Page 70 of Mine

Sincerely,

Natalie

My throat constricts when my eyes scan the email before landing on the email address. It’s from the same address that was emailing Lena. How was that possible? Was Natalie the person sending Lena those emails, and not Julian? But how did Natalie know all those pieces of Lena’s story?

Panicked, I look up at Max. His eyebrows are dipped in concern. He can clearly see something isn’t sitting well with me. The blood drains from my face. “When did she send this to you?”

“This morning.. Why?”

“Is this the email address you have on file for Natalie?”

“Hang on.” Max spins in his chair, turning to his computer. Pulling up her employee file, he scans it for her address.

“Huh,” he says. “That’s not the same email I have on file.” He spins back around, his eyebrows dipped in confusion.

I hand him back his phone, my hand shaking. “I don’t think Natalie wrote that email, Max. The day you told Natalie to meet me at the market, she told me there was nothing for her back in California. She doesn’t have any family there.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Also, it’s a long story but Lena’s been getting emails from the same address.”

“Lena?” He sits back in his chair.

I pull out my phone. A text from Lena pops up on my screen, telling me she’s at Abby’s. “I have to go.”

“Where are you going?” Max stands. His expression turns to worry when he sees me walking out of the office. I can tell he isn’t angry at me for ditching him in the middle of the lunch rush. He follows me until I’ve reached the back door leading to the side of the building.

“I have to find Lena. She’s supposed to be meeting Abby at her accounting office. She’s having a grand opening soon but wanted Lena to be the first to see it.”

“Wait, you mean the office space she bought a few months back?”

“Yeah.” I glance over my shoulder. He’s still following me. “Why?”

“I drove by there the other day and the place looks the same as it did the day Abby claimed she bought the place. There’s no way it’s ready for an opening, much less showing Lena anything.”

I stop and turn around. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” He blinks, the worry in his eyes matching mine. “I don’t think Abby ever had any intention of turning it into an accounting business.”

“Fuck.” A bad feeling seeps into my veins, shooting through me. None of this made any sense. The only part of it that did is me finding Lena. I had to find her. That much I knew.

I push against the back door with as much force as I can muster, leaving Max in the kitchen. The hot sticky air beats against my face as I dial Lena’s phone number.

It rings three times before connecting to her voicemail. I hang up and dial her number again. I hadn’t realized it, but my feet have already started carrying me in the direction of Abby’s office.

When she doesn’t answer on the third try, I start running the three blocks to Abby’s office. My black shoes land against the pavement, heavy and weighted. Abby’s office isn’t far, but it might as well have been in another city. Three blocks is all that stood between the vibrant part of Seattle and the more desolate side.

Rain starts to pour, the clouds growing from a light shade of gray, darkening as the rain pours harder. My chef jacket is soaked, water seeping into the fabric and onto my skin. When I turn the corner onto the street where Abby’s office is, I immediately spot Lena’s car parked alongside the curb.

A piece of me relaxes but the sensation only lasts for a split second. I stop in front of Lena’s car and look inside. The car is empty. Her purse, keys, and phone are gone. I turn my head and spot Abby’s office three doors down. It looks just the same as when I had driven by it before. I clench my jaw, my stomach turning once again. It rises in my throat.

I try dialing Lena again with no luck.

In the year we’ve been married, Lena has never missed one of my calls. Especially now, after the threat of Julian’s return, I know she would never miss a single one.

I stop in front of the building and catch my breath. The door and windows are covered in a thick film of dirt. It’s impossible to see inside. Hoping it’s unlocked, I pull on the front door. Oddly, it doesn’t budge.

I try Abby’s phone, hoping that there’s an explanation as to why Lena didn’t answer. Maybe her battery died. I considered the possibility, hoping it could be a reason as simple as that one. But the more logical part of me knew that if her phone were dead, it wouldn’t ring at all. It would send me directly to voicemail.

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