Chapter 85
As Jennifer spun the tires of her bike in her haste to get out of her driveway, her father’s van pulled in, cutting her off. He pulled to a stop beside her and rolled down the window. Gil McFarland waved at her from the passenger seat.
“Hey, sweetheart. Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“Dad, I’m going to check on Heather. She was supposed to be back from Raul’s house by now, so I got worried about her.”
“Raul?”
Mr. McFarland interrupted. “You remember Ernesto Rodriguez’s boy.”
“Oh, yeah, from the hospital.” Her dad turned back to her. “Give us a second to unload the grill from the van and we’ll all ride over to get her.”
“Not necessary, Dad. I’ll enjoy the ride. Heather and I’ll be back before you have dinner ready.”
Her father grinned. “Just offering. Have a fun ride, but don’t be late.”
When she slid to a stop in the Rodriguez driveway, Jennifer noticed that a number of cars had parked along the side of the street. Of course. Heather had mentioned that Raul’s Bible study group met today.
Jennifer’s gaze drifted toward the porch where Heather’s bike leaned on its kickstand near the front door. Dismounting, she moved up the front steps, rang the bell, and waited. Hearing no response, she rang it a second time, before moving to the window and peering inside. Where the heck was Heather?
Jennifer briefly entertained the notion that Heather had joined in on the Bible study in Raul’s guesthouse. No way.
So where the hell was she?
Jennifer tried the front door, the knob twisting easily in her hand. Poking her head through the opening, she called out. “Hello. Anyone home?”
No answer. Jennifer stepped inside, closing the door behind her, and listened—really listened, letting her neural augmentations process the auditory data at full capacity. Five separate clocks ticked at different points in the house. She could hear the buzz of the refrigerator motor, the hum of a computer’s CPU cooling fan. But no sounds to indicate anyone else was in the house.
What was she thinking? If anyone was in the house, they would have answered. Jennifer stepped back out onto the porch, paused momentarily to stare at Heather’s bike, then made her way around the side of the house toward the small cottage where Raul was holding his Bible study. Much as she didn’t want to, it looked like she was just going to have to go knock on that door and ask if anyone had seen Heather.
But something about that idea felt wrong. The feeling increased as she approached the cottage. It wasn’t a cottage—at least, not anymore. It had been turned into a chapel, complete with stained-glass windows and a Jesus cross on the front door. Jennifer knew her best friend like she knew herself. Heather wouldn’t have gone in there and interrupted the service. She would have waited until Raul finished.
Bypassing the cottage, Jennifer’s feet carried her around the back of the main house. The Rodriguez backyard was lovely, patio furniture and a barbeque grill neatly arranged beneath the overhanging branches of a large shade tree. Lots and lots of comfortable spots to sit and wait, but no Heather.
Could Heather have gone for a walk in the woods to kill some time? A shiver started in her hands and worked its way up her arms, all the way to the top of her head. Something was wrong here. Feeling a slow panic rise up in her chest, Jennifer once again weighed the idea of interrupting the Bible study. But if she was wrong, Heather would be furious with her.
Suddenly a new idea blossomed in her brain. The night that the Rag Man had kidnapped Heather, both she and Mark had heard her in their minds. Even before that, there had been a couple of oddly similar instances, one where they had shared the same dream and another where Heather had heard Jennifer’s thoughts at the breakfast table. Maybe if she sat down and concentrated, she could consciously make a connection. If not, maybe she could at least get something that would guide her to her friend.
As insane as the thought seemed, only two choices presented themselves: try the meditation, or knock on the door to the chapel. What the hell? If this didn’t work, she could always interrupt Raul’s group.
The pine needles formed a nice comfortable place right up against the trunk of the large tree, and Jennifer settled into a meditative posture. She pulled to the front of her mind the perfect memory of the connection she had felt on the night of the Rag Man abduction. All around Jennifer, the Rodriguez yard, and even the daylight, faded away.
And into the darkness, her mind whispered, Heather? Please answer. I need you.