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Jared
Nia doesn’t show up for the zoo in the morning. At first, I wonder if she got cold feet, but I know she’d never leave Cooper hanging like this. She’s not the kind of person to crush a young kid’s excitement. I pack my son into the car and head over to her place, but there’s no answer there either.
Truthfully, I’m starting to get a little worried. I don’t know what possesses me to do it, but I drive over to the store and as soon as I pull into the back lot, I see her car parked up.
What the fuck?
I leave Coop in his car seat, lock the doors and jog over to her vehicle. Peering through the window, I see nothing out of the ordinary other than the fact the car is here and she’s not.
I move over to the back door of the building and try the handle, half expecting it to be unlocked. It doesn’t open. I try knocking. Nothing.
Stepping over to the window, I glance through and see nothing moving inside. If she’s here, she’s doing a good job of hiding.
Did she get cold feet?
My heart skips a little as I pull my phone out and dial her again. I haven’t felt fear like this since Robyn died. It’s only my Army training that keeps me level-headed enough to think clearly about my next steps. As I put the handset to my ear, I become aware of a noise that sounds like a ringtone. I pull the handset away and can hear it muffled now.
Following the sound, I move over to the dumpster and when I lift the lid, I see a purse sitting on top of the rubbish. It’s Nia’s purse, and it’s ringing.
My heart rate picks up speed. Why is her purse in the trash?
Worst-case scenarios careen in my brain. Something has happened to her. It must have. It’s the only thing that makes sense.
I rush back to the car and climb in. I give my son a glance in the rear-view mirror, and then I dial Slider.
He picks up on the second ring, but I don’t give him a chance to say anything.
“Nia’s missing.”
“What do you mean she’s missing?”
“She wasn’t home, so I came to the store. Her purse is in the trash, her car is parked up, but there’s no sign of her.”
Slider pauses then mutters a “Fuck”.
Yeah, that about covers it.
“Have you called the police?”
“That’s my next call after you, but I don’t trust them to find her.”
I don’t trust anyone to find her but me.
“Okay, I’m on my way over. I’ll bring Beanie too.”Slider sighs. “We’ll find her, J-Dog. I promise you.”
I hope that’s a promise he can keep because the thought of being without Nia makes my gut twist.
I hang up and dial the police. They, as I suspect, try to tell me I need to call back after forty-eight hours to report her missing. When I tell them about the two break-ins, they seem to take things a little more seriously.
When I hang up with them, I glance at my son again. “Sorry, buddy. I think the zoo will have to wait.”
I call my mom next and ask her to meet me to take Coop. I don’t tell her why. I don’t want her to worry, although her tone on the phone suggests it’s too late for that.
While I’m waiting for everyone to arrive, I scroll through Nia’s phone, glad she doesn’t have a passcode on it. When I get to the last calls, I see she spoke to someone called ‘Harry Fenwick’ at about six-thirty.
I dial his number. He could be involved or be one of the last people to talk to her.
“Nia, did you get the insurance sorted?” he asks as soon as he picks up.
