he was feeling increasingly anxious.
Fran answered and looked at Theo. ‘I knew it was going to be you,’ she said. ‘I had a dream last night, and you showed up exactly like this.’
Goosebumps rose on Theo’s arms. ‘And what did I say?’
‘You weren’t able to talk. Instead, water came gushing out of your mouth.’
That made Theo feel even more troubled.
‘Have you spoken to Sarah today?’
‘No. Why?’
‘I’m worried her stalker has shown up and might be about to make a move. I can’t reach her on the phone.’
Fran’s face turned anxious. ‘I should have known. That dream had a horrible underlying dread associated with it.’
Theo was desperate. ‘If I ask you about a specific person, can you do a reading on them?’
‘I suppose. I’ve done it with Sarah before when I’ve been concerned about her. Who do you want to do a reading on?’
‘Do you know Gabe’s friend, Casey?’
‘Yes, I know Casey. I have a photo of him in the living room with Gabriel and Bodie. Why?’
‘I think he could be the stalker.’
Fran frowned. ‘I find that hard to believe, but come in and I’ll see if I can find out anything.’ She ushered Theo inside, and he followed her to the living room. She picked up the photo and pressed her thumb to the image of Casey, closing her eyes.
After a moment, she re-opened them, looking spooked. ‘There’s a lot of darkness around that boy. How did I not notice before?’
‘Did you see anything that might give us a clue where he might be?’
‘I’m sorry, no. My visions don’t work that way. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one stalking Sarah.’
‘Do you know where Sarah might go if she’s upset?’
‘She’d normally come here.’ Fran wrung her hands. ‘We should call the police.’
‘I wonder if they’ll help.’ Theo explained what had just happened at the salon. ‘They might not think it’s two separate issues.’
‘We have to convince them they are. I’ll call them, and you go see if you can find my baby.’ She scrawled a number on a piece of paper. ‘Call me as soon as you find out anything.’
‘I will.’
Theo hurried back out. Bodie was still in the car.
‘I think you were right about Casey. And I worry he’s with Sarah right now.’
‘We should call the police again.’
‘Fran is already doing that.’ Theo slammed his hands on the steering wheel. ‘Why don’t we know where she is?’
Bodie was quiet for a moment. ‘I just had an idea.’
‘What?’
‘I need to get back in touch with Gabe.’
Theo watched helplessly as Bodie phoned Sarah’s brother.
‘Hey, do you have access to Sarah’s laptop?’
Theo pulled the phone from Bodie and pressed the speaker function. Bodie gave him an exasperated look but left it on.
‘Uh, yeah. Why?’ Gabe asked.
‘Can you boot it up and type Find My Device into the browser?’
‘Just a minute.’
It seemed like an eternity until Gabe spoke again.
‘Okay. Yeah, I can see Sarah’s phone on here. There’s a map that shows it was last at Paringa Road at Murarrie. What the hell is she doing there?’
Theo used his own phone to look it up on a map. It was in an industrial area on the edge of the river.
He threw down the phone and started driving.
‘We’ll keep you posted,’ Bodie said before hanging up. He then looked at Theo. ‘I hope you know I’m not the stalker by now.’
Theo grimaced. ‘Yeah, but it’s a really crappy way to find out.’
He just hoped they reached Sarah before anything happened to her.