Page 52 of Crossroads of Betrayal
“Something’s wrong,” Pen blurted out. “Grace called me. We were in the middle of a conversation, and she stopped talking. Said she heard a noise. Then she mentioned a woman’s name and the line went dead.”
Alarm pitched high in his gut. “What name did she say?”
“Joan.”
Confusion muddled the thoughts running through his mind. “I’m sitting at the police station. I’m going to put you on speaker so you can tell me and Officer Sawyer exactly what happened and why you think something’s wrong.”
Cocking his head to the side, Lincoln leaned forward.
“Okay.”
He hit the button then placed the phone between him and Lincoln on the desk.
Penelope repeated what she’d told him, adding a few details about her call with Grace. “You said Grace has changed since she left Texas, but she wouldn’t just hang up without saying goodbye. Especially during that conversation.”
“This is Detective Lincoln Sawyer speaking,” Lincoln said, shifting to get closer to the phone. “Did Grace mention where she was? We left her at Zeke’s cabin. Did she say if that’s where she still is?”
“When she said Joan’s name, she asked what the other woman was doing ‘up there’. I also heard a weird beeping sound, as if some kind of vehicle was driving in reverse.”
Zeke met Lincoln’s concerned gaze. “The golf cart.”
Grim-faced, Lincoln nodded.
“I tried calling her back several times, and the call goes straight to voicemail,” Penelope continued. “My gut says something’s wrong.”
“I agree,” Zeke said. “We should call someone to check out my cabin. And Joan’s. Make sure neither are there.”
“I’ll call Brooke, but we should head over to the retreat.” Lincoln pushed up from the chair and shoved the handcuffs back in place at the side of his belt.
But the gesture did nothing to loosen the knot of tension trying Zeke to the chair. Urgency moved him to his feet, and he grabbed his phone. “Thanks for the heads up, Pen.”
“Keep me posted. And Zeke…”
“Yeah?”
“Keep our girl safe.”
Disconnecting, he followed Lincoln from the office and through the maze of desks toward the exit. This time, he couldn’t care less about the curious stares trained on him. All that mattered was getting back to the retreat and making sure Grace was all right.
He stepped outside, and a light drizzle hit his heated skin. He jumped into Lincoln’s truck and tapped his foot against the footwell as they sped up the mountain. With his phone in his hand, he called Grace. Maybe she’d answer and explain the misunderstanding. Maybe her phone died, or the reception was lost.
“Anything?” Lincoln asked, casting him a quick glance before fixing his attention back out the windshield.
“Nothing.” He disconnected. A foreboding sense of helplessness had him placing the call again. Voicemail picked up, and the sound of Grace’s recorded voice tightened his throat.
Lincoln pressed a button on the steering wheel and commanded Bluetooth to call Brooke. Ringing vibrated the speakers.
“Hey, Linc,” Brooke said. “How are things going?”
“Not well. Have you talked to Grace?”
“Yeah, she called a little while ago. She wanted to know where Shelly’s body was found.”
“She might be in trouble. Can you send someone to Zeke’s cabin?”
“Sure. I’m close by. I’ll head there now.”
“Call if you find her. Zeke and I are a few minutes away. We’ll head straight to Joan’s cabin. We have a reason to believe the two women might be together. Either one or both being in danger.”
