Page 82 of Little Hidden Fears

“What a sweet thing to do. Was she surprised?”

Austin sighed, scratching a finger behind his ear. “We ... ahh, broke up. Well, that is to say, we’re takin’ some time apart. I messed things up, but I’m tryin’ awful hard to get her back.”

Several moments of awkward silence later, I said, “What did Noelle say to you when she hired you?”

“She asked me for my discretion, said somethin’ about how her family wouldn’t approve of what she was doin’ if they found out.”

“What were her reasons for hiring you?”

“She was worried about Dawn, said she was being abused, and she thought she knew who was abusing her, but she wanted to be sure.”

“Did she give you a name?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Did she say how she knew who was abusing her?”

“She witnessed an altercation between Dawn and the suspected abuser.”

“Yeah, in the parking lot at the tennis club.”

His eyes widened. “That so? She didn’t tell me it happened at the club.”

I wondered why she’d left that part out.

“If she wanted you to find Dawn, why not give you all the information she could, starting with whom she suspected of abuse?” I asked.

“My opinion? She didn’t want to name anyone until she was able to prove it one way another. When she came to my office, she was worried, real worried. I’m guessin’ she thought once I found Dawn, she’d have the answers she was hoping to find.”

“Speaking of Dawn, what can you tell me about your investigation?”

“Not much, I’m afraid. When I went to her house, the door was unlocked, so I did what any investigator in my position would do—I went inside. The place was a mess, and it looked like she’d just stepped out for a moment, like she would be back any time. Found clothes in all the drawers, suitcases in the closet, and her car was there too.”

“When you searched the house, did you find any clues as to her whereabouts?”

“Nothing solid, no.”

I failed to believe he did an entire search of her place and left without a single, solitary lead.

“How long have you had your detective agency?” I asked.

“I see where you’re goin’ with your question. And yeah, I’ll admit it, I have a lot to learn. Noelle was my third client, but the first who’d asked me to find a missing person. My other two cases were easy. Just had to follow the spouses of my clients, take pictures, and report back.”

“I see.”

“I did my best to find Dawn.”

When it came to doing one’s best, we had differing opinions. If it had been me, I wouldn’t have stopped looking until she was found.

Realizing I wasn’t getting anywhere with our conversation, I stood, thanking him for taking the time to speak to me.

As Giovanni and I walked to the door, Austin shouted out, “You know the worst part of Dawn’s case?”

I turned. “What’s that?”

“It’s bad enough for a man to lay a hand on a woman, but what kind of man beats a woman when she’s pregnant?”

CHAPTER 33