Page 10 of Elsie's Strong Shelter

“Not good. Did you find something?” She swallowed past the lump in her throat and clenched her hands into fists. She’d been on the receiving end of life-changing news before, but the lasttime she’d been blindsided. This time, her heart stalled as she waited for whatever Sadie had come to say.

“Can we sit down to talk?” Sadie asked, a frown pulling down her mouth. Fatigue etched lines around the corners of her eyes and loose wisps of hair slipped out of her low ponytail.

Nausea swam in Elsie’s stomach. Her knees turned to Jell-O.

Dean hurried to her side and steadied her with a firm hand on the small of her back. “Sitting’s a good idea.” He led her to the brown leather sofa and sat beside her, sliding his palm up to rest between her shoulder blades.

Sadie closed the door behind her and settled onto the oversized chair across from the sofa. “Mila’s car was found early this morning.”

The information slammed against Elsie like a freight train. She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the threatening tears from falling.

Dean’s arm wrapped around her, his free hand reaching for hers. “Was she in an accident? How is she now?”

“She wasn’t in the car,” Sadie said.

Elsie’s eyes flew wide. “What do you mean? Where was she?”

Sadie shrugged. “I don’t know where she is. Her car was found in the middle of nowhere with plenty of gas and no discernable mechanical issues. No way to know if she left the car there or something else happened.”

Shock and annoyance overshadowed the fear in her gut. “Of course someone else did this. Someone took her car—tookher—and left her stuff somewhere. She wouldn’t just leave her vehicle and walk away. She wouldn’t worry me and Jimmy.” Hysteria spiraled inside her, squeezing her windpipe and making her words harder to get out.

“Honey, I don’t disagree,” Sadie said, reaching across the empty space to rest a hand on her knee. “But we have to look atevery option. We can’t miss something because we didn’t want to think the impossible might have happened.”

The reassurance wasn’t enough to remove the unease from Elsie’s shoulders. “What happens now?”

Sadie settled back in her chair. “An investigation has been opened at the sheriff’s department, with me as lead investigator. Tommy and Owen will be helping, as well as city police when needed—both from Pine Valley and Water’s Edge. Law enforcement from the whole county is on alert, and Mila has officially been named a missing person.”

The tears she’d held back rushed out at the declaration. This is what she wanted when she’d called the police last night. For them to take her seriously and go out and find Mila. Now that she was on their radar, they would find her and bring her home.

Because anything less than Mila back safe and sound with her son would be a nightmare she didn’t want to experience.

Boo whinedand trotted to the front of the couch, laying his head on Elsie’s lap. Dean tightened his hold around her, keeping her upright when he felt her muscles go lax.

“I know this is hard,” Sadie said, compassion clear in her steady voice. “But we need to move quickly. Is there anything at all you can tell me? Is there anyone who would want to hurt Mila? Anyone who’s given her bad vibes or made her feel a strange way?”

Elsie shook her head. “No. Nothing.”

He locked eyes with Sadie for a beat. He could see the wheels spinning in her head. Understood her thinking. Hell, he’d been an officer for years before moving back to Water’s Edge. The next few hours were crucial for collecting as much informationon Mila as possible if they wanted to find her alive, and some of what they found might not be easy for Elsie.

Sadie refocused on Elsie. “What about the opposite of that. A guy who’s been calling lately? Asking her out or showing her positive attention?”

“I swear, nothing out of the usual has happened. She would have told me.”

Dean unhooked his arm from around her shoulders and clutched both of her hands in his lap. Her skin was ice-cold. “You mentioned you two planned to talk last night. Do you think she had something to tell you?”

A light stain kissed her cheeks, and she glanced down at their joined hands.

“What is it?” he asked, sensing she was holding back.

Shifting, she bit into her bottom lip. “I can’t be sure, but she indicated the talk was more about me. Wanting to know my thoughts on certain things that had nothing to do with her.”

His gaze went back to Sadie, who raised both dark brows. Curiosity brewed inside him, but he wouldn’t push. If Elsie thought for a millisecond any knowledge she held would lead to locating Mila, she’d spill all her secrets.

“We may need to look in your home,” Sadie said, drawing attention back her way. “Search through Mila’s things. See if anything points to where she could be or who may want to harm her.”

A shiver shook Elsie’s shoulders. “Go ahead. Do whatever you have to. I just want to be there when it happens.”

“Absolutely. I can execute the search if it makes you more comfortable.”

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