Page 100 of Trust No One

A badge could make people tense up, close down. I kept my body loose. “Can you tell me where she is?”

“I’m not sure. She hasn’t been in the office for a week. Usually, real estate agents let us know when they go on vacation, but she hasn’t.”

“You’re saying she’s missing?”

“No, not really. She has a new boyfriend,” she rushed to say. “She’s been talking about taking a vacation with him.”

“She’s not answering her phone. And I went by her apartment. No answer.”

“Sounds like vacation to me,” she said.

“What’s her boyfriend’s name?” I asked.

She frowned. “I’m not sure.”

I leaned in, dropped my voice a notch. “Gabe Durant?”

She glanced around and lowered her voice. “Yes. But don’t say it out loud. He’s married, and she told me last week he’s ready to file divorce papers.”

“She told you that?”

“Yes.”

“Maria Durant, Gabe’s wife, died last night.”

Her face strained with shock and fear. “Dead? No way. She was young.”

I waited.

She hesitated, then confessed, “I pinged Amy’s phone.”

“You did?”

“A bunch of us have Find a Friend. Safety precaution. Just in case a serial killer wants to see a listing.”

“Smart. Do you know where she is?”

She pulled her phone, swiped, and turned it toward me. “That’s the thing, she hasn’t gone very far.”

“Where is she?”

She swiped her phone and turned the screen toward me again. I glanced at the blinking dot.

I zoomed in—no roads or structures around it. I widened the screen until the interstate, familiar secondary roads, and a lake appeared.

She studied the landmarks. “This can’t be correct. I mean, that’s part of the Hale land, right?”

“You sound certain.”

“Every real estate agent in the state knows it. It’ll be the biggest get for whomever gets the listing.”

“Right.” I held up her phone. “Is there another cell you can use? I’d like to hold on to this until I find Amy.”

She frowned as if I’d asked for a limb. “That’s my phone.”

“I know. But I need to find Amy, and this is my best shot right now. I’ll have it back as fast as I can.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll use the agency cell.”