Piper was almost two hours late and not answering her phone. He couldn’t help but fear that she was in trouble.
* * *
Piper was in trouble. Or at least she’d had some trouble and left the scene without letting the family know where she was going.
Josh had spotted his mother’s Camry on the narrow shoulder of the mountain highway leading from Boyd Valley to the main road into Denver and had parked behind it to examine the evidence of Piper’s mishap. The front bumper of their mother’s car was smashed and the hood had buckled. Piper had hit...something. Another car? An elk? Other wildlife?
Josh turned a full circle scanning the road, the hillside beyond the guardrail, everywhere he could see from his vantage point. Whatever had done this damage to the Camry was gone. And so was his sister.
The mystery of where she might have gone—clearly, she’d ridden with someone to either call a tow truck or phone someone in the family—didn’t bother Josh nearly as much as other details of the scene. First, she’d left her engine running. A completely inexcusable oversight he couldn’t see Piper letting slip by. Also, her driver’s door was open.
Josh swallowed the dark taste of anxiety that crept up the back of his throat. He wouldn’t panic. There had to be a reasonable explanation for the apparent oversights. He crunched over the gravel on the side of the highway to cut the engine and lock up his mother’s car until a tow could be arranged. Could she have felt sick or needed to go to the bathroom and hiked into the trees a little ways?
Josh scanned the highway and remote landscape of aspens, tall pines and dead grasses on the steep hillsides. “Piper! Hey, Pipsqueak, you out there?”
His shout startled a pair of birds from a nearby scrub brush, but no one answered.
Leaning into the Camry, he turned and removed the ignition key. As he backed out, he spotted Piper’s purse on the floorboard, the contents spilled out. Her wallet, her lip balm, her brush. And her phone.
A chill raced through Josh. His sister simply wasn’t foolish enough to leave her purse and her cell phone behind in any circumstance. A sinking reality swamped Josh, and his gut filled with acid. Something bad had happened to Piper. Something very bad.
* * *
Brady called Piper’s phone. Again. And the call was answered.
“Hi, Br...y.”
Despite the bad connection, he knew the voice belonged to Josh, but even with the sound dropping out, he recognized the timbre of dejection and anxiety.
Brady’s stomach pitched. A sinking dread flowed through his veins like wet concrete. “If you’re answering her phone, the news isn’t good, is it?”
“No. I f...her car aband...left her purse and ph... behind.”
Brady propped his elbow on his knee and braced his hand against his forehead. “Have you called the cops yet?”
“Not yet. Only...in cell range. I’m on...to get you. We...talk then.”
Brady’s throat tightened. He didn’t know how he’d stand it if anything happened to Piper. “Okay. But I’m calling the cops and having them meet us here.”
“...jurisdiction. I’ll call Za...him alert the local auth...” Josh said.
“What should I do?” He couldn’t be idle. If Piper was missing, he had to be doing something. Anything.
“Sit tight. I’ll...there in...minutes.”
“I can’t do nothing!” he argued. “I can call Dave and Helen and get them to start looking. Asking around town. What about your parents? Do they know?” Silence answered him. “Josh?”
He muttered a curse under his breath as he disconnected and raised his gaze to his father. Roy, as expected, was watching him with a deep furrow lining his brow.
“What’s happened?”
Connor, who’d finished his cafeteria hamburger and had his nose buried in a handheld video game, looked up, as well. Brady reached in his pocket for some money and held it out to his son. “Hey, buddy, why don’t you take this to the nurses’ desk and see if anyone there has change.”
Connor got up from his chair slowly and took the bills. “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing for you to worry about.” He tousled Connor’s hair and gave him a nudge toward the door. “You can use the change to buy yourself some candy or a drink from the machine, okay?”
The boy brightened a bit with that news. “Okay.”
Once Connor was out of earshot, he explained the situation to Roy as succinctly as he could.
After removing the oxygen cannula from his nose, Roy tossed the covers back and tried to get out of bed. “I’ll dress and help you look.”
Brady planted a hand on his father’s chest. “No. I won’t have you passing out or worse because you left the hospital too soon. Stay and recoup. Besides, I need to leave Connor here with you.”
Roy clearly wasn’t pleased with the idea of not being part of the search for Piper but, to his credit, he didn’t argue. “Where could she be? Piper’s not the sort to do something reckless like leaving her car and purse sitting unattended on the side of the road.”
Brady took a deep breath, shaking his head in agreement. His hands fisted, and anxiety tied his gut in a knot. “She’s not. That’s why I suspect foul play.”
Chapter 15
Twenty nerve-racking minutes later, Josh finally arrived at the hospital, and Brady had his jacket on in seconds. After exhorting Connor to behave and not give Roy or the nurses trouble, Brady matched Josh’s long-legged stride as they rushed out of the hospital.
“I reached Zane on the way in. He’s calling the sheriff and rounding up extra hands to search.” Josh pushed the elevator button and only waited about three seconds before balking and heading for the stairs. “Dave and Dad were in the pasture working on a cow with a split hoof, but Dave’s joined the search,” he said over his shoulder as he pounded down the steps. “Mom is beside herself...”
“Understandable.”
“...so Dad decided to stay with her. He can monitor the phone, draw up fliers, coordinate efforts with the police from there.”
“And what has the sheriff’s department said?”
“Not much yet. They’ve gone out to canvass the scene, and deputies were going to the ranch to get Piper’s picture and other info to distribute to other agencies.”
Given his recent oxygen depletion, Brady was breathing hard, and his temples pounded by the time they reached the bottom floor and the side exit of the hospital. So much for his doctor’s orders to take it easy for the next few days.
Panting a little as he jogged beside Josh, Brady said, “I’ve been thinking...”
“Yeah?”
“Rather than randomly searching, as if she were a lost dog, we need...a plan. A strategy.”
“Such as?” Josh asked, slowing to fish his keys from his jeans.
“Talk to people...in town. If we believe someone took her—”
“Looks that way,” Josh said, his tone grave and his eyes flinty. He pressed the fob on his key, and his truck’s taillights blinked as the doors unlocked.
Brady took a labored breath as he grabbed the door handle on the passenger side. “So we have to figure out who. Why.”
“That’s the crazy part!” Josh ranted as he slid behind the steering wheel. “She doesn’t even live here anymore! Piper doesn’t have any enemies.”
“Of course that is our gut reaction. And that may be true. This could be a random act. But...”
Josh held Brady’s gaze, his worry for his sister etched in the lines bracketing his eyes and the grim slash of his mouth. “But?”
“We have to move past that gut reaction and be logical. Think critically and analyze everything. We have to find the missing piece of this puzzle.” He swallowed hard as bile began to fill his throat. “And quickly. Time is not our friend. Statistics say the longer it takes to find her, the less likely we’ll find her alive.�
�
* * *
Josh and Brady met Zane in the parking lot of Zoe’s Bar and Grill. The restaurant was as good a place to start as any when you had exactly zero information or ideas.
They convened at the front bumper of Josh’s truck, hoping the meeting would be brief and productive and they could get busy finding Piper.
“So I’ve been thinking since I talked with you guys,” Zane said, his breath forming a white cloud as he talked. “We need to call some of Piper’s friends and colleagues in Boston. We don’t know of any rifts or enemies, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t tick someone off in Boston.”
“We were thinking the same thing,” Brady said.
“But before we go down that path—” Zane faced his brother with a narrow-eyed scrutiny “—you saw her car, and you said her front bumper and hood were crumpled, the airbag deployed.”
“Yeah?”
“Could she have hit her head, despite the airbag? Do you think she could be disoriented and wandering around that area, injured or concussed? Could she have walked away and be passed out in the hills around the accident site?”
“Anything is possible.” Josh twisted his mouth as he thought. “She left without turning off her engine, closing her door or taking her purse with her phone. If she wasn’t disoriented by a knock on the head, then she didn’t leave willingly. She wouldn’t have been that careless with the car, her wallet and phone...”
“Can we assume that the cops investigating the scene at her car will conduct a search of the area along the road if they determine she simply wandered away?” Brady asked.
“Can we?” Zane asked. “I want all bases covered.”
“But we’re only three people. Granted we have Dave and Helen’s help but...we should focus our efforts on what we feel was the most likely and most dangerous scenario.” Brady sagged against the side of Josh’s truck. He may have been released from the hospital, but lack of sleep and the stress his body had endured the past twenty-four hours had left him bone-tired. Adrenaline, caffeine and concern for Piper were his fuel at this point.
He divided his glance between the twins. “Agreed?”
“Right,” Josh said. “Then we need to consider the possibility that whoever has been lashing out at the family with the poison in the pond, the alfalfa fire, and other sabotage around the ranch could be behind this.”
“A more personal attack?” Brady weighed that option with a growing pit in his belly.
“Personal, as in plastic stuffed in vent pipes?” Zane said, his arms folded over his chest and his eyebrow arched in query. “The attacks aren’t only directed at our family.” He angled his head to include Brady. “You and your family were targeted, too.”
“Good point,” Josh said.
Brady felt a chill unrelated to the weather seep deep to his core. “You think everything that’s been happening comes back to my family? That someone who wants to hurt us is attacking us through the ranch?”
“Expanding that theory...” Josh said quietly, “maybe your brother’s death wasn’t an accident.”
Brady whipped his head toward Josh, too stunned to speak.
Zane held up a hand. “Not saying it wasn’t, but we have to look at the big picture and consider everything. Turning a blind eye to something as significant as your brother’s death doesn’t do Piper any favors. And you are linked to her by your past relationship.” And by Connor.
Zane didn’t say as much, but it hung in the frosty air like the proverbial elephant in their midst. And he was right. The plastic willfully stuffed in his vent pipe was evidence that someone meant him or his family harm. If the Double M failed and had to sell off the herd and lay off the last employees to pay off debt, he and his father would be unemployed, maybe even homeless. The attacks on the ranch could be indirectly aimed at them, with the McCalls as collateral damage.
“And who would that be? Someone my dad accosted or insulted while on one of his public benders? Seems an extreme form of retaliation. I haven’t been a saint, but I haven’t wronged anyone I can think of. Last person I punched was in high school, and Gill deserved—” Brady heard himself and swallowed the rest of the sentence.
Josh and Zane both shifted their weight and exchanged a glance.
“You punched Gill in high school?” Josh asked.
“So did you,” Brady reminded Josh, “and I didn’t start it. He took a swing at me first.”
“About?” Zane asked.
Brady’s breath stilled. “Piper.”
Now he really had the brothers’ attention.
“He made a rude comment about Piper, to Piper. I warned him to shut his trap and to apologize, and when he didn’t I...” Brady shoved his hands in his pockets and grimaced “...mouthed off about his mother. He took a swing at me, and I decked him. End of fight, ’cause by then there were teachers there, and Piper was pulling me off him.”
Zane reached for his truck door handle. “I’ll go talk to him. Apparently I’m the only one here who hasn’t punched him.”
“Wait,” Josh said, pointing to a car near the door to the diner. “Isn’t that his car? Looks like he’s inside having lunch.”
Josh started for the restaurant door. “Let’s go.”
Zane snagged his arm. “Hold up, hothead. Let me go in. We don’t want to get him defensive if he thinks we’re ganging up on him. I’ll call you if I want backup.”
Josh shrugged free of Zane’s restraining hand. “All right. Then...we’ll call her employer in Boston. See if any of her coworkers can tell us anything.”
Brady had his phone out looking up the phone number for Piper’s CPA firm before Zane could reach the restaurant’s sidewalk. “I’m on it.”
When the switchboard operator picked up, Brady explained who he was and asked to speak to the head of Piper’s department. The operator was silent for a minute, then said, “I think that would be Neil Pluchard, but his line is busy at the moment. Would you like to speak to his assistant?”
“Um, sure.” Brady paced the gravel parking lot restlessly and hunched deeper into his coat while he waited to be connected. The misty rain had returned, and he felt the sting of an occasional pellet of sleet.
“Neil Pluchard’s office. This is Carol. How can I help you?” a woman’s voice asked.
“Um, hi, Carol. I’m a friend of Piper McCall’s, and I’m in Boyd Valley, Colorado, with Piper’s brothers. We were hoping you could help us with something.”
“I’ll do my best. Piper is terrific. What, are you planning a surprise for her?” Carol asked.
“Uh, no. Nothing like that, I’m afraid.”
“Oh.” The one-word reply was rife with disappointment and concern. Carol had clearly heard the grave tone of his reply and sensed the serious nature of the conversation. “What can I do then?” she asked haltingly.
“We need to know if Piper has any enemies in Boston. Are you aware of anyone she’s had disagreements with or anyone who could hold a grudge against her?”
“Oh, dear! Has something happened to her?”
“We don’t know for sure. She’s missing, though, and...” His chest squeezed, making it harder to voice the truth that was so difficult to confront. “We’re afraid something bad may have happened to her. We’re trying to follow up on any leads that could tell us who might have wanted to hurt her.”
“How awful! My goodness, our office has had more than its share of tragedies lately. Now Piper, too! I—I can’t think of anyone who’d want to hurt her. We all think she’s wonderful.”
“No rivals for a promotion? Or...” he took a breath “...ex-boyfriends?”
“I’m sure she has ex-boyfriends. She’s a lovely girl, but...she hasn’t mentioned any bad breakups. But then she is always the consummate professional. Not one to spread mean gossip or bring her personal issues into the office.”
“You�
�re sure there’s nothing you can think of? Even if it seems arbitrary or inconsequential, it could help us figure out who has her.”
Carol hesitated, stammering, “I... No. Nothing. I’m so sorry. Everyone here loves Piper. In fact, we were saying in the staff meeting this morning how much we miss her.” She gave a sad chuckle. “Although that was mostly because we are so shorthanded until she gets back. Not only is she out, but another one of our accountants is taking personal time to be with his sick mother out of state. The work is really piling up.”
“Well, if you think of something, will you call me right away? Night or day.” He gave her his phone number and disconnected.
Josh gave him an expectant look. “Well?”
“Your sister is universally adored at the office. The boss’s assistant had nothing.”
While he was glad to hear Piper’s colleagues liked and respected her, he was no closer to an answer. Except...
A tingle started at his nape when he thought back on what the woman had said. Frowning, he hit redial and asked to be connected again to the assistant. When Carol answered, he asked without preamble, “What did you mean when you said your office has had more than its share of tragedies?”
“Wha—oh, I just...earlier this year one of our tax attorneys died in a terrible accident at his apartment building. He went over a railing and fell several stories. Then, sweet Sally Henshaw was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now Piper is missing, and Ken’s mother is on her deathbed.”
“Tell me more about the tax attorney. Was foul play suspected?”
“Foul play?” Carol sounded horrified. “No.”
“He just...fell over the railing?” Brady asked, incredulous. “Was he drunk? Were there witnesses?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Do you think his death is related to Piper’s disappearance? How could it be? That’s crazy!”
His itchy suspicion grew. “How well did Piper know this guy? Were they involved?”
“No. I don’t think so, but then... Ron was a real ladies’ man. He flirted with all the women in the office. It was innocent, though. Just fun flirtation.”
Rancher's Deadly Reunion Page 20
