Midnight Exposure (Midnight #1)(19)

He’d still Google her and check with Hugh to see if anything turned up in the background check the chief was sure to run.

As he cleaned up the kitchen, Reed’s thoughts locked on Jayne, and the trauma she’d endured. She wasn’t hiding. She hadn’t even let the parole of her assailant keep her down. He pictured her chin, lifted in rebellion as she’d told him about the prosecutor’s betrayal, and the unyielding set of her shoulders. The posture of a warrior. Fear was her constant companion, but there was no trace of cowardice in her, just raw courage.

If Jayne could recover from a vicious assault and get on with her life, Reed could deal with his wife’s death—without hiding. He couldn’t attract any unnecessary attention. Subjecting Scott to another media feeding frenzy wouldn’t be fair, even for a young man. But Hugh had promised to keep Reed’s involvement in the case quiet. Reed trusted the chief to keep his word, and Hugh had his own reasons for maintaining radio silence on the investigation.

He wasn’t up to discussing the case tonight, but tomorrow he’d go see Hugh, tell the chief he’d changed his mind. The decision lifted some of the weight from his chest. But not all.

Now that he’d resolved the issue with Hugh, his parting from Jayne stood out like a flashing neon sign: EPIC FAIL. Reed reached for the phone. She’d bared her soul. She’d confided in him about her life’s most traumatic moment, and he’d told her to enjoy her stay?

Idiot. Or as Scott would say, lame.

He should apologize and ask her to lunch tomorrow. So she lived far away? Buying her a meal didn’t equal a lifelong commitment. It would just be a meal. Granted, it would be the first date he’d had in twenty years, but he had to start somewhere. Even if the idea made his palms sweat.

The storm was forecast to crank up in the afternoon, but he should be able to get into town for lunchtime. He’d have to drive in to pick up Scott at school anyway. The thought of talking to Jayne again sent his pulse into a jog. Warmth bloomed in his chest. Ridiculous. He felt like he was back in high school as he dialed the inn’s number.

Mae answered, “Hey, handsome. How was the date?”

Damn caller ID and small-town gossip.

“It was just coffee, Mae.” Reed tapped the phone on his forehead as Mae’s yeah, right chuckle came through the line. “Can you put me through to Jayne’s room, please?”

“I would love to, but she’s not here. You want to leave her a message?”

Ice filled Reed’s empty belly. Across the kitchen, snowflakes blew across the window. “She’s not there?”

“No,” Mae said. “Never came back this afternoon. My, is it eight already? I didn’t realize it was that late. I hope she’s OK.”

“Could she have come in while you were in the back?”

“It’s possible, I guess.” But doubt colored Mae’s voice. “But I’ve been catching up on the books for the past couple of hours. Haven’t left the desk.”

“Could you check her room?” Reed reminded himself to breathe. Jayne was probably in her room, reading.

“Yeah. Good idea. I’ll call you back.” Mae clicked off.

Reed watched the phone for the next five minutes, jumping when it finally rang.

“She’s not in there, Reed. Doesn’t look like she’s been back at all.”

“I’m heading over. Call Hugh.” Reed hung up. His cop instincts emerged, telling him something was very wrong with the situation. Jayne was in danger.

“Scott,” he shouted up the hall. His son popped his head out of his doorway. “That lady tourist is missing. I’m headed into town to help look for her.”

“I’m coming, too.” Scott hustled out of his room, joining Reed at the coatrack. They donned hats, parkas, gloves, and boots in silence. For once, Scott didn’t ask a thousand questions.

Twenty minutes later, Reed pulled up to the curb in front of the inn. Hugh was sweeping the beam of a flashlight over the inn’s front lawn.

Reed jumped down from the cab, Maglite in hand, dread roiling in his gut. “Any luck?”

Hugh shook his head. “Not yet. I checked her room. All her stuff is there, but no bookstore bag.”

Scott joined them on the sidewalk, turning his back to the bone-rattling wind. “She doesn’t have a car. Where could she have gone?”

Hugh consulted his pocket-sized notebook. “On my way over, I stopped at the stores on Main Street. No one’s seen her since she left the bookstore. She was the last customer. According to the register, she checked out at four forty-five.”

“I left a little after four.” Guilt hammered Reed’s conscience. He should have walked her to the inn. Scott was seventeen. He could’ve waited, but Reed had once again used his son as a social shield. Somehow Jayne had slid past his defenses. And he’d bolted. Like a coward. He’d had something wonderful within reach, and he’d run from it. “She said she was going to buy a book and go right back to the inn.”

Hugh didn’t hesitate. “OK, then. Let’s start looking.”

“Scott and I will walk from here to the bookstore. See if we can find any sign of her.”

The chief turned toward his car. “I’ll get Doug and a few other people to start driving around town, checking anywhere she could have stopped. There aren’t that many places open.”