Brock suddenly popped up off the sofa. “Excuse me, but I need to talk with Penny—in private—so I hope it’s okay if we head up to our room now.” He grasped my hand and pulled me to stand so fast, I barely managed to set my plate back on the table.
“You mean, your rooms,” Mrs. Wilton said, peering over her glasses.
“Of course, Mrs. Wilton,” I assured her. “Sorry to cut our chat short. Brock is tired from the long drive. Thank you for everything.”
He pulled me away from the sofa, his hand grasping mine with intense heat. Perhaps he was coming down with something.
Mrs. Wilton’s eyes seemed to be framed in question marks.
“See you in the morning, then?” I said in a vain attempt to normalize the scene.
She studied us as he led me out to the hall and grabbed his duffle bag. We went upstairs and into my room where he closed the door and finally released his grip of my hand.
“You really didn’t need to be so rude.” I rubbed my over-squeezed palm.
“I didn’t come here to give lessons on college courses to some old lady.” His voice was low and even.
I walked to the far side of the bed and began to lower the blinds. “Why did you come?”
“To help you patch things up with your dad, remember?”
“I didn’t know I needed help with that.” My tone had a snide edge, and I knew it. Brock’s silence meant he was glaring, so I kept my face to the window and softened my tone. “So, what did you need to talk to me about?”
He didn’t answer right away, but I heard him pace back and forth behind me. “We have to talk about the New Year’s Eve party—and about us.”
“What’s to talk about?” I spun toward him, and the expression on his face made my stomach unsettled. As if he were about to reveal Mrs. Wilton’s “hidden things.”
“I think you had a little too much to drink that night. We all did. Since you don’t normally drink, I thought you might be feeling bad about what happened.”
What was he talking about? I had one drink. One. In fact, I didn’t even finish it. Tyler’s girlfriend mistook my drink for hers and downed the last third or so. Now that he’d brought it up, I remembered that part clearly.
But other things were not so clear. In fact, much of that evening remained very foggy.
“First of all, I wasn’t drunk.” I stated it firmly, looking him in the eye, but his hard expression did not change. “And I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Even as I spoke, I remembered Cheri telling me that Tyler’s girlfriend had disappeared. “Wait. Are you talking about that girl, Abbi? Cheri told me she’s missing, but—” Suddenly my palms were sweaty. “She probably went somewhere for semester break. She’ll turn up, right?” I rubbed my hands on my sleeves. The room had become overly warm—stuffy.
Brock seemed to be studying me, his expression grim. “Are you sure you don’t remember?”
“The party? Of course I do. Some of it, anyway. Why are you making a big deal out of it?”
“It only became a big deal when you left campus without a word. I figured you were angry or … embarrassed … or something. I thought we were in this together, but if you don’t want to talk about it…” He looked away and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
So he was offended? It seemed he expected either an apology or confession, neither of which seemed appropriate for this situation. “What is it you want me to say?”
He turned back to me. “Can’t you just be glad I’m here?”
“I was. I am. You drove all day to be here, and I appreciate that.”
“I drove all the way here because you mean a lot to me, Penny.”
“I know that.”
“You had me worried when you left town without a word.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
He came around the end of the bed and put his hands on my shoulders. “Okay then. We don’t need to talk about it anymore tonight.” His voice softened. “Besides, more than anything else, I was looking forward to spending some quality time with you.” He pulled me close. “I miss you when you’re not with me.”
I surrendered to his embrace, burying my face in his shoulder. “I miss you too, and I’d rather not spend our time arguing.”
“You’re right. We’ll start fresh tomorrow.”
“That would be nice.” I pulled back to study his eyes.
He stroked my hair, and smiled with the same adoration that had first melted my heart toward him. “You know, we’ve never had a chance to be together alone like this.” He glanced about the room. “It’s not exactly the Taj Mahal, but what do you think?” He tipped my chin up with his hand and kissed me gently.
I thought about telling him the Taj Mahal was a tomb, but it would only irritate him. Besides, I knew what he meant, and even though he thought sex shouldn’t be a big deal, it was. I wasn’t ready to take our relationship to that level.
I looked up at his handsome face, his eyes like deep pools of expectancy. “You know I’m not ready for that.”
“Why not?”
At the moment, with his hands caressing my neck and face, I struggled to focus on the reason. “I’ve already told you before. It’s too soon. We’re still getting to know each other, and besides, I … I promised Mrs. Wilton I would lock my door tonight.”
His expression changed and he pulled back. “You what?”
The spell was broken. I took hold of his arm and turned him around. “Goodnight, Brock. It’s for the best, you know.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
At the door, he protested, but I hushed him with an index finger to my lips. “Quiet now. Mrs. Wilton is right downstairs, remember?”
I handed his bag over and closed the door, listening until I heard him close his own, then I turned the lock. No point in tempting fate.
I took a deep breath and paced the room, trying to figure out why Brock thought I would become angry or embarrassed about the New Year’s Eve Party. It wasn’t a memorable event. Why feel either of those things?
But I had caused a problem, one Brock had already mentioned. It seemed small from my point of view, but clearly it was significant to him. In spite of having told Cheri my travel plans, I’d left Brock out of the loop, and he had worried about me. Perhaps he felt added stress because of what happened to Abbi. At any rate, I hoped that tomorrow her disappearance would be explained, and everything would return to normal.
Just one thing, though. Brock hadn’t been the one to mention Abbi’s disappearance. I brought it up. When he started talking nonsense about me being drunk, it threw me off track initially, but shouldn’t he have brought up the subject before I did?
I shook my head and tried to dismiss the feelings that didn’t seem to match with facts. There was no point in making a big issue out of this.
Later, I washed up in the bathroom down the hall. When I came out, Brock stood, leaning against the wall, wearing a plain white t-shirt and long flannel pajama bottoms. His dark eyes were brooding again.
I crossed my arms. “You forget something?” It was difficult to warm up to him when he made me feel like I’d done something wrong.
“I can’t help wondering if I made a mistake coming all the way out here.”
Now what was he hinting at? “I don’t know. You tell me.” Another comment with a snide edge, but I was tired of his hot-and-cold treatment.
He glanced down and drug a toe across the carpet, apparently annoyed. “You’ve been challenging me ever since I arrived.”
“I’m challenging you?” Maybe I was, but he had been the one to push first.
“Yeah, like you’re doing right now.” He straightened to stand in the narrow hall, leaving little room to pass by.
The subtle escalation had reached an uncomfortable level. Better to back down and let things cool. “I don’t want to challenge you.”
“Then what’s the problem, Penny?” He tilted his head.
I avoided looking him in the
eye. “I thought you said we were going to start fresh.”
“Tomorrow. We’ll start fresh tomorrow, but I have a feeling something’s still bugging you.”
“Okay, how about this? Why didn’t you tell me about Tyler’s girlfriend going missing?” I blurted it out and immediately felt another flash of déjà vu. I’d had this confrontation with him before. It had played out just like this. But when? We’d never been standing in this hallway before.
A moment of surprise crossed his face, exactly as I knew it would. “I didn’t know you’d heard about it.” His arms dropped and he loosened his stance, glancing about as if searching for words. “I planned to tell you, but I didn’t want you to be worried.”
“Worried?” The déjà vu was fading.
Brock’s eyes darted to every corner. “You know. Worried that there’s some crazed killer on the loose.”
“You mean, she’s dead?”
“No, no. I didn’t mean that.” Flustered at first, he recovered quickly. “She’s missing, that’s all … but they’ll find her. I’m sure they’ll find her soon.” He reached toward me, as if to offer comfort, but I stayed at the bathroom door.
He seemed uneasy. I didn’t know what to make of it. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow, Brock.”
He let his hands drop and didn’t say anything more as I maneuvered past him and down the hall to my room.
Lance walked up the hall from the elevators and spotted the officer waiting for him in the alcove next to the ICU desk. Even dressed in plainclothes, his official status was evident. Jill had called about his arrival while Lance finished up at the blood bank, but she had no other information. Undoubtedly, it had something to do with the investigation into the bus crash.
The officer’s serious expression suggested something new may have gone wrong. It was bad enough two people had already died and two others were hanging on by a thread. What now?
As he approached, the man stood and extended his hand. “You’re Dr. Lance Doyle?” He had a gray moustache and salt-and-pepper hair in need of a trim.
“I am. I understand you’re looking for me?” Lance shook his hand.
The officer reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a badge. “I’m Sergeant Clemens, an investigator with the Sheriff’s Department. I’ve been asked to do some follow-up on behalf of investigators at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department in Arizona.”
Lance flinched. Penny was in Arizona.
The investigator referred to his clipboard as he continued. “They’re looking into the disappearance of a young woman—”
“Penny?” Lance was way ahead of him. “What’s happened?”
Sergeant Clemens looked up from his notes. “We need to speak to your daughter, sir. Her roommate told the Maricopa County officers she’s here with you, and we have reason to believe she’s among the last people to see the missing woman.”
“Here?” Lance tried to shift gears with what he heard. “Penny’s not here. You said her roommate—?” His mind fumbled. Who did this guy say was missing?
The sergeant jotted something on the clipboard. “Have you heard from your daughter recently?”
“Wait … is Penny missing?” He grabbed the officer’s arm.
Clemens’ countenance softened. “Doctor, I don’t have any information to suggest your daughter’s missing. If you haven’t seen her yet, perhaps she’ll show up later today. The information was provided by...” He referenced his notes. “… a Cheri Gilman. Do you know her?”
Realizing he still gripped the officer’s arm, Lance let go and stepped back. “No, not really. My daughter rarely contacts me. If her roommate thinks she’s here, then where is she?”
“We’ll get it figured out, sir. Like I said, she may be on her way.” Clemens pulled a card from his pocket. “If you do hear from your daughter, would you please give us a call right away? We’re helping follow up on the Arizona case and have some questions for her.”
“Of course.”
The officer left and Lance stared at the card for a moment, his mind trying to catch up with what he’d heard. Where was Penny? He should call her. Of course, others had probably tried that already. Like the roommate. What did the man say her name was? Sharon? Shelly? Neither seemed right.
He rubbed his forehead in frustration, then pulled out his phone and punched Penny’s name. The call went straight to voice mail.
“Hi!” Her recording was bright and cheerful. So unlike the monotone she used around him. “I’m not answering right now, but maybe I’ll call you later, if you leave a nice message.” Then she laughed just before the message tone cut in.
He hung up, planning to try again later. In the meantime, he’d have to figure out what to say when he got through to her.
The rest of the afternoon dragged by, as Lance tried to focus on his patients. He pulled into his driveway just before six o’clock, weary from fretful hours wondering where Penny could be. He’d tried calling her four times and left a text as well. Why didn’t she answer?
Hopes that she might already be at home faded as he pulled his car into the garage. Entering the kitchen, he flipped on the light and dropped his keys on the counter. As always, the house was dark and quiet, his daily reminder of the void that had followed Marla’s passing. But today was worse. Today, Penny was supposed to be back home.
Their separation had been his fault. He had been out of his element trying to help her untangle the grief and anger that simmered behind her eyes. She’d pulled away like a hot air balloon straining at its tethers, resisting his every effort to hold her close. One by one, she had snipped the constraints until she could fly away, and feeling powerless, he had let her go.
If only Marla were here.
He opened the refrigerator, but he wasn’t hungry. What he really needed was … what? His brain wouldn’t focus. Then he remembered Pastor Mark’s invitation to the home fellowship meeting.
He felt torn between the prayer he needed and waiting by the front window, in case Penny arrived. Closing the refrigerator, his eyes landed on the grocery list stuck on the door.
There was an idea. If she overlooked his text message, at least he could put a note on the front door. He tore off a sheet from the notepad and wrote: Penny, I heard you might be on your way home. I’m nearby, so let yourself in, and give me a call. I’ve missed you. Love, Dad.
He taped it to the front door glass, then grabbed his keys and went out to the car. As the overhead door opened, he noticed someone sitting in an SUV in front of a neighbor’s house across the street. A shadowy figure in the driver’s seat looked his way. An investigator watching the house, perhaps? He tried to act natural as he got in his car. Had the vehicle been there when he arrived, or had this guy followed him home? He had no idea.
Lance backed out of the garage, then punched the remote to close the door. The person, a male, slouched against his seat and pulled a ball cap low over his face. Avoidance?
Lance made a mental note of the license, but didn’t know what else he should do. As he drove away, the SUV stayed put.
When he pulled up to Mark and Jackie’s home, there were no other cars. Was the meeting somewhere else? Or maybe he was too early? He glanced at his watch, suddenly uncertain of the scheduled meeting time. Should he knock on their door? They might be trying to finish supper, or get things set up for the meeting.
He decided to wait a few minutes in case someone else showed up. He slouched a bit, and leaned back against the head rest, staring at the roof liner. Maybe the guy in the SUV had been doing the same thing. Killing time waiting in his car.
Lance shook his head. This situation with the investigators had put him on edge. He considered trying to call Penny again, but would it do any good? Her phone was off, or the battery dead. Or maybe … maybe she didn’t want to talk to him.
And why did her roommate tell the investigators she was here? Was she on her way, like the officer suggested? Did she really want to come home again?
A tap at the passe
nger window grabbed Lance’s attention. It was Mark. “Hey, glad you made it.”
Lance got out of the car. “Sorry if I’m too early.”
“Nonsense. Come on in. I was just bringing out the trash.” Mark led the way up the driveway. “I’m glad I noticed you sitting there. How did today go?”
“Not what I expected.”
“Your patients not doing so well?”
“No, they’re fine. It’s actually about Penny.”
“Penny?” Mark opened the front door and held it for him. “You’ve heard from her?”
Jackie was arranging a tray of refreshments on the coffee table in the living room as they entered. Lance told them about the visit from the officer and his attempts to reach Penny that day. He even told them about the person parked in front of the neighbor’s house, and how it unnerved him.
Mark placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “If you want, we could drive back and see if the guy’s still there.”
Lance shook his head. “There’s no need to interrupt the meeting. It might be nothing more than my imagination getting the better of me. I only wish I knew where Penny was right now.”
Mark and Jackie offered their comfort, and as people arrived for the evening’s meeting, he became enveloped in the warmth of their fellowship. He gathered strength from their encouragement to press on for answers that seemed elusive. Throughout the evening, as the group sang and prayed for each other, his cares were lifted. Together with the group, he found new hope and encouragement through their tears, hugs and uplifting words from the Scripture.
When the meeting closed, Lance went home feeling full and ready for the day to come. The SUV was gone when he approached the house. Like a specter of his fears, it seemed to have vanished as a result of the group’s prayers.
But the house stood dark and silent. No sign Penny had been by. He pulled into the garage and got out. Stepping back to the open overhead door, he lifted his face to the night sky. “Where are you, Penny? Are you really coming home?”
Only God knew, and for the moment, that would have to be enough.
Breakfast with Brock and Mrs. Wilton was quite nice—well, almost. Brock made a fuss about his bacon being overdone and rolled his eyes over the fact that the pancake syrup wasn’t pure maple. Then he pointed out a stain on the centerpiece doily while Mrs. Wilton was out of the room. “Good thing we’re heading out this morning.”
Point Blank Page 5