“Hard. I haven’t been to the cemetery since her funeral.” Ashley looked through the window. The lights of New York filled the skyline, giving everything a festive appearance. The reality of living in one of the largest cities in America was completely different. She’d forgotten how different until she’d gone back to Montana.
“I called dad while I was in Bozeman. He wants me to stay with him and Trisha.”
Bonnie’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s not like him.”
“I thought the same thing. Maybe his second marriage has changed him.”
Bonnie didn’t look convinced. “Will you go to San Francisco?”
“Not yet. I thought I’d wait until this is over.”
“You could be waiting a long time.”
Ashley leaned her head against the window and thought about Matthew. “I hope not.”
***
Matthew turned off the TV and checked his watch. “She should have called by now.”
Sean glanced up from the book he was reading. “She might have been held up. You know what airports are like.”
“Jason said an FBI agent would be meeting her at the terminal. They wouldn’t want to stay for any longer than they had to.”
“True.” Sean left his book on the arm of his chair. “You’ll get an ulcer if you keep worrying about her.”
“I can’t help it. Ashley shouldn’t have gone back to New York.”
“What did you expect her to do? Stay here and talk to the cows all day?”
“She could have waited until her story was published.”
“Her editor wants to see her. Have you called Jason? He might know what’s going on.”
Matthew pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and found Jason’s number. “I’ll use your phone in case Ashley calls me on mine.”
“It’s on the coffee table,” Sean said. “Why wouldn’t the staff at the airport let you tell her about the bomb threat?”
“By the time someone verified our story it was too late. She’d already left.” Matthew called Jason’s number and held his brother’s cell phone to his ear.
“Is everything okay?” Jason’s deep voice echoed down the phone.
“I was hoping you could tell me. Have you heard from the FBI or the police?”
“No. I take it Ashley hasn’t called?”
Matthew sighed. “Not yet.”
“Have you checked to see if her flight has landed?”
“It landed more than an hour ago. Her phone keeps going to voicemail.”
“She’ll call as soon as she can.”
“That’s what my brother said.” Matthew ran his hand around his neck. He was worried and there wasn’t anything he could do about it. “Thanks for answering your phone.”
“It was a welcome distraction. One of my kids has the flu. I wasn’t planning on getting a lot of sleep anyway. If you haven’t heard from Ashley by midnight, call me again. I’ll contact the detective who’s working on the case and see if he knows where she is.”
“Thanks. Good luck with your sick child.”
