Page 30 of The Harborer
He groaned as he reached for the device. What was happening at Search and Rescue that they needed him at 5:15 a.m.? Probably an accident or—his eyes swam into focus.Amy!
He picked up. “Amy? What’s going on?”
“I-I’m so sorry to wake you up, but I didn’t know who else to call. Micky didn’t come home last night, and I don’t know what to do.” Her voice quavered, and it sounded as though she’d been crying.
Shane threw off his covers and sat up. “Is it possible he came home while you were sleeping, then left again withoutwaking you?”
“N-no. I was awake most of the night, and if he came in during the few minutes I nodded off, I would have heard him. I was camped out on the couch.” She pulled in a shaky breath. “He’s stayed out late before, but he’s never not come home. He was drinking so much last night, and I—”
“Let me make a few calls and see what I can find out. Then I’ll get dressed and come over. You stay put.”
“Th-thank you. I’m so sorry I woke you up.”
“Don’t be,” he soothed. “You did the right thing. I’m glad you called.” A bubble of pride ballooned inside his chest. Amy had turned tohimfirst.
As soon as they hung up, he got online and checked the Sheriff’s Department’s database. No arrests, no citations, and no accidents reported in the last twelve hours. One incident of a motorist being pulled over for a non-functioning headlight, and another of a guy catching some shut-eye in his car, which was parked in a turnout well off the highway. Trivialities, and neither vehicle matched Micky’s.
Any traffic accidents or rescues that required assistance would have gone to search and rescue, but they would have been logged in the database too. So that was good news, but it didn’t mean Micky hadn’t run into any trouble.
Next, Shane texted Reece. While he waited for his buddy to answer, he shucked his flannel PJ pants and pulled on a clean pair of underwear, jeans, and a long-sleeved waffle-weave T-shirt. He clipped his holster into its familiar spot on his belt.
His phone dinged before he could yank his fleece over his head.
Reece:Yeah, I’m awake. What’s up?
Shane:Micky didn’t come home last night.
Shane’s phone rang, and he answered before the tone had a chance to complete one full cycle. “I didn’t want to call you because I didn’t want to wake Neve up.”
“Appreciate that, man. She’s been dealing with morning sickness, so I like to let her sleep in as late as possible. Tell mewhat’s going on with Mickythistime.” Reece yawned, clearly unconcerned.
Shane put him on speaker so he could finish getting dressed. “Amy just called. She was up all night waiting for him, but he never made it home. She says he’s never stayed away all night before. She also said he’s been acting strangely lately, so I told her I’d look into it for her. No reports of anything unusual in the sheriff’s database, but I thought I’d check with you to see if SAR might’ve been called out on something that hasn’t been logged yet.”
“Nope. It was a surprisingly quiet night, given the amount of partying around town.”
Shane double-checked his Sig Sauer P365 to be sure he’d chambered a round before seating the weapon into its concealed holster. Next, he dropped two loaded magazines into his pocket. The steps were rote, second-nature. “I’m sure it helped that most of the Silver Summit guests were back on the train by three o’clock in the afternoon, and the locals more or less behaved themselves for the rest of the night.”
“No doubt, though I half expected calls about drunk guests drowning themselves in the resort’s hot tubs.”
“Darwinism at work.” Shane threw on his knit cap and coat and stuffed his gloves in his pocket as he exited his apartment and descended the outdoor staircase to the parking lot. It creaked and shook with his steps.
“You outside?”
“Yep. I’m heading over to Amy’s now.”
“Good.”
As Shane warmed up his truck, his phone connected to the Bluetooth system. “Hey, let me ask you something. Have you noticed Micky being extra edgy lately?”
“No more than usual, but I haven’t talked to him in a while. Why?”
“I caught him lying to Amy the other day about where he’d been.” Shane filled Reece in on the Durango-Grand Junctionweirdness. “I confronted him about it yesterday at the Big Event.”
“How did he respond?”
“Not well. Told me to mind my own fucking business.” Shane swung his truck onto Bowen Street.
“I’m glad you stuck up for her.”
