by Lori Woods
Chapter 7
“Ben!” Clary called out, “Chief!”
“Oh,” Ben said happily, turning when he heard Clary call. “I was wondering what you were up to. I nearly thought you went home or something.”
“It’s going to take more than a few nasty rumors to mess with me,” Clary said with a grin. “How’s it been going?”
“It’s tough,” Ben shook his head. “There are so many rumors, and when one person says something, someone else proves them wrong. I’m starting to get really worried. It will be dark soon, and we’re running out of time. You know about the whole forty-eight hours thing, right?”
“Stop,” Clary told him, motioning with her hands, “don’t freak yourself out. We’re going to find him. What’s chief doing?”
“I don’t know,” Ben shrugged. “We were talking about the search party, then he got a call and now I’m just waiting to hear what he’s got to say about it all. Have you found anything?” he asked curiously.
“You’ll have to find out when the chief comes back,” she told him, wagging her finger in his face.
“That’s not fair,” he complained.
“Then you shouldn’t have chased me away in the first place,” she reminded him. He opened his mouth but shut it again, his cheeks heating up with shame. She smiled at him to prove that she was only teasing him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
“What’s going on?” Ben asked as soon as the chief walked back to them. Sanchez’s eyebrows were furrowed anxiously, and he kept worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. He sighed and dragged a hand through his hair as he looked around in concern.
“They found Ava’s car,” he said slowly, “in the middle of nowhere.”
“That’s good,” Clary said enthusiastically. “Payton had the car, so Payton and Eli might be close by.”
“The car is abandoned,” Sanchez said gravely, and Clary gasped slightly.
“What do you want to do, Chief?” Ben asked worriedly.
“I need to go check it out for myself,” Chief Sanchez decided, “but I can’t leave the search party. People will get suspicious.”
“Why don’t you leave me with the search party?” Ben suggested.
“And I’ll go with you to check out the car,” Clary decided. “Don’t argue with me, I know that this is different. And may I just say, I never sent that stupid text. You know me, Chief, I’d never be so arrogant. Besides, you need all the help you can get.”
“Clary,” Chief interrupted, chuckling slightly, “I’m not going to stop you. I think it’s good idea. I might need an extra pair of eyes over there.”
The car ride didn’t take long since chief was in such a hurry. Clary felt bad for him. He had to be so careful not to raise suspicions. If people knew where he was going, then things could get difficult for everyone. It was as if he was expected to protect the town from criminals and from themselves. While they drove, Clary was able to update him on everything that she’d been doing.
“How did this happen?” she asked curiously. “Eli’s been known to stay away from home before. And all of this was set up very quickly.”
“By the time anyone let us know, it had already been twenty-four hours,” Sanchez explained. “We’ve been busy since early this morning. Luke was the one who let us know, but someone left a note for us at the station. We only got it early this morning.”
“A note?” Clary asked in surprise. “From who?”
“If I knew that, I would’ve told you,” Sanchez told her, raising a bushy eyebrow at her.
“I got a note too,” Clary admitted. “Someone broke into the store to leave it for me.”
“Someone broke into your store,” Chief said, raising his eyebrows even higher. “Are you guys okay?”
“They didn’t take anything,” Clary said quickly. “I know, I know, you probably think it’s my imagination.”
“I don’t think so,” Sanchez shrugged, to her surprise. “I’m a police chief, if I dismissed everything as paranoia or imagination, then bad things would happen. I think you need to change your locks. Who has a key to the store? Or were there signs of any forced entry?”
“That’s the thing,” Clary said softly, “only Marie and I have keys to the store. And they didn’t break in, they let themselves in and made a pot of coffee. Whoever’s doing this knows how the store works. They know where I am, they know what I’m doing.”
“That’s the thing about small towns,” Sanchez sighed, “everyone knows your business, even if they’re not supposed to. Okay, here’s what we’re going to do,” he said decisively. “We need to change your locks. I’ll have the night shift drive by your place more. May I suggest private security? Like an alarm?”
“Isn’t it expensive?” Clary winced.
“Safety is never too expensive,” Sanchez told her sternly. “You know what? I think we’re here.”
Ava’s pretty blue car was standing next to the road, tilting slightly. As Clary walked closer, she saw that someone drove it into a ditch. She and Sanchez shared a worried look. It wasn’t a good sign. A deputy was standing next to his patrol car, and Sanchez quickly went to greet him. Clary walked around the car, inspecting it closely as Sanchez and the deputy compared the license plates to their information.
She peeked inside the car and spotted a bright green backpack. Eli’s backpack. Nothing else. The car was pristine, as if someone had cleaned it before abandoning it. She looked around and noticed that there was nothing around them for miles. They had found the car, but Payton and Eli were nowhere to be found.
“There’s nothing in the car,” Clary called, and Sanchez grunted in acknowledgement. She rolled her eyes at him and noticed that the keys were still in the ignition. She frowned and pulled a sleeve over her hand as she opened the door. The car had definitely been cleaned recently. She opened the console between the two seats and pulled out a leather wallet.
When she opened it, Payton’s smiling face greeted her from her license. Payton was a pretty woman who looked like she was pushing thirty. Her license confirmed Clary’s suspicions. She also didn’t have much cash on her, but thankfully, she had Bryan’s black AMEX card to compensate for it. She put the wallet back and turned to the backpack. It was just a bunch of school books and a deflated football. A crushed bag of chips and a half-eaten apple. Just a normal bag.
“Where are you guys?” Clary asked anxiously.
She sighed heavily and turned to see if there was anything hiding under the seats. She was surprised to find a pair of children’s sneakers under the passenger seat, and a woman’s pair of rubber boots under the driver’s seat. Clary raised an eyebrow at that. If they were planning to go to the lake, why did Eli leave his sneakers? Did he put on a pair of Wellingtons before he went? If so, then why did Payton take her Wellingtons off? The wet baseball cap flashed through her mind and she quickly put the boots back. Something was off.
“Is she allowed to do that?” a deep voice asked behind her.
“Not really,” Sanchez answered in annoyance. “Clary, get out of the car.”
“You’ll never guess what I found,” Clary said breathlessly.
“Yeah, we’ll talk about that now,” the deputy interrupted her. “I saw everything in there too. We need to look in the trunk. Standard procedure. You know, cop procedure,” he gave Clary a haughty look as if to remind her that she wasn’t a cop.
“Then why haven’t you looked there yet?” Sanchez barked, and Clary had to hide her smile. If there was one thing Sanchez hated, it was bullies. Although he’d probably give her a similar speech in the car, it mattered to him that it was done in the right way.
“We were told to wait for you,” the deputy said defensively.
“Well, I’m here now. Open the trunk.”
“Yes, sir,” the deputy said quickly, grabbing the keys out of the ignition. Clary groaned when she saw that she’d messed up part of the white leather interior with the mud on the Wellington boots. She hoped that Ava would think that
someone else had done it. She really didn’t want to be on the receiving ends of one of Ava’s rants.
“Do you think Ava’s going to be mad about the mud on the seat?” Clary asked quickly.
“Uhm,” the deputy said hesitantly, lowering the trunk door slightly. His face was bone white and he looked as though he was going to faint.
“What is it?” Sanchez asked in alarm.
“I think you need to see this,” the deputy said with shaky voice. Clary and Sanchez shared an alarmed look.
“Where is my son?” Bryan roared over the desk at the police station.
“Honey,” Ava whined, pulling her husband back. “What about my car? Are they going to give it back to me?”
“Where is he?” Bryan asked again, his eyes wild with worry. “Where’s Eli?”
“Mr. Northwood,” Sanchez said firmly, but gently, “you need to calm down. This isn’t going to do anyone any good.”
“I need to know where Eli is,” Bryan growled, shaking Ava off him. “What’s going on?”
“We found Payton in the trunk of your wife’s car,” Clary said quickly, giving Sanchez an apologetic look. “We haven’t found Eli yet.”
“How could you find Payton, but not Eli?” Bryan demanded angrily. “What does this mean?”
“We don’t know,” Clary admitted, “but we’re going to do everything we can to find him. Mr. Northwood, we’re going to find your son.”
“How do I know that?” he yelled, but there was a heartbreaking crack in his voice. “What if Luke finds him first? What if they find him in the lake? My boy can’t swim!”
“Calm down,” Sanchez demanded. “We can’t think that way, Mr. Northwood, we have to hope for the best.”
“How can I?” Bryan asked, looking bewildered. “How can I do that when no one’s looking for him?”
“We’re looking for him,” Clary promised him. “We’re confident that we’ll find him.”
“What if he’s been kidnapped?” Bryan asked in horror. “That’s why they killed Payton and took him.”
“We can’t be sure that’s what happened,” Clary reminded him, “there’s no proof.”
“No proof?” Bryan yelled. “She’s dead! He’s missing! How else do you explain it?”
“We don’t know yet, but as soon as we do, you’ll know too,” Sanchez promised. “Don’t do this to yourself. We can’t drive ourselves crazy with what-ifs, Mr. Northwood.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Bryan demanded. “My son is out there, all alone.” He stopped speaking as he put his hand to his mouth and Clary wished that someone would hug him. The worry and fear in his eyes were palpable, and she couldn’t believe that this was Bryan Northwood. She only realized it now, but he honestly hadn’t thought something was wrong until this very moment. He was also realizing how strange that was. He should always know where his son was and worry when he didn’t.
“What about my car?” Ava demanded, clinging to her husband’s arm.
“What about it?” he snapped.
“Am I going to get a new one? There was a dead body in mine! I can’t drive it now.”
“Who cares?” he yelled.
“I do!” she said shrilly, her voice piercing eardrums. “How else am I going to pick Eli up from school? I can’t walk all the way!”
Chapter 8
“Clary!” Layla ran up to her ask quickly as she could and grabbed her arm. “Clary, there you are, we’ve been hearing terrible things. Is it true that Payton’s dead?” She was also pulling an annoyed-looking older woman behind her.
Clary hesitated. She knew what would happen if she told the truth. There’d be widespread panic and she knew that she couldn’t break Sanchez’s trust. She knew that he wouldn’t want her to spill what they’d found, and she honestly didn’t think it would help if she did.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a small smile. “I can’t really talk about that right now, but I promise that everything’s going to be fine.”
“Is it true or not?” Layla demanded, folding her arms over her chest.
“Don’t mind her, Layla,” the older woman said with a huff. “She’s keeping everything to herself. She likes the attention.”
“Excuse me?” Clary asked, feeling insulted.
“Don’t mind her,” Layla said dismissively, “she’s just upset that she had to walk all day.”
“I give the Northwoods five days a week, now I’ve got to give up a Saturday too?” the older woman grumbled.
“It’s for Eli, Grace,” Layla said in a plaintive tone. “It’s not for the Northwoods.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Grace grumbled, but her expression softened.
“I’m sorry,” Clary said slowly, “but I need to go. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Actually,” Layla said, “I brought Grace because you were asking questions about Payton earlier. Grace has been working for the Northwoods longer than I have, and I thought that she could give you more information than I could.”
“That’s thoughtful,” Clary said with a small smile. “Thanks, Layla.”
“I don’t want to talk long,” Grace said, snapping her fingers. Her nails were chewed down to the quick and Clary noticed that she wasn’t wearing a wedding band. When Grace noticed Clary looking at her hands, she quickly dragged them through her cropped hair. “I don’t like that woman, and I’ve got things to do.”
“I’m sure this information will help us find Eli,” Clary said gratefully, and she noticed once again how Grace’s aged face softened again. She hoped that she’d get to meet Eli soon. He had to be very special for so many people to love him. Even Grace, who looked like she ate children for breakfast, had a soft spot for him.
“I don’t know how,” Grace shrugged, “I don’t know much about her.”
“Let’s sit on this bench,” Clary gestured toward a bench at the lakeside.
“I already know this story,” Layla said quickly. “I’ll go get us a drink so long.”
“Thanks,” Clary said gratefully, realizing that she hadn’t had anything all day. She was probably dehydrated already. “How long has Payton worked for the Northwoods?”
“It must be around three years now,” Grace shrugged. “Bryan said he hired her because she had a degree in child development or something like that. One of those fancy diplomas that don’t really mean much, you know what I mean? Poor girl, probably didn’t think she’d end up being a nanny.”
“Layla told me that she didn’t seem to like Eli, so why did she get a degree in child development?”
“Beats me,” Grace shrugged again. She leaned forward on her knees and tapped her fingers together. “The woman was a nightmare, she probably lied or something. She didn’t know anything about kids.”
“Wouldn’t they have noticed that she didn’t what she was talking about?” Clary asked.
“You mean the people who didn’t know their child was missing until this morning? Yeah, I’m sure they noticed all sorts of things. I don’t know how Payton got that job, all I know is that she did and that she’s being paid way too much.”
“When last did you see her and Eli?” Clary asked.
“Friday morning,” Grace said immediately. “She was acting weird that morning.”
“What do you mean?” Clary asked, tilting her head slightly.
“She was acting like a real nanny,” Grace said shortly. She sighed when she saw that Clary still looked confused. “Okay, it’s like this. Payton hates her job. She’s always late in the morning. Eli’s always waiting around for her to get up. She gets him to school about five minutes before he has to be there. And she takes him to school in her pajamas. He usually has to wait around for her to pick him up. Except for Friday morning.”
“So, you’re saying she was actually doing her job?” Clary asked. “Was she paying attention to him or something?”
“Or something,” Grace scoffed. “She was fussing over him like a mother hen. She laid his clothes out for him and ate breakfa
st with him. She reminded him to brush his teeth and stuff like that. I even saw her smooth down his hair before they left.”
“Was Luke around?” Clary asked. “Layla says she only acted like that when he was around.”
“That’s the thing,” Grace looked around suspiciously before leaning in toward Clary. “He wasn’t around. I don’t know where he was. Poor Eli didn’t know what to do with himself either. It was as if she was speaking a different language. He has no idea how to act when people actually pay attention to him. He clams up and won’t make a sound.”
“That’s probably why Bryan thought his son was an introvert,” Clary realized.
“Yeah,” Grace nodded, “whenever he’s around, Eli can’t string two words together. It’s the saddest thing you’ll ever see.”
“Do you know why she was treating him differently? Payton, I mean.” Clary changed the subject before Grace could get distracted by Bryan’s and Ava’s poor parenting skills.
“No idea,” Grace admitted blithely.
“Was there a change in her schedule? Did someone speak to her.”
“Nope,” Grace said, shaking her head, “although…”
“What?” Clary asked.
“She got home really late the night before. I mean like early morning late. I don’t know what got into her. I thought that she’d never get up in the morning. She stank of wine, so I though she was going to be hungover or something. The only reason I remember that is because I didn’t want to leave Eli by himself until she came home. The woman didn’t even have the decency to apologize to me.”
“It was kind of you to wait,” Clary commended Grace, and she blushed slightly and looked away. “Do you know where she was?”
“No doubt,” Grace scoffed. “Luke came over for dinner that night and the two of them left somewhere together. She was probably with him all night.”
