He sniffed. “He did. And let me tell you, I… I was pretty upset about it at first. It shows how little respect he has for me. I mean, to just blow me off like that was incredibly rude. That’s really why I’m drinking. I truly find it very, very upsetting.” He sighed and lifted the shot glass to his lips, gulping down the amber liquid. It wasn’t lost on me his hand shook as he tipped the glass to drink.
“You’re telling me Maxwell never arrived at your house at 7:00 p.m.?” Anxiety shifted through me, but I did my best to keep it in check. If Max hadn’t shown up at River’s home, that meant he’d been missing much longer than I’d thought.
If River is telling the truth.
I was rattled when that thought came to me. Why in the world would I think River wasn’t telling me the truth? By all accounts, he was an upstanding citizen. But as I watched him, the suspicion took root. Something just wasn’t right. Every cop instinct in me was pinging like a cell tower on Christmas Day.
“That’s correct. He never arrived.” River avoided my gaze. “I waited and waited, but nope. He couldn’t be bothered to keep our appointment.”
I narrowed my eyes, studying him closely. Judging by the tension in his shoulders and the way he kept avoiding my gaze, he was hiding something. Problem was, I couldn’t just accuse River of doing something to Max. That could make things worse. The last thing I needed was to aggravate River. It would be better if he thought I believed his story. That way, if he was holding Max hostage somewhere—
Was Iactuallyentertaining the idea that River hadkidnappedMax? I knew he disliked Max and that he harbored animosity toward my boyfriend. But to take the extra step of acting on those feelings was huge. I found it hard to believe incense-burning, yoga-loving River had that level of malice in him. Yet Maxwell was mysteriously missing, and River’s story sounded implausible.
I decided to push back just a bit, to see what he’d say. “He wouldn’t just blow you off, River. I know for a fact he planned on coming here to sign papers.” I spoke calmly, making sure not to sound accusing. “He was eager to put the lease stuff behind him.”
“Gosh, that’s weird because he didn’t show.” River’s face twitched. “Something must have interfered with his plans.”
“If he changed his plans, he’d have told me.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Royce.” River’s smile was brittle. “I can show you the unsigned contract if you’d like?”
As if that would prove anything?
“That’s okay. I believe you,” I lied.
“That’s a relief. I sure wouldn’t want to get on your bad side.” He poured himself another shot. “Sure you won’t join me?”
“I’m sure.” My tone was curter than intended.
He flicked his uneasy gaze to me. “Everything okay?”
“Not really. I was hoping you’d have some information for me. Now I’m at a dead end again.”
“I certainly hope you don’t think I had anything to do with his disappearance?”
That was a loaded question if I’d ever heard one.
I fingered the brim of my hat, counting to ten. “I’m just worried and trying to figure out where he is.”
“Of course.” River threw back the shot, wincing. Once he’d swallowed, he coughed a few times, pressing his hand to his chest. “He’ll probably turn up. Maybe he just needed some alone time.”
“With my schedule lately, Max has more than enough of that already.”
“Yes, that’s probably true,” he murmured. “You’re such a busy little bee.”
My irritation and suspicion grew. He definitely wasn’t taking Maxwell’s disappearance seriously. Was that simply because he truly didn’t understand why I was worried, or was there more to it? “You’re sure Max didn’t leave a message on your phone?”
“I’m positive.”
“Hmmm.”
He frowned under my scrutiny. “You’re looking at me funny, Royce. I can’t shake the feeling you think I know where Maxwell is.”
“I never said that.”
Aloud.
“No, you haven’t actually accused me.Yet.” He pouted. “I thought we were friends.”
