Chapter 14
Jake sat in the car with his sister, feeling like a couple of detectives on a stakeout as they watched everyone enter and exit the ice maze from the parking lot.
At least they knew what Ally’s friend Lara looked like, given she had so many pictures on her social media profile.
But most importantly they’d garnered from her post that she’d be here this morning with her businesswoman friend, who presumably had Jake’s case.
Despite this very promising lead, he still couldn’t relax - at least not until they’d successfully located the woman and gotten his luggage back.
“You know, I still can’t take you seriously, dressed like that,” Meghan commented, with a snicker.
Jake looked down at the outfit he’d borrowed from his father. The clothes, while old-fashioned were warm and perfectly suited for the circumstances. Ice mazes by their nature were … icy cold.
And why his sister was focused on something so irrelevant when there was so much at stake here, was beyond him.
As they approached the entrance to the maze, the line was already stretching halfway to the parking lot.
Jake watched a small boy, patiently waiting in line holding his mother’s hand. It reminded him of the very first time he’d come to this place as a child.
He could feel the kid’s excitement as he marvelled at the ten foot walls made entirely of ice. Probably wondering how anyone could create such a thing, just like Jake had.
For the next few minute, he and Meghan continued to scan through everyone entering and exiting, hoping they’d be able to spot Ally’s friend.
As they did so, Jake’s gaze suddenly stopped on a woman with sleek mid-length brown hair.
He studied her profile, trying to figure out why she looked so familiar. Then he realised - it was the woman on the flight here, the one who didn’t have any cash on her.
“Jake,” his sister’s voice brought him back to the present. “Why are you staring? That woman looks nothing like Lara.”
“Uh I know.” He looked back to where the woman from the flight was standing, to see her grab a young boy by the hand and smile down at him.
Oh she was a mom. For some reason he hadn’t pictured her that way on the plane. At all.
“Look, look, I think that could be her!” Meghan exclaimed then, grabbing her brother by the arm.
He turned quickly as his sister pointed out a blond woman fitting Lara Clark’s description, pushing a stroller back through the crowds at a very fast pace, only about a couple of feet away.
As he tried to follow, he did his best to avoid bumping into all the people who were headed in the opposite direction.
“Sorry,” he apologised, colliding with someone, then turned once the man assured him he was fine, only to come inches from running right into someone else.
Jake felt like a complete jerk; this wasn’t him. He stopped, took a deep breath and looked once again to see how far away he was from reaching Ally Walker’s friend.
But she was now at the door of her mini van, effortlessly lifting her baby’s car seat in, folding down the stroller and speeding away.
Clearly this Lara had somewhere to be other than the ice maze. Was there some emergency with the baby that she had to leave?
And where was her friend? Was Ally already inside? Should he maybe go inside and search?
But neither he or Meghan had any idea what she looked like….
Frustrated afresh, he resisted the urge to fall to his knees. He’d been so close too.
The idea that if he had just been fast enough to reach that woman, he might well be holding his bag right now was enough to make him want to kick himself.
And the fact that he, a writer, was considering such a cliche made him even more annoyed.
“I just can’t believe we just missed her,” he groaned to Meghan.
