Page 101 of Mr. Edwards

“There’s not a doubt in my mind.”

I scrub my hand over my face. “I wish I knew what I did wrong, Em, so I can make it right again.”

“If it’s any consolation, I honestly don’t think it’s anything you did. In my opinion, you’re simply collateral damage against the inner war she’s fighting within herself.”

Everything Emma has said since she arrived filters through my mind. And then it hits me like a bolt of lightning. Is it really that simple? Has the answer been staring me in the face this entire time?

“Actually, there is something you can do to help,” I say.

“Name it.”

“Tell me where Carlee grew up.”

Temecula.That’s all I’ve got, but it’s a start. It’s the closest thing I’ve had to a lead in a long while. Carlee has kept her exact whereabouts a secret from Emma as well, but I’ve now learned she grew up a few hours from here, and if she’s living back with Reece, that may be where I’ll find her.

When I first hired a private detective to help track down Carlee after she disappeared, I ended up feeling like a fool. The woman I loved, the one I’d been engaged to—albeit for only a few hours—was in reality a total mystery to me. I didn’t know her last name, or even where she came from. I knew she grew up in a trailer park, and then moved in with Reece, but I had no clue which town or state.

Her apartment in Gardena wasn’t even under her name. The person who owned it was no help to us either. My guy eventually found him somewhere in Germany, and all he could tell us was he’d leased it out to a friend of a friend. My gut told me there was more to it, but there was nothing I could do to prove it. He was under no obligation to tell us anything. That’s where the trail ran cold. We continued the search, but in the end, it was futile.

Reaching for my phone, I search for the investigator’s number, but I just as quickly change my mind. I might do a little exploring myself first. How many gyms are there in one city? I’m guessing not too many. I open the Safari app on my phone, typing‘Gyms in Temecula’into thesearch bar. I scroll down the list when it appears. Okay, so there’s more than a couple, like a few dozen, but I’ve got nothing better to do. I can knock this over in a few hours.

My stomach churns with nervous anticipation when I click on the call icon at the top listing. “United Fitness, how can I help you?” the girl answers. I immediately know from the sound of her voice it’s not Carlee, but that doesn’t mean she’s not there.

“Hi. I’m actually after Reece, is he available?” Carlee told me he owned the gym when she lived with him, so it makes sense to ask for him first. There’s no guarantee she works there, but if I can find him, there’s a chance it will lead me to her.

“Reece? I’m sorry, there’s nobody working here by that name.” I feel deflated, but this is just the first of many. I can’t give up yet. If I run out of gyms in Temecula, I’ll move on to the ones in the surrounding area. “I’m sorry, I must have the wrong number.”

I hang up and move to the second listing.

By the time I reach number sixteen on the list, I’m starting to lose all hope. “Mind, Body and Soul, Michelle speaking.”

“Hi, Michelle, I was wondering if Reece was available?”

“You’ve just missed him.” My heart starts to thunder in my chest as I sit up straighter.

“Do you know when he’ll be back?”

“He had to run a few errands, I’m guessing an hour or so.”

“What about Carlee, is she around?”

“You’re out of luck again, Carlee doesn’t work here on Wednesdays.”

I fist pump the air, just like Carlee used to do. “Oh.”

“Can I take a message? I can get Reece to call you back when he gets in.”

“No bother,” I say. “I’ll try again later.”

“Okay.”

“Thanks for your help, Michelle.”

“I wasn’t exactly helpful,” she says with a small laugh.

She was more help than she knows.

“I appreciate it anyway.”