8
After dropping the girls and Buffy off at Grandpa Lin’s house, Drew got back into his truck and sent a group text to all four of Noel’s sisters, asking if they’d seen her.
The replies rolled in one after another. None of them had seen her that day and they wanted to know what was going on. Drew wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want to cause a panic either. It was possible Noel had taken off to deal with something at the inn. He’d tried to call, but he’d only gotten the voice mail, which meant they were either busy or very slow. It was those nights when they let the service get their calls and they called back during business hours.
Instead of leaving a message, he decided to head to town and just go there first. He texted the Townsend sisters to let them know that Noel was out, but her phone was broken and he was just trying to track her down. Then he asked them to please have her call him if they heard from her. That seemed to appease everyone except Abby.
Just as Drew was headed down the main highway, his phone rang. He picked it up through his Bluetooth. “Yes, Abby? Have you heard from Noel?”
“No, and your message freaked me out. Something’s not right, Drew. I can feel it all the way down to my toes. Now, what’s really going on?”
At least now he had confirmation that he wasn’t crazy about his insistence that something was off. If Abby felt it too, then it wasn’t just him being paranoid. “Before I got home from work, Noel left the house without telling the girls where she was going. I also found her phone broken in the barn. That’s all I know.”
“She just left without letting the girls know?” Abby gasped out. “She wouldn’t do that!”
“I agree. That’s why I’m headed to town to look for her,” Drew said, turning down Main Street.
“Do you want me to meet you there?” Abby asked.
Drew knew she wanted him to say yes. Abby was a doer, much like all the Townsend sisters. Sitting around and waiting for news wasn’t their MO. But still… He shook his head even though she couldn’t see him. “No. On the off chance there is trouble, I don’t want my kids’ favorite aunt to end up in the middle of it.”
She was silent for a long moment.
“That doesn’t mean there’s trouble,” Drew said, trying to reassure her, but there was no denying the dread that curled in his stomach.
“You don’t believe that and neither do I,” Abby said, seeing right through his feeble attempt to keep her calm.
“No, I guess I don’t,” Drew admitted. “But I don’t want to worry about you while I’m out here looking for Noel. We both know this is wildly out of character for her, and if I do happen to find her, we have no idea what we’d be stepping into.” Drew didn’t want to sound dramatic, but in his profession, not much surprised him anymore. He’d seen too much in his time on the job.
“You won’t have to worry about me,” Abby insisted. “All I’m going to do is look around. You can’t stop me, Drew.”
“No, I guess I can’t,” Drew said, both anxious and relieved that he’d have someone else looking for Noel. “Just… be careful.”
“I will, and I’ll call if I see anything at all.”
The call ended, and Drew realized that somehow while he’d been talking to Abby, the truck had seemed to steer itself to the inn, and he was just about to park in the empty spot reserved for Noel. He cursed under his breath after realizing that his wife’s vehicle was nowhere to be seen. That meant it was highly unlikely she was there. He still had to check, though.
The light to the right of the front door was out, and Drew made a mental note to change the bulb. But when he went to reach for the doorknob, his foot came down on an uneven surface and made a sickening crunching sound.
He quickly stepped back and peered down at the porch, only to realize that the bulb wasn’t just out. The entire sconce had been ripped off the wall of the inn and was lying shattered right in front of the door.
Drew sprang into action. He grabbed his Taser in one hand while he turned the doorknob and then unceremoniously threw it open.
He heard a startled cry that sounded a lot like Bianca. Hiding his Taser behind his back, Drew stepped into the inn, taking his time to look for threats. When he didn’t see any, he secured his Taser and then walked over to the front desk where Bianca was shaking like a leaf. “Hey, I’m sorry,” Drew said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Drew,” she said with a huge sigh. “Thank goodness it’s you. I…” She shook her head and flopped down into the wooden chair and leaned forward, trying to suck in air as if she were having a panic attack.
“Bianca!” He slipped behind the counter and crouched beside her as he rubbed her back with one hand, trying to soothe her. “You’re okay. Whatever happened, you’re okay now.”
Tears slipped down her ghostly pale face. “I’m not okay. Noel f-f-fired me.”
“Noel was here?” he asked, his heart racing. “Just before I got here?”
Bianca nodded as the tears consumed her.
“But why?”
Holding up one arm, Bianca pointed toward the back room that was just behind the counter.
Drew stared through the open door, and when he caught a glimpse of the safe door that was open, he stood abruptly and headed for the safe only to find that it was completely empty. His heart sank all the way to the floor.
The safe was empty.
The emergency cash she’d always kept there was gone.
Why? The word kept flashing over and over again in his mind.
Drew walked back over to Bianca. “Did she say anything?”
“No,” Bianca said, wiping her tears. “The guy who was with her did all the talking.”
“What guy?” Had someone taken Noel against her will? It was the only logical explanation at that point.
“I don’t know. He looked sort of familiar, but he had a fedora hat on that was covering his eyes, and I’m just not sure. I’m sorry, Drew. I’m just in shock. I don’t really know what happened.”
He nodded and quickly headed for the computer that was thankfully still on the desk. After a few taps on the keys, he found what he wanted and hit Play on the evening’s security footage.
Four different perspectives flashed on the computer screen. One for the front porch, one for the back door, a third for the kitchen door, and the fourth for the front desk. There was nothing at first, and Drew sped up the playback and paused it the moment someone appeared at the front entrance.
Right there on the screen was his wife, holding hands with a tall man whose frame was indeed familiar. They paused just in front of the door long enough for the man to pull Noel into his arms, bend her back, and then kiss her for all he was worth. Her arms were around his neck, holding on tightly, and when he pulled up, she was smiling up at him.
Drew hit Pause and then printed out the picture. After snatching the paper from the printer tray underneath the check-in counter, he pocketed it and then forced himself to watch the rest of the video. After Noel and the man entered the front door, he turned his attention to the camera at the front desk. Bianca appeared, a surprised look on her face, but it shortly turned to one of confusion and then horror as she watched Noel and the man hold hands while they went back and raided the safe.
The audio was off, but when Noel and the man returned, it looked like Bianca asked what was going on. That’s when the man grabbed her and pushed her up against the wall. He didn’t hit her, but he said something in her ear that Noel seemed to repeat. As Noel and the man left, Bianca slid down the wall and broke down in tears.
Drew closed his eyes and counted to ten, trying to compartmentalize his feelings. He was both deeply angry and confused. But at that moment, he needed to reassure Bianca. He turned around and spotted her wiping her eyes with a tissue. “I’m so sorry about tonight, Bianca,” he said. “I wish I knew what else to say, but I just don’t have anything other than that right now.”
She nodded, worry in her kind eyes. “I’m sorry, too. I know this can’t be easy for you either.”
“No, it isn’t,” he admitted. “But I’ll deal with it. I don’t know why Noel tried to fire you, but I think it’s safe to say she isn’t in her right mind. If it’s not too much to ask, do you think you could stay on at least until I figure out what’s going on? If you don’t want to, I understand, but?—”
“I’ll do it,” she said, standing taller and looking more determined. “I love this job. I don’t want to leave and…” She shook her head. “I agree that Noel was not herself.”
“Thank you,” Drew said, already moving toward the front door. “You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” Bianca said quietly. “I’ve been in your shoes once before. No one deserves that.”
Drew nodded once and then left. On the way home, he picked up his daughters from Lincoln’s house.
“Did you find Noel?” Lincoln asked immediately when he opened the door to his son-in-law.
Drew nodded. “Yes, she had to take care of some business at the inn. Everything is fine. She’s safe and sound.” But was she really? Drew had no idea. His wife was acting completely out of character, and he had no idea how to deal with it. For tonight, he just needed to get his girls and go home to be alone with his thoughts. Filling her dad in on the drama wasn’t something he was prepared to do. Not yet anyway.
“Oh, good. I’ll stop worrying,” Lin said with a smile. “Tell her to call me tomorrow when she has a chance.”
Drew nodded and tried to tamp down the guilt that clawed at his throat. He had no idea if he’d even see Noel tomorrow. But he had to take it one step at a time. “Will do. Thanks again for watching the girls.”
“Anytime.”
As Drew walked his girls to the truck, Daisy looked up at him. “Where’s Mom?”
“The inn.” He needed to tell them something, and considering he was still in the dark himself, the lie would have to do. “There was a staffing emergency, so she’ll likely stay over tonight.”
“Oh. Okay.” Daisy still looked a little troubled but appeared to accept his explanation.
“Will she be home tomorrow?” Poppy asked with a big yawn.
“I hope so, baby,” he said and buckled her into the truck.
“Good.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. In seconds she was asleep.
Once they were home, both girls went straight to bed.
Drew went to the rarely used liquor cabinet, poured himself two fingers of whiskey, and sat in the living room, staring at the printout of his wife kissing another man and trying to remember what life was like before everything had come crashing down around him.