Page 74 of Vanish From Sight

“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.

Mia tapped the green icon to view a live map. At the bottom she clicked the icon for People. Mia handed the phone to him. He squinted and pinched the screen to get a better view of the location. Noah turned back to his vehicle but not before pointing. “Aiden, take them back to the house.”

“I’m coming with you, Dad,” Mia said.

“No, you’re not. You stay with Aiden.”

“That’s my phone.”

“And you will get it back.”

“We want to know where mom is.”

“And you will. Please. Just go with Aiden.”

“You sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Aiden asked.

He shook his head and got back into his vehicle.

The evening was thick with fear and the crispness of fall as his Bronco raced through the winding roads of the Adirondacks. Noah’s heart pounded in his chest as he clutched the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white with anxiety. His mind raced with questions. Lena’s disappearance was already unnerving enough, but the remote last known location was a red flag that only elevated his worry.

As the engine roared, the forest loomed on either side, dark and dense; the only light came from the beams of his headlights. He couldn’t help but fear the worst — was she still alive, hurt or lost, or had something more dreadful happened?

After all he’d been through with Luke, he couldn’t allow his thoughts to creep into the worst-case scenario and yet trying to keep his mind at bay was like holding back the ocean from the shore.