Killer Beach Reads

by Gemma Halliday Publishing

  "No, I don't want them to worry until we know for sure there is something to be worried about," Greg told her, mirroring her own thoughts once again. Still, Emily knew that the optimism she heard in his words did not reflect what Greg was actually feeling. He was more than worried at this point.

  By the time they reached Emily's duplex, the sun was finally starting to slide a bit lower in the western sky, lessening the intense heat of its glare, but neither she nor Greg noticed as they tore through Emily's duplex, shouting for Gabby. Not only was Gabby not there, but Helen Burning, Emily's next-door-neighbor, was gone also, so they couldn't ask her if she had seen any sign of Gabby. They both paced the sidewalk in front of the duplex, trying to come up with a plan of action.

  "What about seeing if we can locate that Harry in Washam Falls? Could Louise have given Gabby some sob story about how she had a falling out with her boyfriend and Gabby have encouraged her to work things out with him? Would Gabby have gone with her?" Emily suggested.

  "I guess it's possible," Greg said. "But what happened with her phone? Why is there blood on it?"

  "It was a very small amount of blood, Greg. Maybe…" Emily trailed off.

  "Maybe what?" Greg asked.

  "I just don't know," Emily admitted, unable to think up any more plausible scenarios.

  "Your plan is better than mine," Greg said, pulling out his own phone and tapping away.

  "What's your plan?" Emily asked him.

  "I don't have one," Greg told her, not even looking up. "I just want to find my wife."

  "And we will," Emily said with a conviction she no longer felt. "What are you searching for?"

  "Alice's phone number. We never got Harry's last name."

  "Here, I have it," Emily told him, and, pulling out her own phone, she placed another call to Louise's sister.

  After a quick conversation, Emily thumbed off her phone and jumped in the car. "Got it," she yelled at Greg. "Come on!"

  * * *

  They made short work of the thirty-minute drive from Ellington to Washam Falls. Thankfully, since Greg showed some real estate in this neck of the woods, he was familiar with the directions Alice had given Emily. As they passed the outskirts of town and headed into a residential area, Emily watched the scenery fly by her passenger window. She had always thought of Washam Falls as a picturesque place. The town was well-known for its lush foliage and beautiful gardens, but today the landscape looked as dreary as her mood. The brutal heat of summer had leached the color from the trees and flowers so that the entire town looked like a sepia-toned photograph. The parched and wilted trees and lawns made her feel thirsty. Emily rummaged in her purse and found a bottle of water she had stashed in there when shopping earlier that day. It was tepid and stale-tasting, but at least it eased the scratchy, dry feeling in her throat. She double-checked that the cap was screwed on tightly and tossed the bottle back into her purse as Greg pulled up in front of a sprawling home the color of the withered, dried-out lawn.

  Emily was sure it was a lovely home when surrounded by the green of the spreading trees and the riot of color that would bloom in the front flower beds, but now it simply looked tired. She could relate as she dragged her weary body up the steps after Greg. The worry and the stress were taking its toll. She didn't know how Greg was doing it. His body seemed to hum with energy, like a tightly wound guitar string. She fanned a hand in front of her face, but there was no air to stir. She slumped against the porch rail as they waited for someone to answer the door. Greg had just raised his hand to knock again when the door swung inward and a tall, handsome young man opened the door.

  Emily straightened up from her slump, practically tripping over her own feet in her haste. Her throat went dry again as she took in the rangy figure and intense brown eyes of the man before them. She didn't know what she had been expecting a man who had dated Louise—a woman she had never met but was afraid had kidnapped her best friend—to look like, but she certainly hadn't pictured this gorgeous specimen of a man. Had Louise been robbing the cradle a bit? Emily wondered then winced, thinking again of Gabby and the precious baby girls she carried. This guy can't be over thirty. She snuck a glance at Greg and saw that he looked as shocked as she felt.

  The man in the doorway frowned when they continued to stand there in silence. "Can I help you?" he finally asked, his voice as gorgeous as the rest of him. Emily bit back a sigh. This was no time to be drooling over a perfect stranger, she reminded herself.

  "Yes," Greg said, stepping forward. "Or, at least I hope you can. My name is Greg Spencer. I was hoping to speak with Henry Lowell?"

  "That's my father. Hold on," the man said, shutting the door.

  Emily turned to Greg. "Do you think this is the son that Alice told us about? Wasn't his name Tim?" Greg just shrugged, too worried to be concerned with technicalities like names.

  A moment later, the door opened again, and this time an equally tall and handsome man stood there, only this man was quite a bit older than the first. "My son says you're looking for me?" he asked.

  "Henry Lowell?" Greg asked, and when the man nodded, Greg continued. "My name is Greg Spencer, and I'm looking for some information on Louise Hendrix. I believe you know her?"

  Henry stood, staring intently at Greg. Whatever he was looking for in Greg's expression, he must have found it, because he finally nodded. "Yes, I do. What kind of information?" He made no move to invite them in. It was evident he was suspicious of them. The gorgeous, younger man appeared at his shoulder, watching them also.

  "I'm looking for my wife, Gabby. She's gone missing, and we have reason to believe she is with Louise," Greg told them both. The two men in the doorway exchanged a startled look and then Henry moved to open the door wider.

  "Perhaps you better come in," he said.

  Once again, Greg and Emily were led into a homey living room. This one held large leather couches and a humongous television. Definitely more a man's room, Emily thought. But still, the room appealed to her, especially with its floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over a wooded area behind the house.

  Henry settled on one of the leather couches as his son asked, "Can I offer you all anything?" When Emily gratefully requested a glass of water, he added, "I'm Tim."

  "I'm Emily," she told him. "Gabby is my best friend."

  Henry chimed in. "And you think Gabby is with Louise?" He looked understandably confused.

  Greg jumped up to pace to the windows and back as he spoke. "You see, my wife, Gabby, is pregnant—very pregnant—with twins," he made a motion near his stomach representing his wife's size, which Emily was sure would have infuriated Gabby if she had seen him, "and she and Louise never showed up for our Lamaze class. Louise is our instructor."

  At this, Henry nodded and Greg continued, "But Louise never canceled the class, and some people were quite upset when they arrived to discover the instructor was not in attendance. Then it turned out that Gabby was missing also."

  Greg was getting more and more frazzled the longer he talked, so Emily spoke up after gulping down half of the glass of ice water that Tim had just carried back in.

  "Gabby called me, but we got cut off. She said she needed me. I knew she had Lamaze class this evening, so I headed up to the hospital, thinking she might be in labor. I ran into Greg, but he hadn't heard from Gabby. We started asking around and a nurse told us that she saw Louise and Gabby heading out to the parking lot together. Gabby's car is still in the lot. We weren't sure at the time what Louise drove, but they are both definitely gone. We went and spoke with Louise's sister, Alice, and she told us that you and Louise used to date, and…" She trailed off, not sure what else to say.

  The look Henry was giving her was not a pleasant one. Emily gave a little shiver, wondering if they should be concerned about Henry being involved if something had happened to Gabby.

  Greg spoke up again. "My wife was crying. No one has seen them. I'm worried. Do you know anything?" He collapsed on the sofa next to Henry, clearly blinking bac
k tears.

  The pain in Greg's eyes seemed to sway Henry's way of thinking. His brow cleared, and, glancing once toward his son, he said, "I haven't spoken to Louise in a couple of weeks. But it's not for lack of trying. She's not taking my calls. You see, we had a falling out over Tim here." Tim looked embarrassed.

  Emily felt compelled to say, "Alice mentioned that to us."

  Henry heaved a weight-of-the world sigh and leaned back against the back of the couch. "I figured as much. I can't be high on Alice's list of favorite people right now. I know Louise and her sister don't get along too well. Louise is, or can be, well—a difficult woman," he finished lamely.

  Tim cleared his throat. "Dad and I don't always see eye to eye either. We had a falling out over an admittedly stupid financial decision I made. I took over the insurance business from Dad several years back, but he still keeps a hand in. We got into a row over it all. Our argument wasn't that serious, but Louise totally lost it when she found us arguing. She flipped out on Dad, telling him he had no business arguing with me, that he should just be thankful he has a son."

  "And I didn't take being bossed around and told off like that too well," Henry admitted. Now he was the one who looked embarrassed. "I will be the first to admit that I can have a bit of a temper at times. Louise and I got into it over the whole deal, and I stupidly said something about how Tim was my son and not her concern."

  "Oh, Dad, you didn't!" Tim said, looking both surprised and irritated. "You know how much Louise regrets the fact that she can't have children. In fact, I often wondered if that's why she and her sister don't get along too well. It must be hard for Louise, what with her sister having twins and all, and…" Tim trailed off as if he'd just realized what he was saying.

  He and Henry both looked at Greg intently. "You don't think Louise would try to hurt your wife, do you?" Henry asked, looking truly shocked.

  Greg once again hopped up to pace. "I don't know what to think," he admitted. He held out Gabby's phone with the bloodstain on the back cover. "We found Gabby's phone. She never tried to call me. She has to know how worried I am. And frankly, with Louise being the last person seen with my wife, and my wife in tears, what else can I think?"

  Emily found herself battling tears too. This all seemed like some awful nightmare, one she wished she could wake up from and find everything back to normal. Had it really only been this afternoon when she was moping over some lady thinking she looked pregnant? That seemed like such a petty problem now. Where was Gabby?

  Henry stood and placed his hands on Greg's shoulders, halting his pacing. "Son," he said, "I know that Louise can be a difficult woman. I do believe that not being able to have children has made her bitter. But she loves her sister and she loves her nephews, she's just not always real good at showing it. And honestly, I love her, too. That's why I've been so devastated she won't take my calls. I know she's upset with me right now, but I have absolutely no reason to believe that Louise would hurt your precious Gabby. She loves her job as a Lamaze instructor. She told me she had found God's calling, a way for her to be a type of mother figure to all those expectant mothers. This job is softening her heart. There has to be another explanation. There just has to."

  Tim added, "Louise is a good woman. It takes some time to get to know her, but I truly believe that. After my mom passed away, I couldn't imagine my dad ever finding someone else to share his life. But Louise makes him happy. She's a good person. Truly. I pray her and Dad work things out. And I don't believe she would hurt Gabby in any way."

  "And I pray you're right," Greg said softly.

  Emily stood and moved to his side. "But you'll let us know if you hear from Louise?" she asked Henry. He nodded, and Emily gave him both her and Greg's numbers.

  Henry walked with them to the door. "Please let me know if you hear from them as well," he told them.

  Greg nodded numbly and headed down the steps to his car. Emily followed, but at the last minute, she turned back and said, "Thank you for your time." Henry gave her a sad smile and closed the door.

  Once they were back in the car, Emily said, "That was good news, don't you think?"

  Greg stared at her blankly. "I guess so," he finally said.

  "They don't think Louise would hurt Gabby. There has to be some other explanation."

  "Or at least, that's what they want to believe," Greg said. "I tend to trust her own sister's instincts more. And the fact remains that we still have no idea where they are."

  "True," Emily said softly, trying to keep her back away from the scalding seat. Even though it was now a few degrees cooler outside, the dark leather held in the day's heat. "So where to now?" she asked.

  "As much as I hate to worry them, I think I have to try Gabby's family. Maybe they've heard from her." Greg reached over to start the car, but paused when he heard the sound of a garage door opening.

  Emily swiveled in her seat. Someone was pulling out of Henry's garage. As they both watched, a black Corvette pulled out of the garage and headed their way. Emily held her breath as the driver turned and waved. It was Tim. "You don't think…?" she asked Greg.

  "I have no idea," he answered grimly as he cranked the ignition. "But I plan to find out."

  They followed the Corvette into the center of town. When Tim pulled over and parked in front of a building that said Lowell Insurance on the front, they kept driving. Emily assumed they would head back to Ellington, but a block later, Greg pulled over. "What are you doing?" she asked.

  "I think we should check out the insurance agency. Just in case."

  "For what?" Emily asked dumbly.

  "For signs that Gabby or Louise have been there. Do you want to go or should I?"

  "Are you serious?" Emily asked, but one look at Greg's set jaw gave her the answer. "I'll go," she said quickly. She didn't believe she would find anything, but Tim was driving a vehicle that looked nearly identical to the one she'd seen leaving Gabby and Greg's property. It was too bad she hadn't gotten a look at the license plate.

  "What are you going to say?" Greg asked as she got out of the vehicle.

  "The truth," she told him.

  "That you're looking for Gabby and Louise?" he asked incredulously.

  "Nope," Emily shook her head. "That I need to use the restroom." She was relieved to see Greg offer a small smile. "Be right back," she said, then hotfooted it to the front door of the insurance agency.

  Tim looked up at the sound of the bell over the door. He looked surprised to see her there.

  "Hi," Emily said nervously. "Um, we were heading out of town, and I saw your place here, and we've been looking for Gabby for hours, and well…could I use your restroom?" she blurted out.

  Tim gave a rich, warm laugh. "Of course," he said, opening up a pass through in the counter that separated the lobby from the office area. Emily scooted through and headed toward the door Tim indicated. "It's at the far end of that little kitchenette," he told her, before settling back down at his desk.

  She hurried through the open door and quickly took in her surroundings. Besides the tiny kitchen area, there was a back door that she thought might lead to an alley, as well as the bathroom door and another door at the other end of the small space. She went into the bathroom first, which was so tiny she felt like she was on an airplane. No room to hide someone, especially a very pregnant someone, here. Still, she checked out the cabinet under the sink and the tiny medicine cabinet above it. Nothing but a comb and a can of deodorant. Certainly nothing to indicate that a woman might have been there.

  Not wanting to take too long, she took a peek out the bathroom door and heard the bell above the door sound. Hoping whoever was out front would keep Tim occupied for a few minutes longer, she hurried to the other end and opened the door there. All she found was a supply closet stuffed with filing cabinets and boxes of printer paper. She eased the door shut and took a quick glance in the sink. It held only one mug, which had some Greek letters on the side, which she figured must stand for some fraternity. She
was just moving to the front of the building when Tim stuck his head through the door. "Find everything okay?" he asked with a smile. She nodded and hurried past him. Did he suspect her of snooping?

  Tim followed her to the door and said again, "Try not to worry. I'm sure there's a simple explanation for all of this." His smile was so sincere and kind that she felt guilty for sneaking around his place of business.

  "Thanks," she told him before making her way back to Greg.

  "Well?" he asked, as soon as she opened the car door.

  "Nothing," she told him and then described the small space. "I really don't think they've been there."

  Without a word, Greg pulled away from the curb and headed back toward Ellington. Emily pulled out her cell phone and tried Gabby and Greg's home line. No answer. She tried her neighbor's too, but Helen must still not be home as there was no answer there, either.

  She turned to Greg. "How about we stop by my mom and dad's house? Mom can probably give us some advice about what to say to the Morettis. You can call them from there."

  "Thanks," Greg said. "That sounds like a good idea. If you don't mind having your parents get you back to the hospital to pick up your car, I think I'll head back to the police station once we make our calls." He sounded so defeated that Emily wanted to burst into tears.

  Instead she said, "Of course. Maybe we'll find Gabby with her feet up on the couch at Mom and Dad's, while Mom either forces her to eat or to participate in one of her crazy crafts." Susan Taylor was forever exploring some new creative outlet. A few of her past projects had sent both Emily and her father, Ray, scurrying to safety.

  "Wouldn't that be a miracle?" Greg said quietly.

  * * *

  They were silent most of the ride back to Ellington, both of them consumed with their own thoughts. Emily still desperately wanted to believe that Gabby was safe and sound somewhere and that this had all been a big mistake somehow. But with time slipping by and no word from Gabby, Emily was feeling less and less sure. She was hopeful her mom would have some good advice for how to broach the call to the Moretti family because Emily knew this news would send them all into a tailspin. And she was also worried about Greg. The strain of the hours spent looking for Gabby clearly showed on his face. She knew that he was imagining the worst. She wanted to comfort him, to tell him everything would be alright, but she instinctively knew that he was in no mood to listen to platitudes. She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally reached the edge of town.