Page 28 of Vanish From Sight (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #2)

F ear masked their expressions.

Ethan, Mia and Aiden were waiting for him on the porch step as the Bronco got closer.

Noah had hoped, moving back to Adirondack County, that he’d be able to shield his kids from the worst of life, but it was a na?ve thought.

Being proactive, he’d already tried calling Lena.

That got no answer. He hated to jump the gun but with all that had happened with the other women, he couldn’t leave anything to chance.

He’d already phoned around to the hospitals, and alerted county deputies and local PD to be on the lookout for her vehicle.

Had a murder investigation not been underway, he might have taken it in his stride, and considered it a momentary lapse of judgment on Lena’s part.

But this wasn’t like her.

On the way over from High Peaks to Saranac, Noah had contacted the Adirondack Daily Enterprise to speak to Maggie, only to be told she wasn’t in.

If there was any reason for Lena to vanish without contact, he figured it would have to be related to work, as there was no way on earth, she would have done it purposely.

It had been a point of contention early in their marriage when Noah didn’t inform her that he would be late.

She wouldn’t have put the kids through that kind of worry.

His phone rang as his vehicle arrived in the driveway. Noah tapped accept.

“Noah? Sorry, I was out at a meeting.”

“Maggie, was Lena in today?”

“Not sure. One of the guys at the paper called me.”

“Have you spoken with her?”

“No. What is the matter?”

“She hasn’t been seen since yesterday.”

He brought his window down, and Mia and Ethan came running up. He lifted a finger to let them know he was on the phone.

“I saw her just after noon yesterday then she dashed out,” Maggie said.

“Did she say where she was going?”

“No, but then she never really does. That girl is like a tornado. Always on the move.”

“Maggie. What was she working on?”

“Uh. I asked her to look into the dogs being stolen from owners.”

“Anyone specific?”

“No. I just asked her to find the story. You know…” she paused. “Noah, you are worrying me.”

“Listen, can you have someone check her computer, find out if she told anyone in the office where she was going?”

“I’m on my way there now. I’ll see what I can dig up and get back to you.”

Noah hung up and took a breath before pushing out of the Bronco into the arms of his kids. There were no tears yet but the worry was evident. “It’s all right. I’m sure we’ll find her.” He looked over the top of their heads at Aiden who didn’t seem as convinced.

“Give me and Aiden a moment,” he said. Mia nodded, and she and Ethan went back into the house. He waited until the door groaned shut before Noah asked.

“Why didn’t you call me last night?”

“Because it wasn’t anything out of the usual.”

“So, she usually doesn’t come home?”

“No. I mean, sometimes she rolls in late and…”

“And?”

“Well, then when she didn’t come back, I thought it was about us.”

“You?”

Aiden glanced off toward the house. He sighed. “Lena has been having second thoughts about us getting married. She said she’s not sure if she wants to go through with it, that it felt a little rushed.” He shook his head. “I asked her if it was because of you.”

“Me?”

“Returning to the area.”

“How would that change anything?”

He shrugged. “It shouldn’t have but I got a sense it did. The past two weeks she’s been different. Distant, you could say. I mean you’re an investigator. If everything is good then suddenly it’s not, more often than not, something’s changed.” He paused. “The only change is you.”

Noah’s gaze drifted away. “In the last two years, Aiden. Has she ever not come home?”

“No.”

“Then we treat it for what it is,” he said, making his way toward the house .

“Which is?”

“She’s gone missing. I’ve checked the hospitals. No sign of her. So, unless she’s had an accident and…” His mind went back to the two dead women and how their deaths were made to look like suicides.

“And?” Aiden asked.

“This isn’t like her. Regardless of you or me, one thing Lena would never do is leave her kids worrying about her.

” Noah went into the house. Mia and Ethan were upstairs.

The TV was on in the living room. The volume low.

Local news. It was a tactic Mia had used to keep her brother calm when there had been tension at home.

The two of them would retreat to a room, close the door and allow Noah and Lena to hash it out.

“Mia!” Noah yelled. She appeared at the top of the stairs. “Just to be clear, mom never texted you or Ethan to say where she was going?”

“No.”

He turned to Aiden. “What about friends, family?”

“Already called them. No one has seen or heard from her.”

“What did Doug or Jack have to say?”

“They’re out there looking for her as we speak, which is where I think we need to be,” Aiden said, collecting his coat as there was a cool breeze blowing in across the county.

With evenings getting darker and sunset around 4:30 p.m., the chances of finding her by driving the streets were slim to none.

“I’m taking out my car, probably best we have as many of us out there as possible,” Aiden said.

“Sure… keep me updated.”

“I gave her a number for a dog,” Ethan said.

Noah turned abruptly and looked up the staircase. “What?”

“Mom. When I spoke to her yesterday on the phone.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Mia asked angrily.

“I… I just thought of it now. ”

“Ethan. What number?” Noah asked with urgency in his tone.

“It was on a flyer,” Aiden said with his hand on the door handle to go out. “They’re posted around town. Ethan saw one. I put him on the phone with Lena. He’s been asking for a dog for a while. But I didn’t hear him give her that, otherwise I would have told you.”

“The number. Did you keep it?”

“No, I tossed it. But I can show you where the flyer is,” Ethan said, hurrying down the stairs.

“All right. Let’s go,” Noah said, clapping his hands together.

His kids wanted to go with him which allowed Aiden to follow, after which he would take them home.

It was clear he was as worried as the rest of them.

Although Noah didn’t want to go there in his mind, he couldn’t help but ask his kids once they were in the car.

“Mia. Have you noticed any changes in Aiden?”

“None.”

“And mom?” he asked, reversing out.

“A little. Nothing that stands out. I heard them arguing the other night. Mostly mom saying that she was having second thoughts. Aiden said it was normal to have cold feet and to second-guess since she was married before.”

“He never touched her, did he?”

“No. He’s not like that, Dad.”

The Bronco sped through the streets, curling around the winding road back into town until they reached the ice cream parlor.

Ethan was out the door before he even put it in park.

He rushed into the store just as they were getting ready to close up for the evening.

“It’s right up…” Ethan stopped, his gaze zigzagging a board on the wall. “It was here. It was right here.”

“Are you sure?”

Aiden appeared behind them. “It was there. He’s right. ”

Noah turned to one of two youngsters who were manning the store that evening. “The flyer for dogs. Where’s it gone?”

They shrugged.

“Maybe someone took it if it was the last one,” Aiden added.

Noah had seen those types of flyers selling goods over the years.

Someone would take an 8 x 11 sheet of paper, print a photo of whatever item they were looking to sell on it, add their advertisement and price, cut ten or twenty times at the bottom and write a phone number on each strip so those interested could rip off the number.

Mia checked the trash. It was full of half-eaten ice creams and wet napkins.

“Nothing,” she said.

“Do you know the people who put up the flyer?” Noah asked.

A teenager behind the counter replied, “No. Anyone can leave an ad there. It changes from day to day.”

Noah looked around the room and noticed two small cameras. “Those working?”

“Yeah.”

“How long do you keep a recording?”

“A week.”

“When was it last wiped?”

“On Sunday.”

They would need a warrant to obtain the footage.

“Make sure you don’t wipe the footage. We might need it,” he said, taking out his badge and showing them.

The two youngsters looked nervous but nodded.

Heading back out, Noah looked up the road, running a hand around the back of his neck, trying to think.

“I can take the kids home if you need to go,” Aiden said before Noah cut him off.

“Mia. Long shot but are you and mom still sharing location through your iPhones? ”

Mia’s eyes widened as she reached into her pocket, understanding what he meant. “Shoot, why didn’t I think of that?”

“Hold on. What? Why would she do that?” Aiden asked.

“Parental worry,” Mia said. “She wouldn’t let me disable it because of trust issues.”

“No, she cares,” Noah corrected her. “And I should remind you, I had to do the same.”

“Yes. You were the reason behind it,” Mia said, thumbing her phone.

“Until you were,” Noah replied, his lip curling.

“Sorry. I’m a little behind the curve here. What?” Aiden asked.

Noah explained. “If you lose an Apple device – iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch – Apple gives users a way to view its last known location even if the battery is dead, or the phone is turned off, as long as Find My and Location Sharing is enabled.”

“You can track movement too, but only if the battery has life,” Mia said, swiping the screen on her iPhone. She groaned. “Why didn’t I think of this?”

“When did you last use it?” Noah asked, recalling it was a long time ago they’d set it up.

“A year ago.”

“Mom was still sharing her location?”

“That was the agreement,” Mia replied.