Page 43 of Played by Him

She might not have been a private investigator, but she had a logical way of approaching things. She thought things through, looked at issues from different angles. That’s how we both needed to be looking at this problem. Not out of emotion, but from logic.

“If we were looking for a missing kid who we thought ran away, where would we go after we eliminated friends and family?” I asked.

“It would depend on whether or not she wanted to feel safe, or if she wanted to rebel.”

“Let’s go for safe first,” I suggested. “She’d go somewhere familiar, but if that wasn’t available, she’d go with somewhere she knew but off the beaten path.”

“I’m guessing her parents will have already checked the school, places of worship, that sort of thing.”

“Her parents,” I said suddenly.

“What?” She looked at me.

“When I was a kid, before things with my dad went…the way they went, I used to visit him at work. I loved going to the mill, seeing the crew and how they worked together. I loved the smell of the fresh cut lumber.”

I swallowed around the lump in my throat. To this day, that scent brought back childhood memories, something I appreciated in private moments. Right now wasn’t the time though.

“You think she went to where her parents worked?” Jenna asked. “Didn’t you say that her father’s a teacher?”

I nodded. “They would’ve already checked the school.”

“What about her mother?”

I tapped the steering wheel, mentally scanning both parents’ profile. “She’s a real estate agent.”

“Which means she might know where empty houses are,” Jenna said.

“We need to talk to Roberta.”

Fifteen minutes later, Jenna and I walked into Mrs. Johnson’s office. As soon as I called and told Roberta my theory, she asked me to meet her at her office.

“That’s her, isn’t it?” Elliot glared at us as he spoke to me. “Why the hell would you bring her here?”

“Elliot,” Roberta snapped, “I don’t care who she is. We need to find our daughter, and she’s helping.”

“How do we know she isn’t the reason Stacey’s missing?” Elliot asked, deep lines furrowing his forehead.

Jenna stepped forward. “I was disappointed by your decision, but I understand it. I won’t go against what you want. I’ll help you look for her, but I won’t tell her who I am. Not unless you change your mind.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” Elliot muttered.

Jenna ignored him and directed her question to Roberta. “Do you keep a list of the houses you’re selling, the ones that are vacant?”

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