Page 118 of Over the Edge

Seven thirty on the dot. The time they’d agreed on earlier in the day, after she’d told him she had an errand to do tonight on her way home.

Strange.

If she was running late, she would have let him know. She wasn’t the type to leave someone waiting.

He pressed the bell again.

Thirty seconds passed.

No response.

A niggle of unease rippled through him.

If she was home, something was wrong.

Leaving the quasi-shelter of the porch, he turned up his collar and circled around to the back of the condo. It took some maneuvering to get a line of sight through the window to her security keypad in the laundry room, but once he did, the red light was visible.

Her system was armed.

She wasn’t home.

His unease ratcheted up.

He pulled out his cell. Tapped in her number. Waited as it rang ... rang ... rang ... rolled to voicemail.

Slowly he slid the phone back in his pocket.

Now what?

Chin tucked into the collar of his coat as he pushed into the cold wind, he returned to the front of the unit. Hesitated. Continued to his car.

There was a remote possibility she’d been delayed and wasn’t in a position to answer her phone or send him a text.

But that didn’t feel right.

In fact, it felt all wrong.

Doing his best to quash a rising wave of panic, he slid behind the wheel and tried to think through next steps.

He could try to locate her phone, but that would take both a court order and precious time. It might also be overkill.

If she didn’t show up within fifteen minutes, however, he was getting the legalities in the works.

Jack started the engine, cranked up the heat, and pulled out his cell. Maybe her friend Madeleine had heard from her.

A quick search of the internet for the Horizons organization that sponsored the cooking class Lindsey taught yielded the director’s last name. Further digging produced her address. After that, it was a simple matter to get her number through the national cell directory.

She answered three rings in, sounding harried.

After he introduced himself, he explained the reason for his call.

“No, I haven’t heard from Lindsey since the car incident on Wednesday night. Hold one sec. It’s a bit noisy where I am.” The background din faded while he waited for Madeleine to speak again. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I don’t know. I was supposed to meet her at her condo at seven thirty, and she hasn’t shown.”

“That’s not like her.” A thread of worry wove through her voice.

“I agree. I’ll wait another few minutes, then move on to next steps. You’re certain she didn’t mention anything to you about an errand this afternoon?”

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