“Yeah. He’s kinda like sandpaper—very useful stuff but awful rough to the touch.”
I smiled weakly.
“Anyway, I wish I could help you, but I didn’t see the doc.”
“Thank you for your time. Again, I’m sorry for disturbing you so late at night.”
“I’ll live. Oh, by the way, don’t bother knocking on the door on the other side of River’s house. Beatrice is on vacation.”
Shoot.
“Thanks for the heads-up.”
“You bet.” Without another word, he shut his door.
“Well, that got me nowhere fast,” I muttered, making my way back to my car. Talking to people at this late hour probably wasn’t the best strategy. I wasn’t being logical; I was being emotional. I decided to head to the station. Whether I felt frantic to find Maxor not, I needed to handle this like I would any missing persons situation. My time was better served calling the phone company to see if they could pinpoint the last known location of Maxwell and his phone. That information would be far more accurate than trying to pick people’s groggy brains at this hour.
On the way, I decided to drive the most obvious routes Maxwell might’ve taken to get to River’s home. While I was suspicious of River, it wasn’t inconceivable Max had driven off the road or been involved in an unreported accident. During my drive, my headlights didn’t pick up any skid marks or broken guard rails. I was both relieved and worried when there was no trace of Max or his car.
When I pulled into the police station, I noticed another car in the almost empty lot. It was Lucas, leaning nonchalantly against his car. He waved as I parked my car, and he headed toward me.
I met him halfway, stopping in front of him. “Lucas.” I nodded congenially. “What brings you here?”
A muscle worked in his cheek. “I heard Maxwell is missing.”
“Yes.”
He hesitated. “River also told me you searched his house.”
“Did he?”
He nodded silently.
I didn’t bother trying to explain myself. The animosity between River and Max was undeniable and my reason for searching River’s home obvious. “I thought you were out of town.”
He glanced up at the starry sky. “I… uh… came back early.”
“Any particular reason why?” He looked uptight. He was generally a laid-back type of guy, but tonight, he looked wound tight as a spool of thread.
Wrinkling his brow, he said, “I felt like I should get home.”
“I see. Mind if I ask you where you were?” For all I knew, Lucas was in cahoots with River. Maybe he hadn’t been out of town at all.
“Does it matter?”
I frowned. “Is there some reason you can’t tell me?”
“No. I can tell you. I was in Dallas at a bachelor party.” He pushed his hands into his jeans pockets, his expression impassive. “An old college buddy of mine is tying the knot.”
“I see. And you just got back?”
“Yes.”
“Hmmm.”
He laughed gruffly. “I can give you the number of the strip club we were at. Not sure they’ll remember me personally, but I paid for my drinks with a credit card.”
“Sure. Give me the name.”
