Page 53 of Hard Evidence
“Who’s her primary care physician?”
“Uh… I’m not sure?She used to see Dr.Michaels at First Care, but after he retired, she said the new guy was kind of dismissive and she was going to switch, but I’m not sure if she ever did.”
“We’ll look into it.You go back inside and keep eavesdropping, and if you hear any other interesting tidbits, call Justin, okay?”
“Sure, okay, I can do that,” Sophy said.
“Pregnant?”Justin said the moment she hung up.“This changes everything.What if Amie found out about the baby and decided she couldn’t cope?What if she tossed her purse because she decided to take the most drastic option?”
Jessie gasped.“You mean suicide?”
“Does Amie have a history of mental health problems?”Ari asked.
“No, not that I’m aware of, anyway.”But Justin was beginning to think he didn’t know her well at all.
The story of his life, really.
His adulthood had been signposted by one mistake after another with women, starting with Ruby.If he’d realised they were living with a monster, if she’d confided any concerns she might have had…
Eliza said he had too much baggage and needed therapy.The therapist said he should open up more.Rebecca said he was too sensitive and she needed space.So he’d tried giving Melanie space, and he wasn’t supportive enough.
And then Jessie had walked into his life.
A fallen angel.
A fragile temptress.
He’d give her anything her heart desired, if he could only work out what that was.
Fuck, he was in trouble, in so many ways.
“Yesterday, you described Amie as organised and level-headed,” Ari said.“From what you’ve told me, I think she would have explored other options before she hit the nuclear button.”She paused for a moment, then added more quietly, “Eleven years ago, I was facing almost the same scenario—pregnant with a surprise baby, casually dating a ratbag of a man, unsure which way to turn.At least she has a supportive employer.You wouldn’t fire her for becoming a mom, would you?”
“Absolutely not.Norquist Construction offers six months of paid maternity leave, and she could do half her job from home if she wanted to.”
“And it seems her roommate would be supportive if she decides to keep the baby.”Ari grimaced faintly.“Possibly not so much if she doesn’t.Did you notice Sophy went from zero to baby shower, do not pass go, do not consider a termination?”
Justin hadn’t picked up on that.“You think Amie didn’t tell Sophy she was pregnant because they have different views on abortion?”
“Right now, I’m just throwing out ideas.But we believe Amie had a medical appointment scheduled on Thursday, and for whatever reason, she chose not to tell Sophy the details.I’m wondering if she had a procedure and experienced complications.Has anyone tried calling around the hospitals?”She frowned.“Of course, that doesn’t explain the purse.”
“Nobody’s tried the hospitals.”
“The police really should be doing that, but we’ll add it to the list.Violet and Dawson can help—it’s more important than social media.”
At the moment, they were sharing “Have you seen this woman?”posts in local groups and holding what Ari described as the last resort—Violet posting on her own accounts—in reserve.Yes, she’d be able to garner attention, thanks to the millions of followers she’d amassed since she shot to fame, but probably too much attention.Ari feared Violet would bring all the kooks out of the woodwork.And knowing what they knew now, that Amie was most likely pregnant and might have had her own reasons for disappearing, Justin was glad they hadn’t splashed her face across the world yet.
“I’ll make some calls too,” he said.
“Alexa found Saige Carlson’s number.”
A hollow groan escaped Justin’s lips.“Great.”
“You want me to speak with her?”
“No, I’ll do it.”
Assuming she didn’t hang up on him, anyway.
