Page 21 of Hide My Heart
There’s a note on the back. It reads.Call me if you need anything, Stacy.
There’s a phone number.
I find my cell phone and place the call.
A chirpy female voice answers, “Hello?”
“Hi, Stacy, I’m a friend of Amber McKay,” I introduce myself. “Nate Riley. You told her to call if she needs anything.”
“Where is she?” The voice is now tinged with suspicion.
“She’s, uh, missing.” I opt for the truth. “This is no joke. There’s been a convenience store robbery down in Spokane, and Amber was taken hostage by the robber. I’m a witness and a friend, and I’m looking for information to give to the police.”
“That’s horrible. Is she okay?”
“I hope so, but I don’t know. I need to find her, but don’t know where to start. Did she ever talk about someone named Hunter?”
“No, not to me she didn’t, but tell you what,” Stacy said. “Give me the name of the police and I’ll speak to them.”
“Sure, but did she tell you where she was living before going to California?” I persist, needing a clue or two.
“Sorry. I don’t know you to be telling you anything, Give me the police detective’s number.”
I give it to her and then ask, “How much do you know about Amber? Do you know her hometown?”
“Listen, Nate. I don’t know who you are, so stop asking me questions.”
“I’m a good friend of Amber’s from when she used to live in my hometown, which I’m not telling you in case Amber doesn’t want everyone out in California to know.”
I hang up on her.
There’s another phone number on the coaster, for The Brewed Force. Maybe I’ll have better luck there.
This time, a mature female voice answers, “Brewed Force, coffee that stays with you. How may I help you?”
“Hello, I’m Nate Riley, a friend of Amber McKay? I think she works for you.”
“Sorry, you must have the wrong number.”
“This is The Brewed Force, right?”
“Who are you?” The voice is no longer friendly.
“I need to know where Amber was living before she went to California. Please, it’s important.” I debate whether to tell her about Amber’s kidnapping.
I don’t get the chance.
She hangs up.
The only thing I have to go on is the picture Amber kept of the man she spent time with after she left town. She probably kept the picture for Beck’s sake. The picture was taken some time in the summer, and Amber was not yet pregnant. The man in the picture looks like a normal guy. He was even smiling.
I go from my bedroom to my mom’s home office, where she has the printer and scanner. I scan in the picture and keep a copy on my computer where I can digitally enhance it, then I call Detective Dalton who is assigned to the case.
He gives me instructions to email the picture to him and thanks me for the tip.
“You’ll let me know if you find her?” I ask.
“Yes, certainly. But we don’t know where this picture was taken and whether he took her there. We don’t even know if it’s the same guy. Still looking over the security images.”
