“I hope you find her, Alfie. Just remember what I said. I know tensions are high, but think about who else this could be. I genuinely don’t think this is Nate.”
I hang up after thanking him again and step toward the police officer.
“Well?”
“He had a session with Nate this afternoon. He confirmed there wasn’t anything alarming in their appointment.”
The police officer nods, eyeing me like there must be something else for me to say. I’m not going to tell him anything that might prevent him from looking for Mia. My gut is telling me Nate has something to do with this. He was the only one who had the opportunity to leave them at Mia’s desk. She was nearly always gone by the time his session finished. The only other person was Sean, who had never met Mia.
Despite this, his similarities to Nate, he could be a person of interest. But it’s a loose link. She was always gone from the office when he came in for his sessions. Besides, Mia has read my notes. She’s seen his name, his age. If she had known him, she would have told me. It can’t be him.
We’ve been standing outside of Mia’s house for hours now, and Lottie’s shivers are turning into full-on shakes as we finish up with the police. They leave, promising to follow up in the morning, and Lottie and I head toward my house.
When I sink into the couch, the embers of the wood-burning stove glow dully. Lottie places another log inside, blowing gently on the embers until they catch the small kindling she’s delicately placed around the wood.
A knock at the door has me jumping out of my seat, but it’s only Caleb.
“I came right after my shift. No news of her at the hospital, and I called the other emergency departments in a fifty-mile radius. She hasn’t been admitted, and there are no Jane Does that match her description.”
I appreciate his foregoing the niceties and getting straight to the point. He tugs off his jacket and goes to put it on the rack, but when he sees Lottie, he brings it with him, the huge puffer wrapping her up like a duvet.
She nestles into it, her fingers tucking up into the sleeves. I should have brought her here sooner. I could have waited with the police by myself. The end of her nose is pink, her cheeks rosy, the light of my living room highlighting her features.
“I don’t know where to go from here,” I whisper, holding my head in my hands.
We wait on the couch, but as two a.m., then three a.m. rolls around, we hear nothing. Lottie’s soft snuffles are the only sound as she tucks herself into Caleb’s side. His huge frame engulfs her. Eventually, his head lolls against hers, his leg twitching every now and then. I check my phone one more time, leaving it on loud in case the police call.
By the time I wake up a few hours later, there are no missed calls.
???
Lottie and Caleb head to the rink in case Mia shows up there for our arranged meet up, but I know it’s a waste of time. She’s not going to be there. Certainly not if she hasn’t reached out to Lottie to explain why she didn’t show up yesterday. And without her phone? No way.
I decide to call the detective from missing persons to check what they were doing today to find Mia.
“Detective Jenkins.”
“It’s Alfie Adams. I’m calling about the missing persons case that got opened last night for Mia Sinclair.”
“Ah yes, Dr. Adams, isn’t it? We’re making some inquiries this morning, but I’ll be around to talk to you this afternoon. I have a few follow-up questions.”
“Can we do this now? I want to make my own calls today to find her.”
“Alright,” he huffs. “We spoke to Mia’s mother this morning, Mrs. Angela Sinclair.”
“Good.”
“Yeah, she seems to think that this isn’t a big deal. She says that Mia has a history of running off when things get tough.”
Is he goading me? I can’t imagine Angela saying anything like that about Mia.
“I don’t agree with that. Besides, Mia made plans to meet with Lottie last night, and then with me today. Why would she do that if she was going to run?”
I try to keep my voice even, but it comes out gruff and indignant all the same. I don’t know why I’m trying to manage my emotions when I’m clearly losing it. How incompetent can these cops be?
“Did Miss Sinclair have a relationship with a teacher when she was in high school, which led to her leaving home?”
Fuck.
