Page 122 of Wood Riddance
Mentally, I was running through my checklist for tomorrow’s meeting. I was nervous as hell. I was a pilot, not a businessman, and I had no idea how to pitch an idea like this. Thank God I’d have Owen there. If things went well, I’d be up and running before the baby arrived.
Heading out to pick up dinner also meant some time to work through my racing thoughts and will away the restlessness that had once again settled over me.
So I drove, tapping my fingers to the song on the radio and nodding my head the whole way.
The road to town was empty, except for a lone vehicle with a headlight out coming from the other direction. It was still light enough that I could tell it was blue or maybe black. As it passed me, a lump of dread formed in my gut.
My body immediately went on alert, and I scanned my surroundings for danger. This was what I felt like while flying missions. The world around me came into sharp focus. The skill had been ingrained in me for years. But why had the sensation hit now?
My instincts were telling me something wasn’t right, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what.
I was sleep-deprived and stressed and needed to get it together. So I turned up the radio and continued toward the Moose.
It was only when I pulled into the parking lot ten minutes later that it hit me. The truck I’d passed was familiar. Was it Richard’s? There were lots of blue trucks in northern Maine, but with a headlight out?
The headlight. Adele had mentioned it to Richard in the parking lot. Panic coursed through me, and the hair on my arms stood on end. Then my training kicked in. I took a few deep breaths and ran through what I knew.
Adele was home alone. The only destinations down that road were the few residential neighborhoods on the north side of town. Richard lived near Heartsborough, so it wasn’t likely that he’d have reason to be there on a Tuesday night.
I picked my phone up from the center console and dialed Parker.
“Adele is alone, and I think I saw Richard’s truck heading toward her house.”
“Are you sure?”
“No. But I have this feeling. We were discussing him and debating about how he could be dangerous. We were hungry and irritable, so I left to get food, and I just didn’t think…”
“How long ago?”
“Maybe fifteen minutes.”
“Okay. Paz and I will head there now. We’re twenty minutes out. Don’t panic. It’s probably nothing.”
I put the truck in drive and peeled out of the parking lot. “I’m heading back now. I’ll call her and see you there. Call the police. Call the FBI. Call everyone.”
Once I was on the main road, I picked up speed, flying through town at three times the speed limit. Then I dialed Adele. She didn’t pick up. So I tried again. And again. Nothing.
Every instinct in my body was screaming to get to her. I hoped I could make it in time.
Chapter43
Adele
After a lap around the block and up the hill toward the park, both He-Man and I were feeling better. It was dark now, and Finn should be back any time. I had stupidly left my phone on the counter when I was putting He-Man’s harness on. I hoped he got onion rings too.
The longer I thought about our discussion, the more I realized Finn was right. We needed to process and plan. Acting rashly wouldn’t get me anywhere. I risked offending people and causing more strife if I did. So I’d put on my comfiest sweats and cuddle up with my Viking tonight and put it out of my mind. The next couple of days would be intense, but together, we could do it.
I patted my tummy and smiled. I’d felt every single minute of this pregnancy so far. And not only because of the nausea or exhaustion. It had changed me. The book I was reading explained how the baby’s cells were already circulating in my bloodstream, and I swore I could feel it.
My world had shifted. My identity was shifting too. And although my list of worries was a mile long, I was calmer, more centered than I had been in years. I was a mom now. I could do anything.
Punching the code into the keypad outside the garage door, I stepped back and waited for the overhead door to open. As I approached the door to the kitchen, a vehicle pulled up in front of the house. Yes. Hopefully it was Finn with my cheeseburger.
Grinning and relishing the lightness in my chest, I spun, ready to call out. The truck parked on the street in front of my house wasn’t Finn’s, though. This one was blue, and it had only one working headlight.
The door opened, and the dome light illuminated the cab. Then Richard stepped out.
I froze as he sauntered toward me. “Richard, hey. What are you doing here?”
