Chapter 15
Rob and Amelia walked into their kitchen wearily. Rob tossed the car keys on the counter while Amelia opened the fridge and looked in blankly. They had looked for Meredith in every place they could think of, with no luck. Their mutual worry for their daughter kept them both silent as they went about making a simple breakfast of eggs and toast.
As they were sitting down at the table, the house phone rang. They both sprang up to answer it, hopeful that it was Meredith. Amelia snatched up the phone and put it on speakerphone, seeing on the caller ID that it was James.
“Have you found her?” Amelia demanded by way of greeting.
“No,” James sighed. “Sorry, Mom. The university is still closed from the fires, so there’s pretty much no one there. I walked around and looked anyway. Have you followed up with the hospital? Could she have gone back?”
Amelia reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut. “I don’t know, maybe. We could try that next, I suppose.”
“Hell, try all the hospitals,” James suggested.
“Are you volunteering?” Rob asked.
“If that’s what you want me to do, I’ll do it,” James said reluctantly. He didn’t seem to be taking Meredith’s absence as seriously as Rob and Amelia did.
“Good, do it. Your mom and I are going to eat some breakfast and talk about our next steps. We’ll call you back once we know what we’re doing.”
After they hung up the phone, they returned to the dining room to find Sabrina standing on the table sniffing at the eggs on Amelia’s plate.
Amelia rushed over and shooed the cat off the table, inspecting her eggs for damage. They seemed fine, so she cut them up with the side of her fork and took a large bite.
Rob looked at her incredulously.
Amelia looked at him and swallowed. “What?”
Rob barked out a strained laugh and shook his head, taking a bite of his own eggs.
Sabrina jumped up onto one of the chairs opposite Amelia and peeked at her over the edge of the table.
“Do you suppose she’s hungry?” Amelia asked, feeling sorry for their guest.
“I haven’t fed them. They were supposed to be Meredith’s deal.”
“Poor kitties. I haven’t fed them, either.” She slid her plate of eggs across the table toward the cat, feeling guilty at their negligence. The cat happily put two paws up on the table and started noisily slurping up the eggs.
Amelia stood up and found the cats’ bowls in the spare bedroom, which were both empty. She moved the bowls and the bag of cat food out to the kitchen so she would remember to feed the cats until Meredith came home. If Meredith comes home. Amelia stood at the kitchen sink for a moment, willing herself to keep the tears at bay. Once she felt confident that she wouldn’t cry again, she returned to the dining room.
Sabrina had finished eating the eggs and was now devoting her attention to charming Rob out of his eggs as well. The cat squinted her eyes at him and purred loudly, but her efforts were wasted. He cleaned his plate with the last bite of toast and popped it into his mouth, smacking his lips.
Amelia reached over and stroked a hand over Sabrina’s head, who nuzzled her appreciatively. “She seems to have warmed up to us,” she observed.
“Feed pretty much any animal and you’ve got a new best friend,” Rob stated dryly.
“I’d rather think it’s due to my personal charm, thank you,” Amelia said, picking up the dirty plates and carrying them to the kitchen sink. As she was setting them down, she heard the doorbell ring.
Rob scooted his chair back noisily, springing toward the door impatiently, while Amelia let the dishes clatter into the sink as she followed close behind. Sabrina jumped onto the floor and disappeared, startled by the sudden activity.
The steely-haired nurse from the hospital stood on their doorstep wearing an ugly, thick brown sweater and a concerned expression. When they opened the door, Eleanor began to speak immediately. “Hello, I’m not sure you remember me. I’m the nurse that--”
Rob interrupted her. “Of course we remember you, Eleanor. Please come in.” He opened the door wider and ushered her into the living room. Rob thought about the conversation they had had in the hallway, when Eleanor had wanted to speak with Meredith alone. He wondered if she knew anything about Meredith’s disappearance.
Eleanor sat down heavily onto the sofa and plopped her purse down onto the seat next to her. Not one to waste time, she asked, “I’m here looking for your daughter Meredith.”
Sitting across from Eleanor, Amelia and Rob’s expectant faces fell. Rob said, “We had rather hoped that you would be able to tell us where she is.”
“She hasn’t come home, then?” Eleanor’s eyes slid around the room as she took in their comfortable living room. She appeared as though she expected to see Meredith’s feet poking out from behind an armchair.
“No. Did you expect her to?” Rob challenged. He looked at Eleanor’s face carefully, watching for any indication that she might know something more. He thought it was strange that the nurse had shown up on their doorstep, and that combined with the memory of their hallway conversation had him on edge.
“I’m not sure where she has gone,” Eleanor said truthfully. “But it is important that I find her. She’s risking a lot, running away.” From the corner of her eye, she saw Sabrina walking down the hallway toward the bedrooms. She turned her head and stared, and the cat stopped and returned her gaze. “That’s not your cat, is it?” she asked, though she already knew the answer.
“No, we’re cat sitting for our daughter’s boss. His veterinary clinic got flooded with all the rain,” Amelia said conversationally. She hoped that her friendly tone would relax Eleanor enough to be more forthcoming with them.
Eleanor reached a hand down and wiggled her fingers, beckoning the cat closer. Sabrina trotted over to her and sniffed Eleanor’s fingertips cautiously before jumping up onto the couch. Eleanor petted the cat in silence for a few moments while Rob and Amelia exchanged perplexed looks.
Rob cleared his throat, preparing to speak.
“You guys don’t really like cats, huh?” Eleanor asked casually.
“Not really,” Amelia admitted. “But we’re getting along okay.”
“So you are,” Eleanor agreed with a small smile. She continued to admire Sabrina and stroke her long white fur.
“I’m sorry, but can you tell me why you’re here looking for our daughter, exactly?” Rob asked, attempting to be polite. He wasn’t quite able to hide his exasperation as his impatience leaked into his voice.
Eleanor looked up and met his eye with a critical expression. “Cats are remarkable creatures, Mr. Carpenter. They can observe and sense a lot more than we give them credit for. You should give them a chance to comfort you. I’m sorry that you are so distraught over your daughter’s disappearance, as it is partially my fault.”
“Enough about the damned cats!” Rob snarled. “How is it your fault that Meredith is missing? What did you do?”
Amelia’s lips were pressed into a thin line. Like her husband, she wanted Eleanor to come clean. “Please just tell us. Whatever you tell us could help us find her.”
“I told your daughter the truth; having surgery to remove her ‘growth’ would kill her,” Eleanor said plainly.
“Then why didn’t she just come home?” Amelia asked perceptively. She could tell that there was more to Eleanor’s story.
“Her medical condition makes her very valuable. I told her that it makes her a target, and if certain people find her, she will be killed for it.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Rob scoffed. “Can she shit golden eggs now?”
Eleanor gave him a grim smile and stood up. “There is more to this world than you think, Mr. Carpenter. I’m sorry, but that is all I can say.” She began to walk toward the front door.
“Wait,” Amelia said, joining Eleanor in the entryway. She laid a hand on Eleanor’s shoulder, looking her in the eye
s, searching for answers in Eleanor’s shielded expression. “This is my only daughter,” she pleaded.
Eleanor looked at her with pity and then reached into her purse, taking out a small notebook and a pen. She wrote something on one of the sheets of paper and then tore it out and handed it to Amelia. “Your daughter needs my help. If you talk to her, please give her that number and have her call me right away.”
Disappointed, Amelia numbly opened the door to let Eleanor out. From the moment the nurse had arrived, Amelia had hoped that she would provide them with the information they needed to find Meredith and make sure she was okay.
After Eleanor left, Amelia rejoined Rob in the living room. Rob stood up from his seat, opening his arms to his wife. Amelia stepped into the embrace gratefully, breathing deeply and taking in Rob’s comforting scent. The fabric of his flannel shirt was soft against her cheek, and she relaxed against him for a moment as she gathered her thoughts.
“I guess we can’t count on Meredith to come home on her own then, if Eleanor is to be believed,” she said then, stepping out of the hug.
“Where will she go? She’s gotta have some sort of plan,” Rob replied.
“Honey, she’s twenty-three. She doesn’t have a plan.”
“You mean, other than the one that Eleanor put into her head,” Rob countered, turning the corners of his mouth down in an angry grimace. “That woman wasn’t straight with us.”
“No,” Amelia mused. “If she wasn’t outright lying to us, she definitely wasn’t giving us the whole truth. If we do talk to Mere, do you think we should give her Eleanor’s number?”
Rob shook his head. “I don’t know.” He turned on his heel and stalked to the window that looked out onto the back yard. The swimming pool was full of dust and bougainvillea leaves that had been tossed into it by the storm. “I do know that I can’t sit around here doing nothing.”
“Maybe we should go down and fill out a missing persons report. At least then the police will know to keep an eye out for her, too.”
Rob nodded silently as a steely determination seeped into him. He was thinking about what Eleanor said about people wanting to kill his little girl. He wasn’t sure whether it was true, but he knew that if it were, he would stop at nothing to protect her.