“Ryan! I’m glad you’re here,” Grace says.
“Yeah?” I ask.
“Claire isn’t here yet,” she says. “She’s usually here by eight, but I haven’t heard anything, which is really unlike her. Maybe she’s having car trouble?”
“Hmm.” I pull out my phone and send her a quick text.
Me
Hey. Everything okay? I’m at work early today (crazy, I know) and wondering where you are.
“I just texted her. I’ll let you know when she responds.”
Grace nods. “Thanks, Ryan.” Even Betsy looks at us with interest. I can’t tell if her eyes are filled with concern or disdain, but she looks upset, too.
I raise the coffee to them as a parting gesture and realize it’s going to get cold by the time Claire gets here. That stinks. I head over to my cubicle and wait. I might as well be productive, so I grab a stack of quizzes. After grading them, the first few problems of an exam, and homework for two classes, it’s ten in the morning, and Claire still isn’t here.
I try calling her number, but it rings a few times and then goes to voicemail. I furrow my brows and type another text.
Me
Hey, getting a little worried. Let me know if you’re okay.
Who else can I check with? I don’t have Zach’s or her parents’ numbers. Maybe they’re listed as emergency contacts? I get out of my seat and go to the front of the office. “Hey, Grace.”
“Have you heard from her?” Grace asks.
I shake my head. “I was wondering if we had her emergency contact information so we could ask her parents or Zach where she is.”
Grace types on her computer and pulls up a spreadsheet. “She listed her parents as her contacts. Do you want to call them?”
I nod, then pull out my phone and type in her mom’s number. It rings a couple of times before I hear Claire’s mom say, “Hello?”
“Hi, Mrs. Beaumont. This is Ryan Matthews, from Coastal Vista Community College. I work with Claire.”
“Yes, I know who you are. Hi, Ryan. How can I help you?”
“Well, Claire hasn’t shown up to work yet, and that’s a little unlike her.”
“Oh.” She pauses. “That’s very strange.”
“I agree. I tried texting and calling her, but I haven’t gotten a response.”
“Let me try. I’ll call you back.”
She hangs up, and I shrug at Grace. “She wants to try first.”
Grace twists her lips to the side, looking nervous. “I hope she’s okay.”
“Me, too.” I wish this didn’t happen, but my mind starts going to some dark places. An accident on the way to work, an intruder in her apartment, Claire lying passed out on the floor…
Thankfully, a minute later, my phone buzzes in my hand—Claire’s mom. I answer the call. “Did she respond?” I ask in place of a greeting.
“No. I tried Zach, too, but he didn’t answer.”
My chest tightens with anger. Zach, her fiancé, is unreachable. Just great.
Her mom continues. “And I would go check on her, but I don’t know where her new apartment is.” Her voice quavers slightly.
