Page 61 of Dangerous Secrets
With Sawyer at his back, they followedthe direction of firefighters, staying out of the way.He spottedFranny and Oscar standing beside the low block wall separating theemployee cottages from the area open to the public.
The white paint at the back of themill was scorched and firefighters were spraying the area withwater, but as far as Walker could tell, it looked like the fire hadbeen behind the mill and hadn’t gotten inside.
Cam stood near Franny, arms wrappedaround herself and looking very much alone.His call connected, andWalker swore in frustration when he heard Laney’s voicemail tellinghim to leave a message.“I’m here, call me,” he growled.
He jammed the phone in his pocket,worry forming a hard knot in his gut.“Any of you see Delaney?”heasked as soon as he thought the three could hear him.Oscar andFranny shook their heads.
“She was at the house whenI called and said she’d get here as soon as possible, but that wasat least twenty minutes ago.”Cam pulled up the hood on a yellowhoodie so it covered her head.
Walker pulled out his phone again andthis time punched in the house number.While he was waiting for itto connect, he shot a look at Sawyer.
“Already on it.”Sawyerstrode to a group of firefighters.
“What’s he alreadyon?”
The phone continued to ring inWalker’s ear.Voice grim, he told Cam, “He’s telling them we haveone person unaccounted for.They need to look for her in themill.”
“Hello?”
“Clara, it’s Walker.IsLaney there?”
“No.She woke me to tellme about the fire, then left the house.What’s goingon?”
“The fire looks mostlyout, but no one’s seen her and she’s not answering her phone.Doyou know if she took the side-by-side or was coming onfoot?”
“I don’t know.”Anxietylaced Clara’s voice.“Let me get my cellphone.I’ll see if I canfind her location.Hold on a minute.”
“Great.”He gave silentthanks Clara was savvy enough to know how to use the capabilitieson her phone.While he was waiting for her to come back on theline, Sawyer returned to stand beside him, hands on hips as hewatched the scene.
With her attention on Sawyer, Camseemed to pull herself up straighter and he thought she’d squaredher shoulders like she was marching before a firing squad as sheapproached him.
“Walker?”Clara’s voicesounded in his ear.
“Yeah.”
“It shows her phone on theroad between the house and the mill, but closer to themill.”
“Okay.I’ll walk towardthe house and see if I can spot her.If I don’t, I’ll want yourphone to try to track her.”
“Yes, of course.Let meknow.”Clara’s voice broke and Walker bore down on the growing fearthat something had happened to his Laney.Something bad.
“Will do.”Hedisconnected, keeping his phone in his hand in case shecalled.
Taking the time to get a flashlightfrom his truck, he set off down the road at a fast trot.Fifteenminutes later he was staring at the shattered screen of Laney’sphone in the dirt at the edge of the road.
The sounds of the emergency vehiclescarrying from the mill seemed muffled as his mind ran through theramifications of finding the damaged phone but no Laney.Footstepsapproached.He whipped up his flashlight, tamping down on the dreadclawing at him when he spotted Sawyer with his own flashlight, hisphone to his ear, Cam trailing behind him.
Sawyer disconnected his call.“Themill has been cleared.She’s not there.”His attention was caughtby the phone Walker held.“That hers?”
“Yeah.It was on the sideof the road.It still works enough to be tracked, but the screenwon’t light up.”His voice sounded hollow to his own ears.He heldit up to show dirt ground into the shattered screen.“This doesn’thappen by dropping it.Someone stomped on it and deliberately brokethe screen.Something’s happened to her.”
“That phone is evidence.Idon’t have an evidence bag on me, but hold it by the edges so youdon’t smudge any prints.We need to get it to an evidencetech.”
Fear had Walker snarling, “We need tostart searching for her.Now.I’m not fucking worried aboutfingerprints.”
“We’ll look for her, butwe also need to work smart.I talked to Sheriff Carlisle and he’sorganizing the resources we’ll need.”He took the phone fromWalker, then lifted his chin in Cam’s direction.“You need to hearwhat she has to say.”
Cam stepped forward, her face shadowedin the night.“After I woke Franny and Oscar, I ran to the mill tosee if I could do anything.I came down the path from the cabinsand spotted a guy near the storage shed.He startled me.I didn’texpect to see anyone there.There’s a light on the shed that’smotion activated.He took a step toward me and the light came onand he immediately backed away.He said something about looking foran arsonist and flashed a badge and waved me on.He wore the localcop uniform, but I don’t think he was a cop.”
