Chapter 8: A Call From The County Road
My phone vibrated against the wood desk.
It wasn't loud. Just a low buzz that rattled the spherical paperweight a half inch. Lily was still against my chest, her cheek pressed to my shoulder, her breaths shallow and fast. Through the diamond-pattern glass of the arched doors, I could see Vic hadn't moved from the SUV. He'd popped the rear door open and was leaning inside, one hand on the roof, like he was looking for something. Listening.
The screen said County Sheriff Dispatch. I had called them twenty minutes earlier and left a message with the night operator. Now they were calling back.
I shifted Lily higher on my hip and stepped back from the doors. I didn't close them. Closing them would have been a signal. Instead I turned my back to the glass and walked the three steps to the desk, keeping my voice low and even.
"Julian Mercer," I said, answering. "You caught me between meetings."
The dispatcher was a woman with a flat, tired voice. "Mr. Mercer, returning your call about a welfare concern. You reported a missing adult female?"
I kept my eyes on the doors. Vic was still by the SUV, but his head was tilted. He could hear the tone of my voice if not the words. I pressed the phone closer to my ear and turned slightly toward the bookshelves, so my body blocked sound.
"That's right," I said. "My associate may have missed his check-in. I'm trying to confirm his whereabouts. The family is concerned."
Lily lifted her head. I put my hand flat on her back, rubbed once in a slow circle. She settled again.
The dispatcher didn't miss a beat. "Name on the missing party is Elena Ruiz, correct? We have a report filed last night by her sister, Maria Ruiz. Says Elena didn't pick up her daughter from daycare and didn't come home. Last confirmed contact was at the Gas N Go on County Road 19, around six pm two nights ago."
My throat tightened. County Road 19 was four miles from the mansion. Vic got gas there every Tuesday and Thursday. Elena would have known that. She must have gone to find him after she threatened to report him.
"I see," I said, keeping it level. "And the associate who was with her?"
"According to the sister, a man named Vic Keller gave Elena a ride from the station. Said his boss sent him. We haven't been able to reach Mr. Keller for a follow-up."
Through the glass, Vic shut the SUV door. He wiped his hands on his pant legs and started toward the doors again, slow, casual. I had maybe thirty seconds before he was in earshot.
I lowered my voice further, almost a murmur. "That associate is currently on site. I'm at my residence at the end of County Road 19, the wood-paneled place with the arched doors. I need a welfare check done discreetly. No marked car, no sirens. Can you send someone plain?"
There was a pause, keyboard clicking. "We can do an unmarked welfare check, Mr. Mercer. Deputy Ellis is on county road patrol, ten minutes out. He can come by for a property line question, keep it quiet. You want us to check the Gas N Go cameras as well?"
"Please," I said. "And the location the associate may have mentioned. A motel, maybe. Elena didn't have her car."
"We'll pull the station footage from that night and send a unit to the motels on 19. You stay inside with the child. Don't confront."
"I understand," I said. "I'll be in the study. Side door by the driveway. He thinks I'm on a business call about a foundation delivery."
Vic's knuckles rapped lightly against the glass. Not the demanding knock from before. A polite tap. He cupped a hand around his eyes to look in, and I waved once without smiling, held up one finger - one minute - and turned back to the desk like I was annoyed at the interruption.
The dispatcher caught it. "He's at your door now?"
"My associate is waiting outside," I said. "I'll let him wait. Send Deputy Ellis unmarked, like we discussed for the delivery estimate. No lights."
"Copy. Unmarked, no lights. Ten minutes, maybe fifteen depending on the back road. Keep the line open if you can."
"Appreciate it," I said, and ended the call.
I slipped the phone face-down onto the open book on the desk, as if I'd been checking a schedule. My left hand, the one with the large design on the back and the lettering on my fingers, was trembling slightly. The gold watch caught the lamp light. I curled my fingers to hide it.
Lily whispered against my neck, "Is that man coming?"
I turned so she couldn't see Vic through the doors. "Not yet, baby. That was just work. Someone's coming to check the road for us, okay? Like when your mom's sister called to make sure she was safe."
She nodded, her blonde ponytail brushing my collar. Her white tights had picked up dust from the rug.
May you like
Outside, Vic tried the handle of the arched doors. Locked. He stepped back, shoved his hands in his pockets, and stared at the black SUV like he was waiting for instructions. He thought I was on a business call. He thought he had time to clean up whatever he'd left in that back seat.
I held Lily tighter and kept my eyes on the driveway, counting the seconds until an unmarked car would turn off the county road without making a sound.
