Page 64 of Storm and Tempest

“It will take me a day to get there, but if I need to, I will.”

He was hoping his father had simply gone on a work trip and neglected to inform his mom. Was that possible? Or some other meeting. He could have decided to clean out part of his closet and donate the clothes.

“You also may want to think about calling in local police or FBI if something has happened to him,” Jax added. “Did he take his car?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Does it have any kind of GPS in it? Like the breakdown service where it calls the dispatcher if you get in a crash?”

Adrielle said, “I don’t think so.”

He couldn’t think of another way to figure out where his father had gone. “Did he get a call, a visitor, or some other kind of communication that he might’ve reacted to by leaving? Maybe something that upset him.”

“I was in the garden pruning my rosebushes. I didn’t even hear him leave. I tried to call him, and his phone was in the front hall. Elizabeth was already here.” She paused. “I think her husband just arrived.”

“That’s good.” Jax noticed Maizie had come out of the RV. “Mom, I need to ask you some questions.”

“About your father?”

“Sort of.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Do you know anything about a hospital wing in Flagstaff that’s named after him? I found a photo of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and he was there.” With the doctor who had altered Kenna’s physiology months ago.

“I suppose. We give to a lot of organizations. Hospitals and nonprofits. There might be one in Flagstaff. Why are you asking?”

“It might be connected to Kenna’s disappearance.”

“Do you think that’s what happened to your father?” she asked. “Maybe they took him like they took Kenna, and tried to make it look like he ran off.”

“I don’t know, Mom, but we’ll find out. Okay?”

She sighed. “Okay.”

“I have another question.” He asked her about the airline that Ramon and Zeyla had checked out and if she knew the name. “Maybe you and Dad fly with them?”

“Of course. We have the platinum membership card, but I’m not sure your father has been happy with the service lately. We’re going to Key West in October, and I don’t think he’s going to book us with them.”

“Thanks, Mom. Let me know if you need anything. And have Stairns call me with an update.”

“Okay, darling.” The call ended.

Jax lowered the phone. Maizie stepped out of the RV with her backpack on her shoulders, Ramon behind her. Something she didn’t allow with anyone outside the people in this garage.

He explained to them what was happening in California, at his parents’ house. “I’ll go if there’s any indication me being there will help.”

Ramon nodded. “It’s no use going there if you’ll just end up sitting around having to be supportive.”

Jax wouldn’t have put it like that, but it was the same thing.

Maizie said, “We need to check out the hospital. The wing is under renovation, so no one’s in there.”

Ramon stepped down out of the RV and headed for the passenger door before Maizie got there. “Apparently they had a problem with the HVAC, and no one can be in there.”

Jax frowned. “So they cleared out a whole wing of the hospital to fix it?”

Ramon slid into the passenger seat, and Jax drove the three of them to the Aspen Valley Medical Center in Flagstaff. The drive took a couple of hours, so he called Stairns after a while for an update.

It looked like his father had packed an overnight bag and left in a hurry, leaving his phone behind. Stairns’s next stop was to check with Jax’s father’s personal assistant to find out if she knew what might be happening.

Jax said, “Thank you.”