Page 79 of Last Seen
“True.”
“So I told Cameron all of this. And when Tammy filed the missing persons report, I mentioned it again. He did look for her, Halley. I swear he did. Cat just ... disappeared into thin air. We don’t have cameras or anything around here like you do in the city. It’s a very safe place. No crime at all. The people who live here wouldn’t stand for it.”
“The police station has its own crime lab. Yet you have no crime?”
“Part of the town’s charter is to have every possible amenity so our people don’t have to leave if they don’t want to. We’re sometimes socked in by bad weather, too, so we have to be able to provide services. Self-sufficiency is part of this kind of living.”
“You grow your own lobsters and make the gruyère here, too?”
He narrows his eyes, then bursts out laughing. “Touché. Obviously not. These babies are deepwater, specially flown in from Maine. And the cheese, too, is imported. But were we not able to get these little luxuries, we would be completely fine. Cut us off from the world and we’ve got everything we need right here. The land provides. The expertise lives on site. And if therewereany crimes, Cameron would be able to solve them with the most modern equipment available.”
“Seems like a bit of a juxtaposition in your ethos, Noah. You say you’re completely self-contained and self-sufficient, yet everything you do revolves around bringing in little delights. And as interesting as I find the fact that you’re able to go off grid, none of this is germane to our discussion. Cat.”
He leans forward, all amusement gone. “It is germane. And I’ll tell you why. We’re such a small, close-knit world that if shewerestill here, everyone would know. If she was hurt here, we would know it. There’s no privacy in a world like this. Brockville is its own microcosm. Yes, there are doors closed at night, maybe even some get locked. But everyone here has bought into the community with the knowledge that they are going to have a hard time with secret lives. We live in utter isolation. Gossip is the bread and butter of Brockville.” He breaks off a piece of the bread and butters it, just to drive the point home. “How do you get an entire town to keep a secret like that?” He pops the bread in his mouth and chews.
“You live in Stepford?”
“Ha ha.”
“All right. So you’re saying there was no foul play. That she had to have left on her own after having a heated fight with an invisibleperson. You can understand how I might have a hard time buying into the mythology here, Noah.”
“Which is another reason why I wanted to talk to you. I want to invite you to stay.”
“Stay here? In Brockville? With your brother just itching to throw his cuffs on me again?”
“I know you want to leave. I don’t blame you. But I think you’re possibly safer here than you are anywhere else.”
“Cat wasn’t safe here.”
“Cat left here. There is no other logical answer.”
A flash of light blinds her, and Halley realizes the sun has risen. The restaurant glows: the silver shining, the tables with their crisp linens and fresh flowers in vases as pristine and charming as one could hope.
“Stay, Halley. This is bigger than an hour’s conversation.”
She’s an idiot for even considering his offer. Staying here would be a disaster. There’s something off about Brockville. Part of her wants to stay and keep trying to unravel this mystery, but the rest of her has ten years of being fine-tuned to Theo’s station, and she can almost hear him broadcasting “You got what you came for, time to go.” But why listen to him? It’s not as if he has her best interest at heart anymore.
That inner stubbornness is trying to rear its head, the person who wants to do the opposite of what’s expected. Who wants to tell her phantom husband “We’re separated for a reason, because you’re bossy and demanding and dismissive, and now that I’m gone you want me back and I don’t like it.”
No, she can’t listen to Theo. But she also doesn’t need to get herself in deeper than she already is.
She wipes her mouth with a napkin, and Noah sits back in his chair, arms crossed, openly disappointed. He already knows what she’s going to say.
“I appreciate the offer, really, I do. But if there’s nothing more to be gained in the search for my sister, if she truly left here and thendisappeared, then I need to move along, too. My goal is to find her or find out what happened to her. Full stop.”
He nods, clearly crestfallen. She doesn’t understand why it means so much to him, other than what he said earlier about her being his type. To be honest, he is hers, too, but she’s not here for a hookup. Things are complicated enough without adding another man, another relationship, another need, into the mix. So it’s time to quit this place and figure out her next steps. Go back to DC, through Marchburg. Check on her dad. Talk to Chief Early and see if he has any ideas of where she can look next. See if he’s discovered a trail to the killer.
Noah stands. “I’ll walk you to your car. I have something you’ll probably want.”
He calls out in French to one of the kitchen staff, who laughs good-naturedly, and gestures toward the door. She precedes him, stopping at the door of the Jeep. He passes her, going to his car, a sleek black BMW convertible, and returns with a shopping bag.
“I abhor guns. We had to hunt growing up, especially before the foothold was fully established here, and I developed an aversion.” He hands her the shopping bag and she spies her Smith & Wesson inside. She looks up to see his deep-blue eyes staring at her intently.
“You said—”
“I wanted to talk to you first. I’m sorry. Drive safely, Halley James.”
Chapter Thirty-One
