Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(40)

“Feel better now?”

“No. Not really.” Nora wrapped the purse in the sweatshirt and put it back where she’d found it. When she looked back at Hailey, she thought about asking her to return the purse, but that would only make things worse, so she left her daughter’s room without another word.

Nora found Trevor at his desk in front of his new computer he’d built himself. “You did it!”

Trevor looked over his shoulder. “Cool, huh?”

“Amazing. Did Dad help you?”

“Are you kidding me? Dad would have no idea what to plug into the motherboard.”

Nora smiled. And then she got an idea. She looked over her shoulder, then lowered her voice. “I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Remember when you told me you were a pro at finding out anything you wanted to know about anyone on the planet?”

A devilish grin spread across his young face, reminding her so much of David.

“You talked about digging deeper and finding out more about Jane Bell. I’d like you to continue where you left off.”

Trevor’s eyes lit up. “She’s gotten to you, too, hasn’t she?”

“Maybe. Just a little. I’m not proud of it, but I’d feel better if I knew more about her past.”

“It will take some time, since her last name doesn’t show up prior to her starting her business, but I’ll try.”

“And let’s just keep this between the two of us, okay?”

“You got it,” Trevor said.

Nora gave him a hug. “Don’t stay up too late.”

“I won’t.”

Nora said good night and then closed his door and headed for her bedroom. It wasn’t until David joined her in the bathroom where she was slathering lotion on her face that she finally had a chance to tell him about the team meeting at work.

David brushed his teeth, rinsed, then wiped his mouth on a hand towel. “Let me get this straight. Jane presented you with a new job opportunity in the middle of a team meeting?”

“Yes.”

“She wants you to jet around the world and discuss the benefits of training employees before implementing IMPACT’s software?”

“Pretty much.”

David turned and leaned against the counter, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. “When we first met Jane, I remember you telling her that you weren’t interested in traveling.”

“Correct.” Nora studied the look in her husband’s eyes. Clearly, he was not happy with Jane’s request. And she was glad to know they were still on the same page.

“What are you going to tell her?”

“That I don’t ever want to leave my family again, and she’ll have to find someone else to fill the new position.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Nora awoke at the high-pitched ringing of her cell. Blindly reaching toward the bedside table, she knocked an empty glass to the carpeted floor before latching on to her phone and pressing it to her ear.

“Dad’s gone!”

It was three in the morning. “What?” Her brain was foggy from sleep, and Mom’s words weren’t taking hold.

“He’s missing,” Mom said, her voice shaky. “Something woke me. I reached for Dad, but he was gone. I thought he might be in the bathroom so that’s where I went first, but he wasn’t there. I called out as I rushed down the hall and into the kitchen, figuring he must have been hungry, since he hadn’t eaten much the day before.”

Nora was out of bed now, searching for her slippers in the dark as Mom relayed what happened. David mumbled in his sleep as she exited the bedroom and headed downstairs. Apparently Dad had walked out the door in the middle of the night, and Mom couldn’t find him.

“Did you take a flashlight outside and head up the trail?”

“Yes. Of course. He wasn’t there.”

“This is crazy.”

“Last time it happened, I found Dad inside the boathouse staring at the lake—”

“This happened before, and you didn’t tell me?”

“I didn’t see any reason to worry you. He was fine.”

Nora couldn’t believe Mom hadn’t mentioned it when she’d visited.

Mom was crying now. “He’s missing, Nora. And I don’t know what to do.”

“Call the police. I’m on my way.”



Nora pulled off the highway onto the frontage road. With hardly any traffic, she’d made good time getting to Whispering Pines. In another mile, she would make a right onto the private lane leading to the lake house. The sun was midrise, its rays making the dew on the trees sparkle like tiny diamonds.

Mom had promised to call when they found Dad, but so far Nora’s phone had remained silent. Worry consumed her. She wasn’t ready for Dad to leave this world, never would be. For her entire life, Dad had been her rock, her everything. Last time she visited, he’d still known her name. That was comforting. Usually, though, he would reminisce about how they used to go hiking and fishing. Those days seemed to be over.

Immediately after turning onto Holy Moly Lane, Nora’s tire hit a divot. Her chest bumped into the steering wheel, pushing the breath from her lungs. There would be a bruise, she was certain. Slowing to a crawl, she slid her hands to ten and two on the steering wheel and scanned the road for any more surprises. It felt as if the ruts and divots had multiplied since she was here last. As she came around the bend, she saw an ambulance and a police car parked in front of the house. Her heart dropped.