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5
Alex and Logan were called to the conference room at two. Jeff and Special Agent Lucas sat around the large table along with Chief Dixon and Tracy’s parents, the Abbotts. Alex’s heart fell when she saw the couple. Their suffering was obvious—and real.
Alex had developed a talent for reading people, and although they couldn’t be sure the Abbotts weren’t involved in their daughter’s disappearance until they talked to them and had read all the investigators’ notes, their expressions and body language told her these people had no idea where their beloved daughter was.
“Mr. and Mrs. Abbott,” Jeff said, “this is Supervisory Special Agent Alex Donovan and Supervisory Special Agent Logan Hart. They’re working on your daughter’s case. Do you mind if they ask you a few questions?”
“Of course not,” Mr. Abbott said. “We’ll do anything to bring Tracy home.”
“I ... I still can’t believe this is happening,” Mrs. Abbott said. “One day everything is fine, and then...” She put her hand up to her mouth to stifle a sob. “Matty and Cassie don’t understand where their mother is,” she said, tears running down her cheeks. “It’s so hard to keep the truth from them, but we don’t want to frighten them any more than they already are.”
“I’m so sorry,” Alex said. “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.”
“Thank you,” Tracy’s father said as he put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. Their chairs were pushed together as close as possible. “What can we do to help?”
Although Alex thought she already had the answer to her most important question, she asked, “Has there been any tension between you and Tracy lately? How have you been getting along?”
“If you’re asking if our daughter ran away,” Mrs. Abbott choked out, “the answer is an unequivocal no. We’re a very close family. She’s been so excited about starting her new career, and she plans on buying a house. Of course, she says she’ll miss living with us, but we want her to have her own life. To become everything she was created to be. Besides, she won’t be that far away. We’ll still be able to see her and the children whenever . . . whenever we can.” She leaned her head on her husband’s shoulder.
“We’re Christians,” Mr. Abbott said. “I don’t know if that means anything to you, but to us it’s just another reason we can confidently say Tracy would never intentionally do anything like this to us or to her children. I have no doubt of that whatsoever.”
Mr. Abbott had leaned forward as he talked, the hand not around his wife lying on the table, open and relaxed. He’d met Alex’s eyes and never looked away. No excessive blinking. Breathing steady, regular. He was telling the truth.
“We understand,” Logan said. “Does Tracy have a boyfriend?”
Mrs. Abbott shook her head. “She did, but they broke up recently. And not because of anything wrong between them. Evan is a very nice man, but he accepted a job in California, and they decided it was best to end the relationship because of the distance. Tracy cared for him, but she wasn’t in love with him. Evan felt the same way. Their breakup was amicable.”
Although Alex wouldn’t say it, parents usually knew very little about their children’s romantic lives—or at least not as much as they thought they did.
“Can you give us his full name and any contact information you have?” She smiled at Mrs. Abbott. “I’m sure you’re right about this, but we need to make sure we don’t leave any stone unturned. Maybe Evan knows something helpful and doesn’t even realize it.”
Mr. Abbott nodded. “I see what you mean.” He took his phone out of his pants pocket and started scrolling through it. “I have his number because we asked him to call us when he reached his destination. Wanted to make certain he got there safely. We care about him even if he wasn’t the one for Tracy.” He stopped scrolling and read out a number, which Alex wrote down. “His last name is Prescott. I don’t have his new address, but I can get it for you.”
“Thank you. Do you know of anyone who might dislike Tracy?” Logan asked. “Anyone who might want to harm her?”
Tracy’s mother sobbed again. “No, no one,” she managed to say as she tried to catch her breath.
“My wife is right,” Mr. Abbott said. “I know people in this situation might say their loved one has no enemies, but in this case it’s true. Tracy has always been friendly to everyone. And if someone didn’t like her, she’d try even harder to connect with them. Some of her best friends are girls she went to high school with. Girls who used to dislike her. Who were jealous of Tracy because she’s smart and very pretty.”
“She’s a single mother, correct?” Logan asked. “Widowed?”
Mr. Abbott nodded and sighed. “Her husband, Terry, died four years ago in an automobile accident. He was a wonderful man, and she loved him very much. I think he’s the real reason she didn’t fall in love with Evan. Terry was her soul mate, if you believe in that kind of thing.”
He frowned and stared at Alex for a moment. “Excuse me for saying this, but you remind me of Tracy. She has long black hair like yours. She even ties it back like you do. And you have the same build. Your eyes are the same color too. You could be sisters.”
Alex shoved aside the “very pretty” description he’d used for his daughter. She knew she wasn’t pretty. Her mouth was too wide, and she kept her bangs long to cover a forehead that was too high for her liking.
“What about any strange people in her life lately?” Logan asked.
“You know, the police asked us all these questions,” Tracy’s father said, glancing at Chief Dixon. “As did Agent Lucas.”
“We know,” Alex said. “I’m so sorry to keep putting you through this, but it’s possible our questions might trigger something new. Something you’ve forgotten.”
“Be patient, David,” his wife said. “Let these people do their work.”
Mr. Abbott took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “I ... I’m sorry. I’m just so worried about her. Where can she be?”
“We can’t answer that right now,” Lucas said, “but I guarantee we’ll do everything possible to find her. These agents with the BAU are the best we have. If anyone can help us locate the other missing women who resemble your daughter...”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Alex froze, and it was evident Lucas immediately knew what he’d done. He clamped his lips together and stared at the Abbotts as the chief’s face turned red. So did Jeff’s.
“Women?” Mr. Abbott said as he shoved his chair away from the table. “You’re telling us other women are missing? Women who look like Tracy?”
Before anyone could respond, his face turned white, and he clutched his chest. If his wife hadn’t grabbed him, he would have fallen to the floor.
Logan, Lucas, and Chief Dixon all leaped from their chairs and carried the man toward the sofa in Jeff’s office. As Alex and Jeff trailed behind them, Jeff pulled out his cell phone and called 9-1-1.
