She stared at the car as it left the frame, clinging to fading hope. Who was the man he was with? Something still didn’t add up. Her heart continued to race, fear for Kyle knotting her stomach, mixing with a profound frustration over the elusive truth.
“That is the Junior G, right?” Alex asked.
“Yeah,” she said, her voice still breathy. “Yeah, that’s Kyle. Who is the guy he’s with?”
Her forehead pinched as she worked through what she’d seen.
“No idea,” Alex answered. “His face is never on the camera. At least not that one. Hey, kid, mind if I call you back?”
“Not at all. Thank you, Alex, for sending this. You’ve been very helpful.”
“Anytime, kid. Anytime.”
She ended the call, biting her lower lip as she rested her chin on the phone.
“Feel any better?” Grant asked as he rubbed her shoulder.
She snapped her gaze up to him. The video hadn’t provided her with any reassuring information. “Better? I feel worse.”
“Worse?” he questioned. “Juls, the video clearly shows him getting in the car of his own volition.”
“But who is this person with him? Why did he get in the car with Kyle? Why does he look nervous?”
“He doesn’t look nervous to me. He looks…agitated. Which I’m certain he was after our argument.”
“But…why would he get in the car with this person?”
Grant lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “Julia, that could be another doctor or a friend. Maybe he called someone to talk to about what happened.”
“Before he smashed his phone, you mean?”
He frowned at her. “Maybe he’s giving him a ride home.”
She shifted her weight as she stared down at her phone’s dead display. The person didn’t look like a doctor.
“Juls, he got in his car and drove away. No one grabbed him or shoved him inside. He opened the door, got inside, and drove away. Maybe he dropped the phone. Maybe he smashed it. I don’t know, but that video clearly shows him getting in the car of his own free will.”
She couldn’t argue with him. He wasn’t wrong. But something didn’t sit right with her.
Grant tugged her a little closer, tipping her chin up. She raised her eyes to him. “Julia, I know this is hard for you because you have such a big heart. But…Kyle doesn’t want to be found right now. Maybe that will change, but until then there’s nothing we can do. He’s a grown man.”
She blew out a long breath, still unable to argue.
“Look, I’ll keep Max on this. If he can find him, then at least we’ll know he’s safe, okay? But we can’t make him come back if he doesn’t want to.”
She bobbed her head up and down, her disappointment still clouding her head. Something just didn’t seem right.
Grant’s phone rang, and he dug into his pocket, checking the display before he answered. “Mike, everything okay?” He pausedbefore his posture stiffened. “All right…yeah…I’m not at home but I’ll be there as soon as I can…yeah.”
He ended the call with a sigh. “Juls, I’m sorry–”
“You need to go to the office,” she answered.
He nodded, his features penitent.
“Well, we’re at a dead end, anyway, so let’s head back.” She took a step toward the hall when he tugged her back, wrapping his arms around her.
“Wait a second,” he said. “Are you sure you’re okay?”