LITMIR.BIZ

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to Chloe, and she doesn’t know where Shannon is,” Andrea said, her mind not yet accepting that Shannon had left for Phoenix without saying goodbye.

      “What did the psychologist say?”

      “Who cares? It was Jake Polegato.”

      “No.”

      Andrea sighed. “My luck hasn’t changed.”

      “I’ll be right there.” Gina hung up.

      Meanwhile Andrea searched the house for more clues but found nothing. If she had a ticket from her father, it must have been sent by email. Where was Shannon’s computer? Her search turned up nothing. Shannon must have taken her laptop with her.

      In what seemed like only minutes, Gina arrived.

      “Let’s see what we can figure out. Shannon couldn’t have gone very far,” Gina said as she led the way into the kitchen with her usual take-charge attitude. “I just can’t believe she would leave. Not when she promised to be here. Not when we needed to talk,” Andrea said.

      “I agree with you. Shannon wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye. I’m sure she’ll be back and you can talk to her then. Let’s just stay calm and wait for her. In the meantime, tell me everything that went on at the meeting.”

      Andrea told her what she could remember in her distressed state.

      “Maybe the counselor is right and Shannon confided in Kyle. You should call him. Maybe Shannon showed up at his house,” Gina said.

      Andrea did, but no one answered. She left a message for Kyle, telling him that Shannon was missing and asking him to call back right away.

      Gina poured two cups of coffee, sliding one across the counter to Andrea. “If you’re right and Shannon is planning to go to her father’s, you need to call him.”

      “And give him another reason to be nasty? Not until I have to. Besides, if she were going to Scott’s he would have to have sent an airline ticket to her. I don’t think Shannon has enough money saved to buy one.”

      “I think you should contact Jake Polegato.”

      “You’ve got to be kidding. How can he help?”

      “I don’t know for sure, but he works with teenagers—he understands them. He knows she’s in some sort of trouble. At the very least, you could bounce ideas off him. To be honest, I don’t know what’s going on with Shannon, but if she’s left home, you need any help you can get. If I were you, I’d swallow my pride and call this man.”

      “I don’t know what to do,” Andrea said, praying that Shannon would walk through the door and say she’d changed her mind about going to her dad’s.

      Gina came around the kitchen island and hugged Andrea. “You have to put aside your feelings about Jake. For Shannon’s sake. What choice do you have?”

      “I love her.” Andrea managed to swallow around the hard lump in her throat. She might not like Jake, but he had shown concern for Shannon. He was also qualified to assess what might have motivated Shannon to take off this way. If he could help find Shannon, what she felt about the man didn’t matter. “Nothing can happen to her.”

      She met Gina’s concerned glance, and in that instant Andrea knew what she had to do. “Okay, I’ll contact him. What can it hurt?”

      “You won’t be sorry.” Gina began to tidy the clutter on the counter.

      Andrea dialed Jake’s number, and he answered on the first ring. “Andrea, is Shannon all right?”

      “Shannon’s left home. I need your help.” The line was quiet. Was he not going to answer? No. He couldn’t do that to her, not here, not under the circumstances. “Look, I’m really sorry for how I behaved—”

      “Andrea, that’s not important. What’s important is Shannon. I’ll clear my schedule and be there in about half an hour. In the meantime, check with Shannon’s friends. Get that young man—”

      “Kyle.”

      “Yes. Ask him to come to your house.”

      “Yes,” she said, relief flooding over her. She might have to drive over to Kyle’s house if he didn’t answer the phone, or call his mother at work, but one way or the other she would find him.

      She hung up and dialed Kyle’s number. He answered immediately. “Mrs. Taylor, I got your message. I’ve been out looking. I can’t find Shannon. I’ve talked to her other friends at school, and no one has heard from her.”

      She was comforted by the fact that Kyle’s voice echoed her concern, even though she worried about the fact none of Shannon’s friends were with her. “Can you come here?”

      “I’ll get my mom to drop me off right away.”

      * * *

      WHEN KYLE ARRIVED he looked so young, so vulnerable, and Andrea put her arms around him. He clung to her for a moment before moving away. “I’m sorry I left the hospital the other night. My mom was on my case for spending too much time with Shannon. But I’ve—Shannon and I have had so much going on...”

      She’d been wrong. He hadn’t left the hospital because he didn’t care. “It’s okay. We need to find Shannon. Did she say anything to you? Her note said she was going to her dad’s, but she’d need money or a credit card to buy an airline ticket,” she said as they gathered around the island.

      Kyle studied his hands.

      “Should we call the police?” Andrea asked.

      “Let’s wait for Jake to get here,” Gina said, passing Kyle a glass of milk he’d asked for.

      “Did you hear any of the conversation Shannon had with her dad?” Andrea asked.

      “I didn’t, but she told me afterward that she wished her dad were here.” He ducked his head when he saw the expression on Andrea’s face. “Sorry, Mrs. Taylor. I know that’s a sore point with you.”

      “Please don’t worry about it, and call me Andrea.”

      He offered her a quick smile.

      The doorbell rang. Andrea raced to answer it. Jake’s calm expression eased her fear a little bit, although she couldn’t say why. “Please come in.”

      They all settled in the living room. The bright sun streamed in through the large windows facing the back lawn, warming the space.

      “Shannon left a note saying she was going to her father’s in Phoenix. But I don’t believe she would leave me without saying goodbye. And I can’t imagine her going to her dad’s, despite the fact she talked about it last night.”

      “Why not?” Jake asked.

      “Because she hasn’t seen him for months. He has a new family, and she has always felt uncomfortable even talking about him, let alone going to visit him. He’s never made any real attempt to see her, except in the summer for a couple of weeks. After the big deal he made at the custody hearing, he’s basically left Shannon alone.”

      Kyle cleared his throat, glancing from Gina to Andrea and Jake. “Shannon told me she’s had several calls from her dad in the past few weeks.”

      “I didn’t know that.” Andrea caught the understanding look in Jake’s eyes. “Well, if my daughter was going to visit her father, she would need more than just her babysitting money—Oh, wait. I forgot something.” She went to Shannon’s room and checked the old-fashioned jewelry box where Shannon kept another stash of money. Empty.

      When she returned, Jake and Kyle were deep in conversation.

      “Kyle has something to tell you,” Jake said.

      “What is it?” She perched on the sofa. That Kyle seemed to know more about her daughter’s life in recent weeks than she did chilled her.

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