“Things were getting as serious as Mett said,” Noah noted.
“But she didn’t give him a key to her place,” Josie put in.
“You don’t buy the landlord thing?” Gretchen asked.
“What? That her landlord forbade her from giving anyone else a key?” Josie scoffed. “Even if the landlord did, there is nothing stopping her from making an extra key and giving it to someone. It’s not like the landlord would be able to police that in any way.”
“Right,” said Noah. “Before I bought my house I lived in an apartment in South Denton. Same thing—I wasn’t supposed to give anyone else keys, but my mom and my ex each had one.”
“What was she hiding?” Gretchen said. “What was she keeping from Mett that she was planning a future with him but wouldn’t give him a key?”
But the question wasn’t meant to be answered. They didn’t know. Everything at this point in the investigation was speculation. Josie looked at her desk, where the mysterious diary sat with its shiny gold heart clasp, its broken strap, missing pages, and list of unusual numbers. Noah added a few more questions for them to consider. “If that’s Amber’s sister and she went to Russell Haven at five a.m. yesterday as per the message on Amber’s vehicle—”
“She didn’t go there,” Josie cut in. “Someone took her there against her will.”
Noah nodded. “If someone took her there, then where is Amber and why was the message left on her car? How did she disappear from her home without her car or any personal belongings or anyone even seeing anything?”
“The batteries in her front door surveillance camera were missing,” Josie said. “That’s what Mett told me. Plus, we don’t know that no one saw anything. We haven’t canvassed her street.”
“Because she’s a grown woman and grown women are allowed to disappear if they choose to do so. Plus, there’s no sign of foul play at her house,” said Gretchen. “At least, from what we can see from the outside and what Mett told us. So we’re not really looking at a potential crime.”
Noah shook his head. “We got a body out of the river last night that looked an awful lot like Amber. We may not be able to get into her house to look around, but there’s no reason why we can’t canvass. Especially considering the Russell Haven message was there, and that’s where we found our Jane Doe. We can probably pull prints from Amber’s car, too.”
Gretchen picked up her cell phone. “I’ll have a patrol unit canvass, and get Hummel to pull prints from the car.”
A moment later, her desk phone rang. She answered, listened, and hung up. “Grace Power is here. Lamay put her into the first-floor conference room.”
“Let’s go,” said Josie.
They filed down the stairwell and found Grace Power sitting at the long, glossy wooden conference table. She was small and slight with olive skin and dark hair that framed her face in a chic bob. A large, puffy coat sat on the back of her chair. She wore jeans and a sweater with a patterned scarf around her neck. She offered them a weak smile as they introduced themselves and thanked her for coming on short notice. Josie offered her coffee or water but she declined, clasping her hands together and resting them on the surface of the table. She said, “Have you heard anything?”
“I’m sorry, but we haven’t,” said Josie.
Grace unlaced her fingers and reached over into her purse, which sat open on the chair beside her. From it, she pulled a tissue which she used to dab at the tears leaking from her eyes. “She’s my best friend. I can’t believe this is happening. You really have no idea where she went? Do you think someone took her?”
Noah said, “That’s what we’re trying to figure out. Ms. Power, did you have a key to Amber’s house by any chance?”
Grace fisted the tissue and shook her head. “No. I live so far away, it didn’t make sense. In any case, she rents, so her landlord can get into the house if she ever has any trouble. When I say trouble, I mean locking herself out. I never thought…”
Josie said, “When is the last time you spoke with her or heard from her in any way?”
“Two weeks ago,” Grace said. She reached into her purse and pulled out a cell phone. After some swiping, she turned it toward them and slid it across the table. They all leaned over to read the text exchange, but it was just Amber apologizing for not coming for Thanksgiving and saying she had had a wonderful time with Finn’s family. They went back and forth about their holiday and then agreed that they’d meet for lunch or dinner before Christmas. There was nothing remotely ominous or alarming in any of the texts. Josie pushed the phone back to Grace, who returned it to her purse.
Noah asked, “How long have you two known one another?”
“Almost ten years. We went to college together. We were roommates in junior and senior year. Both communications majors. I went right into the non-profit world out of college. I’m now communications director for The Women’s Law Center of Pennsylvania. Amber went from job to job, but wasn’t really happy until she came here. She spoke so highly of all of you and of course, Finn…” Grace’s eyes glistened with tears. “You really don’t know where she is?”
“I’m sorry, Grace,” Gretchen said. “But we don’t. That’s why we asked you here. Mett—I mean, Finn—told us that she always spent holidays with you and your family. Is that right?”
A smile curved Grace’s lips. “Yes. Since college, when I realized she was staying on campus for every holiday. She came up until this past year when she moved here and met Finn. We missed her, but I was happy that she seemed to have found her… family.”
Josie said, “Speaking of family, what did she tell you about hers? Surely you discussed it.”
Grace nodded. “Of course we did. We had a lot of long, drunken nights in college. That was the only time she would really talk about her family—when she was drunk.”
“What did she tell you?” Josie asked.
“Let’s see. She said her parents were divorced and that she hadn’t spoken with any of her family since she left for college at eighteen. She said they were toxic. Oh, and dysfunctional.”
The same word that she had used when talking to Mettner about her family, Josie realized. Toxic.
Grace went on, “She said she was better off without them. I asked her if it ever made her sad, being alone, and she said no, that she was happier on her own and she never regretted walking away from them.”
“Did she ever indicate whether they were abusive?” asked Noah.
A tear slipped from the corner of Grace’s eye. “I think they were. Well, maybe. I don’t know.”
“What makes you think they were?” Gretchen coaxed.
Grace wiped the rogue tear from her cheek. “I just—well, she’s got this scar on her back.”
“We’re aware,” Josie said. “Finn said it was from an accident she had while camping with her family.”