Page 95 of Finding Carly
“Yeah, why?”
“Was Carly with her?”
Aleck shrugged. “Not that I know. She was going downtown with Lexie and Elodie to do that Food For All thing.”
Jag turned and stuck his fingers in his mouth, whistling loudly. It was the easiest and fastest way to get the rest of the team’s attention.
Within moments, the guys were headed his way. As soon as Mustang was within earshot, Jag asked, “Has Elodie seen Carly today?”
Mustang looked confused, but shook his head. “I don’t think so. Elodie said she got home not too long ago. Said she was tired, but that the day was good.”
“Midas?” Jag asked.
“No. What’s up?”
“Maybe she went to see Monica?” Jag asked Pid almost desperately.
“Mo was working at the Head Start Center all day. What’s wrong? Where’s Carly?”
“I don’t know if anything’s wrong,” Jag said, but his gut was screaming at him. “She said she was headed out and that she’d text when she got home. But she never did. And she left around eight this morning.”
“Maybe she forgot,” Slate suggested.
Jag shook his head forcefully. “No way. You guys know how she is. If she says she’s going to do something, she does it.”
“Nobody panic,” Mustang ordered. “Have you tried to call her, Jag?”
Feeling stupid because he hadn’t, Jag didn’t respond, but lifted his cell and clicked on Carly’s name. He waited as the phone rang in his ear. Once, twice…it rang five times then her voice mail clicked on. Jag clenched his teeth and hung up, then immediately called back. The same thing happened. Five rings, then her sweet voice message sounding in his ear.
“Hey, babe. You heard from Carly today?” Aleck had called Kenna before Jag had hung up. “Right, no, it’s all good, I was just wondering. I’ll see you soon, yeah?” He clicked off the phone and shook his head.
“Shit! This is bad,” Jag said, feeling an overwhelming sense of doom.
“I’ll follow you home. Maybe she’s there and she got sick or something and just forgot to let you know she’s home. She could be sleeping,” Mustang said.
Jag realized his friend was trying to be positive, but deep down, he knew his and Carly’s worst fear had come true. The mystery accomplice had made his move.
Carly’s life was in danger—and she was possibly already dead.
Without another word, Jag turned and ran toward his Jetta. Mustang was right, he had to make sure she wasn’t at home before calling in reinforcements. Detective Lee had to be informed that Carly had disappeared. The police might not be willing to take a missing person’s report since she hadn’t been gone even twelve hours yet, but maybe the detective could get things moving along, given her situation.
Whether or not the police got involved, Jag needed to get a hold of Baker. If there was anyone who could help them find Carly, it was him. He’d been questioning and shadowing Keyes’s potential accomplices for weeks. He had to have a clue. Hehadto.
Driving way too fast toward his apartment complex, Jag’s hopes were dashed when he didn’t see Carly’s vehicle in the parking lot. She wasn’t here, he knew that without having to go upstairs and check. Yes, she could’ve had car trouble and taken a taxi home, but she would’ve texted him and told him what was going on if that was the case.
So the questions now were…why, exactly, had she left the house? Where was she going? What happened when she got there? And where the hell was she now?
He slammed his car into park but didn’t bother getting out. Carly wasn’t upstairs and he didn’t want to go up there and feel the emptiness of his apartment. Memories of her would overwhelm him and he wouldn’t be able to think straight. Carly was depending on him to find her, and he wouldn’t rest until he did just that.
He saw his team gathering outside his car out of the corner of his eye, but all Jag’s attention was fixed on his phone. He clicked on Baker’s name and the second the other man answered, Jag spoke. “Carly’s gone. He got her. We need help finding her.”
* * *
Carly moaned. Her head was pounding and her face felt as if it were on fire. She had no idea why she hurt so much…but in seconds, it all came back to her.
Her eyes flew open but they wouldn’t focus. The overwhelming urge to puke came over her and she turned on her side and wretched. Her belly clenched as she purged everything in her stomach.
When she’d finished throwing up, she heard something. Turning her head gingerly, she looked to her left.
