True, but also partly an excuse. If we’re looking for current residents who’d be good founding members for a new town, Petra is on that list. She’s a smart woman and a skilled fighter, yet she’s perfectly content doing whatever job needs doing.
“Tell me Jen doesn’t know,” Diana says. “Please tell me Jen doesn’t know.”
“Jen does not know.” Now, let’s hope Diana doesn’t realize Jen hasn’t been in town since the word came down.
April says, “The others are Will, Isabel, and Phil. Also Mathias, though I’m not quite sure why.”
“Don’t ask,” I mutter. I turn to Diana. “Obviously, I wouldn’t have shared that list with you. Nor would I have shared the possibility of a replacement town. Not without consulting the others.”
“I know,” she says. “I won’t go up to Mathias and offer the secret handshake.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast.”
* * *
No one has found Jolene. Storm picked up her trail, but when it wound all through town, it became clear it was from yesterday. That’s the thing about a place this small—you easily cover it in a day of regular activity. All the competing scents meant that Storm kept losing the trail and then picking up what could either be a continuation of it or a different trail from a different time.
Eventually Dalton gave up and took Storm for a walk along the border path. She didn’t find any trace of Jolene’s scent.
No easy end to this search, unfortunately, which means no quick end to our workday. I interview Jolene’s drinking buddies next. While there seems little point in talking to Conrad, I do it anyway. He’s still under house arrest with his militia nurse/guard. He confirms that he hasn’t seen Jolene since before his near-death experience.
I’d planned to talk to Ted, but Gloria has told Anders that she’s eager to speak to me about Jolene. That seems promising. It’s not. Gloria hasn’t seen her since yesterday. She’d invited Jolene to dinner at the Red Lion, but Jolene had other plans, so Gloria went on her own and ended up dining with a couple of residents who invited her over. That smacks of pity—the rumor mill is in full swing, whispering that Conrad used Gloria—but whatever the reason, it was a nice gesture.
As for Jolene’s “other plans,” Gloria knows nothing about them. Jolene had been cagey, and Gloria wasn’t sure whether she genuinely had somewhere else to be or she just didn’t want to have dinner together.
That’s all Gloria can tell me. She’d asked to speak to me mostly just to express her concern and offer her help. She considers Jolene a friend. I’m not sure that goes both ways, but that isn’t Gloria’s fault. She’s standing by, ready to join the search party.
I ask her the same question I put to Conrad.
“Did you ever know Jolene to venture into the woods?” I say. “For a walk or anything.”
She laughs. “Definitely not. I tried to get her to go on one of Maryanne’s nature hikes last month, and Jolene looked at me like I suggested skydiving. She hates it here. She always says it’s like being trapped on an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean. I’ve pointed out that we’re not trapped—that’s why I suggested the hike—but walking in the wilderness is not her idea of entertainment.”
I’d gotten the same from Conrad. Jolene hates the forest, and to her, this town might as well be surrounded by an impenetrable wall. She didn’t sneak into the woods for a walk and get lost. She didn’t wander out for a little peace and quiet either.
I speak to Ted next. He insists he hasn’t been part of “that group” in a month. Apparently that’s his excuse for not mentioning he’d been friends with Conrad when we first spoke. When he feared he’d be “outed” after Anders, it was because he damn well knew Conrad was probably behind it and suspected Conrad had dirt on him.
Ted confirms what Gloria said. No forest trips for Jolene. Otherwise, he has nothing for me and really wishes I’d move along. He’s scheduled to take the first plane out, and he’s already packing.
“Gloria mentioned that Jolene had plans last night,” I say. “Gloria invited her out to dinner, and Jolene was busy.”
“No, Jolene was making a half-assed excuse not to have dinner with Gloria.”
“There was friction there?”
He looks over from folding his clothing. “Friction with Gloria? I’m not certain that’s possible. She’s…” He sets down a shirt and says, “Jolene considers Gloria boring. Gloria is shy, and Jolene interprets that as dull.”
“Jolene likes more dynamic dinner companions.”
“No, Jolene likes dinner companions who reflect well on her. Who make her look good. Gloria didn’t add to her social cachet. I believe she likes Gloria well enough, but Jolene is very image conscious. For example, she dislikes you, but she’d have jumped at an invitation to dinner.”
He folds another shirt and then pauses. “That does remind me of something, and I’m hoping you will take this piece of information and leave me to my packing.”
“What is it?”
“Marissa. She used to join us for drinks, before she moved up in the world by sleeping with Deputy Anders. Jolene took the defection hard. Marissa was well liked, and Jolene enjoyed being associated with her. When Marissa took up with Will Anders, her social status climbed even higher, and Jolene couldn’t share in the reflected glory.”
“Uh-huh. What does this have to do with Jolene going missing?”
“You say she told Gloria she had other plans for dinner. I saw her with Marissa early that evening. If Jolene did have plans—and wasn’t just giving Gloria the brush-off—I’d start there.”
TWENTY-FIVE
Two people saw Jolene with Marissa last night. I’d like more than “saw them together” before I speak to Marissa, but this will have to do.
I spot Marissa and try to wave her down; she pretends not to see me. She retreats into her apartment and then doesn’t answer when I knock.
“Marissa?” I call through the door. “You don’t need to speak to me if you don’t want to. I can just keep investigating Jolene’s disappearance and keep asking myself why you—the last person to see her—are avoiding talking to me. You’re due to leave on the second plane. I’ll go to Phil right now and tell him to move you to the last one out, to ensure you don’t escape in the midst of an investigation—”
She pulls open the door. “I wasn’t avoiding you, Casey. I’m busy. What’s this about Jolene?”
“Two witnesses saw you speaking to her last night. So far, you were the last person with her.”
Her face screws up. “Jolene?”
“She’s missing.”
“I heard she didn’t show up for work. No one said anything about her being missing.”
“She hasn’t been seen since last evening, when she was spotted with you. I’m also surprised you haven’t come around to give me shit about interviewing Conrad without you being present. You are his lawyer, right?”
“I was his legal representation in potential harassment by local law enforcement.”
I snort.
Her eyes narrow. “Yes, obviously it wasn’t harassment. Your professional interest in him was warranted.”