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A nagging feeling ate at me. It was like being poked in the back over and over. Something was wrong.
I was just being paranoid. I was worried because she’d left upset and I didn’t like the way that felt. That’s all it was.
But no matter how many times I told myself she had to be fine, I didn’t believe it.
Something was definitely wrong.
“Fuck it.”
I got up and put on my shoes and coat. I’d drive by her parents’ place. I wouldn’t intrude, just confirm her car was there and come back to wait for her.
The weather sucked balls. Icy cold rain soaked everything and the wind howled down from the mountain peaks.
All the more reason to make sure she was okay.
My windshield fogged up almost before I’d backed out of the driveway. I leaned forward and wiped it with my arm so I could see.
There weren’t many people out and about. I passed one other car but it looked like most of the town had hunkered down for the storm.
I wasn’t far from her parents’ house when I came upon flashing lights in the road. A cop car was blocking the way and it looked like another car with hazards on farther up. I stopped and peered into the rainy darkness.
A tree lay across the road. A few guys were already working on clearing it.
I opened my window and leaned out. “Hey, need help?”
A guy looked up and waved. “We got it. But thanks.”
“Stay safe,” I called.
I rolled up the window and wiped the rain off my forehead. It was pouring out there.
Since I couldn’t get to their house that way, I took a side street and wound my way through a neighborhood. The porch light was on at her parents’ place, but her car wasn’t in the driveway.
Well, shit.
I got out my phone and called her. She’d probably gone a different way to get around the tree and we’d just missed each other.
I expected her to answer and tell me she was pulling into her driveway, but it rang until it went to voicemail.
That was weird.
It wasn’t just weird. Given the circumstances, it was alarming.
I decided to check with her parents first. See how long ago she’d left. I parked outside and went up to their door.
Her dad answered and his eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Zachary. What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”
“Is Marigold here?”
“No, she left quite a while ago. She isn’t home?”
“Maybe she is now, but she wasn’t when I left. I just called her and it went to voicemail.”
He fished his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll try her.”
I waited while Craig tried to call his daughter. For the first couple of rings, he seemed relaxed, like he was convinced she’d answer. Maybe he assumed we were fighting and she’d ignored my call.
His face fell and he tapped his phone to end the call. “Voicemail.”
