Page 24 of In Her Mind

Jenna cleared her throat, the words she was about to say feeling like boulders in her mouth. “Liam, there’s something we need to tell you. Nobody knows where Amber is right now. Have you heard from her today?”

“No,” he looked startled, then snatched up his phone as if to call her.

Jake intervened. “I’m afraid that Amber’s phone is in police custody,” he explained. “We found it with her abandoned SUV on an old rural road near her home.”

Liam’s face, previously marked with a good-natured ease despite his bruise, shifted into a mask of confusion and then alarm. His chair scraped against the floor as he leaned forward. “What do you mean? What happened?”

“We’re working to piece that together,” Jenna responded, her tone measured to soften the blow. “Right now, every bit of information helps. It might help us figure this out if you can tell us more about Amber and about the relationship you two have.”

“Of course,” Liam said, his voice steadying with purpose. “We met at the start of our freshman year. We were both volunteering at an animal shelter event on campus. You know, signing petitions, raising awareness—that kind of thing. From that moment, we just clicked over our love for animals...and well, our hopes to make a difference in the world.”

He paused, lost for a moment in the memory before collecting himself. “I’m studying biology; she’s in animal science. Our conversations never run dry—we can talk for hours about animal behavior, conservation efforts, even our favorite documentaries. It sounds geeky, I guess.”

“Nothing wrong with being passionate about what you care about,” Jenna interjected, offering an encouraging smile.

“Exactly,” Liam agreed. “And this summer, we’ve got a lot on our plates, even though we’re apart. I’ve got classes—trying to graduate early—and Amber, she wanted to volunteer full-time at Paws and Harmony Rescue. She has this incredible heart for rescue animals.” His eyes grew distant, as if he could see her there among the kennels and cages, her dedication as tangible as the walls around them.

“Those moments with the animals, they mean everything to her,” he continued. “She sends me photos every day—of dogs, cats, even a raccoon once that got caught there by mistake. We share this dream of someday opening our own shelter or joining a major effort to protect endangered species. I guess we’re idealists at heart.”

Liam leaned back in his chair, the ghost of a smile touching his lips despite the somber topic at hand. “I come from Kansas City. It’s all hustle and noise, but Amber, she’s the essence of small town—Trentville born and raised.” He glanced around the cramped dorm room, its walls plastered with posters of far-off landscapes and exotic animals. “She always says that there’s a whole world out there to explore, to make a difference in. We’vetalked about moving to a big city after graduation, maybe New York or San Francisco, where the pulse of life is unrelenting.”

Jenna nodded, registering the contrast between their dreams and their beginnings. She could see it now—the yearning in Amber’s eyes, the same that Jenna once harbored, to break free from the familiar confines of Trentville. But what was Amber experiencing at this very moment? Was she scared, hurt, alone?

“Amber believes we’re meant for more than what a small town can offer,” Liam continued, his voice tinged with admiration. “She wants to immerse herself in causes, be part of the bigger picture. I admire that about her—her drive to help, to heal. It’s infectious.”

He stopped his flow of words and asked, “Does any of this help?”

“It could,” Jenna said. “We need to know as much as we can.”

Liam’s expression shifted as he addressed the elephant in the room. “Do you think Jason could have hurt her?” His eyes searched Jenna’s face for answers she didn’t have.

“We’re still considering all possibilities,” Jenna replied. “What do you think?”

He shook his head, a wry chuckle escaping his lips. “You learn a lot about someone when they take a swing at you. Jason was angry, sure, but it wasn’t cold-blooded anger. When he hit me, it was like he just needed to lash out at someone, anyone.” Liam touched the bruise fading beneath his eye. “Even though he was seething, I didn’t see a killer in his eyes. Amber told me once that Jason has a temper, but he’s not cruel.”

Jenna observed the young man before her, weighing his words against her own instincts. Liam seemed genuine, if perhaps a touch naive. But then, love often painted such hopeful pictures. She made a mental note of his perspective—it was another piece of the puzzle, albeit one that didn’t quite fit with the rest just yet.

She asked him another necessary question, “Is there anyone else you think Amber might have been afraid of?”

Liam’s brow furrowed, and he hesitated. “I can’t imagine that her father would ever...” He sighed, pushing back his chair slightly as if the memory itself needed space. “The thing is, she called me yesterday and said she told her father about our engagement. He took it pretty bad, told her to rethink it or she’d ‘live to regret it’.”

Jenna felt a chill despite the warmth of the summer night pressing against the window. She glanced at Jake, catching the flicker of surprise in his eyes mirroring her own. Otto hadn’t mentioned knowing about his daughter’s engagement when they’d spoken to him this morning. She and Jake hadn’t known even about the betrothal until Dr. Reynolds shared Amber’s confidential admission a while later. She wondered—why hadn’t Otto told them the whole truth?

“Thank you, Liam,” Jenna said, her voice steady, though her mind raced with the possible implications of this new information. “This helps us understand the situation better.”

Liam nodded, concern washing over his features as Jenna stood up. “Can’t you tell me anything more?”

“We can’t discuss details of an investigation in process,” she told him. “Besides, anything we said now would just be speculation.”

“Of course,” Liam replied, his tone earnest, the bruise around his eye standing out more prominently in the dim light of the room. “Anything I can do to find her, just let me know. Please.” His eyes held a plea that went beyond mere words. Then he straightened up and tried to look confident, “I’m sure you’ll find Amber in some ordinary place,” he insisted. “Just somewhere that nobody has thought of yet. Please ask her to call me as soon as you do.”

“Of course,” Jenna assured him. “And we’ll be in touch.”

Stepping out into the night, Jenna and Jake navigated the campus pathways back to their car. The evening air had cooled, carrying the faint scent of freshly cut grass mingled with the distant aroma of evening meals from nearby residence halls. They passed under the soft illumination of streetlights over the walkways, the tranquility belying the urgency of their investigation.

“Otto didn’t say a word about the engagement,” Jake muttered. “Not even a hint.”

Jenna’s mind was already turning over the possibilities. Otto Stevens, Amber’s father—a man whose life revolved around his family and his auto shop—was he capable of harming his daughter? It didn’t add up; it couldn’t.

---