“And there’s still no sign of Shannon’s phone, right?”
“No. And they can’t get a signal because it’s off or out of power.”
“I read there was at least one call on Monday morning but the police haven’t been able to contact the woman.”
“That would be J. J. Rimes. Shannon’s cell phone records show Shannon spoke to her that morning, but apparently J.J. left later in the day for a camping trip in the Adirondacks and no one’s been able to reach her.”
“Does that seem like an odd coincidence?” It sure did to me. “Both of them gone the same day?”
“Not necessarily. J.J.’s ex-husband says she told him about the trip a while ago because she needed him to take the kids.... Here’s what my family and I think—that Shannon’s probably injured. That she might have fallen when she was running and hit her head and she’s now walking around in some kind of fugue state.”
That was a possibility, of course, though it seemed like a really slim one.
“If that’s the case, let’s hope the searchers find her soon,” I said, nodding sympathetically. “Shifting gears a little, had Shannon mentioned any concerns to you lately? About someone watching her or following her?”
“Definitely not. Stuff like that doesn’t happen in a place like this.”
“Being a mom can be stressful. Is there any chance that things became overwhelming for her? That she needed to escape for a while?”
The question clearly annoyed Kelly—I could read it in her eyes—but she took a breath, tamping down her irritation.
“I know you’re just doing your job asking that,” she said, “but it’s totally off the mark. Shannon loves her kids and would never abandon them, even for a short time.”
“She’s a stay-at-home mom?”
“Basically, yes. She stopped working full-time when the kids were born. She wanted to take them to school, make unicorn-colored cupcakes for their birthday parties. That sort of thing.”
I wasn’t sure why exactly, but something about the cupcakes comment came off like a tiny dig to me.
“And her marriage—how’s that?”
“It seems fine. Cody runs our family company, and my father—Stan—left it in brilliant shape. They have a nice life.”
Hardly a ringing endorsement of her brother-in-law.
“Do—”
“Like I said, we think Shannon could be injured and requiring immediate medical help. She loves the outdoors, but that doesn’t mean she can cope if she’s broken a leg. Fortunately, I’ve been able to take off work to help, but my family needs as many people as we can get to assist with the search.”
“Speaking of your family, it would be great if I could speak with your mother.”
That elicited another hard shake of the head.
“She’s not up to speaking to anyone at the moment.”
I sensed I was starting to press my luck with Kelly and decided to back off for now. After all, I’d want the chance to circle back to her later.
“I’ll let you return to your work here, but before we finish, what’s the best way for people to help?”
“They can check the sheriff’s website each day, or stop by here to see where the searchers are meeting. If searching outside is too strenuous for them, they can pick up flyers here to distribute to restaurants and businesses. They can reach out to me or Hank Coulter, who’s running our volunteer operation. He’s the former chief of police here in town.”
“Great, I’ll definitely include that information in my article. And if anything else occurs to you, I’d love to hear from you.” I reached in my shoulder bag for a business card, and as I slid it across the table to her, I heard the front door swing open with a whoosh.
Cody Blaine had just entered the building.
He was as handsome as his photos suggested, about five ten and well built. His hair and eyes were dark brown, but his skin was extremely fair, creating an intriguing contrast. He wore his beard and mustache close-cropped, and despite how ragged he looked today, there was a worldly air about him. Maybe that came from serving time in Afghanistan.
I turned back to Kelly and saw her shoulders tensing before my eyes.
