Gone (Gone #1) (18 page)

He got up and went up to his room, sliding in bed next to Alyssa. She didn't even stir. The moment his head hit the pillow, he was asleep.

When he woke up, Alyssa was gone. He looked around, listening. The sun was bright, slipping in through the blinds. He felt rested. How long had he slept? It had to be after noon. He climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom, noting Alyssa's makeup spread around her side of the counter.

She hadn't put on makeup since she found out about Macy. However much sleep she had gotten must have helped to get her in a better frame of mind. He checked on Alex and found his bed empty too. He searched the house, but they weren't anywhere. They had probably gone to search for Macy.

He should probably join them, but first he needed to check his blog. His stomach rumbled as he passed the kitchen. He looked inside, knowing it would be bare. Shopping hadn't been on anyone's priority list. Alex was the only one eating regularly.

Chad grabbed the last frozen burrito and stuck it in the microwave. He had always wanted to try to order groceries online. Maybe he could try that while he checked his blog. Then at least there would be food in the house for his family. The microwave beeped, and he took his food out. He found a clean fork and headed for his office.

The computer was ready for him. Two hundred and fifteen new comments. How long had he been asleep? That was an unheard of amount of comments in that amount of time. He should order the groceries first. By the time he was done with the comments, they would be delivered.

Once at their grocery store's site, he created a login and filled a virtual shopping cart with items he was pretty sure they usually had on hand. He threw in a few things that he thought Alex and Alyssa would like that they rarely had, and then he checked out. It would be at their door in two hours. He wanted to join the search party before that, but it might take that long to get through all those comments.

Up until this point, he had replied to every comment ever left on his blog—excluding the spam comments which he removed as soon as he saw them. He didn't need their links ruining his ranking. He wouldn't have been able to get the advertisers he had if he allowed crap like that on his site.

He readjusted himself in the chair, making himself as comfortable as possible. The first comment was someone expressing their heartfelt sympathy for their loss. It sounded like they thought Macy was dead.

Most of them were similar, saying something along the lines of being sorry for Macy being gone. Many said they were praying for her safe return. No one had mentioned anything about the clothes. He really had expected someone to leak the information and for the news to eat it up. Surely they would once they found out.

Before he knew it, the groceries had arrived. He put them away as best as he could. He didn't know where anything went, but at least they had food and the perishables were in the fridge and freezer. Nothing was going to spoil.

There were some more comments left unanswered, but he would have to get to them later. He found a baseball cap and put it on, not wanting to deal with a shower. He needed to get out there and join his family. The headquarters for the search parties had been at the park down the street over the past week, so he would walk.

As soon as he got to the sidewalk, he could see the temporary tents that had been set up. It looked like as much effort had been put into this search as the ones last weekend. He moved the bill of his hat to get all of the sun off his face. It was warm out, especially given that it was almost winter.

A few people milled around the park. They were handing out fliers. Chad saw a couple of women standing near a table full of supplies. One of them saw him and waved as he entered the park. He waved back and made his way to the table.

One lady he recognized from the homeowners' association smiled. "Chad, it's so good to see you. We all appreciate you updating your blog so often. We were talking about that a little while ago."

Another one nodded. "We love the pictures. They make us feel like we know you guys better, you know?"

He nodded. "Thanks. Did Alyssa and Alex come by? They left while I was sleeping."

The first woman nodded. "They went out with a search team near the mall. She said you hadn't been sleeping much, so they wanted you to get some rest. I can't even imagine what it's been like for you."

Chad cleared his throat. "Thanks. So, am I too late?"

She shook her head. "No. Parties have been coming and going all day. It shouldn't be long before another group arrives. We've got people canvassing with fliers and others out searching. We're going to do everything we can until she's found."

The second lady looked behind him. "Here comes a group now."

Chad spun around. He saw five people walking toward them. They came to the table. Each one recognized him and gave their condolences. He hated it. Macy was missing, not dead. Three of the group had to leave, and another to rest. That left someone he knew all too well.

Lydia.

She gave him a hug. "So many people have been working hard all day. Someone will find Macy. I can feel it."

He nodded, trying not to make direct eye contact. "Thanks."

One of the ladies from the table handed him a stack of fliers. "Why don't you two go hand out more of these? It's going to be dark soon."

Chad looked at Lydia. "I'm not sure—"

She grabbed the pile of papers. "Let's go." She took two water bottles from the table and handed him one. "We can't let these fliers go to waste."

He couldn't argue with that. They left the park in the opposite direction of his house.

"What are you doing, Lydia?" Chad asked.

"Helping to find Macy. What else?"

"Look. We're out of everyone's earshot. What are you really doing?"

She gave him a wounded look. "Helping to find your daughter."

"Lydia, we can't continue…what we had going."

"Haven't you noticed me giving you space? I haven't even tried to contact you in the last week. Although, I hope you know that if you do need to get away, I'm here for you day or night."

"Alyssa and I have been trying to work things out."

She kept her face straight, but he could see the hurt in her eyes. She flipped her hair behind her shoulder. "Of course. You two need to work together now. Alex needs you two strong more than ever."

"Yes. I know." He looked forward, not wanting to look at her. Now that he and Alyssa were getting along, and especially with Macy being gone, he regretted ever hooking up with Lydia. It was a mistake, and guilt ate at him. He had nearly forgotten all about her as soon as he found out about Macy being gone.

It was obvious Lydia wasn't going to go away. Why else would she be so active in the search efforts? She was obviously trying to show him that she was still there for him…and would be waiting.

"I can't imagine your pain. I've been reading your blog. It's beautiful. You have such a way with words. You're going to be a full-time writer soon. Then you're dream—"

"Lydia." Chad raked his fingers through his hair. "I'm trying to turn my marriage around."

"Chad, I'm not going to put any pressure on you. Honestly, I can't even fathom the hell you're going through. You know Dean and I never could have kids. I—"

"Where is Dean? Why aren't you out with him?"

"He's working. What else? It's a day that ends in 'y,' you know."

Chad nodded. They had both been lonely in their marriages, and that was what got them talking in the first place. One conversation had led to another, until one day they found themselves fulfilling each other's needs in other ways.

"I'm sorry he still has his head up his rear. You don't deserve that, but I can't replace him any more."

Her eyes shone with tears and she cleared her throat and adjusted her shirt which could have been buttoned higher. "I know you need this time with your family. I'm not going to bother you, but when you're ready to come back—and you will—I'll be waiting."

Chad looked around and seeing no one, he took her hand. "Lydia, you deserve better than Dean. You should find someone who can treat you well."

"That's why I'm going to wait for you as long as I need to."

"Please don't. It's over." He let go of her hand. "Let's hand these fliers out."

They rounded a corner and came face to face with Alyssa and Alex.

Spiral

Zoey stood by herself at the park only a few feet away from the others. They had just arrived after handing out the last flier. She kept her focus on Lydia. Something was off about her, but Zoey couldn't tell what. She looked perfectly normal, holding the stack of fliers and a water bottle, but she looked a little too comfortable standing next to Chad. Her shirt was also too low-cut for a search party.

Alyssa smiled at Lydia. "We appreciate you putting together the search parties. Really, we couldn't have asked for anything more. The fliers are perfect, and I think every inch of our neighborhood has been looked through."

Lydia smiled. "Glad to help. In the last HOA meeting, we were talking about other ways we can help your family. We want to do more." She stepped a little closer to Chad.

Zoey narrowed her eyes. She knew Macy wouldn't like it. She looked at Alyssa, who seemed oblivious to Lydia's behavior. Granted, Lydia was being subtle, but
something
was going on.

"If you guys need anything else, say the word." Lydia smiled again. Why was she smiling so much? She was talking to two parents who couldn't find their child.

Alyssa nodded. "Thanks. I'm going back home. You'll be home soon?" She looked at Chad.

"Sure. I need to get out and look for her myself."

"I'd join you, but I'm exhausted. Someone told me how we can try to recover the information from Macy's computer. It might still be there. Maybe we'll find something useful."

Chad put his hand on Alyssa's arm. "I'll help you when I get home. I shouldn't be too much longer."

Alyssa threw herself into his arms. "Thank you. I don't know much about computers. I don't want to mess it up and accidentally delete anything."

"Just go home and rest. I'll come back when we've handed out all these." He indicated to the stack of fliers in Lydia's hand.

Zoey didn't like the look on Lydia's face. She was tired from all the walking and drained from Macy's disappearance, but she wasn't going to let Lydia spend time alone with Macy's dad. Macy wouldn't have wanted that. Lydia had her eyes on Chad; there was no denying that.

Zoey grabbed Alex's hand. "We'll join you, Mr. Mercer. That way you guys can hand those out faster."

He looked relieved. Maybe he could tell something was up with Lydia, too.

Valerie looked at Zoey. "Are you sure? I know you're really tired."

"Yeah. It won't take long."

"Okay." Valerie turned to Alyssa. "I'll tell you what. While you're working on the computer, I'll make dinner for you guys. You probably haven't had a decent meal all week, have you?"

"Nope," Alex said.

Valerie turned to Lydia. "That's what the homeowners' association should do to help. These guys need to eat. Someone should make them meals. Dinners, at least."

Lydia grinned, grating further on Zoey's nerves. "That's a great idea. I'll take tomorrow."

Chad's eyes widened. Zoey wondered if maybe there wasn't something more going on other than just Lydia having the hots for Mr. Mercer. After all, Macy's parents hadn't been getting along for a while.

Zoey's mom and Macy's mom waved and then headed for the park, which they had to go through to get to their street. Zoey talked about everything they had done all day while canvassing, not letting Lydia get a word in edgewise.

Every once in a while, Alex would give her a strange look, but she didn't want to tell him what she was thinking. What if she was wrong? Her mom always said she had an overactive imagination. With everything else going on in Alex's life, she didn't want to give him something else to worry about.

She knew he was tired from walking all day, and neither of them had been sleeping well. Their frequent middle of the night texts proved that. They never really texted about Macy, but that was why they were both awake. Sometimes, it was nice to pretend that wasn't why they were awake.

They made their way around, handing out papers to everyone they came across. The further they went, the more Zoey's legs ached. Not only her legs, but her entire body. Maybe she would actually get some sleep tonight—if the dreams didn't disturb her.

Even though she was tired, she kept her eyes on Chad and Lydia. Zoey really wanted to be wrong about Lydia. This would have been the worst time for someone to go after either of Macy's parents.

When they got back to the park after handing out all of the fliers, Zoey was ready to drop. She could tell that Alex was, too. He looked about ready to pass out.

Lydia and Chad were talking with the people at the main table. Alex looked at Zoey. "Want to go back? It's getting dark."

She looked over at Alex's dad. He was standing a good two feet away from Lydia. "All right. You look like you need to sleep. I'm sure my mom has dinner ready by now."