“Okay. Let’s see how this goes.� Setting down her glass, Olivia picked up her phone and dialed the number. “Maybe I shouldn’t be calling this late. I could try in the morning.�
The phone rang once, clicked, and a low voice answered. “Hello?�
Meeting Andrew’s gaze with a small nod of her chin, Olivia sat straighter and did her best to sound unthreatening. “Hi, Amanda. You don’t know who I am, and I am so sorry to bother you, but I found your email on Hattie’s computer, and I was wondering if we could talk.�
“How did you find me?� Amanda’s voice was suddenly filled with fear. “Did Stephen hire you? If you tell him where I am, he will kill me. Please. I have money. I’ll pay you more than whatever he’s paying you. Please!�
“What?� Olivia reached out and grabbed Andrew’s arm, even as she was doing her best to diffuse the other woman’s obvious panic.
He leaned his head against hers so that he could hear the conversation without Olivia putting her phone on speaker, which might goad Amanda into hanging up, if the woman was that paranoid.
And it sounded like she might have good reason to be.
Olivia nodded for Andrew’s benefit and said, “No, Amanda. I don’t know Stephen. I’m not calling you for your sake—if that makes sense? I’m calling because of Hattie. She’s gone missing, and I’m worried about her.â€� She took a deep breath, thinking furiously, and added, “She was working on a freelance project with my boyfriend. When she dropped out of sight with no warning, we couldn’t get anyone to listen to us …â€�
She heard Amanda snort softly on the other end of the line, as if to say, Why does that not surprise me?
Apparently, Olivia had been convincing enough so far that Amanda hadn’t hung up on her. She took a deep breath and kept going, feeling her way now and choosing her words with even more care because this part was tricky, considering how they had illegally hacked into Hattie’s email account. “Andrew—my boyfriend checked out her email because something was off in her last replies, emailing back and forth about the project they were working on, and that’s how we found the monthly checkups.� She heard Amanda sigh at this, but forged on. “Your emails were alarming, so my boyfriend and I kept digging. I promise, we don’t mean you any harm, and we certainly won’t give your information out to anyone.� She felt Andrew’s nod against her cheek. So far, so good.
There was a beat of silence. “Hattie’s missing? So he found her?� Amanda’s voice shook a little.
Olivia took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to word the answer so she wouldn’t spook the woman on the other end of the line into hanging up. “Hattie’s been missing for a few days. I don’t know who he is. Is there someone from her past that we should be looking into? Amanda, can you tell me what’s going on?�
“I don’t understand. Are you with the police?�
The woman was uncomfortably cautious. Olivia had a feeling that whatever Amanda had to say, it wasn’t going to be good. “No. I’m not with the police, but I am a friend of the sheriff. If you’d like, I’d be happy to give you his number so he can vouch for me. Andrew, my boyfriend, worked with Hattie on a dating app. When she stopped checking in with him, he asked me to get a message to her—a question he had about the work they were doing. That’s when we found out she’d apparently left without telling anyone. Someone is sending emails from her email account, so Sheriff Limperos couldn’t officially open a missing persons report until recently, but I could tell that something was wrong. For one thing, she failed to show up at a mandatory court hearing, and she’s the key witness.�
On the other end of the line, Amanda sniffed. “I’m sorry,� she rasped. “I don’t know if this will help, but—Hattie had met someone online. He motivated her to want to rejoin the world, and I was afraid that something like this would happen to her. I’m sorry that I seem suspicious of you, but I can’t be too safe.�
“That’s okay. I understand. Give me just a second, and I’ll get you Nick’s—I mean Sheriff Limperos’s—number.�
“No, that won’t be necessary. I believe you. I met Hattie a few years ago in a support group for battered and abused women. The support group, while amazing, didn’t do much for us. Most of the women in the group were free. Their husbands and boyfriends were in jail, and they were healing, but Hattie and I were different.�
Olivia’s stomach started to knot. “Your exes were still—able to hurt you?� There had been a case of domestic abuse in Lexingburg, and though it had been a long time ago, when Olivia was a teenager, she remembered the case well. A girl she went to high school with, Emma, had come to school with bruises on top of bruises all along her back and abdomen. It wasn’t something that others could see through her clothes, but Olivia saw the bruises one day when Emma was changing for PE. Olivia had told her mother, who reported it to Nick, and Olivia had overheard the conversation.
Nick had been frustrated. He’d known that the girl’s father was abusing her and her mother, but whenever Nick questioned him, the man always had an alibi that his friends would back up. The girl and her mother never did find peace until the husband died in a car accident right before Emma went to college.
Olivia’s thoughts were jerked back to the present moment as Amanda spoke again. “My ex-husband, Stephen. When I finally filed for divorce, he broke three of my ribs and busted my nose. He said that if I went through with it, he’d kill me. I’ve been running from him ever since. Hattie’s ex-boyfriend, Jeremy, was the same way. They dated for almost six months before she broke it off. She said that everything was fine—until she started dating someone else.�
Olivia closed her eyes, and then felt Andrew slip his arm around her and hold her a little closer. “What did he do?�
“He put Hattie’s new boyfriend in the hospital, and he made it clear that he wasn’t going to stop until she came back to him. He started stalking her, but the police could never prove anything. She moved, and he followed her. She moved again, to Buffalo, and that’s where we met. She was terrified of going out and of meeting new people. She started freelancing her computer skills and making a living that way.�
“Did he follow her to Buffalo?�
“No, but she said that she wasn’t going to stay in the same place for too long. If she’s missing, then I think he must have found her.�
“Amanda, do you have any information about him? Anything more than a first name?�
“I don’t, but I do know that Hattie is an assumed name. Her real name is Morgan.�
Scrambling, Olivia grabbed a pen and paper. “Do you have a last name?� Amanda hesitated, and Olivia was afraid that she’d lost her. “Amanda, please. Hattie has been missing for almost a week now. If there is anything else that you can tell me, it could make it that much faster for us to find her.�
“I don’t know if it’s really her last name or not, but Hattie and I were hanging out in her apartment one night, and I opened the wrong drawer and saw some credit cards. They were for a Morgan King.�
“Morgan King,� Olivia repeated, feeling Andrew’s nod against her cheek. “Thank you so much, Amanda. You have no idea how helpful you’ve been. If there’s anything that I can do to return the favor, please let me know. No one should have to live in fear.�
“It’s just nice to know that Hattie has people who care about her.� Amanda hesitated, but Olivia had the feeling she want
ed to say more. She waited, and finally heard, “Can you please make sure that my information isn’t documented?�
“Of course,� she responded immediately, and felt Andrew give her a squeeze to signal his agreement. “We won’t do anything to put you in danger. I promise.� Olivia thanked her again and hung up, looking up to meet Andrew’s sober gaze.
“You heard all that?� she said to confirm his understanding, and he first nodded and then shook his head.
“I just thought Hattie had a weird phobia,â€� he said. “I had no idea she was running from something.â€� His face darkened. “Someone.â€� She could see the self-blame in his face as he went on. “I encouraged her to come to the app release party, and I insisted that her info be included on the website.â€� He shook his head. “I thought I was doing her a favor. It would help her to win more freelance contracts …â€�
“Andrew, this is not your fault. You didn’t know, and Amanda said that Hattie wanted to start living her life again because she met someone.� A sudden thought struck her. “Oh! I bet it’s Thomas.� She clapped her hands together. “He’ll be thrilled to know that their online romance isn’t so one-sided. I think that they’re going to make a great couple if he can quit MegaStore.�
“Olivia,� Andrew said quietly. “Focus.�
Olivia blinked and returned to the present problem. “Right. Now that Nick is helping, we can give him Hattie’s real name and discover the identity of her ex-boyfriend. I’m going to call him right now.�
Andrew kissed her on the top of her head and stood. “I’m going to take the pups out and then go to bed.�
“Here?�
The question was automatic, and he gave her a strange look. “I had thought of spending the night with you, yes. I did miss you.�
“I didn’t mean that to sound like I was surprised that you wanted to stay here. Or upset. I just wanted to affirm that you wanted to stay here.� She was speaking too quickly, and she forced herself to relax with a chuckle. “I miss you, too, and I want you to stay here.�
“Good. Glad we’re on the same page.�
His smile melted her heart, and she took an extra minute to watch him bend over to leash the wagging dogs and walk out. It felt like a victory. Like they were ready to move in together again.
After passing along the information to Nick, managing to omit any details that might identify Amanda, she scooped out a kibble dinner for the dogs and then headed to the bathroom to brush and floss.
There was a slight commotion as the wanderers returned from their walk and scrambled to get to their bowls. It made Olivia laugh to hear Andrew telling them to “wait until we get your leashes off!�
“Just going to check my email one more time before I turn in!� he called from the living room.
“Gotcha!� Olivia called back. She got ready for bed to the sounds of Goodwin and Fender happily munching. When Andrew and the dogs snuggled in after her, she tried to hold on to that initial sense of peace and calm, but she couldn’t help but worry about poor Hattie.
If it was true, and the ex-boyfriend had found her, Olivia wasn’t any closer to finding Hattie. Bethany really was just an overzealous and unhappy neighbor. Thomas merely wanted to rekindle his relationship with Hattie, and Matthias, sleazy as he was, was also no longer a suspect.
If this Jeremy guy really was as dangerous as Amanda feared, then what were the chances that after all this time, they were going to find Hattie alive?
16
Natalie was already waiting in the second-floor hall when Olivia left a snoring Andrew to unlock the office, and Goodwin and Fender greeted the new assistant as if they hadn’t seen her in days. While Olivia had barely managed to put on her black yoga pants and a t-shirt that read I think I’m allergic to mornings, Natalie was dressed in a blinding fuchsia ensemble, complete with a huge matching bow on her ponytail.
Olivia blinked several times and stared at her. “What time do you get up in the morning?� she muttered as she tried to push her key into the lock. The keys slipped out of her hand and hit the floor with a jangle. Groaning, she bent down to pick them up.
Natalie answered way too cheerfully. “I always get up at least three hours before I have to be somewhere. That way, I can get in my morning run, finish my sun salutations yoga routine, meditate, shower, and eat a healthy breakfast. This morning, I even got a chance to practice using my new contouring makeup kit!�
Olivia managed to get the door unlocked and nodded her head automatically. “It’s cool. I get it. You’re not human. I don’t judge.�
Natalie laughed and bent down to love on the dogs some more. “Not everyone’s a morning person,� she said with a smile. “I have a tendency to shut down right after dinner. It’s just how I’m built. My younger sister is the complete opposite of me. She can go until four o’clock in the morning and doesn’t wake up until after noon. But she works a late shift, so it works out for her.�
Olivia stumbled as the dogs pushed past her to race inside so they could get down to the serious business of investigating every corner of the daycare space. “Is your sister a nurse or a waitress?�
“No. She’s an exotic dancer.�
Whipping her head around, Olivia openly gaped at this woman who still looked like she could be fifteen. “Your younger sister is a stripper?�
Natalie laughed. “It’s not that bad. She works as one of those go-go dancers in the club in the city. She’s pretty scandalously dressed—but she still remains dressed. Why don’t you go get some coffee while I familiarize myself with your scheduling system? Your sister was already downstairs when I came in.�
“Coffee,� Olivia said with a nod. “That sounds like a great idea. You want anything sweet and fried to go with that healthy breakfast you had this morning? Janelle always has the best donuts.�
“Tempting, but I’ll pass.� As Natalie sat herself down behind the desk, she didn’t look tempted at all.
Maybe she really wasn’t human.
“Okay. I’ll be back in a few minutes,� Olivia said, infusing a briskness into her tone that she didn’t actually feel. “Text me if you change your mind.�
To Olivia’s surprise, not only was Janelle downstairs, but Jackie was, as well, and the bookstore owner did not look happy. Leaning against the bathroom door, she glared at Olivia. “Guess what your sister is doing?�
“From the sounds of it, I would say that she’s unloading her breakfast.�
“Uh-huh. And do you know why she’s unloading her breakfast?�
Glancing around uneasily, Olivia silently prayed that something would happen to keep her from lying to her best friend. “Because she has an upset stomach?� she asked tentatively.
“Olivia! You knew that Janelle was pregnant, and you didn’t tell me! If I hadn’t just had an amazing night with Brett last night, I’d be very upset!�
The redhead stamped her foot, and Olivia chuckled. “You still seem pretty upset, and if you want to yell at someone, yell at Janelle. She didn’t even tell me. I figured it out, but she swore me to secrecy. She refuses to tell Patrick until after this wedding from hell that she’s baking for.�
Jackie narrowed her eyes and sighed. “I can’t yell at Janelle. She’s pregnant, and it is not a good idea to yell at a pregnant woman. Their moods can change just like that.� She snapped her fingers. “My cousin once started bawling at the dinner table because she’d had boiled eggs that morning inst
ead of scrambled eggs. It was a scary nine months.� She shuddered at the memory.
The toilet flushed, and the door opened. “I heard that,� Janelle growled as she went to the sink to wash her hands. “And I’ll have you know that my hormones are under control. I am not moody at all, and if you tell my husband that I am pregnant, I will add Jackie-filled puff pastries to the wedding menu.�
“Yeah. Not hormonal at all,� Jackie said as she stepped out of reach.
“Hey,� Olivia interrupted brightly. “Do you guys want an update on the case?�
They glared at each other before finally turning their heads toward Olivia. “Fine,� they grumbled in unison. Olivia suppressed the insane urge to giggle.
As she poured her coffee, she filled them in on the details. Her news darkened the mood. “Oh my God,� Jackie whispered. “I had no idea. I wish she would have told me—or someone. We could have helped her.�
“She was scared, and she didn’t know how to trust anyone,� Olivia reminded her in a low voice. “What she went through is enough to make anyone want to keep it to themselves. I only hope now that Nick can track down her ex and find them both.�
Jackie was still upset. “It’s not good enough. Hattie probably moved here because she thought that a small town would be the perfect place to hide. She thought she’d be safe. We’re supposed to be a supportive community!� Olivia patted her shoulder, but she wasn’t finished. “I knew that something was wrong. I should have pushed her to tell me. It’s not okay that the only person she could talk to about it had to rotate email addresses just to stay hidden and lives God knows where.�
Olivia broke in, interrupting her friend. “What’s important now is that we find her and make sure that this Jeremy guy never gets his hands on her—or anyone else—again. Jackie, you don’t remember seeing anyone hanging around the house, spying on her?�
“No, but I wish that I had seen someone.� Jackie shook her head. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to open the bookstore.�
Kept in the Bark (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 5) Page 14