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He began to pace. He knew it was a bad habit, but it helped him think.
He dialed Lacey’s cell phone again, frustrated but not surprised when she didn’t answer.
Then he began to wonder. He rang the clinic and asked to speak to Imran. The receptionist, Sarma, recognized him, and apologized but said he was with a patient. Sarma had worked at the clinic for over a year now, and Gabe said she was the best, reliable and dependable.
“Maybe you could help me, then,” Nico requested of the young woman. “I’m trying to track down a young lady by the name of Lacey Carmichael. She was supposed to have an appointment with Imran this morning.”
“Yes, she had an appointment booked, but she never showed up,” the receptionist answered, sounding more than a little distracted. Probably sick of patients who reneged on their scheduled consultations.
“Okay. Thank you for that,” he said and hung up. Why would Lacey text him right before her appointment and then not turn up?
Inspiration struck, and he redialed the clinic number. “Hello,” he said brightly when Sarma answered. “It’s Detective Sergeant Favreau again. Sorry to bother you, but is Gabriel available right now? Or could I leave a message if he’s with a patient?” Perhaps Gabriel had seen Lacey today, or heard from her. It was a long shot, but he was stumped by her absence.
“Dr. DuPont isn’t in today. I’m sorry, he called in sick, and he’s cancelled all his patient list.” Sarma sounded a tad frazzled, and Nico didn’t have to wonder if she’d been the one to cancel all of Gabe’s patients; it would’ve been a thankless task.
“Oh, right. Thank you.” Nico hung up. That was weird. Gabe had seemed perfectly fine yesterday when they’d left him. Not coming down with anything. Was it something he’d eaten? Both he and Lacey were in good health. Or maybe that’s why Lacey wasn’t answering her phone. Maybe she’d come down with the same thing that was afflicting Gabriel.
Nico let out a frustrated growl.
There was nothing for it. He was going to have to drive to Boat Harbour to collect his dog. Perhaps then he might find out where Lacey had got to as well. If she was lying in bed puking her guts out, he’d do everything he could to make her comfortable, but then he’d have to get back to work. This was not a good day for him to just up and leave in the middle of everything. At least they wouldn’t be interviewing Karim again today. The lawyer had called a halt to proceedings on account of the young man’s agitation. Then the lawyer had asked for Karim to have a psyche evaluation, which annoyed the hell out of Nico but he had to play by the rules. No way was he letting Karim get off on grounds of insanity. That boy was as sane as the rest of them. He might have a cocaine habit, but he knew exactly what he was doing. But he still wanted to debrief Sally-Ann on Jayden’s interview. And there were a million-and-one pieces of paperwork to be completed before tomorrow.
Tyrell had no word on Floyd, so there was nothing they could do on that point unless he was sighted.
He poked his head into Charles’s office. “I have to pop out for an hour. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Charles lowered his eyebrows over the top of his wire glasses but said nothing. He trusted his staff to know what they were doing.
Nico jumped into his Jeep—he’d driven that to work now that Lacey’s Kombi was on the road again. He pushed the limits of his vehicle and the speed signs to get to his house in nearly record time without the use of actual lights and sirens.
First, he drove past Dorothy’s house at the end of his lane, but there was no sign of Smudge. He’d go home, and if his dog wasn’t there, he’d patrol up and down the streets until he found him.
But as he pulled into his driveway, Smudge bounded down from the backyard, excitement and relief written all over his doggy features.
“Hey, boy.” Nico stepped out of his car to greet his canine friend. After a few seconds making sure Smudge was unharmed and giving him reassuring pats, he lifted his head and stared up the driveway. “What the hell is going on here?” he asked. But the dog didn’t answer.
The Kombi van wasn’t parked in its usual spot by the shed, and his heart sank a little. It looked like Lacey was definitely out. Had she just forgotten to tie Smudge up when she left? Or had he broken free somehow?
The door was locked and the house dim and quiet when he entered. There was a note left on the kitchen table. It was in Lacey’s handwriting.
I’ve decided to move on early. There’s just so much of Tasmania still left to see. Thanks for your wonderful hospitality. I’ll be in touch in a few days.
What the…? He read the note again.
Thanks for your hospitality?
Thanks for his fucking hospitality? Was that what she called what they’d done together? Hospitality?
What the fuck? Lacey had been adamant that she was going to continue her trip, it was something she needed to do, and he’d accepted her decision. But they’d also had an unwritten agreement that they’d enjoy the time they had left to the utmost. Whether Lacey would come back after she finished her tour and then visited her family was a question neither of them had touched on yet. But for her to leave like this, without any real explanation, it was coldhearted and bizarre.
He shoved the note into his jeans pocket and went to look around the house.
All of Lacey’s stuff was gone. The house felt empty and cold.
She was really gone.
And there was nothing left for him to do but go back to work. He decided to take Smudge with him. His dog could stay in his car for a few hours where it was safe while Nico ploughed through the pile of paperwork that came with arresting a suspect. Smudge was more than pleased to be invited into the car and sat in the back seat like he was the king of everything he surveyed. Nico couldn’t help a smile at his dog’s appreciation of the small things in life. He could learn a thing or two from his dog.
Almost as an afterthought, Nico went past Herb and Margie’s place. But their big Nissan four-wheel drive was missing from the carport and no one answered his hasty knock on the front door. He guessed that was why they hadn’t answered their landline. But surely Herb would answer his mobile, no matter where he was. Nico left their house, a puzzled frown on his face, and continued toward Burnie.
