Page 5 of Tamhas

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Keira

Are you freaking serious?”

Emelie stood in the bedroom doorway, eyes wide behind those Buddy Holly hipster glasses of hers as she took in the sight of a suitcase spread open on my bed.

I pretended not to notice how freaked out she was, going to the closet instead. “What?”

“What? You know what. Keira, this is bonkers.” She sat in the chair I’d been in while we were on the phone, looking around in dismay. “I mean, this isn’t like you at all, babe.”

“You know this means a lot to me. I’ve already told you.”

“Yeah, but…”

“And you told me over the phone that you pinpointed a location.”

“I know, but…”

“But, I want to find out for myself if he’s okay. I know where to start now. Even if he’s moved elsewhere, I have a starting point. I can do anything once I have that.”

She sighed, running both hands through her short, lavender hair. Probably my favorite of all the various shades she’d colored it over the years. “You don’t get it. I still haven’t told you where he sent the email from.”

I snorted while folding tee shirts before tucking them into the suitcase. “Where? The deepest, darkest jungle? Antarctica? Should I pack warmer clothing?”

It was clear that the humor in this was lost on her. “A mountain in Scotland. A literal frigging mountain, Keira.”

“Scotland, huh? I knew he was Scottish. I don’t work for an investigative agency for nothing.”

“Would you listen to me?” She got up, standing on the other side of the bed. A messenger bag was still slung across her body—she reached into it and pulled out a piece of paper. “See? I printed it out for you.” Her index finger jabbed at a red “X” she’d marked.

Over a literal frigging mountain. Just like she said. There wasn’t a single building anywhere in sight. Just woods and a lake and a mountain, with a series of smaller mountains trailing behind it.

“You’re sure about this?”

“Don’t insult me,” she warned.

“All right, all right. Chill.” I pushed aside a pile of clothes and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the red mark she’d made. She knew her stuff. I wouldn’t have asked her to help me if she didn’t. But was I supposed to believe he was really in the middle of nowhere?

“You see why I’m a little concerned,” she said, coming around to where I sat. “This isn’t like you, taking a chance like this.”

“Oh, come on,” I murmured, only partly paying attention to what I was saying because I was still staring at that X. That red X. Why was he on a mountain?

I closed my eyes and tried to recall what I saw when we’d talked online, the few times I’d seen his face and heard his voice. It was a room. Just a room he was sitting in at the time, nothing special about it. The wall behind him had been blank. I’d heard the whirring of computer fans. There was a lot of light, but I’d assumed it had come from the monitor.

“Sure, you’ve taken chances before,” she admitted. “I mean, I still can’t watch your fights. I hate even thinking about you getting hurt.”

How could I be annoyed with her when she put it that way? “I know you’re only worried because you care.”

“Yes. That’s right. Which is why I hate the thought of you crossing an ocean to search for this guy. I mean, a mountain. He’s on a mountain—or, he was. Doesn’t that strike a warning bell somewhere in your mind?”

“Of course. But there’s been a bell going off in my head all along. If there wasn’t one, I wouldn’t be concerned about what happened to him.”

“He really made an impression on you, huh?”

I looked up at her, smiling. “Yeah. I guess so.”

She chewed her bottom lip since all of her fingernails were already chewed to the beds. A habit she was never able to break. “What if he ends up being married or something? I mean, what would you do if you found where he lives and his wife answered the door?”

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