Dorothy shifted her cane to the other hand, her expression turning suspicious. “Don’t tell me you’re here on business? That you think he’s missing or something? He’s just on vacation.”
“His son is concerned,” Abby said. “He said it’s very unlike his dad to take time off, but to do so in peak surfing season and at the spur of the moment, even more unlikely. So Rocco wants to err on the side of caution and make sure Kai’s all right.”
Dorothy gave a sage nod. “That’s just like Rocco. He’s such a good son. Ever since his mother passed away, he’s stepped in to make sure everything is going okay with his dad. But with this? No. I think he’s just overreacting.”
“You could very well be right.” Hayden smiled, trying to deflect any concern Dorothy might have. “Other than the surprising vacation, has everything seemed normal with Kai?”
“Hmm.” She tapped her chin. “He’s been a little busier at work, and I haven’t seen a lot of him, so I’m not sure how to answer that. The few times Ihaveseen him, he seemed a bit preoccupied, but again, it’s the beginning of his busy season, so that’s not unusual.”
“Do you know if Kai has a personal computer?” Abby asked. “There wasn’t one in his cottage.”
“A computer? Kai?” She snorted. “That’s like mixing oil and water. He’s never had one, and he claims he never will. He doesn’t have one of those smartphones or been on the internet.” She tsked. “For goodness’ sake, I do that, and I’m about as ancient as they come.” She chuckled, and a sudden gust of wind buffeted against the cliff, carrying the sound away.
Abby brushed hair, also caught by the blast, from her face. “Do you have any security cameras on the property that could’ve recorded his movements?”
“No. No way. No how.” Dorothy stomped her cane on the sidewalk with a reverberating thump. “The day I have to install those at my place is the day you might as well put me six feet under.”
The raised-brow look Abby gave Hayden said she wanted to know if he had additional questions. He shook his head.
“Thank you for your time, Mrs. Green.” Abby sent the woman a warm, reassuring smile. “We very much appreciate it.”
“I really think everything is fine, but I pray for Kai every day, and I’ll make sure to add his safety to my petitions.” Dorothy raised her cane and tapped it on the sidewalk in front of each person one at a time. “If you discover anything is wrong, you will promise to tell me, won’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He wasn’t about to argue with this sweet, yet fiery older woman. He gave her his business card. “If you think of anything that might help us find Kai, I’d appreciate it if you would give me a call.”
“Don’t you worry. I can see his surf shop from my back deck, and of course, his house is right next door. So I’ll watch for anything out of the ordinary.” She turned carefully and strode to her house, the thud of her cane getting lost in the wind.
Abby’s gaze lifted to Hayden’s face. “She seems like she keeps an eagle eye on things around her, and if there’s anything fishy going on, she would know.”
He nodded, but he wasn’t ready to concede that Kai wasn’t in danger. “Let’s go see if Jake Hill is home. He might have a different story to tell.”
He waved the women ahead of him, then followed behind.
Cady slowed and fell into step beside him. “Despite Dorothy’s lack of concern, I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this.”
“I’d like to say I’m not, but I’m with you.” He dredged up what he hoped was a comforting look to ease her concerns. “But we don’t need to overreact. Especially not this soon in the investigation. Each little piece put together will hopefully reveal the true picture.”
“You’re right. Jake could tell us something that changes everything.” She frowned. “Let’s hope whatever he says is good.”
They climbed the walkway at a determined pace toward the two-story house. It appeared as if it was once a single story cottage similar to other houses on the street and had been renovated to add a story.
Abby reached the door first and stabbed her finger into the doorbell. She tapped her foot and stared straight ahead. She might’ve been gentle with Dorothy, but she’d moved into her former sheriff mode. She’d developed the ability to be what she needed to be for the person she was interviewing. Such skills had made her a good sheriff.
Hayden searched the front of the building for security cameras but didn’t see any. Not a surprise. In small, low-crime-rate towns like Lost Lake, residents felt safe enough not to have protective devices on their homes, which made finding missing persons more difficult.
The sound of footsteps clipping toward the door brought Hayden’s attention back to the entrance. A guy Hayden put in his late thirties, pulled the door open. His cheeks were covered with freckles, and his fiery red hair was messed up like he’d just crawled out of bed. Baggy, unhemmed khaki pants hung from his hips.
He planted bare feet with a slap on the tile floor and rested a hand on a hip. “Help you with something?”
“Are you Jacob Hill?” Abby asked.
“Yeah. What’s this about?”
Abby gave him her business card and introduced herself and the others. “We’ve been hired by Kai’s son to make sure he’s all right, and Dorothy thought you might know something about his vacation.”
“Wait, what?” A crease formed between his brows. “Did something happen to him on vacation?”
Hayden held up a hand. “Sorry, Mr. Hill. We didn’t mean to worry you.”
