by Eryn Scott
The signs of laughter left Paul’s features. He shook his head then returned his attention to Dennis. Hadley followed, finding Dennis frowning down at his hands as he stood behind the counter.
“Mr. Miller, Miranda’s mom called in this morning. She’s missing.”
Hadley’s heart raced in her chest, making her dizzy. Missing? Not the high schooler who helped everyone satisfy their sweet tooth with an equally delightful smile.
“Since when?” Hadley asked. A pit formed in her stomach as her mind went to the story of the missing teen from Cascade Ridge.
“Apparently last night. She stayed at a friend’s house, but when her mom got a call from the school asking why Miranda was absent, we found out from the friend she never actually spent the night. They'd lied to cover their true plans.”
“Whoa,” was all Hadley could manage at the news.
Paul took a step forward, reaching for the notepad in his back pocket. “You haven’t heard from her today, have you?”
Dennis picked at something on the spotless countertop near the register. “Nope. I’ve tried calling her, but she hasn’t answered.”
The man’s statement was as brief as it was dismal.
Paul scratched a hand across his beard, a gesture that meant something frustrated him. “And when was the last time you saw her?” Paul prodded further.
“She closed for me last night,” Dennis said.
Paul’s eyebrows lifted with interest. “What time was that?”
Hadley almost scoffed. The whole town knew the candy shop closed at seven on weeknights and five on weekends. She cleared her throat as she realized Paul was doing his job as a deputy.
“We locked up at seven and were out of here by eight.” Dennis ran a finger along the edge of the glass display case.
“And did she talk about her plans for the rest of the night?” Paul asked, scratching down notes in his pad.
“Not a word.”
Paul waited until Dennis shook his head before asking, “Did she seem okay? Anything seem to be bothering her?”
The older man paused, but shrugged. “I don’t think so. She seemed normal.”
Paul closed his notepad. “Call me if you hear anything.” The pointed look he shot Dennis before leaving could've melted chocolate.
Hadley followed her brother out the door, glancing back at the frustratingly frigid candy shop owner.
Paul stopped outside the shop, holding his notebook like he was about to throw it into the street.
“Hey, everything’s going to be okay.” Hadley placed a hand on her brother’s arm.
He ran a hand over his jaw. “It’s not, Had. A girl is missing, and as of right now, that man was the last person to see her.”
2
A chill skittered down Hadley’s spine as she remembered the headline she’d read earlier about the teen from Cascade Ridge. She had a terrible feeling she’d been wrong to think Stoneybrook was immune to such serious problems.
She paced in front of the candy shop as she tried to come up with a plan. They had to find Miranda.
Facing her brother, she asked, “Have you talked to Kelsey yet?”
Miranda Walters and Kelsey Morrow had been inseparable for as long as Hadley could remember. She’d babysat when she was younger, and watching little Kelsey often meant watching Miranda too. Now the girls themselves were seniors in high school, and their whole lives were before them.
“Kelsey wasn’t the person Miranda was supposed to stay with last night.” Paul shook his head.
“What?”
“Miranda’s mom said they got in some sort of fight and haven’t talked to each other in months.”
Hadley sighed. Keeping up with town goings-on was hard enough without trying to follow the trials of teenage fights and romances. To be honest, Hadley hadn’t been staying current on regular town business either. She’d been busy selling her house and moving into a new one, over the last few months. And with her parents moving her grandmother in with them from Oregon, she knew it wasn’t about to get any less hectic.
“So if it wasn’t Kelsey, who was she supposed to stay with?” Hadley asked.
“Cassandra Lee.” Paul cocked an eyebrow.
Hadley’s lips parted in surprise. “The Lees?”
Paul nodded.
The Lees were one of Stoneybrook’s more infamous families. They were part of the small population of people who moved from Cascade Ridge down to Stoneybrook. And while a few others had done the same to get away from the big city, the Lees had a different motive; they were rich up north and wanted to be even richer down in the valley.
To the Lees, money was all about power, and no one abused it more than their only daughter.
“Hanging with that mean girl doesn’t sound like Miranda at all.” Hadley furrowed her brow. “We need to talk to Kelsey.”
Paul rubbed the back of his neck. “I agree, but I’m afraid it might have to be more of a you situation instead of we. I’ve got to talk to the Lees as soon as I can. Timing is tight with missing persons cases like this. Our window of opportunity for finding her …” He trailed off, clearing his throat instead.
But the word alive rang in Hadley’s thoughts regardless.
“Gotcha. I’ll go talk with Kelsey and give you a call if I find out anything.”
Hadley waved to her brother as he climbed into his truck and it rumbled to life. Once he’d pulled out onto Main Street, she walked the rest of the way down to the Seven Stones restaurant where Kelsey worked as a hostess evenings and weekends.
The large restaurant sat at one end of Main Street, tucked up right next to the rushing Cascade River. From that point, the river pulled away from downtown little by little, so by the time one reached the other end of downtown—where Fenton Park and the town hall building sat—a line of trees hid the river from sight.
Seven large rocks balanced on top of one another in an artistic cairn next to the entrance, acting as all the signage the business needed. There was a diner a block from downtown, a farm-to-table restaurant that only opened for dinner, and finally, a breakfast-only joint, but Seven Stones’ full-service bar and off-site microbrewery made it the most popular destination in town.
Since it was the middle of the afternoon, the place was quiet when Hadley pulled open the large wooden doors. There were a few people hanging out at the large oak bar and one or two tables of late lunchers just finishing up. A sign stood next to the hostess podium, telling guests to seat themselves. Sounds of dinner prep spilled out from the kitchen, which took up a large portion of the middle of the inside space. At a booth in the back corner, a teenage girl sat rolling silverware. Every few seconds, she dabbed at the corners of her eyes with the back of one hand.
Kelsey.
She looked up and sniffled as Hadley approached.
“Oh, hi. Sorry, Had. You can sit wherever. I’m just getting some of my side work done.” Kelsey glanced back down as if trying to hide her puffy, red eyes.
“How about this seat? Is it taken?” Hadley asked, scooting into the booth next to her.
Kelsey watched Hadley as she moved to make room.
“I wanted to check and see how you’re doing,” Hadley said tentatively, holding the girl’s gaze with her own, eschewing normal pretenses and assuming Kelsey had already heard about Miranda.
Kelsey nodded, but her face crumpled around a sob. Hadley put her arm around her like she used to do a decade ago as her babysitter.
“I’m so worried about her.” The high schooler gulped in air between words as if she were drowning in her tears. “And mostly I’m just furious because I’m too scared to be mad at her, like I have every right to be.”
Hadley swallowed, patting Kelsey’s shoulder as she took it all in. She tried to follow the myriad of emotions and marveled at how anyone ever made it through their teenage years in one piece.
“I’m so sorry. I didn't know you two had a falling out,” she said.
This made Kelsey break into a new fit of sobs. “It’s b
een just about a month now. Ever since she started dating Jaxon.”
“Jaxon?” Hadley wrinkled her nose. She didn’t know of any young men by that name in Stoneybrook.
“Jaxon Bayne. He’s from Cascade Ridge. Cassie set them up.” Kelsey rolled her eyes.
“How long have Miranda and Cassie been hanging out?”
“Since the beginning of summer.” Kelsey used a spare napkin from the stack next to her to wipe her running nose. “Miranda knew I didn’t like Cassie, but Jaxon’s the reason we stopped talking.”
Intrigued, Hadley leaned in. “Why’s that?”
“He’s awful. Sure, he’s hot and has loads of money, even more than Cassie’s family, but the guy is bad news, Hadley. If Miranda’s missing, he’s got to be the reason.”
Hadley chipped at the clear polish on her thumbnail. She’d painted them clear because the half-gone polish was becoming a sort of tell to the people around her when she was overthinking or stressing about something. And they were right. Whenever she thought hard, the action was like second nature.
This was no exception.
Her mind reeled at the information. She’d never been wild as a teenager, but the practice of lying to parents about staying with a friend while sneaking off with the boyfriend was just about the oldest tale in the book of teenage hijinks.
Heartbeat rising, Hadley asked, “He’s bad news how?”
Kelsey’s face tightened, going pale. Even though it had been close to ten years since her babysitting days, Hadley recognized the signs as clearly as she used to when the little girl had done something she didn’t want Hadley to know about.
“You promise not to tell?” Kelsey asked.
Hadley shook her head. “I can’t promise that, Kels. I don’t want to scare you, but Miranda could be in danger, and if she is, secrets will not help her. You don’t have to tell me, but you need to let someone know: the police, her mom, your parents. Someone.”
Nodding as she seemed to think it over, Kelsey sighed. “He was into drugs. Tried giving some to Miranda, and when I gave her a hard time about it, she told me I was being a baby.”
A picture of what could’ve happened began to form in Hadley’s mind as she took in the information.
“Thanks for telling me.” Hadley patted the girl’s shoulder before pulling away. “Paul’s working on the case, and he’s going to do his best to find her. I promise.” She turned to face Kelsey.
Tears streamed down the teen’s face again, but this time they were silent. “Thanks. Please, tell him to get her back, so I can tell her what a jerk I think she is for getting involved with any of them.” Kelsey’s mouth quirked up into a small smile, but her watery eyes negated any hint of amusement.
“I will.” Hadley grabbed Kelsey’s hand and gave it a squeeze before standing to leave.
This time, as the fall air wound around her, Hadley appreciated its cool crispness. As she’d listened to Kelsey and seen her tears, it had gotten to her. She needed a dose of cold air to rein in her own tears. Hadley usually found it almost impossible to keep herself from crying when watching someone else break down.
She walked back into town, blinking away the remnants of excess moisture while sending a thank you up to the heavens she was no longer a teenager. While she felt for Kelsey and knew it must be so terrible to be so worried about her best friend, the amount of drama surrounding the whole frenemies situation sounded exhausting.
She definitely hadn’t escaped the petty fights based on rumors and misunderstandings of teenage years either. Heck, up until this year, she had still been harboring ill feelings toward Luke Fenton for things he’d said about her during high school. But, now at thirty—thirty-one next week—she found it silly to dwell on trivial things like that. Plus, she and Luke were figuring out how to move forward and had even started a friendship—of sorts—again.
As much as she liked to think of high school as not being too far in her past, Hadley had to admit she had outgrown that hotheaded, emotional time in her life. And after listening to Kelsey, she was glad she had. She had a lovely home, two adorable cats, the greatest family, and a super-supportive best friend.
Speaking of …
Hadley spotted Suzanne in the window of Cascade River Coffee as she walked past. She detoured inside, reveling in the buttery, roasted aroma of the beans as the scent overwhelmed her in the most delicious way. Waving to Suze, Hadley noticed her friend wasn’t alone. The local distillery owner, Christine, sat across from her.
“Hey!” Hadley greeted, plopping down next to Suze, whose face was frozen into a smile.
“Hadley, hey. What are you doing here?” Suze shifted to get a better look at her friend.
“Passing by.” She shrugged. Her attention moved to Christine.
The woman cleared her throat as an awkward smile stretched across her face.
Hadley tried to fill the silence. “Did you guys hear—”
“Actually, Had. I was just leaving.” Christine stood, glancing at Suzanne.
Christine’s coffee mug was almost full. She must’ve noticed the same, because she grabbed it and downed the rest in a few gulps, coughing a little as if she’d just taken a shot of her famous local gin.
Discomfort crawled up Hadley’s neck. It was obvious she had interrupted something … something secret. Heat settled in her cheeks, and she put out a hand to stop Christine.
“Don’t leave on my account. I can’t stay; I was just going to order something to go.” Hadley shoved out the lie and—before Christine or Suze could reply—turned on her heel to head toward the front counter.
Wendy, the owner of the café, beamed as Hadley approached. “You wanna pick up your birthday drink a bit early this year?”
It was a tradition Hadley loved about her small town. Almost every business offered some kind of special treat for locals on their birthdays. Whether it was a free coffee, a special cupcake, or a mini jar of clover honey, the people in Stoneybrook had a way of making the day exceptional.
The reminder of her birthday served to perk up her spirits and she nodded. “Why not.” The wind would surely be biting cold on her bike ride home, and a hot drink sounded like just what she needed before embarking.
After ordering, Hadley turned around and saw Christine was gone. Suze sat alone at the table, her brow furrowed as she gazed into her mug. The awkwardness in the air, and the look on Suze’s face made a tightness return to Hadley’s shoulders, reminding her their friendship may not be so perfect.
Best friends didn’t keep huge secrets from each other, after all. At least, Suze and Hadley hadn’t ever before.
And yet, that summer Hadley had discovered her best friend and her twin brother were seeing each other, behind her back. Well, maybe behind her back wasn’t the right way to put it. That phrase made it sound like the relationship needed to be a secret, as if Hadley would’ve disapproved. In fact, the only thing she was upset with was that they felt they couldn’t tell her. She’d been rooting for them to get together forever.
As if she felt Hadley’s gaze, Suze looked up. Her face morphed into a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Hadley contemplated walking over, hating how she even had to think about it. Normally, she wouldn’t even consider not plopping down across from her friend and dishing about her day. But something had been off about her meeting with Christine, and Hadley was already tired of being lied to by the people who were supposed to be closest to her.
“Here’s that latte, Had,” Wendy said, interrupting Hadley’s internal debate.
She turned to find Wendy holding out a to-go cup. Taking it, she clutched the warm sides gratefully. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. Happy early birthday.” A group of new customers captured Wendy’s attention, so she waved goodbye.
Coffee in hand, Hadley walked over to Suze’s table, but she didn’t sit.
“You hear about Miranda?” Suze asked, concern covering the pensive expression she’d been sporting before.
“Yes, it's awful. I was just talking with Kelsey actually. She thinks she might’ve gotten caught up with the wrong crowd. She’s really worried.”
“I bet.” Suze exhaled. “They’re so close.”
“Were,” Hadley corrected. “Apparently they’ve been fighting lately.”
A silence settled over the two friends, and expanded between them.
It made Hadley want to scream.
Instead, she said, “Well, I’d better go. Still gotta pick up Paul’s present.” She’d been so caught up in the news about Miranda earlier, she’d completely forgotten about getting his gift.
Suze smiled. “Right. Sweets year. You getting him chocolate caramels from Dennis?”
“None other than,” Hadley answered sweetly. But her thoughts were dissecting Suze’s question.
Did I mention that to her or did Paul? Hadley wondered. It wasn’t odd for Suze to know everything about Hadley and Paul; they’d all been thick as thieves since they were little. It was probably for that reason Hadley hadn’t noticed some of the signs of their relationship right away.
Feeling the silence expand all over again, Hadley waved and said her goodbyes. She exited the building and crossed the street to the candy shop, happy to be free of their awkward conversation.
I guess I was wrong when I thought I was past any best-friend drama. She shook her head as she entered the sweet shop for the second time in as many hours.
3
Dennis stood behind the register, and the man actually didn’t look his normal brand of miserable. Which was odd considering the person on the other side of the counter from him.
Brenda Walters, Miranda’s mother, stood with her back to Hadley, who stepped quietly inside, wondering if she should come back at another time.
Dennis’s face was wrinkled into a sympathetic frown; he was alert, focused in a way Hadley had never experienced in the last couple decades.
“Miranda is the best employee I’ve ever had,” Dennis was telling Brenda. He shook his head. “I’ll do anything to cooperate with the police, but I assure you I know nothing about what could’ve happened to her. She doesn’t exactly talk to me about her friends.”
