I ran through my list of suspects. “The next person that comes to mind is Eleanor,” I said.
“Her mother?” His tone was one of disbelief.
“Yeah, just listen,” I said quickly. “I’ve got two scenarios.” I paused. “Maybe three.”
“Uh, okay.”
I rolled onto my side. “One. Maybe she knows Madison had a decent chance at getting into drama school. Maybe she knows she’s on the bubble – you know, on the line for being accepted or rejected.”
“And how would she know all this? Does she have a crystal ball?”
“Shut up,” I said. “She would know because she knows people at the school. Connections and stuff. And maybe Eleanor thinks that another starring role might push her kid onto the right side of the admission line – maybe someone at the school even told her that. So she realizes she’s made a mistake casting Amanda and decides she has to get her daughter into the starring role.”
Jake’s face scrunched up, like he’d bit into something sour. “I guess that’s possible, but it doesn’t feel realistic to me.”
“Fine,” I said. “Scenario number two. I’ve heard repeatedly now that the theater company is in real financial trouble. Checks are bouncing. Things aren’t good. What better way to drum up publicity than to have your lead actress disappear before the performance? I mean, come on. Everyone in Moose River knows about it. More attention means more curiosity which means more tickets sold. Which might mean money problems solved.”
His face looked less sour as he considered that. “Maybe. Still feels like a reach, but I’d buy that more than I’d buy the whole getting her daughter into drama school possibility.”
“Fine,” I said. “Let me offer you scenario number three.”
He grinned. “You’re so sexy when you get rolling like this.”
“I know,” I said, smiling back at him. “Scenario number three. Madison and Eleanor are in on it together. They both had something to gain and they went ahead and kidnapped Amanda. That would eliminate your concern about how they’d hide her. If they were both in on it, it would be way more doable.”
Jake considered this. “Sometimes, you really scare me,” he said. “The way you convince yourself that all this crazy stuff makes sense.”
I thumped him in the middle of his chest. “Come on! That’s absolutely a reasonable hypothesis.”
“Yeah, but you’re forgetting the most reasonable hypothesis of all.”
“Which is what?”
“Which is that nothing sinister happened to Amanda,” he said, waving a hand in the air. “Nothing that would show up on CSI: Moose River. Nothing evil.”
“We barely have a police department, much less a crime scene unit,” I pointed out. “Fine, smarty-pants. So where is she, then?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But you told me she has a history with this. And she just broke up with her boyfriend. A boyfriend who is now sniffing around our daughter.” His expression darkened at the mention of Andy. “And she’s starring in a play. She had a lot going on. Isn’t it possible that she just took off and is holed up somewhere, wanting a little peace and quiet?”
“Of course it’s possible,” I said. “But why would she just take off?”
“Uh, because she’s a teenager and teenagers rarely use their brains to think. Because teenagers are emotional and irrational. We have two of them. I’m kind of an expert.”
I rolled away from him and exhaled. I hated it when he was right. But he was. His scenario was far simpler and far more likely than anything I’d come up with. Maybe he needed to get his investigator’s license. He could moonlight as a PI.
“Look, I’m not telling you you’re wrong,” he said, rolling into me and wrapping me up in his arms. “I’m just saying that sometimes the simplest answer is the right answer. It isn’t always like it is on television or the movies.”
“I don’t know. Look at everything that’s happened in the past two years.”
I could tell by the look on his face that I had him there. Not many people could say they’d found a dead body in their coal chute, another body in the woods, and a cache of stolen computers.
“Okay, but that’s spread out over a couple of years,” Jake said. “Look at all the days and weeks that have gone by where nothing has happened. Moose River’s weekly crime report usually consists of jaywalking, people running the stop sign by our house, and loitering outside the Laundromat.”
He was right. “I know.” I sighed. “And thank you.”
“For pointing out you’re wrong? That’s a first.”
“No.” I snuggled into him and pressed my cheek against his chest. His skin was warm and soft and I breathed in the scent of him. “For indulging me. For knowing I needed to get it all out of my head. For not making fun of me.”
“You’re welcome,” he whispered into my ear.
“I think you think you’re gonna get lucky now,” I said, trying to fight off the smile that was forcing its way onto my lips. “Because you were all Mr. Sensitive and Mr. Good Listener. At least for most of the conversation.”
“I think I’m offended,” he said. “Um, but am I?”
I chuckled and got my arms around him, pressing a kiss on his jawline. “Turn off the light and I’ll think about it.”
TWENTY FOUR
I woke up with a plan.
Actually, I formed the plan in the middle of the night because my brain was in overdrive and I had a hard time sleeping. Talking about all of the possibilities with Jake had gotten the wheels turning and I couldn’t make them stop. I ended up getting out of bed before either he or Sophie were awake and drained an entire pot of coffee before they even stirred.
I knew they were planning on going for a run in the morning. Sophie had started to express an interest in running and Jake had begrudgingly acted like he was interested, too, just to feed her interest. I glanced out the living room window. The frost-kissed grass glittered in the morning sun and squirrels scrambled up and down trees, eager to find seeds and nuts to hide away before the inevitable: snow. I smiled. I wasn’t sure how long Jake would be interested in running, especially with the temperature taking a nosedive, but I knew there was no way I was going to go running in sub-freezing temperatures unless someone was chasing me. I was happy to let them have a little daddy-daughter time.
By the time I was showered and dressed, Jake was just climbing out of bed, his hair firing in multiple directions, his eyes still swollen with sleep.
He rubbed at his eyes and squinted at me. “What are you doing?”
“I have a plan,” I said, pulling a sweater on over my T-shirt.
“A plan?”
He probably thought I meant I had a plan for breakfast. “Yes. But not like in TV or the movies, I promise. This one is actually sensible.”
“I thought you were gonna tell me you were making pancakes. And eggs. And bacon.”
I folded my arms across my chest and stared at him, tapping my foot.
He sighed. “Should I even ask?”
“You can.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and yawned. “Will it involve me having to bail you out of jail at any point today?”
“It will not,” I told him. “I promise.”
He stared at me. “You sound all reasonable and sensible. Who are you and what have you done with my wife?”
“Stop,” I said. “I’m going to go talk to someone who can help with all of this.”
“All of what? Breakfast?” His expression turned hopeful. “You’re bringing in a chef?”
“You love my cooking and you know it.” I leaned down and kissed his cheek. “I’m talking about Amanda. Madison. All of that. And this person can probably help me with some questions about the licensing thingie.” I smiled at him. “See? It’s totally me.”
“I’m still suspicious,” he said. “And hungry.”
“Don’t be,” I told him. “There are bagels on the counter. And cereal. I’ll be back soon.” I headed for the door, then stopped and spun back around. “Enjoy your run with Sophie and try not to get hypothermia and die from the cold.”