Page 32 of Investigation of a Quest

“No,” Em said, putting that theory to bed. “It looks the same as always. Nothing’s out of place.”

“So he never leaves, but there’s no forced entry,” Olivia whispered to Bel. “A witch doesn’t need a key, though.”

“Neither does delivery.” Bel held up a generous stack of takeout menus. “Did your nephew order out a lot?”

“You should see his trash.” Em pointed to the garbage in the kitchen, which had takeout cartons peeking out of its lid.

“Did he make delivery drivers leave the food at the door, or would he accept it from them?” Bel asked.

“Both,” Em said. “I ate with him a few times a month to keep him company, and he would answer the door. It was his only social interaction, so I think he enjoyed it, especially when he recognized the drivers. He felt safer with familiar faces. But he also asked people to leave things outside. I left plenty of care packages on his mat. It depended on his mood.”

“So a delivery driver could’ve knocked on the door and grabbed him when he accepted the food,” Dorothy said, following their train of thought. “That would leave no signs of forced entry or a struggle.”

“Oh my god!” Em’s fingers flew to her lips to catch her surprise. “You think he was kidnapped?”

“We don’t know.” Bel placed a comforting hand on the woman’s arm as Dorothy mouthed an apology. “Did Leo have a cell phone?”

“No, just a landline and a desktop computer,” Em answered, and Bel stopped her face from reacting. There would be no tracking him.

“Is there any way he left the apartment on his own and got freaked out or lost?” she asked. “Is he in therapy for the agoraphobia? Could he be working through his fear?”

“He has a therapist he meets with virtually,” Em said. “I can get her information for you, but I don’t know. He never mentioned wanting to go outside to me. It’s possible he woke up one morning and suddenly wanted to leave, but I highly doubt it. I think something bad happened to him.”

“I saw a security camera mounted over the building entrance,” Dorothy said. “We should check the footage.”

“Good idea. Do you have the landlord’s or property manager’s contact info?” Bel asked Em.

“Yes, here.” The woman opened her phone and dialed the landlord, hitting the speaker button when he answered so the officers could handle the conversation.

“Those cameras are just for show,” the man said after Bel explained the reason for their call, and all four women gawked at each other.

“What do you mean the cameras are for show?” Olivia asked.

“Nothing ever happens in this town,” the man said. “When I first installed the security system, it came with cloud storage, but then the provider started charging me. It seemed pointless to pay to keep recordings of leaves blowing and the occasional dog walker, so I didn’t renew the subscription. Just having them visible has kept people in line, and we’ve never needed the footage.”

“So you have nothing?” Leo’s aunt asked.

“I’m sorry,” the man said before hanging up.

“Of course they aren’t operational,” Olivia muttered under her breath.

“How could the cameras not work?” Em asked. “People rent apartments based on the promise that there’s security. How is this allowed, and now we have no idea where Leo is?” Her voice escalated with each sentence, and Dorothy rubbed the woman’s back.

“We’ll talk to the neighbors. Hopefully they saw something,” she said, her words coming out like a question, and Bel nodded in confirmation.

“This is just so unlike Leo.” Em wiped the tears from her eyes. “He doesn’t leave his apartment. You have to find him. He isn’t built for the outside world.”

“We’ll have units canvas the neighborhoods,” Bel said before the upset Dorothy promised an outcome they couldn’t deliver. “And we’ll go knock on some doors.”

“I’ll call Griffin and get cars down here,” Olivia said as the trio exited into the hallway.

“The landlord is right, though,” Dorothy said. “Nothing happens here… ever. I don’t blame him for not having operational cameras. Probably not smart, but most businesses in town don’t bother with them.”

“We don’t know if Leo’s in danger yet,” Bel said, wondering if Bajka’s sins were spreading. Or maybe she was to blame. She’d taken a job that involved the neighboring towns, and because of her, evil had spread. Or maybe she was being ridiculous. Crime didn’t skip small towns just because nothing ever happened there.

“What do you think happened to him?” Dorothy asked as they knocked on their first door.

“I don’t know.” Bel shrugged. “Maybe one of his neighbors is pretty, and he’s holed up in her apartment.”