Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Hey, Mike,” Jason answered.
“Hey, sorry if I’m interrupting dinner,” I began.
“No worries,” Jason said. “What’s up?”
“Is Lindsey home?”
“Yeah,” Jason answered. “What’s wrong?”
“Tammy isn’t home yet. Did they work late?”
“No.” Jason picked up on the anxiety in my voice, adding delicately, “Lindsey was home at the regular time.”
“Can I speak to her?” I asked.
Lindsey got on the phone, alarmed. “Hi, Mike.”
“Hi. Was Tammy okay today?” I worried.
“Um, she wasn’t okay,” Lindsey answered, a little upset. “She said that you reacted badly to her pregnancy news.”
“I did,” I admitted. “And she hasn’t come home.”
“Maybe check with Macy,” Lindsey suggested.
“Do you have that number?”
“Sure.” She texted it to me, and my phone beeped a second later.
“Thanks.” I hung up, pressing Call on Macy’s phone number before I could draw another breath.
“Hello?” Macy answered hesitantly.
“Hi, Macy, it’s Mike.”
“Hi, Mike,” she replied. There was no hint of anger in her voice, and I wondered if Tammy had even told her how much of a jackass I had been.
“Is Tammy over there?” I asked, praying silently.
“No, why?” Macy asked, kicking my heart into the gutter.
“She’s not here,” I heard myself say. “Lindsey says she left the salon at the regular time.”
“Oh…” Macy let the word trail off. “Here’s Dillon.”
“What’s going on?” Dillon was all business.
“Tammy’s missing,” I said.
“Meet me at the police station,” Dillon said, taking charge. “I’ll bring Jason.”
“Right.” I hung up, grateful to have someone on my side.
I rushed out the door, jumped into my truck, and thundered down the driveway. I drove past the Rose Wood Salon, looking for Tammy’s car. It was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t at the diner or the Lucky Lady either. I parked in front of the police station and sat behind the wheel, waiting for my friends.
Dillon and Jason drove up a moment later, climbing out of their respective rides. We acknowledged each other before Jason ushered us up the ramp into the station house. The woman at the front desk waved a hello to Jason as we passed. He took us to a small room in the back, empty except for a large table and a set of chairs. We sat down, and Jason began the discussion.
“We need to start by assuming that something innocent has happened. Maybe she had car trouble or was in an accident. We can start by calling the hospital.”
I nodded, thinking of an altogether more plausible explanation. “We had a fight last night,” I explained. “She told me she was pregnant, and I… yelled at her.”
The other two men exchanged an understanding glance. “So, you think she might have left?” Dillon asked.
“Maybe she got a hotel room,” I said.
“Unlikely,” Dillon responded. “If she was upset and wanted a break, she would have come back to my house.”
“There’s another possibility,” Jason said, and we all knew what he was thinking. “You gave testimony that put away some really bad people.”
I inhaled sharply, not liking where this was going.
“I think you need to tell us the whole story,” Jason demanded.
I opened my mouth to begin, knowing that every moment wasted might possibly be a moment of terror for the woman I loved. I spilled the entire tale, naming names and pointing fingers. It wasn’t until I was done that I realized how much danger I had brought upon my girlfriend, lover, and mother of my child. If anything happened to her, I would never forgive myself.
26
TAMMY
It had been a long day. It started when I woke up alone in the house. I had thought that sleeping in my own bed had been humiliating enough, but when I realized Mike hadn’t even stopped to say good morning, my heart was crushed. I threw up in the toilet, still suffering the pangs of morning sickness, and rinsed my mouth out with Scope. I skipped breakfast and went straight to work, not bothering to hide my sour mood.
When the customers tried to be friendly, I nearly cried. Lindsey was long-suffering, putting up with me and my drama even when it made for bad customer relations. I sniffled my way through the morning until she sent me to the diner for lunch. I had an egg on toast, staring at my phone.
When I returned to work, Lindsey pulled me aside. “It didn’t go well?” she guessed.
“No,” I sobbed. “He stormed into his room and shut the door. He didn’t even say good morning before he left for work.”
“Oh honey,” she wrapped loving arms around me, holding me close while my shoulders shook. “You just have to give him some time. You’ve had two weeks to come to terms with this. He’s not a bad guy, but men can be brash and stupid sometimes. I’m sure he’s already regretting the way he acted.”
“You think?” I asked hopefully.
“I’m sure,” she confirmed. “Do you want to take a half day today?”