Page 47 of Shadow of Death
Amy finally managed to end the call, looking distressed. “I guess you got most of that,” she told Hunter. “Apparently, Hayden has been spending time with Carey. But she has a life and work and a cat. She left the hospital a couple of hours ago, saying she’d be back. But she didn’t come back, and Carey can’t reach her on her phone.”
“If it’s just a couple of hours—”
“Wait, wait, wait! I know. She’s an adult. If she wanted to, there is nothing illegal about an adult choosing to disappear. Normally, a person wouldn’t be considered missing so soon. But Hunter, this isn’tnormally.”
“All right. We’ll talk to Andy. He can have some folks get hospital security footage and check that she did leave and got safely to her car. And he can send someone out to her house for a wellness check.”
“This is all so crazy!” Amy said.
“Go in and start talking to Violet. I’ll find Andy and get the ball rolling to find out where Hayden got to, okay?”
“You’re not being dismissive, are you?”
“No. I’m just trying to be rational and competent,” he said, smiling slightly.
She smiled in return and headed on into the room where Violet waited.
He hurried down the hall, searching for Andy. His assistant indicated he had gone into his office.
Hunter continued on.
Rational and competent.
Right.
On top of everything else that day, he had a damned bad feeling.
Carey’s worry was probably justified.
Whoever the rider of the black horse might be, Hunter was afraid that, yes, he’d somehow managed to take Hayden Harper.
And they needed to find her quickly. While she was still alive.
9
Amy knew the local agents and police were competent, and they would do whatever was necessary to check on the welfare of Hayden Harper. But Hayden Harper was an adult, and just because she’d promised to return to see a friend and hadn’t—and even though she wasn’t answering her cell phone—there was no reason to suspect something had happened to her. Adults lost their phones, ran out of battery, and got caught up in something else all the time.
Except the circumstances here were different. Hayden had been the one to report Carey missing.
They worked for the same advertising agency. Amy and Hunter had been to the agency. So if someone from Barrington Advertising was involved, Hayden might well appear to be an appetizing victim, especially if she could just be swept off the street.
But they had come from the cliffs where a man they knew as Mateus had nearly sliced out a young woman’s heart. There had been bodies found in a crevice of the cliffs. Brother Martin had been shot and killed. And it could be the two of them had been the force between all the murders.
Amy wished she believed it.
But now a traumatized boy was in need. And they were lucky. Andy Mason’s friend in children’s services, Belinda Montgomery, seemed to be as nice as Andy had promised. More importantly perhaps, she was competent, aware of personalities and the needs of children coming from devastating conditions. She didn’t patronize; she knew how to relate. Still, Violet Austin was the boy’s aunt and was close to him. Amy was grateful the powers that be seemed to believe it was all right for him to be cared for by his aunt.
And although she was worried about Hayden, right now she needed to feel comfortable with the boy being cared for by his aunt Violet. She knew Hunter needed that assurance even more than she did. Violet wasn’t sitting in any of the chairs; she was pacing up and down the length of table, obviously nervous and upset.
She looked to be in her late twenties, a pretty, young woman with wavy dark hair, beautiful eyes so deep of a blue they were almost a true violet, and a slim, fit figure. She hadn’t had a chance to do much research on the woman, but she taught junior high school, was unmarried, hadn’t so much as a parking ticket, and was two years Peggy’s junior. Social media had pictures that went back to Brian’s parents’ wedding, and Violet was there as Peggy’s maid of honor.
Violet stopped pacing as Amy walked into the conference room.
She didn’t introduce herself; she stared at Amy worriedly as if they were part of a system that might take Brian away from her, possibly deeming her guilty by association with an accessory to attempted murder.
“Hi,” Amy said, smiling and offering her hand. “I’m Amy Larson.” She had barely introduced herself before she saw Hunter had completed his task and was entering the room. She quickly added, “And this is Special Agent Hunter Forrest. I’m sure this has all been shocking and traumatic for you—”
“I should have known!” Violet said. “I—I was appalled when they told me they were taking Brian out of school. They were all but sequestering him with people who were part of the Mateus family. My sister and brother-in-law claimed Mateus was incredible, that he was truly chosen by God. He knew everything about angels and demons and the Book of Revelations. And we should have all seenthe Endwas coming! So many horrible happenings around the world. I thought it was all crazy, and I started just trying to warn them they needed to keep their world open, to see other people. Then they tried to get me to join in. Oh, everyone was so nice when you joined with them until it got competitive, until... I don’t know. They believed. They truly believed all they were told. Mateus quoted from Revelations all the time. Oh, not at first...and I think the thing is he could have a truly magnetic personality. I met him a few times with them. I tried to remind Peggy about the horror of Jonestown, and how Charles Manson had created afamily. And...she was just saddenedbyme! They kept telling me the End of Days was coming. She wanted to be among those taken by the Rapture and... I was impatient. I was angry. I told her she had a new family, and I was sorry, but I couldn’t be a part of it. But I never stopped loving her! She is my only sister. Our parents are gone. And Brian is my nephew. I love him. And I am so sorry. I’m just... My God, I was so afraid of something like this! But even being afraid, I never imagined my sister might believemurdering someonewas right!”
