“I'mnot,” I lied. “I'm just … tired. I'm tired of all of this, and I just want itto be over. I want to be able to sleep again.”
Andthat part wasn’t a lie. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. My minddesperately needed to shut off and focus on nothing for a while. But there wasno hope of that happening right now.
Alecnodded, expressing his empathy. “I can take ye back to the house, when Rick—”
“No,”I protested, with a harsh bite. “I'll sleep tonight when we're done with this.But I told you I'd help, so I'm helping,” I said, even though I felt like Iwasn't doing much to help at all. But I wasn't the one with the badge or in aposition of authority. Who would take me seriously? However, just being withhim during the search, seemed like enough, and from the look on Alec's face, Iguessed that it was.
“Allright, lass,” he resigned with a sigh, and then, grabbed his phone to check thelist we had made. “Next up, is Jamie's,” and he drove to the next block, wherehe parked the car in front of a dingy looking place with a brick façade and abroken lantern hanging above the door.
“It'snot that one,” TJ said from the backseat.
“No?”Alec peered out the window. “Why do ye say that?”
“Becauseit looks like shit,” my son responded with a tinge of disgust. “She liked nicestuff, like … she had standards, you know? She wouldn’t have gone into a placelike that, no matter how hot the guy was.”
Ithought about it for a moment, squinting to see through the window and into thepub. I tried to imagine my sister entering a place like that, to meet a man andsit at one of the rickety looking tables, and I couldn't place her there. Itmight not have looked so dismal in the darkness of night, and maybe it looked alittle more welcoming with a few more people than just the stragglers sittingat the bar right now. But the type of man this place would attract was morethan likely not her type, and I knew without a doubt that my son was right.
“Let'stry the next one,” I said to Alec.
“Butwhat if this is the one?” he countered. “Yedinnaeken if she was here or not.”
“Then,we can come back, but I just don't think this was it. I think TJ's right;Gracie would have taken one look at the broken bulb in that lantern and walkedaway.”
“Howdo ye know for sure?”
“BecauseI told you, she played it safe. She thought through her everyfreakin' move before she made it,” I explained. “Shewouldn't even walk to her car in the driveway without bringing her pepperspray.”
Alecsighed, as if he didn't quite trust my knowledge of my own sister's habits, buthe looked back to the list with resignation, and said, “Then, I guess we'reheadin' to the next one down.”
Heturned the car onto Devonshire Road, past the inn Gracie called home for a weekand a half, and drove for a minute or two, before we came upon a pub withstrings of fairy lights draped between the lamp posts and the stone front ofthe building. It was quaint and appealing, with a large bay window and a clearview of a round, glossy tabletop. Intuitive bells began to ring loudly in mymind, as I imagined Gracie walking down this street. I could see her stoppingat that window. I could imagine a man, gorgeous and tempting, sitting at thattable, and luring her inside.
“Ihave a feeling about this one,” I said, nodding as I turned from my view of thebuilding to look at Alec’s skeptical expression. “This is it.”
“Well,let's find out ifyerright,” he replied, and thethree of us climbed out of the car and approached The Lazy Crow.
Openingthe door, I was engulfed by the sound of lively music and the scent of wood,leather, and cloves. A few patrons turned to eye us with curiosity and friendlyglances, as we walked across the dark oak floor and to the bar, where a man ina neat button-down and vest greeted us with a smile.
“Goodday to ye,” he said, with a nod of his bearded chin. “Can I get yesomethin'?”
“Ah,no. Not today,” Alec replied, pulling his badge from his trouser pocket. “Butif ye could answer a few questions for me, I'd greatly appreciate it.”
Thebartender carefully eyed his badge, then nodded enthusiastically. “Of course,sir; whatever ye need.”
“Wonderful.First, can ye tell me if ye've seen this woman?”
Thedespair I had felt was steadily building to hope, dashed with a heaping dose ofdread, as Alec pulled the picture of Gracie from his jacket and laid it on thebar. The man took a quick glance at it, as I stood back with TJ and pickedaggressively at my cuticles, and when he nodded, my heart swooped before divingviolently into the pit of my nauseated gut.
“Aye,”he answered, continuing to nod. “Not long ago, she was in here.”
“Ye'recertain of this?”
“Verracertain. She sat right there,” the bartender said, pointing to the table infront of the bay window, “with my brother, James.”
Inan urgent rush, I hurried forward, pushing Alec aside, as I asked, “Does hehave green eyes?”
“Hedoes,” he answered, his voice gruff and choked. “Now, I have to ask, is there aproblem?”
“Whendid ye last seeyerbrother?” Alec asked, ignoringhis question.
