“Hi, sweetie.” His eyes were worried. “How are the boys?”
“They seem fine.” She’d told her parents the bare bones about the situation with Josh but hadn’t gotten into details. Like the fact that there was a warrant out for his arrest. “They’re both in school today.”
“Has there been any news?”
“No.” Val paused while the computer downloaded the update it needed. “I’m going into the station today to formally file a missing-person report since I don’t think anyone has yet.”
“Can’t the police just tell where he is from his phone?” Marie said. Her mother had a tendency to think technology was a powerful and mostly benevolent overseer. “Can’t you?”
“He’s not on our family plan,” Val said. “So I can’t track him like I can with the boys. And Dad knows how many dead spots there are in the mountains. The police won’t be able to see his phone if he’s out of range.”
Vincent mostly knew about dead spots because he was addicted to sports radio and country music, which he listened to while he fished. He had to know which spots to avoid if a game was on live.
Her father frowned. “So all the spots where you can’t call out or get a signal… if he was in one of those areas, the police wouldn’t find him?”
“Nope.”
Marie frowned. “I thought it was all about the satellites. Aren’t our phones connected to satellites?”
Val smiled. “Only satellite phones are connected that way. Our regular old phones just use the towers all over the place. That’s why they’re putting that new one up over by Russell House. You know, the one that looks like a fake pine tree?”
“Oh, that’s right.” Marie grabbed her newspaper and sat down next to Val. “Well, it’s all very confusing. I hope they find Josh soon. I’m sure the boys are worried sick.”
The boys were worried sick, but Val didn’t have the heart to tell her parents that the police thought Josh was living it up in Vegas.
She waited for the update to finish and restarted the computer.
Her father was studying her.
“What?” she asked.
“Are you and the girls thinking to do anything to find Josh?” Vincent’s face was grim.
“I don’t know, Dad.” She glanced at Marie. “I don’t know what we can do other than file a report.”
“You’re resourceful girls,” he said. “And you know more about that man than the police. I’m sure you’ve talked about it.”
Val shrugged. “We got together last night.”
“And?”
“I don’t know.”
“He’s the boys’ father.”
“Dad, I know.” She looked up. “Trust me, I know.”
“She doesn’t have to do anything.” Marie’s voice was sharper than Val expected.
“Marie.”
“No, Vincent. I told you to leave things be.” Marie’s cheeks were red. “You know I love Josh. I will always consider him a member of our family, but… Well, we both know he didn’t treat Val well and he’s disappointed Jackson and Andy over and over.”
Val said, “I honestly don’t know what I can do other than file a report, Mom.”
“All I’m saying”—Marie looked at her pointedly—“is that that is all you need to do. Focus on your boys. Josh has made his own bed over and over. You don’t have to sleep in it. It’s far past time for everyone to stop expecting you to clean up his messes.”
Marie’s fiery proclamation soothed a wound in Val’s heart she hadn’t even realized was there. She’d been frustrated with her parents more than once for their steady hope that Josh would eventually get his act together and he and Val could be a family again. Her parents were traditional and very, very Catholic.
She understood her mom and understood what her parents thought she was losing with the divorce. They adored each other and had been joined at the hip for over fifty years. One of the hardest parts of her divorce was feeling like she’d disappointed them.
But Josh was not her father. And she was not her mother.
“Thanks, Mom.” She managed to force the words out. “I know he’s not my problem. But he is the boys’ father. Whether I like it or not, we are still family.” The rebellious, contrary part of her mind snarled a little, then lay down and settled. “I’m not sure what Robin and Monica and I can do to help, but we’ll do what we can.” She looked at her dad. “Okay?”
Vincent nodded. “That’s all you can do. But you’ll be angry with yourself if you don’t.”
“I know.” She glanced at the computer and the log-in screen had popped up. “I think I fixed it.”
“Oh, that’s good.” Vincent lowered the reading glasses that were sitting on his head and angled the computer. He typed in his password and the home screen jumped on the monitor. “Look at that. What a genius our girl is.”
“Time for bear claws.” Marie opened the box. “Oh, and turnovers. That’s nice, isn’t it?”
All Val had done was load and install the updates that had been slowing things down, but she’d take it. Especially if it netted her good-daughter points and a bear claw.
* * *
She walked into the sheriff’s office a little after three o’clock, then leaned on the counter until a deputy came up to help her. It was Jarrod Richardson, who’d been a few years behind her in school.
“Hey, Val.” His smile was unnecessarily cheerful. “How are you? What can I help you with?”
“I need to file a missing-person report for my ex-husband,” Val said. “Other than that, I’m doing okay. How about you?”
Jarrod’s smile fell. “A what?”
“Missing person. Joshua Mason. Has a warrant out in Bridger City?”
Jarrod’s eyes were the size of coffee saucers. “Sorry?”
“Richardson,” a voice barked. “Send Val back, will you?”
Jarrod lifted the flip-up counter and waved Val in. “You know where his office is?”
“Yep.”
Val walked through the main room of the sheriff’s department in Glimmer Lake. It wasn’t a large building because the county seat was in Koso Junction, but since Glimmer Lake had the most tourists and the most activity, Sully spent the most time at the lake.
His office was tucked into the back corner of an old building that had been expanded in the 1970s when the ski resort was built. It was hardly the stuff of grandeur or television drama. The only window was no more than a foot across, and it was covered in spiderwebs from the outside. It smelled like pine air freshener and coffee. Half a dozen certificates were framed on the wall behind the desk, but Val didn’t bother to read them. She sat across from Sully in the red-upholstered armchairs with cigarette burns on the arms.
“Hey,” he said. “You want to file a missing-person report?”
“Yes.”
Sully rocked back in his seat, watching her with suspicious eyes. His hair still needed to be cut, and she was pretty sure he had a grease stain on his collar, but his blue eyes were intent on Val. “Why?”
“Because it’s not like him to be out of contact for this long,” she said. “He is missing.”
“He’s an adult and he’s your ex-husband. It’s not illegal for him not to return your calls.”
“He missed his weekend visit with our sons.”
“And he’s never done that before?”
Val looked away and shook her head. “You know he has.”
“Does your ex-husband have any friends he might be visiting? Does he normally inform you of his movements?”
“No.”
“But you think he’s missing.”
“I know he is. And his girlfriend thinks the same thing. This isn’t like him.”
“What is he like? Dependable? Responsible?” Sully’s eyes never left her face. “Punctual?”
“No, but—”
“Do you have reason to think he is injured or hurt in some way?”
“No.”
“Does he have any medical or c
ognitive dysfunction that would put him at risk?”
“No.” She felt her jaw pop from clenching it so hard.
“Does he have friends or family in areas outside this community?
“Yes, but—”
“When was the last time you saw your ex-husband, Ms. Costa?” Sully leaned forward and appeared to be taking notes on a yellow legal pad. “Was it before or after he stole ten thousand dollars from a client?”
Val looked out the window and tried not to scream. “Do you think I enjoy this?”
“It’s unnecessary,” Sully said under his breath. “Bridger City already has multiple officers looking into—”
“Don’t lie to me,” she snapped. “You and I both know Bridger PD thinks Josh is a lowlife who left town to avoid a client he robbed. We both know they think he’s in Las Vegas right now.”
A muscle in Sully’s jaw popped. “How—?”
“They’re not going to do anything to find him.” Val sat up straight. “Meanwhile, I’m fielding calls from his girlfriend, who thinks he’s cheating on her—she’s probably right—which means there could be an angry woman or an angry significant other out there.”
“Val, if you think you have information—”
“I don’t have information. I have suspicions and two boys who are wondering where their dad is and why he’s not answering their calls. Because if there’s one thing that Andy knows, it’s that his dad may be irresponsible but he loves him, because who on earth wouldn’t love Andy? Josh always calls Andy back within a day.” She leaned forward. “Are you hearing me? Even when he goes to Canada for that bike rally every summer. If Andy calls, Josh calls back. If he was in Vegas, he’d call Andy back even if the police were looking for him. So yeah, Sully. I think something bad happened to my ex.”
“Josh a gambler?”
“Other than the odd bet on the Super Bowl, no.”
“Does he have any friends in the Las Vegas metropolitan area?”
“None that I’ve ever heard of.”
Sully leaned his chin in the palm of his hand and stared at her long and hard. “So why do you think Bridger City PD thinks Josh is in Vegas?”
Val opened her mouth. Closed it. She couldn’t exactly tell Sully she knew because she read it on his hat the other day. “It’s… a nearby city.”
“Sacramento and San Francisco are closer.”
“But not as friendly to lowlifes.”
He cracked a smile. “Val, your ex’s girlfriend filed a report this morning. You don’t need to file another one.”
“Okay.” Val scrambled. “That’s good. I mean… good. So you’re saying they have people looking into it in Bridger?”
Sully leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. “Probably not.”
Val stood up. “Then what the hell, Sully? You and I both know—”
“We know nothing.” Sully cleared his throat. “You haven’t been married to the man for over nine years. I don’t know him, and my jurisdiction is limited in Bridger. He’s a grown man, Val. Maybe he just took off.”
She raised a hand and pointed it in his direction. Then she lowered it. She would not lose her cool with Sully. She refused.
She also refused to drop it.
“Fine.” Val kept her voice steady. “See ya.” She walked out of his office, flexing her hands as she went. She’d go. And she’d find out what happened to Josh.
“Val, don’t do anything stupid,” Sully shouted.
She looked over her shoulder. “What could I do?”
Sully narrowed his eyes. He looked like he was clenching his teeth. “Just… don’t do anything stupid about Josh.”
She met his eyes and held them. “Like I said, what could I possibly do?”
Chapter 7
She waited until she was out of the parking lot to call Robin. “We’re finding my stupid, irresponsible ex. You in?”
“Yep. I’ll let Mark know. When are we going into Bridger?”
“Tomorrow morning?”
“Sure. That works.”
She hung up and called Monica. “We’re going to find my asshole of an ex-husband. You in?”
“Do you promise to finally examine your feelings for Josh and the divorce and why you’ve been unwilling to move on to any new relationship in a meaningful way?”
Val rolled her eyes. “Fine. Sure, I guess so. After we find Josh so my boys aren’t traumatized for the rest of their life because their dad disappeared, okay?”
“Of course. Priorities.”
“Can you go into Bridger tomorrow morning with me and Robin?”
“We don’t have any events this week at Russell House, so I should be clear, but let me call Jake just to check.”
“Cool.”
Val waited for Monica to end the call, then she called Ramon.
“Hey-yah, boss. What’s up?”
“Would Honey be able to fill in for me tomorrow at the diner?”
“Let me check.” He covered the phone and there was a muffled conversation in the background. “Yeah, she says she can cover you. This about the ex? There any news?”
“Not yet, but I’m hoping I can get some information tomorrow.”
“Okay. I’ll check with her, but I think Honey’s schedule is pretty easy this week. She can probably help with stuff at the coffee shop if you need her to, not just tomorrow.”
“You two are the absolute best.” It would strain Val’s bank account, but it had been four days since anyone had seen Josh. If she was going to get information about Josh and figure out what was going on, she needed to move fast. “I’ll call tomorrow and confirm with her for the rest of the week, but maybe pencil that in.”
“You got it. Good luck.”
Val was nearly home when Monica called her back.
“Okay yes, I’m free tomorrow and most of this week, but end of next week we have two bridal showers and a corporate motivational retreat, so I’ll be limited then.”
“A corporate motivational retreat?”
“I know. I was confused at first too, but it seems like they mostly consist of managers giving speeches and then all the employees bitching behind other people’s backs in small groups.”
Why would anyone ever choose to work in an office? “Do they get to drink?”
“Nope.”
“Don’t sign me up.”
“They’re not so bad. I think—judging from the skin tone of a lot of these office workers—they just need to get outside.” Monica cleared her throat. “Speaking of outside…”
“Yes?”
“Can we talk about what you said in the car?”
Val groaned. “For the hundredth time no. We are not talking about what I said in the car!”
When Robin’s car went into Glimmer Lake, they’d all thought they were going to die. They might have said otherwise, but Val thought she was a goner. For sure. And when you thought you were going to die, you sometimes said stupid things.
Very stupid things.
“You said you wished that we were lesbians so we could marry each other, but you weren’t sure you’d like lesbian sex and really you were still in love with Josh, even though you hate him. And you said the sex was really good. I’m assuming you meant with Josh since apparently I will never know the sweet, sweet touch of the passion that could live between us.”
Val pulled into the driveway and sat in her car with a hand covering her eyes. “How do you remember all this shit?”
“I had to hold four children accountable for bullshit—I have a very good memory.”
“Also, I said I was kinda wishing I could marry you. Kinda. It wasn’t a definite thing.”
“Can we talk about you being in love with Josh?
“Can we not?”
“Val—”
“Okay, yes, I was hung up on Josh for a while. He was the first man I ever loved. And for a lot of years it was good. When you’re lonely, it’s really easy to forget all the shitty things about someone and remember just the good
stuff, okay?”
“I get that. But what’s changed?”
Well, there was Sully, but if she brought that up, Monica would just have more questions, not less. She’d told Monica and Robin she’d had a “thing” with Sully, but she’d kept them guessing as to the extent.
“Uhhhh…” She squeezed her eyes together. Think. Think. Think. “I got my powers,” Val blurted out. “I mean, the psychic stuff just changed everything. Changed the way I see people. Changed the way I… see my path.” Yeah. Paths sounded like something you’d talk about in therapy. Maybe Monica would think she was in therapy instead of pining over her ex. “You know, purpose. And vision.”
Monica was quiet for a long time. “You are so full of shit.”
“Listen, just know that I am not in love with Josh. Especially not after he pulled that custody bullshit last year.”
“Oh right. I forgot about that.”
Everyone had forgotten about it except Val, apparently. The whole process had required mounds of paperwork, and as soon as the judge ruled that there was no way Josh’s custody would be increased, her ex had dropped it completely. Apparently he had no problem pushing Val into spending cash on a lawyer. He was probably happy about it.
Val said, “The only reason I want to find the asshole in the first place is for my boys.”
Josh was a cheater and a dog and a tightfisted father. He avoided paying for anything he possibly could and he had no problem letting Val make all the decisions. Not because he respected her opinion but because he didn’t want to take responsibility.
Why was she looking for him again?
Oh. Right. The boys loved him.
She rubbed her temple. There it was, another headache. “It sucks being a single mom, Monica.”
Monica gave her a sympathetic sigh. “Yeah, it does. Unfortunately, I gotta tell you it sucks even when they’re grown-ups.”
“That’s not making me feel better.”
“Sorry.”
Val massaged her temple again. “I forget you’re a single mother now.”
“It’s not really the same,” Monica said. “I wasn’t alone raising them. But I think some things are the same. I hate it when the kids call me with good news and there’s no one to get excited with since Gil is gone. He was always the one who would make a huge deal about their stuff, and now it’s just me and I kinda feel like the second-choice parent.”
Semi-Psychic Life: Glimmer Lake Book Two Page 6