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Chapter Twenty-Two

In the morning, I heard Alan open the back door to let Sophie out, while I tried to grab a few more minutes of sleep. That didn’t happen, so I dragged myself to the bathroom in the hope that a shower might get me moving.

I heard him whistling some tune in the kitchen as I dressed, and wondered how he could be so chipper. Sometimes it drove me crazy, although I wouldn’t trade him for anything. He meant more than the world to me.

“Good morning, sunshine,” I said dully as I plodded to the kitchen. “Did you sleep well?”

Turning from his task of making the coffee, he gave me a quirky smile. “I did—with you in my dreams.”

I figured he didn’t remember the storm or Sophie sharing our bed. Thinking about her, I filled a clean bowl with water and another with kibbles while asking what I did in his dream.

“We were at Michael’s wedding, holding hands, and you told me how much you loved me. ”

I shimmied around the island to give him a kiss. “I think I had a similar dream,” I murmured softly.

After our romantic moment, I offered to scramble a couple eggs while he showered, then we could plan our day. I thought we’d need sustenance to give us strength for informing Clare that the police found Liz’s car, and Alan agreed.

I called Sophie in before I buttered the toast, and she came running. To my surprise, she headed directly to the living room in search of her treasured scarf, then dragged it along the floor to her bowl of food.

I wondered what scent garnered her interest, but didn’t try to take away her precious prize. In time, I knew it would lose its appeal.

While Alan and I ate our breakfast at the kitchen island, she found a spot on the floor between us, nestled on the soft scarf. “You know,” I said, “Sophie’s got a good nose, so she might be able to help us find Liz.”

Alan glanced down, then back at me. “She’s not trained as a sniffer dog.”

I shrugged. “She may not need training. Anyway, what did you do with the list of Ed’s clients?”

“It’s on the entry table. Why?”

“I could start calling them after we inform Clare about Liz’s car.”

“Don’t you have to work today?”

I nodded, forking a mound of eggs. “Yes, although I could ask Kareen to help Lydia, if necessary. We’ve got a lot going on.”

“It’s also Friday, which means family night.”

“Right,” I agreed.

Typically, Alan ordered a couple of pizzas from Franco’s, and family members were welcome to join us. That started when Jessica, my granddaughter, lived with us, then it included Judy, his daughter, during her stay with us. By proxy, anyone associated with them could also come.

Alan finished his coffee, then said, “Let’s play it by ear. I’d like to meet Liz’s sister-in-law this afternoon, if Clare finds her address, and I’ll pick up the pizzas on the way home.”

“I want to meet her, too.”

His eyes twinkled. “I figured that.”

I called Kareen and she cleared her calendar to substitute for me at the garden shop. That freed me to spend the afternoon working with Alan on our case which, for some reason, energized me.

^^^

If Alan and I surprised Clare, she didn’t show it. She invited us into the kitchen where she had a full pot of coffee on the warmer. “Freshly brewed,” she said, reaching into a cabinet for the mugs.

“We’ve already had ours,” Alan remarked, “but don’t let us interrupt your breakfast.”

She poured one for herself, then added creamer. “I found Liz’s address book, in case you were wondering.”

Alan nodded. “Good, but there’s another matter. Sergeant Mark found Liz’s car in a wooded area not too far from here.”

I probably would have softened the information, but Clare seemed to take it in stride. She breathed in with pursed lips, then asked, “And Lizzie? ”

“She wasn’t there. The county police will process the scene today, so we’ll take it one step at a time.”

Clare’s eyes misted and she brushed off the moisture. “I’d like to see her car.”

“They may have already towed the vehicle,” Alan advised. He thought for a moment, then shrugged. “I’ll get my car and meet you out front.”

“Thank you,” she said softly.

I waited in the living room while she went upstairs to get the address book and her purse. As before, there wasn’t anything out of place, and the room looked sterile. Surely she would have turned on the TV, but I saw no remote for access. If she had read a book or magazine, wouldn’t she leave it on a chair or coffee table?

When she returned, I didn’t bother to ask. Nuns probably learned to keep things neat, and she may not have had TV in her African village.

“Ready?” I questioned.

She handed me the old-fashioned address book. “Ready.”

I let her sit in the front passenger seat since Alan could tell her about the location. I kept my mouth closed about that, too.

He told her about the scenic path for hiking, and the area which locals called lovers’ lane. “At one time, a company mined coal there, but the industry ended years ago.” He didn’t elaborate.

After pulling onto the wooded lane, he proceeded slowly until he reached the wider area for parking. Mark had parked his police vehicle next to the silver SUV. “You’re in luck,” Alan said. “The car’s still here.”

Mark lowered the driver’s side window of his car when we approached. “The tow truck’s on its way,” he told us. “ There’s no sign of anyone on the trail, so it’s my opinion that someone merely dumped the car here.”

I looked for any subtle signal from Mark to Alan, the silent kind that police officers might share, but I saw nothing of the sort. Clare, too, watched their body language, then looked at the SUV.

“Did you check for fingerprints?” she asked tentatively.

“Yes, but someone must have wiped the vehicle. Still, it’ll take a while to do a complete forensics investigation.”

“In the meantime,” she questioned, “what are you doing to find my sister?”

He tried to reassure her. “I arrived here at daybreak and thoroughly searched the entire trail, including the areas that have collapsed due to subsidence. Those are barricaded, and have not been breached.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “May I look in Liz’s car?”

He shook his head. “Not until the forensics team finishes its investigation. I know this is very difficult for you, but let us do our job.”

She nodded before turning toward the tow truck that made its way to the clearing. “I suppose we should leave,” she told Alan.

He agreed, and the three of us walked back to our car. I sure hoped Mark’s hypothesis about someone dumping the SUV was correct because I wouldn’t want to find Liz’s bones in an old mine.

That thought gave me the creeps.