She shakes her head, quick and jerky, and feverishly rubs her hands together to combat the cold. “I saw her this morning. Looked like she was heading out for a walk.”
“A walk?” I jump off the edge of my porch and sprint to the fence that separates our yards. I search every corner of her property, the landscaped edging and large pond, already frozen over for the winter. I lean to the side and attempt to glance past the massive greenhouse, just in case Rose wandered back to the wrong yard. Lost and scared, vulnerable and freezing. “What time did you see her, Mrs. Gunderson?”
“Early. Nine or ten, I’d say.”
“Nine or ten!? That’s nine hours ago!”
“I was having a cup of tea in the front room when I saw her out on the road. She seemed unsure. Kept glancing back at the house, like she was talking herself into going another step further.”
My stomach rebels. My entire fucking soul threatens to give out. Iunlock my phone with a shaking hand, but I have no missed calls. No unread texts. I bring my eyes back to the little old lady next door. “You haven’t seen her since? She didn’t come home and then head out again later?”
She swings her head side to side. “I haven’t seen her. I kept an ear out all day long, especially with how cold this wind is. But I didn’t sit on my porch all day watching, so she might’ve snuck past.”
No. She fucking didn’t.
I nod and turn away from the fence. “Alright. Thanks.” I hit dial on Janine’s number and bring the phone to my ear. “I’m gonna go out and look for her, Mrs. Gunderson. If you see her while I’m gone, maybe you could call me on my cell?”
“Sure. I will.”
“Ollie?” Janine answers her phone with a snicker. “You’ve been gone fifteen minutes and you already miss us?”
“Rose isn’t there, is she?”
From laughing to deadly serious, her voice turns cold. “What? No, why?”
“Is she in the ER? Could she have been picked up and handed off to Dawes, so I didn’t see?”
“In the ER?” Her breath comes faster, meeting the same pace as her racing feet on the old linoleum. “What the hell is going on, Ollie?”
“She’s not here, Janine!” I swing back onto my deck and stalk through my back door. Closing the glass with a snap, I retrace my steps and check every room one last time. Every space a woman could crawl into and hide. Every fucking inch I own. “She’s not at the house, and Mrs. Gunderson says she saw her heading out for a walk this morning. Nine fucking hours ago.”
“In this weather?”
“She doesn’t have a phone. She doesn’t have money. Even if she’s not frozen or drowned in the lake, she’s not here, and she has no way to buy food. So she’s starving either fucking way. Is she there?”
“I’m walking into the ER now. Hang on.” She tears curtains open and strides past beeping monitors. She murmurs her questions and gives answers when prompted. Then, with a sigh, she brings the phone back to her ear. “She’s not here, Ollie.”
“Fuck!” I cross my house at a jog and burst through the front door. Snatching my keys from the lock, I charge back down the steps and across my lawn, throwing myself into my truck and slamming the door. “Call me if she turns up, okay?”
“O-okay. I promise. You’ll update me if you find her, right?”
“Yeah.” I stab the key into the ignition and turn the engine over, then I end one call and tap on Eliza’s name next. I’ll drive every fucking road in this town if I have to. Every back alley. I’ll shine my headlights over every yard and between every tree if I must. I’ll be damned before I let her become a victim of the cold a second time.
“Hi, this is Eliza Darling. I didn’t answer this call, and since this isn’t the nineties anymore, that was probably intentional. Text me like a normal person, you moron. Or, ya know, leave a message at the beep. But I probably won’t listen to it. K. Bye.”
Beep.
“Eliza! Answer your fucking phone. Rose is missing. Have you seen her?”
Ending that call, I back out of my driveway, my wheels skidding on the gravel. Slamming my foot to the brake, I push the gear into first and spin the wheels in search of traction. Then I dial Tommy’s phone and set the call on speaker.
“Come on, come on, come on, come on.” I battle a mental war between driving fast to find Rose sooner, and driving slow, to ensure I don’t blow straight past her in the dark. I have no clue which is the right choice. I just know I want to puke, and at the same fucking time, I want to wrap her up and lock her in my house for safekeeping.
“This is Tommy. I can’t get to the phone right n?—”
Fuck!Fury burns in my veins, turning blood to fire and rational thinking into something else entirely. My wheels slip on the road, my truck veers onto the shoulder, and skids back onto the black when I right it again. Way too fucking dangerous. Too stupid. But I grab my phone and dial Cliff next. I’ll call every fucking human I’ve ever met if I have to. Someone has to know where she is. Someone has to have seen her earlier and thoughtshit, she needs a little help.
“Hey.” Cliff answers, ridiculously chill. “What’s up?”
