Missing Read online

  Although, she had to admit, that seemed to be happening less. So, her plan seemed to be working.

  Or it had been until Bethany disappeared.

  With a sigh she took another bite of the spaghetti, working her way through the large portion until she finally managed to put a pretty good dent in it.

  Snagging her laptop from the kitchen desk, she moved into the den and logged in to her work account. Thankfully her boss had decided she could work from home when there was nothing pressing in the office.

  She needed to focus on the project. Needed to throw something else at her mind.

  For the next hour and a half, she managed to keep her mind off Mason, although she periodically sent up prayers for Bethany. At least Bethany wasn’t being held captive. She worked at a steady pace, designing the billboard she’d been assigned for a local radio station.

  The stillness of the house finally registered.

  Nerves jumping, she flashed to the memory of the wig stand in Bethany’s room. The picture on the door. And the sting of her wounds reminded her that someone wanted to do her harm.

  Shuddering, she set her laptop aside and rose to walk into the kitchen. She parted the blinds and looked in the direction of the police cruiser.

  And relaxed a bit.

  It was still there.

  The ringing of the phone jarred her. Heart thudding she gave self-conscious laugh and snatched the handset from the base. “Hello?”

  “Hello, Lacey. This is Janice.”

  Surprise shot through her. “Hi, Janice. How are you doing?”

  “Good. But I just can’t stand sitting around doing nothing while Bethany is missing. I wanted to see if I could help in some way.”

  Lacey allowed a weak smile to cross her lips. “That’s very sweet, Janice. I appreciate it, but there’s nothing anyone can do, short of going door to door asking if anyone has seen her.”

  There was a moment of silence. “I have an idea. I’m friends with a lot of store owners downtown. What if I take flyers and ask managers to post them in their windows?”

  “Oh, Janice, that would be wonderful. Would you do that?”

  “Sure. I’m not volunteering at the hospital tomorrow, Daniel will be working all hours and the Christmas store can wait because the air conditioner is still not fixed.”

  “Wonderful,” Lacey said, her voice wobbling in spite of her best attempt to keep it steady. “We can share a cup of coffee, then get busy. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  Lacey felt tears prick her eyes. Grateful for her friend, she swallowed hard, momentarily unable to speak past the lump in her throat.

  “All right then,” Janice said, perky once again. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning? My house? Nine o’clock?”

  “Sure, Janice. See you then. And thank you.”

  Lacey hung up the phone. Placing her head in her hands, she prayed the flyers would make a difference.

  But maybe Bethany would be home by then.

  Please, God.

  It felt good to have a plan. To know she was going to be proactive in finding Bethany. But now, she had to focus on keeping her job.

  Lacey sighed and went back to her laptop. Grabbing the yellow file from her briefcase, she searched for the sheet that would enable her to finalize the billboard ad.

  It wasn’t there.

  She groaned. Where was it? Pulling everything from her briefcase, she went through each and every paper.

  Nothing.

  Closing her eyes, she thought.

  Then remembered she’d left it on her desk the day of Bethany’s disappearance.

  In order to finish this and e-mail it to her boss tonight, she’d have to go to the office and retrieve the sheet from her desk.

  Weariness grabbed her and held on tight. Did she want to do this now?

  No.

  But she needed to. She needed to keep this job. It was a good one and while she knew she had excellent skills and could find another job if she needed to, she didn’t want to have to do the whole job-search thing again. Besides, she liked the work and the people in the office—including her boss.

  And right now, there wasn’t a thing she could do about finding Bethany. What she could do was ensure that she kept her job so she would be able support herself and Bethany when they finally brought her daughter back home.

  Dragging herself to the kitchen counter, she grabbed her keys and headed for the door. After a stop to tell the officer where she was going and to reassure him she’d be fine, against his advice, she drove down the street and out of the subdivision. He’d offered to go with her and she’d almost let him, but what if her parents came home? They’d need him here. And she didn’t want the house left sitting for any length of time without eyes on it.

  If she let the officer go with her, there wouldn’t be a deterrent to the person causing her family all this grief.

  Hesitating, she thought about it. Was she being impulsive and thoughtless? Should she go to the office alone?

  What if the person was watching her? What if he’d seen her leave and even now followed her?

  Her eyes went to the rearview mirror and she breathed a sigh of relief at the darkness behind her.

  A glance at the clock on the dash read 10:04 p.m. Should she call Mason?

  For what?

  She was just going to run in and grab that sheet then go home and finish the project. The office was well lit even at night. Plus there was the security guard. She’d get him to let her in and then see her back to her car. She’d be fine.

  Lacey gave another cursory glance into the rearview mirror and sucked in a deep breath.

  Headlights.

  Her nerves tightened and she forced herself to relax. Just because someone was behind her didn’t mean someone was after her. This was a well-traveled road.

  Nevertheless, her fingers gripped the wheel and she cast another nervous eye toward the mirror.

  Still there. And then the car went around her, zooming past to disappear around the curve ahead.

  She breathed easier.

  Another set of headlights pulled in behind her, but she didn’t let it faze her. She was almost to the office.

  However, while she told herself it was nothing, she couldn’t help keep an eye on the rearview mirror.

  Was it her imagination or was the car closer?

  And coming closer with every passing second.

  She flashed her brakes and made ready to make the last turn that would lead her to the office parking lot.

  The car behind her slowed.

  To follow her or just to avoid rear-ending her, she wasn’t sure.

  A drop of sweat dripped down from her hairline and with a start she realized exactly how scared she really was.

  Where was her cell phone?

  Her stomach dipped.

  Had she left it at home?

  No, she wouldn’t do that. Bethany might call.

  Her purse was on the backseat.

  Could she reach back without running off the road?

  Lacey made her turn and looked to see if the car followed.

  It did.

  Pulse now pounding in her throat, she gripped the wheel with her left hand and reached back with her right. On the third try, she managed to snag the strap and yank the purse to the passenger seat beside her.

  Blindly, she searched the purse until her fingers curled around the vibrating phone.

  Mason.

  Shaking, her eyes still on the car behind her, she pressed the button to activate the call. “Mason,” she blurted, “someone’s behind me. I think he’s following me. What do I do?”

  “Pull into a parking spot. It’s me behind you.”

  Relief nearly wilted her into a puddle in the seat. Then she got mad. “What are you doing following me? You nearly scared me to death!”

  “Officer Bleddings decided he’d better call and tell me what you were up to. I decided to make sure you didn’t get yourself killed.”

  Anger and tha
nkfulness warred inside her. Disconnecting the call, she put the car in Park and opened the door.

  Mason pulled into the space beside her and climbed out, his eyes flashing in the light of the streetlamp. “What do you think you’re doing? Are you insane?”

  Not giving her a chance to answer, he led her to the door and waited for her to unlock it. Once they were safely inside, he pulled her around to face him.

  Crossing her arms in front of her she notched her chin up. “I’m not insane, although if we don’t find Bethany soon, I may wind up that way. I was at home working on some stuff and I needed something from the office.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “Because I was hoping you were either trying to find Bethany—or asleep. I didn’t want to disturb either one of those activities. And Pete, the security guard, is here—” she looked around and frowned “—somewhere.”

  Mason blew out a sigh and raked a hand through his hair. “Is Bethany anything like you?”

  She blinked. Then smiled. “If you mean in the stubbornness department, then yes. Actually, more so.”

  He shook his head and she thought she heard him mutter, “I won’t stand a chance.”

  When she gave a surprised giggle, his eyes darkened with something that looked suspiciously like tenderness. He moved closer and she gulped. Going still, she watched him, her heart thumping in anticipation of what she could see coming, what she welcomed. He didn’t disappoint her as he pulled her close and slanted his lips across hers.

  Time stood still as he offered her comfort, love—and a whole mix of feelings she wanted to explore. At a better time. In a different place. Mason must have sensed her slight emotional withdrawal because he lifted his head. “I suppose you still want to get what you came for.”

  Lacey sobered. “Yes. Working is helping keep my mind occupied. I never stop thinking about her, but—” she shrugged “—it just helps.”

  His face softened in the light of the dim lobby lamp. “I understand.”

  She looked out of the window toward the parking lot. The darkness seemed ominous. The back of her neck tingled and she shivered. Mason’s eyes shifted and the hand on her arm tightened. “Do you think someone’s out there watching?” she whispered.

  “I don’t know, but I’ll feel better once you get what you need and I deliver you safely home.”

  She nodded and looked around. “I wonder where Pete is. He’s usually sitting right inside the door.”

  Mason’s hand hovered over his weapon as he looked out the window.

  Anxiety twisted inside her. “Do you see anything?”

  “No.”

  “But you felt it, too, didn’t you? You had that feeling of being watched.”

  “Yes. And that bothers me.” He turned and ran a hand down her arm. With a start, she realized she had goose bumps the size of small mountains.

  His touch didn’t do a thing to diminish them. If anything, it added a few more. She shivered and stared up at him, the memory of that kiss still in the forefront of her mind. “Should you call the police?”

  “For what? A suspicion?” Shaking his head, he patted his gun located in the shoulder holster on his side. “I’ll keep watch. If I think we need some help, I’ll call for it. Get what you need and let’s get out of here.”

  Lacey nodded and headed down the hall to her office, wondering once again where Pete was.

  “Pete? Are you here?”

  No answer.

  Pulling out her key card again, she started to slide it through the slot and found her door cracked.

  Puzzled, she pushed it open and flicked the light on. Looking around, she didn’t see anything out of place. Moving to her desk, she flipped the small lamp on and started opening her mail. Might as well see what she’d missed over the last couple of days.

  “Hey, Ms. Gibson, what are you doing here?”

  Lacey looked up. “Pete. I wondered where you were. Is everything all right?”

  The fifty-something gray-headed man with the round belly scratched his chin. “Sure, I was just in the restroom when I heard the door chime.”

  She smiled at him. “I just came to get something to finish up a project. I have a friend with me.”

  “Yeah, I met him. Nice fellow.” He waved a hand in the direction of the front of the building. “I’ll just be in my office if you need anything.”

  Lacey nodded and went back to her mail.

  The last piece was an interoffice envelope. She opened it, reached in and pulled out the contents. A younger version of herself gazed back at her from the picture. She gasped, letting the photo fall to the desk.

  “What is it?”

  She whirled to find Mason standing at the door, frowning.

  “Someone sent me more hate mail.”

  “What do you mean?” He moved closer.

  She backed away from the desk. “Another picture.”

  Only this one was of her and Bethany seated at an outdoor café, oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.

  Lacey clenched a fist and stuffed it against her mouth. Anger clamored inside her. Pointing at the picture, she asked, “Why? I don’t understand. If the person doing this would just send me a letter telling me what I’ve done…”

  Mason placed his hands on her shoulders. “Lacey, unfortunately, I don’t think the person doing this is reasonable—or even sane.”

  Lacey leaned into his chest and wrapped her arms around him. She needed comfort right now and he was offering it. “What do we do now?”

  He pulled in a breath as he reached for his phone. “Let me call Catelyn and Daniel and we’ll get them here to process your office. However, if that came through the interoffice mail, my guess is that our perp never set foot in this office. We’ll need to question Pete, too, but if it came during the day, he wouldn’t know anything about it.”

  After he made the call, Lacey grabbed the sheet she needed from the side of her desk and shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m so tired of having this person one step ahead of me every time I turn around. How did he know I’d be in my office today? This was totally spur of the moment.”

  “When was that sent?”

  She looked at the date stamp and pulled in a deep breath. “The day after Bethany disappeared.”

  “So, it’s been here all this time.”

  Lacey groaned then looked at the picture once more. “I can’t believe all this,” she whispered.

  “Come on,” Mason urged. “I’ll take you home. Catelyn and Daniel will take care of your office, talk to Pete and fill you in on anything they find.” A thought seemed to hit him. “Are there any security cameras around here?”

  Lacey thought. “Just on the front entrance and the back door. I don’t think they have any in the halls or anywhere else.”

  “All right, it was just a thought.” A car door slammed and Mason headed for the front door. “That’s got to be Daniel and Catelyn.”

  Mason let them in and after explaining the picture, motioned for Lacey to join him in the hall. “Do you have what you need to finish your project?”

  “Yes.” She gripped the sheet, wondering if she’d even be able to work anymore tonight.

  After extracting the promise from Catelyn to call if they learned anything, she was back in her car with Mason following behind her. Still, she couldn’t help but examine every road she passed, every car that pulled up beside her at a red light.

  When she turned into the drive, he pulled in behind her, got out and walked her to the door. They stepped inside and he shut it behind him.

  Taking her hand in his, he stopped her from going farther into the foyer. She looked up at him. He said, “It’s going to be all right, Lacey, I promise.”

  “You can’t make that promise, Mason, but thanks.”

  He dipped his head in acknowledgment to her words then leaned down and placed a light kiss on her upturned lips.

  Shocked, she went still and stared up at him. “Mason?”

  �
�I’ve never gotten over you, Lace,” he said, conflicting emotions clearly displayed in his blue eyes. His husky voice set her heart to shimmering and her pulse to racing. Clearing his throat, he stepped back. “After we find Bethany, can we have that long-overdue talk?”

  Lacey’s heart flashed a cautious warning. He still didn’t believe her about Daniel. Or maybe he did, he just wasn’t willing to admit it yet. Surely he’d noticed how she didn’t want to be around Daniel, how she found excuses not to double-date with him and whoever he was dating. She looked at Mason and sighed. Then again, maybe he hadn’t. He’d always had a blind spot where his friend was concerned. “We can talk,” she promised.

  Relief flickered across his face and Lacey practically shoved him out the door. Her pulse pounded. Her lips tingled. She’d wanted to throw herself into his arms and forget the past. But she couldn’t do that. She had to protect herself against the possibility that Mason wouldn’t truly be able to believe her when she said she was innocent of leading Daniel on.

  Blowing out a sigh, she said goodnight to her parents and hurried to her room. She placed her laptop and the sheet she’d just retrieved from her office on the small desk under the window. Her eyes fell on the picture next to the laptop. The one of her and Bethany when her daughter was around twelve years old.

  She picked up the picture and stroked the small cheek forever encased behind the glass. “Oh, baby, where are you?”

  Her heart ached for Bethany so much she thought it might crack wide open.

  Through sheer force of effort, she refused to think of all the horrid things that could be happening to her daughter. Instead, she focused on the good thoughts. Memories of the times when she and Bethany spent time laughing together. Just the two of them.

  Another picture smiled back at her from the desk. This one had Bethany decked out in her karate uniform, arms up, fists balled, ready to defend herself.

  “Ah, Bethany, I’m sorry you feel like you have to put yourself in danger to protect me.”

  She looked at the sheet in her hand then turned to look at the Bible on the nightstand.