A Bone to Pick

She called Bruce, who was the on-call deputy that night, and asked him to meet Logan at the station. Then she drove north, her gaze sweeping from one side of the road to the other. She lowered the window and called for her mother. Three miles later, with a leaden heart, she turned around and backtracked to the house. It was time to get help. She called Kurt and then Cate.

When she returned home, Logan’s Range Rover was pulling into the driveway. Logan got out and walked to the driver’s side. “Any sign of her?”

“No.” Tessa stared through the windshield at the road pointing south. “I went north because that’s where Cate picked her up last time. But what if she went south?” Tessa choked on the rest of the words—to Widow’s Walk and the cliff?

But Logan knew what she meant. His mouth tightened. “We need more people.”

Tessa breathed. “Cate and Henry are already on their way to Widow’s Walk.”

The walkway above the cliffs was the most dangerous place on the island. That’s where Sam had disappeared. But there were other places just as deadly for a confused older woman: lakes, streams, beaches, woods. Except for the quaint tourist areas, Widow’s Island was largely wild and rural. “Kurt is calling for volunteers and organizing a search.”

Considering the vast acreage surrounding them, desperation gathered in Tessa’s belly.

Where could she be?

“How long has she been gone?” Logan asked.

Tessa checked her watch. “It’s ten thirty now. I remember being awake and working past eight. I’d say the earliest she left was eight thirty.”

“We need a map of the area. Most lost people can travel about two miles per hour, so we’re looking at a maximum distance of four miles from the point last seen. But older people suffering from Alzheimer’s tend to be found closer to home, so it’s unlikely that she wandered too far away.” Logan scanned the woods on the other side of the road. “But we have to remember your mother’s illness. She might not think she’s lost. She could have a specific place she’s going. She might not recognize the people calling for her, even if she knows them. She might even hide from rescuers.”

Logan’s words hit Tessa like a steamroller. As a rural cop, she also knew search and rescue basics, but her brain felt short-circuited by fear. Her mother was emotionally and mentally fragile, and she was alone out there in the darkness.

Logan eyed the forest. “Do you have any idea where she would have gone? Does she like to walk in the woods?”

“When I was a kid, we used to hike in the state park, but she hasn’t hiked anywhere in years. Mostly she hangs around the house.” Or at least that’s what Tessa had thought.

“Well, you checked the road. The land to the south is open. If she’s out there, Cate and Henry will spot her.” Logan reached into the vehicle and put his hand on Tessa’s forearm. “Your mother isn’t the first older person to wander off. We’ll find her.”

“I know.” Tessa had participated in several searches in the past year and a half.

“We need supplies if we’re going into the woods.” Logan released her arm.

Tessa’s phone beeped. Kurt’s number displayed on the screen, and she answered the call.

“I have a dozen volunteers so far,” he said. “We’re going to set up a command center at your house. I’m on my way to you now.”

“Thanks, Kurt.”

The line went dead.

Tessa stared at the woods. There were trails all through the forest. Jerry used one to visit her mother on his mountain bike.

Suddenly she knew exactly where her mother had gone.

I need that painting.

Tessa waved to Logan. “We have to go. I’ll explain on the way.”

Logan rounded the vehicle and climbed into the passenger seat. Tessa pulled away while he was still closing the door.

Logan fastened his seat belt.

Tessa looked like she wanted to throw up as she white-knuckled the steering wheel. “I have an idea of a place to look for my mother.”

“Where?”

Tessa pressed the gas pedal down. “I think—I hope—she went to Dante’s barn to get her painting. If she’s not there, then I don’t know where else to look.”

“But the painting is at the station.”

“Mom doesn’t know that.” The vehicle lurched forward. Tessa filled him in on her discussion with her mother from the night before. “I told her the painting was safe, but she was so upset about Dante’s death and her not being able to have her painting right away. She didn’t hear anything else I said. Could you call Jerry and see if he’s seen Mom?”

“This is not your fault.” Logan made the call. “He’s not answering.”

Tessa shook her head, her expression grim. “I slept on the damned sofa so I’d hear her if she walked toward the door. I can’t believe I didn’t wake up.”

“You’d been awake for thirty-six hours. Of course you slept hard.” Logan couldn’t imagine the guilt Tessa was feeling right now. But then, as he well knew, sometimes you didn’t have to be at fault to carry guilt.

“I know.” But her face was strained and her voice tight.

“Take a deep breath. If you’re right, we’ll collect your mom and take her home,” Logan said, mostly to take Tessa’s mind off her lost mother. “You said she took her boots and coat?”

Tessa nodded.

“That’s a good sign.”

“And what if she’s not at Dante’s studio?”

“Then we’ll head into the woods. Kurt’s command center will be set up within the hour.” He reached over and squeezed Tessa’s hand. “We’re going to find her.”

If only he had half the gadgets that had been available to him as an army ranger. A heat detector and NVGs would be most useful tonight.

Tessa nodded again, her face tight with worry. Logan released his grip. To distract her, he filled her in on his conversation with Nick Garcia.

“Do you believe him?” Tessa asked.

“I don’t know.” But Logan was afraid that Garcia wasn’t the killer and that the true murderer was still out there.

The road straightened out, and Tessa accelerated. Jerry’s house and barn appeared on the right. Tessa pulled into the driveway and parked. She and Logan jumped out of the vehicle.

“Mom!” Tessa called, striding toward the barn. No one answered.

Logan reached for the doorknob and froze. Crime scene tape fluttered in the doorway, no longer fastened on both ends. Had the wind broken the seal, or had a person?

Tessa moved past him into the converted barn. Logan stayed close. He whispered, “Do you think your mom would cross the crime scene tape?”

“I don’t know. She does a lot of things I would never have expected.”

“Someone else could be inside.”

Tessa’s quiet steps indicated that she agreed with him. They walked through the living areas but saw no one. The rooms had already been ransacked. Logan couldn’t tell if they’d been searched again.

Logan poked his head into the storage area. “She’s not in here either.”

Tessa checked a closet. There were no other hiding places large enough to conceal an adult. “She’s not here.” Her voice was disappointed.

“We’ll try the trail that leads back out to Orcas Road. Maybe she’s still on the trail.”