Page 14 of The Missing Couple

As much as she’d loved her mother and baking cookies with her on Sunday afternoons, she had adored spending time on a case with her father. Even now, her sister would insist that Charly had been the daddy’s girl and she the mother’s.

“Where would you like to get food?” He glanced at her. “Fast preferably.”

“JJ’s. It’s a great local place. Good burgers. There’s a drive-through and it’s close, right on Gunter Avenue.”

“Burgers work for me as long as they have good fries.” He shot her a grin. “If that works for you.”

She liked his smile. Liked him. He was easy to be around, even though they barely knew each other. She rarely met people she felt so comfortable with so quickly. Admittedly, she had plenty of friends, neighbors, acquaintances. But no one who made her feel young again. She rolled her eyes at herself. Young wasn’t the right word. He made her feel…alive.

Moving past the foolish thought, she concurred, “Fries are a requirement.” She studied him a moment. “You seem to have gotten past the fact that the sheriff left you out of the press conference.”

“Nothing to be done about it now.” He glanced at her. “Besides, I’m happy for him to take all the glory as long as we find my sister and her husband safe and sound.”

Charly faced forward. Billie was a nice guy. She wondered how far he would have to be pushed before the nice went away.

Maybe she didn’t want to know.

A QUICK DETOUR to JJ’s and they were headed for Bakers Chapel Road. The road that bordered the width of Charly’s retreat ran from Conners Island Parkway to Highway 431. At the spot where Bakers Chapel Lane split off was the turn, Deep Woods Trail, into Bradly Retreat. Along the southwest end of Bakers Chapel Road were a few scattered houses and a church or two. On the northeast end, just beyond the turn to her place, was an equipment rental shop. The space between the structures was thickly wooded. On her side of the road was forest all the way down to the water.

Her father had inherited the land that would eventually become incredibly valuable from his own father. She’d had offers to buy her out numerous times. But Charly wouldn’t budge no matter how good the offer. This was home and she intended to stay right here until…forever. She had no desire to live anywhere else. Her sister had been happy to sell her half of their inheritance to Charly. Equally important, she had patiently waited until Charly could manage the loan—a whole five years after their parents’ deaths. In truth, that feat had only been possible with Alex’s help.

Since they had opted to start on the northeast end of Bakers Chapel Road, their first stop was at the equipment rental. With its high wire fences, surely there were cameras as well. Charly had been here before when she had needed a backhoe. Generally, any work that required big equipment had been Alex’s domain. But Charly knew the owner. He’d grown up in Guntersville as well. Though he was closer to her sister’s age than Charly’s. Really, it was a small town where everyone knew everyone else. The influx of tourists and out-of-towners was more seasonal. There were plenty of rich folks who lived in nearby Madison County who built big weekend houses wherever land could be bought anywhere near the water. But few lived here full-time.

As she and Billie approached the rental shop, her hopes about cameras were confirmed. There were three on each of the two sides she could see. Most likely the other two sides would have the same. This was good. Hopefully.

There was only one person behind the counter when they entered the building. The cool air was a welcome reprieve from the July heat. Charly knew Vince Cox, the owner of the company, but the man behind the counter wasn’t Vince. Since she had no influence with this guy, she stood by and let Billie make an intro.

She smiled to herself at the idea she couldn’t seem to remember that he was the investigator, and she was just the person who’d rented a cabin to his sister and her husband. She kind of liked this investigator gig. Maybe she really had missed her calling. Nah. The idea of being an investigator was intriguing, but she liked her current life just fine. She wouldn’t leave Bradly Retreat.

Billie flashed his credentials to the man behind the counter. “We’re looking for a man and woman who were abducted from the Bradly Retreat area. We have reason to believe they were taken in a vehicle that waited on this road and may have passed right by your shop. It would be a great help if we could have a look at your video security footage.”

The man, twenty-five or six, looked from Billie to Charly and back. “I’d have to ask the owner.”

“Tell him,” Charly spoke up, “that Charly Nix needs his help with this. It could make all the difference in whether we find this couple.”

The man, Winston, according to the name tag on his shirt, nodded. “Sure thing.” He walked into the office behind the counter and made the call.

While they waited Billie glanced around the showroom. There wasn’t so much inside, but outside was a huge array of equipment. Just about anything you could need for digging or reaching the top of a building or tree.

“There’s a church a little farther up the road then a house or two,” she said, drawing his attention. “I’m thinking this is our best bet.”

“If his cameras are working and assuming the video doesn’t overwrite itself every day,” he pointed out as he braced his forearms on the counter.

She hadn’t considered those possibilities. So much for armchair investigating.

“It would help a lot,” he went on, more to himself than to her, “just to know when they were taken.”

She imagined that his concern for his sister’s safety had escalated significantly after the find of the vehicle. He kept his feelings close to the vest, but his eyes told the story.

“You said someone was going to let you know about when and where they used their credit cards.” Maybe he would hear from that source soon. It was possible that alone would narrow down the time frame considerably. Might even help find them…maybe.

He checked his cell phone. “I should have that anytime now.”

Winston exited the office and joined them at the counter. “You’re in luck,” he announced, then looked straight at Charly. “Vince said I should give you whatever you need.” He winked. “He also said you should let him know if he can help in any way whatsoever.”

Charly managed a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

Winston jerked his head toward the office. “The storage room is behind the office. We have the security station set up there.”