The entire family was in the room, gathered around the TV as on the morning of Vincent’s press conference. Everyone except Deandra. And Ginny.
He glanced around the room twice, and then a third time to be safe. The wives were there. Vincent and a woman Shepherd hadn’t met, with two children on her lap. Elwin holding a cup of coffee like a king might hold a scepter, the rich scent of the beverage combining most unpleasantly with whatever pine-scented cleaning agent the housekeeping staff used. The stepsiblings bundled on a love seat. Which was too weird for this early in the morning. Probably too weird for any time, ever.
“Where’s Ginny?” His heart beat hard and slow. Every pump hurt. “She left before me.”
Bradley shrugged. “I haven’t seen her yet. But look.” He pointed at the TV. What Shepherd thought was basic cable turned out to be something else; there were police in the room, too, and they were watching the screen with their arms crossed.
It was bodycam footage. A cop wearing a camera, videoing from his chest the live view of uniformed cops and suited FBI agents who were silently moving in on what looked like a school. There were hand motions, made difficult by the fact that all of them were holding guns. The sound was tinny and hidden in static, but the increased rate of breathing by the officer wearing the camera was easily heard.
Shepherd swallowed, licked his lips, mouth suddenly dry. “What’s going on?”
“Police got a tip a few hours ago about where Deandra might be,” Bradley whispered. “They’re moving in on it now. Some private school in Biscayne.”
“Private school?”
“It’s closed for the summer,” Bradley said. “Completely shut down these last two weeks, not even staff on the property. Nota bad place to stash someone when what you want is a ransom. Look! There she is!”
The body cam focused on an older woman bound by ropes that looked remarkably like the ones Shepherd had been bound with, a bandana around her mouth, and ice in her blue eyes.
Bradley’s current wife, whose name Shepherd could not recall for the life of him, glared so fiercely at her husband that it was a wonder he didn’t catch fire. Clearly, Ginny’s father had a type, which was not something Shepherd wanted to dwell on.
“Where is Ginny?” he asked again, pulling out his phone. “She should be here by now.”
But Bradley had a hand over his mouth and tears in his eyes, watching as his twice-ex-wife was freed, no sign of her captors in sight.
Shepherd froze. So, maybe Ginny was right, and her parents would be getting remarried. Again. Re-remarried. Which was a thing that didn’t happen anywhere except in this crazy-ass family. Nutso butso, the lot of them—Ginny included.
But she was the only one he cared about.
He called her, and it rang and rang before going to her voicemail.
He hung up and texted:Where are you? I’m with your dad. Your mom is safe.
It came up delivered, but unread.
The family was on their feet, thanking the officers. Vincent and his wife hugged. The kids hugged Bradley and then allowed Elwin to lightly pat them on the heads. The wives and stepchildren were smiling unhappily.
But Ginny was nowhere to be found.
He ran up the stairs to her bedroom, but it was empty, save Scully and Mulder. He walked through the entire house, ignoring the elegant celebration of the prodigal mother returning, calling out Ginny’s name. Redialing her number. Texting her name over and over again. Every door he opened led nowhere; every room he checked was empty.
Maybe she went back to the restaurant? Maybe she went to his apartment? Maybe she was waiting for him, in love with him too?
He hurried out the front door and ran to his car. Something was wrong. Ginny wouldn’t have chosen him over her family. The knowledge sat in his gut like an indigestible lump, but it was real. It was true. She would’ve been here. The only reason she wasn’t there was because something was wrong. A car accident?
On the highway, Shepherd called Noah.
“Hey, man,” Noah yawned. “What’s up?”
“The police found Deandra.”
“That’s great!”
“But I can’t find Ginny.”
“What?”
“Can you pull up the sheriffs website, see if there were any car accidents?”
