The End Of Desire: A Rowan Gant Investigation (30 page)

“I’m just worried.”

“Yeah… I can tell…”

“So? If she doesn’t use a credit card or
something?”

“Okay, I’ll play. If she keeps ‘er head down,
doesn’t use one of the credit cards we’re trackin’, nobody saw
anything, and nobody calls with a decent tip, then we’re kinda
fucked until she makes some other move.”

“Like coming after me or Felicity?”

“Or killin’ some other poor bastard, yeah,
that’s pretty much about it.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,
Ben.”

“Hey, you were the one playin’ devil’s
advocate, not me,” he replied as he turned the van onto Laclede and
accelerated with the flow of traffic. “Who knows, maybe she’ll see
the error of her ways and turn herself in.”

“Yeah, right.”

“It’s happened before.”

“I wouldn’t count on it this time.”

“Didn’t say I was countin’ on it,” he
grunted. “Either way, look at the bright side. Ya’ played with your
doll, and now the ghost bitch is leavin’ Felicity alone.”

“Yeah,” I answered with a tired sigh. “There
is that.”

“Look, Row, it’s all gonna be good,” my
friend offered. “We get you two outta sight so you’re safe, and
Major Case’ll do the rest.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Jeez, mark it on the calendar,” he half
chuckled. “The injun gets ta’ be right for a change.”

We rode along in relative silence for a few
moments while I digested everything he had just said. I wasn’t
overly excited about hiding out. I had no reason to believe that
doing so this time would end as badly as it had the last, but it
still didn’t do anything for my anxiety level. I suppose the old
idiom, “once bitten, twice shy,” was a good description of how I
felt about the idea.

Finally, out of idle curiosity, I turned to
Ben and asked, “By the way, I’m sure I can probably guess, but what
did Mike have to say when you two went in the back?”

“Not much.”

“I know better. It had something to do with
me being there, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, well he just wanted ta’ remind me that
you weren’t s’posed ta’ be,” he grunted.

“What did you tell him?”

“That I already knew that.”

“Do you think he’ll say anything?”

“Martin?” He shook his head. “Prob’ly not. I
wish he would, but it really doesn’t matter. Your name is on the
log, so it’ll come ta’ somebody’s attention soon enough.”

“What do you mean, you wish he would?”

He simply shrugged in answer.

“Well, how much trouble are you going to be
in over this?” I asked.

He shrugged again. “Dunno just yet.”

“Could you lose your job?”

“Not very likely. But if I’m lucky I’ll get
at least a two week suspension.”

“At least?”

“It’d be even better if it was a thirty
day.”

“Better? You aren’t making sense.”

“Yeah I am. You just don’t know it.”

“Dammit, Ben, you shouldn’t have taken me
there.”

“I keep tellin’ ya’, White Man, don’t worry
about it.”

“How can I not? All that came from this was
me standing there saying, ‘I don’t know.’”

“Yeah, but whether ya’ realize it or not, now
ya’ actually do know more than ya’ did before, even if ya’ don’t
know exactly what she’s up to… If that makes any kind of sense.
Either way, it’s a start.”

“Not enough for you to risk your career.”

“Yeah, well, those’re the breaks. Besides, I
told ya’ I ain’t gonna lose my job.”

“But you might get suspended, and I’m going
to feel guilty about that.”

“Don’t. A suspension for somethin’ like this
really ain’t that big a deal.”

“You’re being awfully calm about this,” I
remarked, unable to keep the confusion out of my voice.

“Uh-huh.”

“Am I missing something here?”

“Apparently.”

I waited for him to expand on his answer, but
he simply continued driving in silence. After a moment I prompted,
“Well? Would you like to enlighten me?”

“Look, it’s simple, Row,” he explained. “If I
can get suspended, I’ll be freed up ta’ spend my time makin’ sure
you and Firehair are safe instead of dependin’ on someone else ta’
do it while I’m off chasin’ dead end leads.”

“So you’re trying to tell me this is all just
part of your grand plan?”

“Somethin’ like that.”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

“Yeah, probably,” he grunted. “That’s why I’m
hopin’ for at least thirty days. I could really use the
vacation.”

* * * * *

T
he alarm system began to
pulse out its countdown as we came through the front door. I
stepped quickly across the room and stabbed in the disarm code on
the keypad. It didn’t escape my notice that the display was reading
that it had been enabled in the “away” mode, which meant the motion
detectors scattered throughout the house were live. This certainly
wasn’t the way it should be set if someone were home, which was
supposed to be the case.

“Felicity?” I called out then waited for an
answer.

We had been gone for almost two hours, and
the crime scene van had no longer been parked in front of the house
when we arrived. I had glanced around after climbing out of Ben’s
vehicle but hadn’t seen any local police in the vicinity either,
which bothered me quite a bit, given that Ben had arranged for them
to be there keeping watch.

Getting no reply, I called out again as I
headed down the hallway to our bedroom. I was afraid to admit it to
myself, but I knew she wouldn’t answer the second time either. The
house simply felt empty except for the cats and dogs. I reached the
end of the hall and poked my head in through the door. My wife’s
overnight bag was sitting on the end of the bed, but judging from
its misshapen profile it was obvious that she had yet to put much,
if anything, into it.

“Yo, Firehair!” Ben bellowed as I started
back toward the living room.

I could feel my heart rate beginning to rise.
I opened the door to the basement and called down the stairs,
“Honey, are you down there?”

Again, there was no response.

I shut the door then stepped into the living
room where Ben was still standing. “She’s not here,” I said, my
voice a twisted mix of anxiety and confusion.

“Don’t panic, Row,” Ben said. “She set the
alarm, so maybe she had to run out for somethin’.”

“Maybe so,” I replied, trying to believe what
he was telling me, but my heart rate continued to ramp upward as I
felt the thumping in my chest. “But, she hasn’t even really started
to pack, and we were gone for quite awhile. It doesn’t make
sense.”

I’m sure he could sense my growing agitation,
and his words reflected as much. “I’m serious, Row. Don’t
panic.”

“Aren’t there supposed to be police watching
the house?” I asked.

“Maybe she’s with ‘em,” Ben suggested as he
stepped around me and started toward the kitchen. “Give ‘er a try
on ‘er cell phone, and I’ll check ta’ see if ‘er Jeep is here.”

I nodded reply then advanced across the
living room and snatched up the phone from the bookshelf. With a
quick stab at the keypad, I quickly dialed her number. While I
waited for the connection to be made, I heard the sound of the back
door open as Ben headed out to the garage. After a soft click, the
handset began to trill with the audible tone of the ringer. A
heartbeat later, as the second ring issued into my ear, a
syncopated tune began to play from the vicinity of the dining room.
I stepped forward and to my left then looked through the archway.
There, on the buffet, was my wife’s cell phone.

Ben was just coming back around the corner as
I was hanging up.

“Jeep’s gone,” he said.

“And, she left her cell phone here,” I told
him, though I was certain he’d heard it.

My heart now advanced beyond a fast jog and
directly into a sprint as panic wrapped its icy grip around my gut.
Apparently it was obvious in my face as well because Ben looked at
me and held up his hands.

“Stay calm, Row. Like I said, she probably
just went to the store or something.”

“Dammit, Ben, someone was supposed to stay
with her!” I spat.

“I’m sure they are, hold on a sec.”

He pulled out his cell phone and flipped it
open then thumbed in a number. Placing it up to his ear, he waited
a moment then began to speak.

“Yeah, this is Detective Storm with the Major
Case Squad. Can you do me a favor and radio the unit you had
watching the Gant household and check somethin’ for me?”

He waited a moment, turning to face me and
nodding reassurance. “It’s fine, Row,” he said. “She probably just
needed some girl stuff or somethin’.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Something
doesn’t feel right about this.”

“Twilight
Zone
?”

“It just doesn’t feel right,” I repeated.

“Yeah, I’m here,” he said, turning his
attention back to the phone. “What do you mean you hadn’t
dispatched a unit yet? I called it in over two hours ago!”

He listened for a few seconds then spat,
“Yeah. Thanks.”

“They didn’t send anyone to watch the house?”
I asked, distress rising in my voice.

I knew he wasn’t ignoring me, but he didn’t
respond because his cell phone was pressed up against his ear once
again, and he was already talking to someone else.

“Yeah, this is Storm,” he barked. “I need ta’
get a BOLO out on Felicity O’Brien right now…”

“Y
eah, ya’ got that? Yeah,
Victor, X-Ray, November… That’s right, black Jeep,” Ben said into
his phone.

My friend had made a circuit through the
house while calling in the “Be On The Lookout” but hadn’t come up
with anything he felt necessary to share. He was now standing back
in the living room with his cell still firmly planted against his
ear.

“Yeah… She’s about five-two, around a hundred
and five pounds,” he continued. “Long red hair. Really long, like
waist length. Yeah. Green eyes. Uh-hmmm… No… Right now we aren’t
sure. We have reason to believe she’s being stalked by a woman
fitting the same physical description. Yeah, no kiddin’. No,
there’s no evidence of it being an actual abduction, but we might
wanna treat it as a possible. She was last seen at the house in
Briarwood, and that was about an hour ago. Maybe an hour and a
half… Yeah, by a coupl’a crime scene techs who were goin’ over the
yard… Yeah, had ta’ do with the possible stalker… Yeah. Thanks.
Call me at this number if ya’ get anything.”

My friend folded the device and shoved it
into his pocket then simply stared across the room at me. I was
sitting on the edge of the sofa, making a concerted effort at
remaining calm. So far I had been keeping myself on an even keel,
but I wasn’t sure how much longer that would last.

“What did they say?” I asked after a long
pause.

“In about two minutes, every cop on duty in
the metro area is gonna be keepin’ an eye out for ‘er and the Jeep.
It’s all good. They’re gonna find ‘er and she’s gonna be just
fine.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Look, Row,” he said. “I know you’re worried,
but it’s gonna be fine. I’m tellin’ ya’ we’re pro’bly overreacting
as it is.”

“I’m all about overreacting when it comes to
my wife’s safety.”

“Believe me, I know that. Hell, ta’ be honest
I’m impressed your head hasn’t spun all the way around yet.”

“Give me a minute,” I replied. “It could
still happen.”

“Did ya’ check her schedule? Maybe she had an
appointment or somethin’.”

I shook my head. “There was nothing on the
calendar. But, I will admit that she sometimes forgets to write
them down where I can find them.”

“Well, ‘er purse is gone. Could ya’ tell if
she took any equipment?”

“No,” I replied. “I looked, but I couldn’t
begin to tell you what all she has down there, so she could walk
out with a case full of stuff and I’d never be able to tell.
Besides, she usually keeps a case in the Jeep as it is.”

“Don’t worry. It’s gonna be fine,” he offered
again.

I simply nodded then got up from my seat and
walked over to the open door. I wiped my hand across the opaque
condensation that had formed on the glass of the storm door and
silently watched the world continuing on about its business
outside.

“You’re thinkin’ about it, aren’t ya’?” Ben
asked after a long silence.

I knew all too well the “it” to which he was
referring. It was something that haunted me every December,
especially on the anniversary, which was only a bit over a week
away on Christmas Eve. “It” was the night I had returned home from
working an investigation with Ben only to find Felicity missing
because she had been abducted by a serial rapist. Given the
situation, it was hard not to draw a few disturbing parallels.

“Yeah,” I mumbled. “Yeah, I am.”

“This ain’t the same, Row,” he told me.

“Of course it isn’t,” I replied. “He wanted
to rape her. Annalise wants to kill her.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,”
he huffed. “There’s no real reason to believe Annalise has anything
to do with this. For one, Felicity’s vehicle is gone. For two, like
I said, so is her purse. For three, there’s no sign of a struggle.
And finally, the dogs weren’t locked up. Firehair had to have left
here willingly, you know that.”

In reality, I knew he was correct. There was
absolutely nothing to indicate that Felicity hadn’t simply climbed
in her Jeep and left of her own accord. But, even if that was fact,
something still didn’t feel right about it.

“Shouldn’t we be out looking for her?” I
asked, surprising myself at how even my voice was remaining.

“We can if ya’ want,” he replied. “You got an
idea where ta’ start?”

I shook my head. “No. Not really.”