“No. There is not. The woman attended our retreat and left Sunday. There is nothing more I can tell you. Please stop calling.”
“But wait.” Frowning at the dial tone, I drop my electronics on the shelf and make dinner.
Soon, Wulf pings my phone to say he is stuck at work. It's not at all unusual, so I eat and play‘Lambs and Bunnies’online with Abigail before putting her to bed.
All quiet now, I pour a glass of wine. Sitting, I call my co-conspirator, Calliope James. “What did Lucky say about our spa weekend?”
“To be honest, he wasn’t thrilled.” Because the noise in the background fades, I assume she moved to another room.
“You didn’t mention my missing neighbor, right?” If her husband finds out about Dolly, he’s sure to nix our trip.
“Believe me, it won’t be our secret for long. Hold on.” She sighs as a fight erupts over who won the last round of something or other.
“Hey! I’m talking to Auntie Gwen. You guys keep quiet, or I’m revoking game privileges.” When she returns to the phone, she’s out of breath. “Sorry about that. Lordy, just about now, an hour off sounds heavenly, let alone a whole weekend.”
“I bet.” Imagining four children to feed and put to bed, I shudder, then change the subject. “I was thinking… Perhaps we should hire a private detective?”
“What about the cops or, better yet, the FBI? I have a friend whose husband is a Special Agent.”
“Hardy har har.” I move into the other room, away from my kid’s perfect hearing.
Eyes on the door, I whisper, “Axel said he would help me file a missing person report. I called the closest precinct along with the Pennsylvania State Police. Finding no sign of foul play, they said she would probably turn up. It’s so frustrating. I’m certain something is wrong.”
“Hmmm.” Callie thinks for a minute before clearing her throat. “We could call Sam Sutcliff. She’s a PI, married to Sebastian. Remember him? He’s one of the SEALs who rescued you from Belarus. You met her at your party.”
As I picture the blond spitfire from Brooklyn, I grin. “She’d be awesome, but will she agree?”
My boss snickers, then asks under her breath, “Is a clam's ass watertight?”
Realizing I probably heard, her tone brightens. “I can conference her in if you like.”
“Yes, please.” My heart pumps. Now, with more help, we can finally make some progress.
A few minutes later, the New Yorker joins our call, “Hey, wazzup?”
Callie, who has known the private detective for years, catches her up on our plans.
“Let me get this straight in my head. Youz two have scheduled a kid-free, chore-free weekend. Can I come, too?” Her response should’ve been expected, but I’m still floored.
“Sure.” Jawbone back in place, I recalculate the odds of finding Dolly.
Smiling, I sip my wine while Sam reads my mind. “No matter what, you can’t tell Suds it’s a job. He’ll insist on coming and blow our cover.”
“We won’t say a word, but I can’t guarantee our men will keep quiet.” We may have gotten their agreement. Nevertheless, I suspect it could be revoked at any minute.
“I have an awesome idea,” Samantha speaks faster, her voice enthusiastic. “Slate’s wife, Lilac, is due next month. How about we invite her along with my cousins? We can turn our spa days into a baby shower weekend?”
My normally nerdy boss squeals. “Excellent! We’ll bring presents. It will be so much fun. The more women who attend, the safer we will be and the less likely our men will need to tag along.”
We talk for a bit longer. By the time we hang up, I feel better about Dolly.
Much later, Wulf crawls into bed. Reading the clock on the bedstand, I place my palm on his tired face. “Hey honey, is everything okay at work?”
He kisses my hand and sighs. “Nothing too awful, but Director Kemp is getting impatient. The schedule is going to be grueling pending a real lead.”
“Sorry, babe.” A heated kiss later, I curl up next to his warm body.
His boss has been on his case since Axel’s unauthorized trip to Belarus last summer. You’d think he’d be happy that I brought him mind-blowing technology. For him, the reward was never worth the risk to his reputation.
