by Sara L Foust
A twinge shot through his chest. He knew Olivia had intentionally walked away from her family, that she wasn’t lost and desperate for help, stranded somewhere in the dense Smoky Mountain forest. But he was letting some of his favorite people continue to believe she was.
He shook his head and corrected his monologue. Olivia was desperate for help, or she wouldn’t have run. He couldn’t let Annalise and Zach know yet the extent of his involvement in the case. Couldn’t yet put their minds at ease. Not until he knew Olivia was safe.
He scoured the area, unsure what he was even looking for. The hikers and backpackers who had frequented this area took the “Leave no trace” motto seriously. There wasn’t a single wrapper or piece of manmade anything anywhere.
Milt sank onto a log and sighed. Maybe he was wrong this time. But what else could Olivia’s message to him mean?
He slipped his backpack off and grabbed a granola bar. His gaze traveled the height of the trees across the sheltered, grassy bald. Something bright flipped in a gentle breeze. What was that? He rose as quickly as his knees would allow and approached the far end of the field.
A yellow ribbon? It appeared to be snagged on a low limb, as if the tree had plucked it from some passerby’s hair. He tugged it gently from the limb and inspected the back side. Safety pinned to its satiny top, a folded note waited, labeled simply “M.”
His heart buoyed. Olivia. It had to be. His fingers shook as he undid the safety pin and opened the note to read it.
They found me. I will be fine. Keep my babies safe and tell Jonah I love him. The emergency stash is in a PO box below. Get it to them. Do not try to find me. It will only put you in danger.
Love,
O
Don’t try to find her? Had she lost control of her senses? If they were after her again, he couldn’t sit idly by and just hope for her safety. It was time to bring an end to this mess. Once and for all.
ANNALISE PHONED THE school ahead of time and arranged to meet with Principal Hughes. The soft-spoken woman had no problem with Annalise’s idea to see Olivia’s classroom.
“Whatever may help,” Principal Hughes said as she shook Annalise’s hand. “We are all terribly distraught. Olivia is such a kind, patient teacher. Her students just adore her.”
Annalise’s stomach constricted. The more she learned about Olivia, the more people she found that cared about her, the harder it was to admit they may never find her. She cleared her throat. “Can you show me to her classroom, please?”
“Yes, of course. Right this way.”
Olivia’s desk was tidy, as Annalise would’ve expected. Atop it, three pictures in one frame showed more smiling photos of the kids and Jonah. The light shining in Olivia’s eyes in these photos matched the ones at their home. Genuine happiness and love for her family.
Annalise slipped an empty mug, stained with an internal coffee ring, into an evidence bag and sealed it. She could use it to match any fingerprints that may be in the evidence transferred from Memphis. Hopefully.
The walls of Olivia’s classroom were decorated with everything she would’ve expected as well. Posters, maps, student artwork, and cheer. Annalise slid open each of Olivia’s desk drawers but found nothing suspicious. She slumped into Olivia’s squeaky chair. There was nothing here either.
If Olivia didn’t want to be found, Annalise was starting to believe the woman wouldn’t be.
ANNALISE PACED THE length of her living room.
Millie watched with droopy eyelids from her perch on the couch.
Three days until the evidence could make it from West Tennessee to East, and no leads whatsoever on Olivia’s whereabouts.
She’d been in this position before. With Cody. A time or two in Memphis. No leads. No clues. She was missing something.
She checked her phone again. Still no call from Captain Brooks. Strange. Maybe he’d taken a personal day and was relaxing off-the-grid somewhere. Maybe he was hiding something.
The thought stopped her in her tracks. Again, for the millionth time, she reminded herself this was her friend she was talking about.
If only he would just call and put her mind at ease.
Her phone rang and she jumped to answer it. “Hello?”
“Hey, Lise. The search came up empty again. Blu and Kirk are officially calling it off with the bad weather that’s moving in.”
She glanced out the window. Perched high atop a mountain peak, her cabin gave her a terrific, nearly 360-degree view of the terrain below her. Sometime during her musings, dark, low-hanging clouds had moved in, obscuring the visibility and threatening a monster of a storm. Great.
Lord, please watch over Olivia. If she is out in this mess, she isn’t safe.
Maybe she wasn’t safe anyway. A woman like Olivia didn’t seem the kind to traipse off, away from her family and her home and her job for nothing.
“I’m heading to see Jonah now about the financials. I’ll call you when I finish.”
“Sounds good. I’m going to continue making a rut in my floor.”
“You’ll figure it out. You always do.”
“Thanks, Zach. Talk to you soon.”
Her cabin felt even emptier as soon as the connection with Zach ended. Interesting.
Chapter Eleven
“Mr. Beck, may I come in?”
Jonah blocked the newly-opened door and crossed his arms over his chest. “Shouldn’t you be out looking for my wife instead of here bugging me again?”
Slow raindrops began to plop onto Zach’s exposed head. “The storm front moving in has forced our hand, sir.”
Jonah huffed. “Of course it has.”
Zach bit back a snarky retort. “I need to ask you about a $2,500 withdrawal in January.”
Jonah’s face drained of all color.
Good. Diving right in had caught the man off-guard. “Your family’s finances aren’t what they seem, are they, Jonah?”
Jonah swiped a shaky hand across his forehead. “Come in. I can explain.”
Zach stepped into the family room.
Mr. Beck sank onto the couch and put his elbows on his knees. “I used to gamble. A lot. Before I met Olivia.”
Zach nodded. “Go on.”
“When we started dating, I gave that up. She made me want to be better, to be worthy of such an amazing woman. But last winter, I did something really stupid.”
Zach quirked an eyebrow.
“We needed extra money for Christmas. I placed a few bets. And I lost. Big time.”
“Did Mrs. Beck know?”
Jonah shook his head. “I didn’t want to disappoint her.”
“And the $2,500? Was that for another bet?”
“No, I used it to pay the balance. Olivia didn’t know about that either. I thought the matter was over.”
“But it wasn’t?”
“A few weeks later I got a letter that I had outstanding interest balances.” He chuckled mirthlessly. “One month doubled the amount I had borrowed to cover my debt. One month. The $2,500 wasn’t enough to cover the interest.”
“I’ll need the name of the loaner you borrowed from.”
“You won’t tell Olivia, will you?” Jonah wrinkled his brow. “What am I saying? We don’t even know where she is...”
Zach let the silence hover, pressing in around them and hopefully pressing out the rest of Jonah’s truths.
“Have you...have there been any leads at all?”
Zach shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Beck. We’ve had to call off the search with the storms moving in.”
Jonah’s chin fell to his chest. “I understand, but I sure don’t like it.”
Zach softened his tone. “Jonah, level with me here. Are you leaving anything out?”
“I got a threatening note. Just one. I dealt with it.”
“Is there any chance Olivia’s disappearance could be somehow related?”
“I don’t see how. In March, they slashed my tire. I paid more on the debt.”
“How
have you been paying them?”
“Cash at a post office box.” He pulled a key from his pocket. “Once a month.”
“And you don’t think Olivia noticed the missing money?”
“I took it from a bonus I earned. I do the finances. I don’t think she figured it out.”
Had Jonah ever planned on telling his wife? Zach mentally growled. Dishonesty, in any form, needled him. He’d spent too many years wondering about his father’s secrets to appreciate any form of deceitfulness. He handed Jonah a pad of paper and pen. “Name and address of the loan agency and the post office.”
Jonah complied, handing the notebook back with a scowl. “If this is my fault—”
“You lied to your wife, Mr. Beck.”
Jonah shrank farther into the couch cushions.
Zach shouldn’t have said that. Very unprofessional of him. He opened his mouth to apologize but found the word wouldn’t form. He’d meant it. Dave had lied to Annalise too, and she hadn’t deserved it. He doubted very highly Olivia did either. “All right, I’ll check these out. Next time I come with more questions, don’t get an attitude.”
“Yes, sir.” Jonah sighed. “You know, I’ve been thinking. Olivia sometimes kept her blood pressure medicine with her, just in case we were out past time for her to take it. Maybe she didn’t plan...didn’t plan on leaving me, as you implied.”
The man had a good point, but it didn’t help much. “I’ll make a note of it.” If they took the assumption that Olivia had intentionally left back off the table, it only opened more avenues.
Zach excused himself and aimed his truck for town.
ANNALISE PULLED INTO the gravel parking lot at Quick Loans and waved at Zach. His new discovery was the first time she’d felt any excitement yet.
“You’re so smart,” she praised as she rounded the hood and smiled at him.
“Hey, I could’ve told you that.” Zach grinned.
She punched his shoulder. “You have. Multiple times.”
“’Bout time you listened.”
She rolled her eyes. “Let’s go, Einstein.”
Zach held the door for her, sliding around and approaching the counter first. “You recognize this man,” he asked the kid behind the counter.
Creative business name these guys had come up with. And the décor. So cliché. Annalise studied the boy as he decided how to answer Zach’s question. His eyes widened slightly. He recognized Jonah. She nudged Zach’s elbow, giving him the affirmative signal.
“Good, young man. Now, tell me about the...methods...you’ve used to extract payment.”
Panic filled the boy’s eyes. He threw his hands up in surrender. “I know nothing, mister. I swear. I just work the desk. Let me get Harley.”
Annalise stifled a grin. That was easy.
“By all means, please, show us to the man who can tell us.”
The kid sent a quick text.
Moments later a tall, thin man with a thick, gray beard entered through a curtain to the rear. “How may I help you, officers?”
“Special Agents Leebow and Baker.” Zach showed his badge, and Annalise did the same. “We have some questions about a client of yours. Jonah Beck.”
The man raked three fingers through his beard. “Doesn’t sound familiar.”
“Let me help you remember.” Zach flashed his best fake smile and held his phone toward the man. “Jonah Beck. Father of two. Husband of one. Made some stupid mistakes first of the year. You decided to charge him egregious amounts of interest and slash his tires when he couldn’t pay. Sound familiar?”
The man returned Zach’s fake smile. “Not a word.”
Annalise picked up on the twitch of the man’s chin. He, obviously, was lying.
“Now, unless you have a warrant, I’d ask you to leave.”
Zach took four steps toward the man and leaned in close.
Annalise’s heart bottomed out. Not the time or place to get physical, Zachary Leebow. She held her breath and her motions perfectly still, watching the boy. Just in case.
“A woman is missing. The mother of those two children. If we find out you had something to do with it, tire slashing is going to seem like child’s play. Understand?”
The man’s grin widened. “Call the cops, J.C. I want to report a threat from this special agent.”
The boy lifted his phone.
Annalise grabbed Zach’s arm and dragged him from the building. “That’s enough. What has gotten into you?”
He shrugged her hand off. “Nothing.”
She snorted. “Oh, yeah right. Come on. We need to talk.” She ushered him to his truck. “Follow me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The cloud had lifted from his eyes and the playful spunk she was used to shone through. “I’m serious, Zach.”
“On your six.”
She drove to the Waffle House near I-75 and waited for him to pull into the parking lot a few minutes later. She’d lost him a few stop lights back, but he knew where she’d head. It was always their talking place.
He stepped from the truck with a smile, but she could tell by the way he wouldn’t square his body toward her that he was nervous about the confrontation. Something must really be bothering him. “I need a peanut butter chip waffle and ten pieces of bacon.”
“Sounds good.”
Not his usual response to the promise of food.
Once in the booth, with cups of steaming coffee between them, Annalise leveled a stern gaze. “Spill.”
“Don’t wanna.”
He sounded like the boy she knew from their childhood with his nasally whine. “Too bad.”
“I...this case made me think of my dad.”
Whoa. This was big. And she had been right.
“Cat got your tongue?”
“I’m sorry, Zach. Thank you for telling me.”
“He disappeared too. Walked right out of my life. And for what? Another woman? To be a bachelor? To just disappear and be selfish and see the world? I’ll never know, and it makes me angry. Really angry.”
“That’s not necessarily true. You’ve never talked to your mom about it, have you?”
He shook his head, his shoulders sinking a few more millimeters.
“What if she has answers and you just don’t know it because you couldn’t bring yourself to ask?”
“I don’t want to hurt her.”
“Your dad hurt her, Zach. Not you. How do you know she isn’t dying to talk to you about it?”
“She isn’t.”
“We’re going there after we eat.”
He jerked his gaze back to her. “What? No way.”
Now he sounded like the argumentative, whiny teenager he’d once been. Staring into his vivid-green eyes, though, she quickly realized he was far from it. With his thick, stiff-set lips and bulging vein running down the side of his neck, images of the boy vanished, replaced by the man sitting in front of her now. Something fluttered deep within her abdomen. Just a tiny little wing flipping. Once, twice.
What. Was. That?
Chapter Twelve
“Annalise! What a wonderful surprise.”
Zach’s mother wrapped her arms around Annalise’s neck and squeezed. “Come in, dear. I just made no-bake cookies.”
“You’ll spoil me, Lorraine.”
“Hasn’t happened yet, has it?”
Annalise chuckled. “No, I suppose not.”
“I’m here too, Mom.”
Lorraine released her and tugged her son into an embrace. “Of course you are, baby. I would never forget about you.”
Lorraine’s placating tone made Annalise smile. She knew her boy very well.
“How long has it been, Annalise dear?”
“Too long.”
Lorraine looped one arm through each of theirs and pulled them through the storm door into the warm, sweet-smelling kitchen. “Sit down. Tell me what brings you both by on a weekday afternoon.”
Zach pinned Annalise with a look she was sure she’d
hear the words behind later. Something about her stubbornness and bossiness, no doubt.
Lorraine poured coffee and set out a plate of still-gooey cookies.
“Mmmm, I haven’t had these in forever,” Annalise said as she tucked herself onto a barstool at the island.
“Mom, I just wanted to check on you.”
It sounded lame even to Zach, Annalise would bet. She rolled her eyes and glared at him with her own underlying-meaning gaze. “We wanted to ask you about Zach’s father.”
The coffee pot fell from Lorraine’s hand and clanked against the counter, shattering into a million pieces all over the tile.
Well, that went well. Not. “Lorraine, I am so sorry.”
“I told you to let it lie, Annalise.” Zach stormed out of the room one way and Lorraine, the other.
“I’ll just clean this up, I guess,” Annalise said to no one. She’d known Zach and Lorraine all her life, it seemed. She’d never seen them act this way before. How was she supposed to know it would touch such a nerve?
Okay, that wasn’t true. She knew it was a tender subject, but she thought they’d all be grownups about it. Further proof her instincts weren’t as on-point as she’d like at the moment. Stupid Dave and his mistress and criticisms of Annalise and self-doubt and guilt...the list could go on for miles.
Annalise got the broom and dust pan from the pantry and a roll of paper towels and tried to sop up the disaster. “Ouch!” Dropping the broom, she squeezed her thumb between the opposite forefinger and thumb as blood bubbled up in a big blob. Great.
She rushed to the sink and held her thumb under the cool water. As soon as the blood slowed, she plucked unsuccessfully at the sliver of glass wedged in her flesh.
Zach’s arms slid around her and stilled her hands. “Let me.”
