Page 127 of Can You Take It?

I pace back and forth, running through the possibilities in my mind. “If Victor had her captive, it’s likely he didn’t want her seen. He wouldn’t risk moving her around too much.”

“Right,” Luna says, catching on. “So, if she wasn’t moved around, where would he keep her?”

I think over the possibilities. Victor wouldn’t risk moving Izel far; too many eyes, too much exposure. He’s smart and careful. If Izel was captive before, it had to be somewhere right under everyone’s noses. The house, with its labyrinth of rooms and hidden corners, is the perfect place.

“What if she was held here?” I say, the realization hitting me. “In her own home?”

Luna’s eyes widen. “You think he’d be that bold?”

“Think about it,” I say, my mind racing. “He’s a master manipulator. Keeping her close, right under everyone’s noses, is the ultimate power play. No one would suspect it.”

Luna bites her lip, contemplating my words. “But if we’re wrong, we’ll be wasting precious time searching this entire place.”

She’s right. We can’t afford to chase dead ends. I turn to Mrs. Montclair, who’s watching us.

“Mrs. Montclair,” I exhale, steadying my tone. “Can I ask you something?”

She looks at me, her eyes clouded with confusion. “Of course, dear. What is it?”

“How did Ava disappear?”

Mrs. Montclair’s expression shifts, her eyes filling with tears. “Ava,” she murmurs. “My sweet Ava…”

“Are you okay?”

She shakes her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “No,” she whispers. “I haven’t been okay since the day she vanished.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, my words feeling inadequate in the face of her grief. “We’re here to help.”

“Are you here to look for my daughter?”

“Yes,” I reply firmly.

“But why now? The case was closed years ago. In fact the sheriff and the police department were in such a rush to close the case back then. They just declared her dead, with no real investigation.”

How do I explain this to her? I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what comes next. “Mrs. Montclair, there’s something you need to know. We believe that Izel might be in danger and finding her could lead us to answers about Ava’s disappearance.”

Her face pales. “What do you mean Izel’s in danger? She was just home. Probably went out with her grandfather to help him.”

“I can’t get into all the details right now, but I need to know everything you remember about Ava’s disappearance. Anything could help.”

She nods, the lines on her face deepening as she recalls the painful memory. “Ava was in the yard, talking to her boyfriend, Will, when I left with my elder daughter, Mia, for the grocery store. She was smiling, laughing… like any other day. She told Victor, my husband, that she was going out with Will later. Victor saw them leave together.”

Her voice trembles as she continues. “When Mia and I came back, the house was quiet. At first, we didn’t think much of it. Kids her age are always out and about. But as the hours passed, worry set in. We called her friends, even Will’s parents, but no one knew where they were. That was the last we ever heard from her.”

I let her words sink in, piecing together the fragments of the story. “What about Will? Did he have any reason to harm her?”

She shakes her head vehemently. “No, Will loved Ava. He was a good kid. They were young, but they were serious about each other. We never had any problems with him.”

Well, that’s a first. So far, I’ve heard nothing but negative things about Will. Everyone painted him as a reckless, irresponsible jerk who bailed on Ava when she needed him the most. This changes things. If Will wasn’t the bad guy in this story, then the real villain is still out there.

“Did the police find anything suspicious?”

“Nothing,” she says. “No signs of a struggle, no clues, nothing.”

“Did Victor mention anything unusual about that day?”

She hesitates, then shakes her head. “Nothing unusual, but he was adamant that she ran away. We even hired a private investigator, but when we received a letter from Ava saying she’d joined a cult, Victor didn’t want to pay the investigator anymore. He said it was a lost cause.”

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