Page 107 of The Vanished

“What makes you say that?”

“There was a second toothbrush in his bathroom.”

Quinn rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Yeah, Max’s.”

Jude shook his head. “It was an adult-size toothbrush, and Max’s toothbrush is still in his own bathroom.”

“OK, so you found a toothbrush. Maybe Logan had an overnight guest.”

“I found shoes,” Jude announced triumphantly.

“Shoes?”

“Trainers. Logan wears eleven and a half, and these shoes were a nine. There was also a sweatshirt in Logan’s bedroom. Medium.”

Logan wore large, sometimes even extra-large. He’d gained a few pounds in recent years and had not been able to shift them. Quinn had to admit that this was definite proof that Logan had been seeing someone. A casual fling wasn’t likely to leave his shoes, not if he wasn’t sure he was coming back.

“Do you think the man who followed him from the hospital could be the bloke he was seeing?” Jude asked.

“I don’t know. He never mentioned a new partner.”

Jude cocked his head to the side, his gaze thoughtful. “Logan was never secretive by nature. He’s open and honest and doesn’t like to play games. He came out to Mum and Dad when he was fifteen. He was terrified of their reaction, but he couldn’t lie to them.”

“People change.”

“Not Logan,” Jude insisted.

“Jude, he never mentioned anyone to either of us.”

“There must be a reason he decided to keep it on the down-low,” Jude insisted.

“Maybe he simply wasn’t ready. He was heartbroken when he and Colin called it quits. And then Rafe walked out on him and left him alone with a toddler during what had to be the hardest year of Logan’s life. And he has to be cautious now that he has Max to consider. There are a lot of sick people out there who would abuse their position if brought into a child’s life.”

Jude’s expression suddenly changed, as if he’d had an a-ha moment. “Max. He must know who it is.”

“Maybe he never saw the person. If he came round after Max went to bed and left before he woke, Max would have no clue.”

“Kids know everything, even when we think they don’t,” Jude said with unwavering conviction. “We need to ask him.”

“I don’t want to upset him any more than he’s already upset,” Quinn protested.

“Quinn, we’ve run out of options. The police are not doing anything to find Logan, especially now that they know Max wasn’t abducted. Drew has hit a brick wall, and there’s been no word from Logan. It seems to me we don’t have much of a choice.”

“All right, but after.”

“After what?”

“After I have a peek,” Quinn replied.

Jude fixed her with a searching stare. “Do you mean you plan to do the clairvoyant thing?”

Quinn nodded. Like everyone else in the world, Jude now knew about Quinn’s psychic ability, but she’d never told anyone besides Gabe about Daisy. If Daisy wanted to tell people, then it was up to her. But Quinn didn’t think it was her place to out her to Jude.

“When Daisy gets here, I’ll ask her to stay with me. I can’t do this alone.”

“I can stay with you,” Jude offered.

“Maybe you can take Max for a walk. He’s safe with you, and I will need quiet.”