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“Do not tell an engaged man that.” He held out a hand. “Here, let me try.”
He opened the top and handed the bottle back to her. He was smart enough not to call her weak. She was horrified that she couldn’t get her body to work with her. Waves of anxiety crashed over her, pressing her down, making her doubt every sentence and every thought. She wanted to get in the car and drive away. To mimic what some thought Aaron had done to get out of a loveless marriage.
She’d heard the whispers. They would only grow louder and angrier. Those who knew about Aaron’s disappearance pointed. Once the news went out wider, her life would turn to shit. Every time she’d ever put her head down in the grocery store rather than say hello to someone would be brought up, twisted, and dissected.
She needed to think of something happier, even if only for a second. “How’s Cade?”
Tobias’s smile was so big, so genuine. “He’s great, despite his ridiculous family.”
She loved hearing about the preparations for the weddingof infamous playboy Cade Linden and hot lawyer Tobias Maddow. She was pretty sure one email he’d sent had talked about having doves at the reception. Another said something about horses and hinted at a huge argument about guests being ferried to a private island by yacht.
“That’s what you get for marrying into Southern money.” Like, stupid money. Tobias’s in-laws-to-be owned most of South Carolina, or so it seemed. “There are how many retired politicians, big law firm partners, and business owners in the family?”
“I stopped counting.” Tobias picked up his glass again. “And you need to stop changing the subject.”
He was the one person she couldn’t fool. He’d known about her feelings on marriage and love from the beginning. She’d been looking for a home and exchanged that with a marriage.
She knew it. Tobias knew it. Hell, she thought Aaron knew it.
“You’ve hung around Aaron. He’s solid and stubborn. Dependable and frustrating.”
Tobias barked out a laugh. “It’s like you’re describing an annoying puppy.”
Sort of.Maybe a feral one.
She twisted the bottle cap back and forth. “Not all of us get a grand love story.”
“You could.”
“I wanted simple and clean. A guy with his own paycheck who didn’t depend on mine.” The more she added, the lamer it sounded. “Company and comfort.”
Tobias toasted the air. “Very romantic.” Some of Tobias’samusement faded. “But really, I can’t see him leaving you without a word.”
“Me either.” And he didn’t. Not on purpose, but the leaving was not her concern right now. She was far more invested in learning about his current location. She imagined him sitting somewhere, writing those damn notes as he plotted his revenge.
“So, what does that mean? Where do you think he is?” Tobias asked.
She didn’t know what to say. Make up something, maybe? Nia Simms’s voice saved her from having to do that.
... but let me suggest another possibility. What if Karen wasn’t the first college student to go missing in the area? There’s Yara James. Her cousin contacted us and reminded us of this cold case. It hasn’t gotten as much attention as Karen’s case, but Yara is still missing. She was thinking about transferring and visited Cornell, and no one has seen her since. We know she was on campus and that she checked out of the hotel she was staying in. That disappearance happened two and a half years ago, and she hasn’t been seen or heard from in all that time.
Yara’s cousin mentioned another missing woman. Julie Levin. She went hiking with her boyfriend in Treman State Park near Lucifer Falls and disappeared. That happened about a year ago. Her boyfriend has been arrested but he insists he’s innocent. What if he is and we don’t have one missing woman... we have three? Three women, all college-aged. All with long brown hair. All with a certain look and body type—athletic build, fit, pretty,and around five foot seven. Does that description fit a lot of women? Sure, but these women are all missing from the same general area. Is it possible one person is responsible for all three disappearances?
Tobias made a face. “Can we turn the podcast down? It’s distracting... and now I want to know about these women.”
“That’s how these podcasts lure you in, but sure.” She reached for the remote control and froze.
And then there’s the case of Aaron Payne. This one is just breaking, and there’s not much information yet. It involves a man, yes, but a respected one. A high school teacher and coach gone missing. It’s unlikely his disappearance is related to that of three college-aged women, but his addition to the growing list of missing individuals raises one very big question: Are our neighborhoods, our roads, and our beautiful parks as safe as we think they are?
Lila tried to say something, but babble filled her brain. She couldn’t think or function. She fell back into her seat on the couch and stayed there.
The podcast. Aaron was on the podcast.
“Lila?”
The announcement could change everything. She sparred with Ginny. She could ignore neighbors and people from school. She already planned to drive out of town to get anything she needed, just to avoid a confrontation. But the fansfrom this podcast? All those amateur detectives aimed directly at her. That was too much.
Tobias put his hand on her arm. “Is there anything you need to tell me?”
