The Perfect Couple (Last Stand #4)(92)
Author: Brenda Novak

He hated to backtrack, since he was sure they had to be close. But, in the end, he had to do just that. After returning to the freeway, he drove down the mountain a few miles, where he could place a call.

"Scovil, Potter & Clay."

He pulled out the card he’d taken from the receptionist’s desk earlier.

"Misty?"

"Yes?"

"This is Jonathan Stivers."

"Oh, hello Mr. Stivers."

He ignored the added warmth in her voice. "Is Colin still around?"

"Yes, but…he’s in his office working and told me not to disturb him."

"This is an emergency."

"Wow, another one?"

"He’s had others?"

"His wife had one earlier today, and she called with another emergency last week."

He was so intent on getting hold of Colin that he almost skimmed over that comment. But two emergencies in such a short time did seem a little odd. "What kind of emergencies?"

"This morning Tiffany said she’d been in a car accident."

Oh God. Jonathan pulled off at the next exit and sat on the shoulder of the road. "Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone? I’m pretty sure she was alone."

"When was this?"

"Not too long after you left the office."

He let his breath go. That must’ve been before Zoe got in with her.

And she’d been fine at that point, so…the accident was probably just a fender bender. "What about the other emergency?"

"Last week? Colin’s mother fell and hurt herself."

Jonathan hadn’t heard anything about Colin’s mother–only his father.

"What day did this call come in?"

"Let’s see…I can tell if I flip back through my calendar," she said.

"Here it is. Monday. I’d just gotten my hair trimmed and Colin walked in and gave me a dirty look."

Monday. Zoe had lost her daughter on the same day. Was that a coincidence? It could be. But wouldn’t most people have mentioned it if their mother had been hurt? Zoe had said Colin’s mother had left her husband once she’d learned of his abuse…. Maybe she and her son weren’t close. Or maybe she hadn’t been too badly hurt in that fall.

"Thanks," he said. "Can you ring Colin?"

"He won’t like it," she complained.

"I’ll tell him I made you do it. He’ll understand. I promise. This is really important."

She sighed into the phone. "Okay, I’ll do it for you. But you owe me, and that might mean lunch."

Jonathan opened his mouth to tell her he wasn’t in the market. He had no objection to taking her out. She was a nice enough girl. But he was already committed. And this time it wasn’t Sheridan who came to mind. "I’m happy to buy you a meal, but…just so you know, Misty, I have a girlfriend."

"The good ones are always taken," she grumbled. "Hang on."

He waited so long he thought she’d gotten on another line and forgotten about him.

Finally, Misty picked up again. "Jonathan?"

"Yes?"

"He must’ve left. But I don’t know when. He didn’t come past me."

"Can you do me one more favor and check the parking lot?"

"I already did," she said. "His car’s gone."

That was where she’d been. What a sweetheart. "So, you have no idea when he left."

"None. But I can tell you this. Chances are good he won’t be coming back. Mr. Scovil heard me asking about him and went through the roof."

Had Colin decided to go to the cabin after all? "Can you give me his cell-phone number?"

"I’m not supposed to share that information, not without permission."

"Come on, Misty. This is about that little girl we’re trying to find."

"But if Colin doesn’t like it, he’ll get some sort of revenge."

"He’s not coming back, remember? And I won’t tell him how I came by the number. I could probably get it some other way. I just don’t have time."

"All right, give me a sec…."

He imagined her thumbing through her Rolodex.

"Here it is."

He entered it in his BlackBerry as she rattled it off. "Perfect. Thanks, Misty."

"Too bad you’ve got a girlfriend," she said and disconnected.

He chuckled to himself as he dialed the number, but the worry he’d felt before returned when Colin didn’t pick up. Every call went directly to voice mail. Had Colin been the one who’d come home while Jonathan was in the garage? If so, he must not have gone back to work.

Trying to figure out what to do next, he tapped the steering wheel. He had to get to that cabin. But how?

Maybe Paddy had remarried….

As it turned out, directory assistance had a Paddy Bell in Antelope, where Toby had been kidnapped. A woman answered almost as soon as the phone rang.

"Hello?" She sounded anxious. Hopeful.

"Is this Mrs. Bell?"

"Yes, it is."

"You’re married to Paddy Bell, Colin Bell’s father?"

"That’s right."

"This is Jonathan Stivers. I’m a private detective investigating the kidnapping of–"

"My husband?" she cut in. "Has my husband been kidnapped? Is that where he is?"

He released his seat belt.

"Not that I know of, ma’am. A young girl, who was living next door to your stepson, went missing last Monday, and I’ve been searching for her ever since."

"Next door to Colin?" She seemed puzzled. "Curious he didn’t mention it. Maybe there’s a connection between her and my Paddy," she said with tears in her voice. "Where are all these people going, anyway? The Simpson boy was taken from the school just down the street. I don’t understand."

"Colin believes your husband might’ve kidnapped Samantha Duncan."

"What? He doesn’t even know the girl. What would he want with her?"

Hoping for a cool breeze, Jonathan lowered the window. "Colin claims your husband is a–"

"No!" she cried before he could finish.

"Yes."

"That’s a lie! I know Paddy better than anyone else does. He’s not a predator. He’s a good man!"

That wind he’d been hoping for stirred his hair. "You’ve never heard of him abusing his children while they were growing up?"

"Of course not! That’s crazy. You can ask his first wife. She’ll tell you Paddy was a keeper. She says it to me all the time. She says their marriage would’ve worked if not for Colin."

"What did Colin do?"

"He was a difficult kid, a troubled kid."

"How troubled?"