Jim’s. There weren’t many customers,
just a few regulars who were after some beer and commiseration, and there was
little to take her mind off where Courtney had gone off to.
Even when things did pick up, Dawn couldn’t
concentrate. Their small dinner rush was nothing compared to the worry eating
away at Dawn’s gut. Nothing was going right. She forgot which beers the bar
carried, she gave people the wrong change, but it was when she dropped a plate
full of nachos on the floor that Jim stepped in and told her to take a break.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Gabe tried to assure Dawn as
she paced the small kitchen. “Remember when she took off for the weekend to see
Chuck?”
“Yes,” Dawn said, her voice tight and snappy. “I went
with her, remember? We told you two days before we left that we were going.”
“True, but that was just some guy,” Gabe said as he
flipped a burger. “This is someone famous. Girls like Courtney go nuts with
guys like him. They’re probably naked at his house, laying out on a bearskin
rug, or something like that.”
“Yeah,” Dawn said, but she didn’t believe him. She
knew Gabe was just trying to reassure her, but he was painting a picture of
Courtney that she just didn’t like.
“I think I’m good now,” she announced. “Better to get
back to work to keep my mind off things.”
“Let me know if she calls,” Gabe called after her as
Dawn stepped back out into the bar.
What she expected to see was a few patrons waiting for
Jim to get them beer, or maybe a burger. The last thing she wanted to see was
the three FBI agents and the town’s only cops in tow.
“I’m really sorry,” one of the agents whose name Dawn
didn’t know was saying to Jim. “We need to talk to everyone who was here last
night.”
“What’s going on?” Dawn said, her feet moving below
her without her knowing. “What happened?”
“Dawn, go back in the kitchen,” Jim was trying to tell
her, but she wasn’t listening. Her eyes were locked on Agent Kevin Nash’s as
panic bubbled up in her throat.
“What happened?” she demanded of the agent who so
easily held her gaze. “Tell me what’s going on!”
“Ms. Garrett,” he said. His voice was steady and
strong, but his green eyes betrayed a sense of sadness. “I hate to have to do
this, but Courtney Frey has officially been listed as a missing person.”
Chapter
Five
A deep sense of dread began to course through Dawn’s
veins long before the mysterious federal agent’s words truly sunk in. Courtney
couldn’t be missing. It couldn’t be true. Sure, she was a little impulsive and
sometimes a bit flakey, but she wouldn’t just go missing.
“No,” Dawn argued before her brain realized she was
speaking. “She isn’t missing. She just went home with that baseball player. Go
check his place on highway seventy-nine. She’s probably just staying there.”
“I’m sorry, miss,” one of the agents told her. He was
older than his partner by what appeared to be a few years, and older than Agent
Nash by a decade. He had a stern, unsympathetic look on his face. “We’ve spoken
to Mister Mosley after Mrs. Frey suggested the same thing. There was no sign of
her there.”
That was when his partner stepped in. “Right now, this
bar is officially under investigation.”
“Investigation for what?” Jim cut in. “Nothing
happened here. We want to find Courtney more than you do!”
“I assure you,” the oldest agent told him, “that we
are very concerned with finding the whereabouts of Miss Frey. We need everyone
here to cooperate with that effort.”
Dawn couldn’t tell if Jim was ready to scream or cry.
The old guy looked like as tough as a grizzly bear, but inside he was all mush
and heart. Even Gabe, who put on such a tough show for everyone he encountered,
had a glazed, semi-present look in his eyes. The only one who could even think
to question the agents was Dawn.
“But I saw them leave together,” Dawn said. “You
just a few regulars who were after some beer and commiseration, and there was
little to take her mind off where Courtney had gone off to.
Even when things did pick up, Dawn couldn’t
concentrate. Their small dinner rush was nothing compared to the worry eating
away at Dawn’s gut. Nothing was going right. She forgot which beers the bar
carried, she gave people the wrong change, but it was when she dropped a plate
full of nachos on the floor that Jim stepped in and told her to take a break.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Gabe tried to assure Dawn as
she paced the small kitchen. “Remember when she took off for the weekend to see
Chuck?”
“Yes,” Dawn said, her voice tight and snappy. “I went
with her, remember? We told you two days before we left that we were going.”
“True, but that was just some guy,” Gabe said as he
flipped a burger. “This is someone famous. Girls like Courtney go nuts with
guys like him. They’re probably naked at his house, laying out on a bearskin
rug, or something like that.”
“Yeah,” Dawn said, but she didn’t believe him. She
knew Gabe was just trying to reassure her, but he was painting a picture of
Courtney that she just didn’t like.
“I think I’m good now,” she announced. “Better to get
back to work to keep my mind off things.”
“Let me know if she calls,” Gabe called after her as
Dawn stepped back out into the bar.
What she expected to see was a few patrons waiting for
Jim to get them beer, or maybe a burger. The last thing she wanted to see was
the three FBI agents and the town’s only cops in tow.
“I’m really sorry,” one of the agents whose name Dawn
didn’t know was saying to Jim. “We need to talk to everyone who was here last
night.”
“What’s going on?” Dawn said, her feet moving below
her without her knowing. “What happened?”
“Dawn, go back in the kitchen,” Jim was trying to tell
her, but she wasn’t listening. Her eyes were locked on Agent Kevin Nash’s as
panic bubbled up in her throat.
“What happened?” she demanded of the agent who so
easily held her gaze. “Tell me what’s going on!”
“Ms. Garrett,” he said. His voice was steady and
strong, but his green eyes betrayed a sense of sadness. “I hate to have to do
this, but Courtney Frey has officially been listed as a missing person.”
Chapter
Five
A deep sense of dread began to course through Dawn’s
veins long before the mysterious federal agent’s words truly sunk in. Courtney
couldn’t be missing. It couldn’t be true. Sure, she was a little impulsive and
sometimes a bit flakey, but she wouldn’t just go missing.
“No,” Dawn argued before her brain realized she was
speaking. “She isn’t missing. She just went home with that baseball player. Go
check his place on highway seventy-nine. She’s probably just staying there.”
“I’m sorry, miss,” one of the agents told her. He was
older than his partner by what appeared to be a few years, and older than Agent
Nash by a decade. He had a stern, unsympathetic look on his face. “We’ve spoken
to Mister Mosley after Mrs. Frey suggested the same thing. There was no sign of
her there.”
That was when his partner stepped in. “Right now, this
bar is officially under investigation.”
“Investigation for what?” Jim cut in. “Nothing
happened here. We want to find Courtney more than you do!”
“I assure you,” the oldest agent told him, “that we
are very concerned with finding the whereabouts of Miss Frey. We need everyone
here to cooperate with that effort.”
Dawn couldn’t tell if Jim was ready to scream or cry.
The old guy looked like as tough as a grizzly bear, but inside he was all mush
and heart. Even Gabe, who put on such a tough show for everyone he encountered,
had a glazed, semi-present look in his eyes. The only one who could even think
to question the agents was Dawn.
“But I saw them leave together,” Dawn said. “You
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