Cookies with a Side of Danger

by Meredith Potts

  “Anything you can tell us that can help us find Claire. For example, did she have any enemies?”

  Kristina shook her head.

  “So, you can’t think of anyone who had a reason to harm Claire?” David asked.

  “No,” Kristina said.

  “Really? She got along with everyone at school then?” David asked.

  “It’s more like she was ignored by almost everyone at school. Claire and I are practically invisible at Treasure Cove High,” Kristina said.

  “Does that mean she wasn’t dating anyone?” David asked.

  Kristina scoffed. “Are you kidding? Her dad didn’t let her date.”

  “Is there anyone in particular that he refused to let her date?”

  “No. Claire’s father just had a blanket rule about dating. He thought she should focus on her studies and not mess around with boys until she went off to college.”

  “I understand. That said, you didn’t answer my question,” David replied.

  Kristina squinted. “What are you talking about?”

  “Did Claire like anyone in particular?”

  Kristina nodded. “Brent Waldrick.”

  “Tell me about Brent.”

  “To start, he didn’t know that Claire even existed.”

  “Oh,” David said. “So, you don’t think they could have been secretly dating?”

  Kristina shook her head. “Not a chance.”

  “Do you know of any guys who were interested in Claire?” I asked. “Even if she wasn’t necessarily attracted to them?”

  “Nope.”

  David shrugged. “Really?”

  “Like I said, Claire and I are practically invisible at Treasure Cove High.”

  “How about outside of school? Was Claire a part of any groups or sports teams?” David asked.

  “No. She’s always been an introvert. She doesn’t like being in large groups.”

  “Oh,” David said. “Did you happen to see Claire at all yesterday?”

  Kristina shook her head.

  “Why not?” David wondered.

  “It was my dad’s birthday so my family went sailing for most of the day,” Kristina said.

  “When was the last time you talked to Claire then?” David said.

  “We texted a bunch on Friday night,” Kristina said.

  “In her text messages, did she mention being worried about anything? Or having any big plans for the weekend?” David said.

  “Not at all,” Kristina said.

  “Is it possible that she hung out with another one of her friends yesterday?”

  “That isn’t likely.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m her only friend.”

  David put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. “You can’t think of anywhere that she might have gone then?”

  “I wish I had a better answer for you, but I have no clue where she went or what happened to her.”

  “All right.” David reached into his pocket and pulled out his business card. “Well, if you see or hear anything that might help us locate Claire, don’t hesitate to give me a call.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kristina wasn’t the only person we spoke to that afternoon, but she did represent our best hope of procuring a lead. When she wasn’t able to give us anything to work with, it seemed like a very bad sign.

  In truth, our conversation with Kristina was the first of a number of dead ends that David and I hit that morning. By the time we took a few moments to catch our breath in the middle of the afternoon, it was hard not to be discouraged.

  “Talk about a frustrating morning,” I said.

  David nodded. “I have a feeling that this case is going to be an absolute beast.”

  “I never thought I would feel discouraged about someone having no enemies,” I said.

  “Yeah. Usually, that’s a good thing.”

  “Unfortunately, in this case, it means that there are very few people for us to question,” I said.

  David winced. “There’s only so much you can do when you have no leads.”

  I stared out into the distance. “I honestly can’t remember the last time we had this little to work with.”

  “What a terrible time to break new ground.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  “You know, as easy as it would be to throw ourselves a big pity party, there’s work to be done.”

  “I know. The question is, what do you want to do next?”

  “Let’s check back in at the station,” he said.

  ***

  Unfortunately, there weren’t any new leads waiting for us at the police department. It certainly wasn’t from a lack of effort.

  David called up the local hospital. He also phoned some medical centers in neighboring cities. He had the admissions clerks search for Claire’s name. When that didn’t pull up any results, he asked about any Jane Doe’s that might have been treated recently. That was also a dead end.

  From there, David turned his attention to the tip line. Frustratingly, the phones were completely quiet. According to the deputy in charge of the tip line, it had been that way all day. Apparently, no one in town had any nuggets of information. Or, at least none that they were willing to share.

  Talk about perplexing. In this day and age, it seemed crazy to think that someone could vanish without a trace. Granted, it was early in the investigation, but how could there be no sign of Claire anywhere?

  Typically, the opposite was the case. I was accustomed to there being so much speculation that it was difficult to rummage through it all.

  The fact that David and I had practically nothing to work with made me think that perhaps a lot of planning went into this. That it was a well-coordinated effort. But by who? And for what reason?

  While I could have spent the rest of the day speculating about some maniac who had planned this all out in advance, there was a better use of my time. Instead, I lent David a hand as he organized a number of search parties.

  To start, a diving team was dispatched to the ocean. They would search the coastal areas for any signs of Claire. Meanwhile, David got an article of clothing from Claire’s father. A K9 search and rescue squad used the scent from Claire’s sweater to try and find her in the forest in the northeast corner of town. In addition, half a dozen aerial drones were deployed over the city. Perhaps one of those drones would be able to spot Claire. Finally, a couple of deputies started going over all of the security footage from various traffic cameras that were situated around town. With any luck, something would catch their eye.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Despite the fact that the entire police force was working on this case, no one ended up having any luck. Everyone ended up hitting a wall.

  If that wasn’t discouraging enough, things only got worse from there. Just when it seemed like the day couldn’t get any more stressful, I received a phone call from Justin Blakely. Almost immediately, my anxiety level increased. David and I already felt tons of pressure to solve this case. The last thing we needed was added weight on our shoulders.

  Part of me wanted to ignore the call, but I knew that Justin would just call back. It was better to just speak with him right then.

  The moment I picked up the phone, Justin’s emotions began pouring out of him. He was desperate for an update. Any glimmer of hope that I could give him.

  Unfortunately, there was very little to be optimistic about right then. Although, I did my best to keep Justin from giving in to despair.

  “Hang in there,” I said.

  “I’m trying,” Justin replied.

  “We’re doing our best here, but it really does take time.”

  “Do you have any leads?”

  “Not at the moment,” I said. “But it’s still early.”

  “Wait. Kristina wasn’t able to give you anything to work with then?”

  “No.”

  Justin became deflated. “Oh.”

  “You sound surprised.”
r />   “I’m not sure that surprised is the right word. Disappointed is more like it. I was just really hoping that maybe Kristina knew something that I didn’t.”

  “I’m afraid she doesn’t.”

  Justin took a deep breath. “Someone in this town must have seen something. Or have heard something.”

  “The question is, who?”

  “I was hoping you’d have an answer to that.”

  “Like I said before, it’s still early.”

  “You keep saying that, but every moment that Claire remains missing is just absolute torture.”

  “I understand. And I’m very sorry about that.”

  “Not as sorry as I am. I just want my daughter back. You have to find her. I don’t know what I would do without her. I’ve lost so much already.”

  “Justin, trust me. The moment we get any new information, you’ll be the first person I contact—”

  “You promise?”

  “I do. But right now, I don’t have anything else to share with you,” I said.

  Chapter Fifteen

  That evening, I drove over to my parents’ house on Sycamore Grove Trail to pick my daughter up. After thanking my mother and my stepfather for babysitting Jessica, I was ready to head home.

  When my stepfather asked me to stay with him on the porch for a minute while my mother walked Jessica out to my car, I got worried that I would get drawn into a long conversation. More specifically, an unwanted discussion about my sister. After all, there were a number of parallels between Claire Blakely’s disappearance and the way my sister had gone missing years ago.

  It was only logical for my parents to worry about how close to home this case hit. Rather than letting myself get very emotional, I was trying to hold myself together. At least until I got home. Would my stepfather let me do that?

  “Please tell me you and David have some kind of an update,” Luke said.

  I was so relieved not to hear my sister’s name mentioned. Apparently, Luke was curious about the Claire Blakely investigation.

  I grimaced as I gave Luke a response. “Things aren’t looking so great right now.”

  “You aren’t close to finding her then?” he asked.

  I shook my head.

  He grimaced. “What a nightmare.”

  “It is. But maybe we’ll have better luck tomorrow.”

  “I sure hope so,” Luke said. “In other news, if you need us to drive Jessica to school in the morning or to pick her up in the afternoon, just let us know.”

  “I will.” I leaned in and gave him a hug. “Thanks again.”

  “Are you kidding? It’s the least we can do,” Luke said.

  “I meant, thanks for everything that you and mom do. You guys are the best,” I said.

  Just then, my mother returned from the car. “I can never hear that too much.”

  I laughed. “I’ll bet.”

  “I have to admit, it’s nice to see a smile on your face. I thought this case would bring out your worst anxieties. Not to mention giving you terrible flashbacks about what happened to your sister,” Elizabeth said.

  “Actually, I’ve been trying not to think about that,” I said.

  “I don’t know how you can avoid it,” Elizabeth said.

  “It isn’t easy, but I’m doing my best,” I said.

  “You must have more restraint than I do,” Elizabeth said. “I’ve been thinking about your sister all day.”

  “Mom, can we please not talk about this right now?” I asked.

  “Sure. What would you rather discuss?” Elizabeth asked.

  Before I had a chance to answer, my grandmother, Betsy, came out of the house carrying a circular container.

  “How about cookies?” Betsy asked.

  My eyes widened. “Did you just say cookies?”

  Betsy nodded. “I sure did.” She opened the lid of the container. “These are fresh baked. And they’re all yours.”

  “Wow. Talk about a treat,” I said.

  “I figured that you could use a break after the day you had,” Betsy said.

  “You figured correctly,” I said. “Thank you so much.”

  Betsy smiled at me. “You are very welcome.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  When I dropped Jessica off at school the next morning, she seemed eager to meet up with her friends. I wasn’t about to let her get out of the car without speaking with her first. An incredibly important topic was on my mind and I couldn’t let another minute go by without discussing it with my daughter.

  “Jessica, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” I said.

  “What is it?” Jessica asked.

  “Do you remember what I told you about strangers?”

  “Not to talk to them.”

  “Exactly,” I said. “And if a stranger approaches you, what do you do?”

  “Yell really loudly and run away.”

  “Good. It’s important that you only talk to people you know and trust.”

  “Okay, Mommy.”

  “I’m serious. You can’t mess around when it comes to your safety. If you see a stranger hanging around, find an adult you trust and tell them about it. Do you understand?”

  Jessica nodded.

  “All right. With that out of the way, I hope you have a good day at school,” I said.

  Jessica was incredibly concerned as she looked at me. “Mommy, is everything okay?”

  “Yes. It’s just that you can’t be too careful.”

  Jessica continued to stare at me, but she didn’t say another word.

  I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Anyway, I love you very much. I’ll be right here to pick you up at three o’clock. All right?”

  “Okay,” Jessica said.

  Jessica then got out of the car and walked toward the front door of the school. I knew she was probably confused about why I had just given her that safety lecture. In her mind, that probably came out of nowhere.

  I wasn’t about to share any details about the Claire Blakely case with her. After all, my daughter was only five-years-old. I didn’t want to scare her. At the same time, I didn’t want her to be completely unprepared if a worst-case scenario did present itself.

  It was a difficult tightrope to walk, but it had to be done.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Once I left the parking lot of the school, I headed over to Daley Buzz. On a morning like that, caffeine was essential. Not just for me, but also for my husband. I planned on grabbing a latte for myself before bringing a double espresso to the police station for David.

  When I arrived at the coffee shop, my plan hit an unexpected delay. One of my old friend’s was standing at the counter.

  The moment Ryan Davidson made eye contact with me, I could tell he had a lot on his mind. If I had to guess, he was probably wrestling with the same emotions that I was. Honestly, I would be shocked if Claire Blakely’s disappearance didn’t give him flashbacks related to my sister going missing years ago.

  After all, he had close ties to my sister. Ryan and Jessica had been dating at the time of my sister’s disappearance. When she went missing, he was devastated. So much so that he ended up leaving town for almost an entire decade. For a while, I wondered if he would ever come back.

  When he did, his heart was still broken over the way her life had come to an end. That said, he had done his best to carry on. It took a number of years, but eventually, he fell in love with a new woman. Not only that, but they ended up getting married. They also had a daughter.

  That last point really drove home how dire this current situation was. It was every parent’s worst nightmare to lose a child. So, when a local kid went missing, it was almost impossible not to fear the worst.

  Even so, just because I was wrestling with all these thoughts didn’t mean that I wanted to talk about them. I was already emotional enough. I didn’t want to pour my heart out in the middle of my family’s coffee shop. If anything, I wanted to avoid the subject as much as possible. />
  While that would be difficult to do, I was determined to try.

  “Ryan. I haven’t seen you in a while. What have you been up to?” I asked.

  “It turns out work has been keeping me really busy,” Ryan said.

  “I know how that goes. Hopefully, things calm down for you sooner rather than later.”

  “I wouldn’t hold your breath.”

  “How’s your wife?” I asked. “And your daughter?”

  “They are hanging in there.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Of course there is. Claire Blakely’s disappearance has really shaken them. Honestly, it has done a number on me as well.”

  So much for avoiding the case. Ryan decided to bring that topic front and center. Still, I didn’t want to tackle it head-on.

  “I’m sorry about that,” I said.

  “That’s why I’m glad I ran into you,” he said.

  I squinted. “I’m not following your logic.”

  “I was hoping you might have some good news to share. Like maybe there’s been a new development in the case.”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “Oh.”

  “You and David still don’t have any idea where Claire is then?”

  I shook my head.

  “What a nightmare,” he said.

  “It sure is,” I said.

  Before the conversation went any further down that depressing path, I tried to change the subject.

  “Anyway—”

  Unfortunately, Ryan had other ideas.

  “You know, ever since I heard about Claire’s disappearance, I have been reminded of your sister,” he said.

  Even though I told myself I wouldn’t become fixated on the past and that I would do my best to keep from getting too emotional, my plans went right out the window when I heard my sister being referenced. Rather than avoiding the topic any longer, I wore my heart on my sleeve.

  “Yeah. This case has hit me especially hard,” I said.

  “Of course it did. Why wouldn’t it?”

  “Honestly, I thought that after all these years, Jessica’s death wouldn’t sting so much.”