Page 246 of Secrets Hidden In The Glass

“Bye, Sheriff.”

“Bye.” He hung up the office line and grabbed his cell phone, searching his contacts for Danielle Deluca’s contact information, pressing her number.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Danielle, this is Sheriff Nate Carter.”

“Did you find her? You found Sam?”

“No, not yet.”

“Oh.”

The disappointment in her voice was unmistakable. “I’m calling because I have a quick question for you. I just spoke to Samantha’s old boss, Neil Durst, the owner of On The Rocks. He said that Samantha’s boyfriend came in occasionally—that he might have been married. How does that sit with you?”

The line stayed silent.

“Danielle?”

She cleared her throat. “I guess it doesn’t shock me entirely. I always figured there had to be a reason why she didn’t talk about him.”

“So the idea has crossed your mind before?”

“Yes, I guess it has, but Sam wasn’t a slut or some homewrecker. I think she was very much in love.”

It frustrated him that Danielle’s need to keep her friend’s image in a positive light got in the way of the facts. “It’s not my job to judge Samantha one way or the other. Information like this is important—things that help me out a lot. Until I have all of the pieces, it’s going to be difficult to find out what happened to her.”

Danielle didn’t respond.

“Neil mentioned that he found Samantha sobbing in the bathroom about a month before she disappeared. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that?”

“No, but I wish I did. Sam wasn’t one to show her emotions. She was warm and gentle with Callie and my kids, but otherwise she was pretty closed off—kept a lot to herself.”

He slid his fingers through his hair. “Thanks for your time.”

“You’re welcome. Please let me know if you find her.”

“I will.” He hung up and jotted down a few notes, playing over the new information he’d just learned. His conversation with Neil had been huge. Finally something new to work with. Samantha’s lover was most likely married, which meant a few names could be added or tentatively crossed off his list of potential suspects. He glanced outside, watching the Farell boys running toward the park while Felicia Farell pushed their new little sister in a stroller. Gaining his feet, he took the Little Girl Lost box to the filing cabinet in the interview room and locked it away, then went back for his jacket, heading down the hall toward the front door. He’d made some headway with the case, now it was time to drive out to the Lancasters’ place and peg down Jack’s whereabouts over the last several days. The details of the past were still sketchy—and they would have his full attention later—but he had plenty of trouble he could focus on right here and now.

~~~~

Callie leaned on the railing overlooking Mary’s Bluff, staring out at the water as the sun started its descent in the sky. After a long day of deflecting questions about her frightening night and spoiling Winston with the works at Carter Island Doggy Spa and an ensuing shopping spree, she’d planned to head home for jogging pants and running shoes, but she’d driven past the turn for Nate’s place, craving her favorite spot on the island. “It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” She looked down at Winston sitting by her side. “I like running here—my turnaround point.” She crouched down, sliding a gentle hand over his soft fur. “Maybe we can be jogging partners after we get some good, quality food into your system for a couple of weeks. We’ll start slow.”

Winston looked at her with eyes a little less sad than they had been this morning.

“You’re still trying to decide if you can trust me—wondering if you really get to stay—but I promise you do.” She kissed his forehead. “We’re not going to give you back.” She hooked her arm around her pup’s shoulders and stared out at the pinks and purples beginning to color the horizon. “This is your home now. Our home. It’s a pretty great place. We have Nate and Molly and Gwen. And Nate said Kay wants you to keep her company at the station when I have to work. She’ll spoil you rotten.” She leaned her head against Winston’s. “We’re both pretty lucky.”

Someone drove by, tooting their horn in a gray sedan, jarring Callie out of the quiet moment. She stood, raising her hand, recognizing the Hannigans heading toward town. Then she glanced at her watch and looked to the sky again. “We should probably go. I want to be home before it gets dark.” She gave Winston’s leash a small tug and they started toward the truck. “Hop up.”

Winston jumped into the passenger seat.

Callie grinned. “Aren’t you smart?” She gave him another gentle rub. “We’ll get you some dinner and we can set up your new bed. We’ll probably have to get you another one for upstairs, but let’s see how you like this one for a couple of days first.” She shut the door and made her way to the driver’s side, grabbing her phone from her back pocket to send Nate a text—like she’d done every time she and Winston headed somewhere new throughout the day.

We’re on our way home.

Shoving the phone back in her pocket, she got in, giving the key a twist in the ignition. She frowned when she heard a click under the hood and the engine refused to turn over. She tried the key again but nothing happened. “Great.” Pulling her phone back out, she watched the circle still spinning next to her original message and realized that she had no signal here on the more desolate side of the island. Seconds later, she read Message Failed. Her heart kicked up to a wild beat as she glanced toward the sinking sun and remembered the sound of the living room window shattering in the dark. “Okay, so this isn’t exactly an ideal situation, but we’re going to be fine.” With an unsteady hand, she slapped on her hazards and sent off another text to Nate.

We’re still by the bluffs and the truck won’t start.