Page 52 of Asher's Assignment
A ball formed in her stomach. Maybe the guy took Asher with the intent to kill him, so he could get to her.
She shoved that thought away and slammed a heavy door on it.
No.
She couldn’t think like that.
He was fine.
He had to be.
Esther stared out the window the rest of the way to her house, her mind busy with all the reasons why he could have left. Some of the thoughts were utterly absurd, Like, he’d gotten his pants caught in the costume’s zipper and ripped them and had to go home to change. She tried not to think about the more ominous reasons why he hadn’t returned.
Her phone rang as her dad turned onto her street. She fumbled with it, her heart in her throat, praying it was Asher.
It wasn’t.
Her sister’s smiling face graced the screen.
Quickly, Esther answered, hoping Edie had good news. “Hello?”
“Ford said he didn’t call him. Neither did any of the guys. He asked if they should head back. I told him I wasn’t sure. What do you think? Do they need to come in?”
Conner turned into the driveway—the empty driveway—and put the truck in park.
“Maybe. We just pulled up to the house. His car isn’t here.”
“If you can’t get a hold of him or he doesn’t show up in the next couple of hours, you need to call the police. He can be impulsive, and he can also get stuck in his head when he’s working. It’s possible he got a lead on the case there. But it’s odd he wouldn’t at least text you or arrange a ride to get you home.”
“Maybe he did text, and I didn’t get it. Service around here can be spotty.” She’d missed calls and texts from her parents in the last month because of a lack of coverage. Sometimes it was the weather, other times it was just crummy cell coverage.
“True. All right, give him a couple of hours. If he’s still MIA, call the cops and report him missing. Then call me. I’ll get the guys to come back, and they can do what they do best. Was he in his car?”
“Yes.”
“The car rental agency might be able to help you out. They put trackers in their vehicles. The cops can get a warrant to access the data.”
“Okay.” She made a mental note to mention that if she had to call the police.
“I wouldn’t worry too much yet. I know that sounds crazy from the woman who’s been worrying about everything lately, but there are many reasons he could be out of contact. Keep me posted, though, all right?”
“I will. Thanks, Edie.”
“You’re welcome. Talk to you soon.”
“Yep. Love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
“Bye.” Esther hung up.
“What did she say?” Conner asked.
“That he might be working and not paying attention to anything else, and to give him some time.”
Conner’s head bobbed. “Sounds like a good plan. Do you want me to stay?”
Esther inhaled a breath, then let it out, glancing at her front door. “No. I’ll be fine. If I need you, I’ll call.”
