She turned, and an even deeper blush stained her cheeks. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you think so.”
I took the next few moments to steel my spine for the possible onslaught to come and straightened the cluttered nightmare of my desk. A quick rap sounded at the door. “Come in.”
“Deputy Chief, Mr. Stevens for you,” Ashlee said in a more professional tone.
“Thank you.” I turned my gaze to Barry, who looked exhausted. “Mr. Stevens, please have a seat. Can Ashlee get you anything to drink?”
He took a seat opposite me. “No, no. She was already kind enough to ask. And please, call me Barry.”
I nodded at Ashlee, and she turned to leave. “All right, Barry. What can I do for you?”
The man, somewhere in his sixties, wrung his hands. “Caitlin’s missing.”
My shoulders straightened, and I leaned forward in my seat. “How long has it been since you saw her?”
“About four days now. She’s usually real good about calling her mama and checking in, even if she doesn’t come out to the farm as much anymore, but we haven’t heard from her in over three days.”
I grabbed a notepad and pen and began to scribble notes as I nodded at Barry to continue. “I thought she might’ve taken off for a few days to lick her wounds. See, I heard what she did at the bakery, going off on you and your lady friend.” His cheeks pinked slightly. “I’m real sorry about that, by the way.”
“No apology necessary. When emotions are involved, we can all say and do things we don’t mean.”
“That’s kind of you to say.” He rubbed a palm over a stubbled cheek. “Well, at first I thought she’d taken off because she was embarrassed-like, but my wife finally got ahold of Bridgette, and Bridgette hasn’t heard from her in days neither. Now, Caitlin might not call her mama and me, but you know her and Bridge. Attached at the hip, those two. Something’s wrong, Walker. I can feel it my bones.”
I didn’t have a good feeling either. Caitlin was more likely to cause trouble than go quietly into the night. “Barry, we’re going to get right on this. I’ll get the word out to all patrol units in the county to be on the lookout for her and her vehicle. Do you have a key to her apartment?”
“Yessir. I brought it with me.” Barry’s hand shook as he handed me the brass key, and I felt a tightness in my chest as I took it. Caitlin and I might’ve had a rocky ending, but she was a good daughter.
I stood. “I’ll send some officers over to her apartment now to take a look around. We’ll do everything in our power to find her as quickly as possible.”
Barry rose, as well, reaching out a hand to shake. “Thank you. I appreciate you taking this seriously.”
“Of course. I’ll keep you updated.” I shook his hand and handed him a business card. “Here’s my card. It has my cell number on the back. Call me if you hear anything.”
He nodded and made his way to the door. As soon as it was closed, I sank back into my seat. This was not good. I quickly put out an APB on Caitlin and her car and then sent Greg and another officer over to her apartment in hopes they’d find something that would point us in the right direction.
My cell buzzed, and I glanced at the screen. “Hey, Little J.”
“Walker.” Jensen’s voice sounded worried.
“What’s up?”
“I think Taylor’s missing—”
24
Taylor
I glanced at my phone for about the millionth time, still no service. I shoved it back into my pocket. I was officially lost. So freaking lost, it wasn’t even funny. And all I could hear in my head was Walker telling me not to go running or hiking on my own. It was on repeat, and I was about ready to bash my own head in to get rid of the refrain.
Everything had started out fine and dandy. I had looked up intermediate hikes in a book that the Coles had left at the cabin for guests. I found one that promised some gorgeous views but wasn’t too far outside of town.
When I got to the trailhead, I’d studied the map on the Forest Service sign. It seemed simple enough. I had veered slightly off the trail to try and catch a view of the lake from above and, apparently, hadn’t been paying close enough attention to the path I charted because when I turned back, I couldn’t find the trail again.
A tree branch smacked me across the face. Shit. I glanced at my watch. I was supposed to be at Jensen’s to tutor Noah two hours ago. Guilt churned my stomach. She was going to worry. On the upside, maybe she’d send someone to find my ass.
I picked my way through the underbrush, thorny bushes tearing up my shorts-clad legs. I was going to take the longest bath known to man when I finally made it home. The foliage began to thin, just a bit, and before long, I’d reached the edge of a ravine that allowed me to see down to Sutter Lake.
At last, a landmark. I just had no way of judging how many miles there were between me and the lake, and my water supply wasn’t the greatest. I studied the sun and my watch. It was still staying light until somewhat late into the evening, so I had at least five hours of daylight left. Could I make it to the lake or some other form of help in five hours with half a bottle of water?
Better yet, how would I get to the lake? The ravine was far too steep for me to traipse down, and the chances of me spraining an ankle or worse going that way were way too high. I nibbled on my bottom lip and spun my ring in place on my finger. Maybe if I just followed the edge of the ravine, I’d make it to a place that would be easier to cross.
At least following the gorge would take me downhill, which meant towards civilization. I rolled back my shoulders in an attempt to alleviate some of the tension that had made a home there, and set off again.
A rustling noise sounded to my right, and my head snapped up. I tightened my hold on the mini-canister of bear repellent. Please, God, don’t let this be a cougar or a bear. Please. I slowly turned my head towards the noise, eyes boring into the underbrush.