Page 58 of Ozzie

“His property is surroundedby trees, so we can sneak in,” I say, staring at the Google map image of John’s house.

We are pulling into Helena nearly a day later than we’d planned. After we landed in Minneapolis, the airport virtually shut down due to a snowstorm. I’d thought they were used to snow but apparently not that much. All flights had been canceled until this afternoon and, by then, they were all booked. Fortunately, Trip knows a pilot in the area who agreed to fly us into Montana.

We rent a car and are almost to John’s place. Despite attempting to sleep at the airport, we’re both tired and even more pissed at John than when we started. If that’s possible.

“Pull up right here.” I point to a clearing on the side of the road. “That’s his driveway.” I point in front of us.

We exit the car and make our way to the house. No lights are on inside or outside. There’s also no car in the driveway.

Durango goes around the back, and I check the front door. Not locked. I’m not surprised as I’ve known many people who claimed they never lock the door in their small town.

After checking each room and determining no one is in the house, I turn on a light and search again, looking for any sign that Piper might have been here.

“Hey, find anything?” Durango calls from the doorway as I search a bedroom.

I rip the covers off the sheet and spot the rope tied to the end of the bed. “In here.” I’m staring at the ropes when he walks in. “It looks like she was tied to this bed.”

Durango’s jaw clenches as he takes in everything in the room. He grabs his phone and makes a call.

“Hey, I just got into town and want to surprise John and Piper with a nice dinner out to celebrate their engagement. Do you have any idea where I can find them?”

While he talks to his aunt, I check out the rest of the house for clues. Unfortunately, I don’t find anything.

Durango walks into the living room. “She says they are at John’s as far as she knows.”

“He took her somewhere,” I say.

“She wouldn’t go willingly,” Durango says.

I turn to him. “Maybe she would if she thought she could escape him in a public setting.”

He runs his hands through this hair. “Helena is a prettydecent-sized town. The odds of us running into them are slim.”

“Can Trip tell us what kind of car he drives? We could at least be looking for that.”

As he reaches out to Trip, I find a pile of mail on the counter and go through it. Mixed in is a piece of paper with notes on it about the wedding. At the bottom is an address.

“You find something?” he asks from behind me.

I show him the paper. “Do you recognize this address?”

His brows lift. “Yeah, that’s where John’s parents live. They have a huge ranch out there.” He reads the notes on the paper. “You think they went there?”

I shrug. “It’s worth a look. He might have taken her to go over whatever decisions they have to make for the reception.”

It’s a long shot, but right now, we have no other clues. He nods. “All right. Let’s go.”

We pass the sign that shows we are leaving Helena when Durango’s phone buzzes. He pulls it from his pocket and hands it to me. “Can you check to see if that is Trip with information on John’s car?”

I open the message, and sure enough, it is. “A black 2020 Ford Explorer. License plate ends in AZ.”

We ride in silence until I spot a vehicle off the side of the road. “Is that a Ford?” I say, pointing as we approach it. It’s at an angle, as if someone wanted to drive it into the trees.

Durango pulls over a little past it, and we walk backand check it out. Sure enough, it’s John’s car. But no one is in it.

“Dammit!”

“It looks like someone parked the car here. There’s no damage on the front end.” Durango continues to examine the car while I stare out at the trees. It’s dark, and it would be hard to see if we went searching for her. But she could be down there, hurt.

---