the front door to ring the bell. No answer. She knocked, calling out her friend’s name. But there was no answer.
Deciding to go around back, she was determined to get in no matter what she had to do. She tromped into the backyard and was about to smash in a window when Enid Lloyd stopped her.
“Gemma Bonner, what on earth are you doing there? Are you trying to break into this house?”
Caught in the act, Gemma ignored the embarrassment and whirled around to see Lianne’s petite, white-haired elderly neighbor glaring at her. “You startled me.”
“I should hope so. If you want inside that house, all you need to do is ask. Lianne left me the spare key, told me to keep an eye on the place. Now I see why.”
“When was this? When did you see Lianne last? When did she give you the extra key?”
Enid frowned and narrowed her eyes. “I thought you were her friend. When she moved in with Luke, of course, that was what? Ah, yes, last summer. Lianne comes by here though every week to water the flowers and run a dust rag over the furniture. She brings me chocolates, too. What’s wrong? You look positively white as a ghost. What’s the matter with you? Are you about to faint or what?”
“No, nothing like that. Lianne didn’t show up for work this morning, and I’m worried.”
“Well, maybe she’s sick. Why don’t you check with Luke?”
“I’ll do that. In the meantime, could I just use your key to get inside and make sure she’s not in there? Make sure she hasn’t fallen in the shower or something.”
“Sure. I guess it’d be all right. Have you tried calling her, though? Here at the house? I’m pretty sure the phone is still working.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Good. You still want me to go get the key?”
“I do. Yeah. Please.”
Gemma had to look up the number for Collette’s old landline. It meant wading through her contact list and going back through two years’ worth of phone calls. When she finally came across the right phone number, she punched it in and heard the wall phone ringing inside the kitchen.
But no one picked up.
Itching to get inside now more than ever, Gemma walked around to the front of the house. She stood on the porch to wait for Enid.
The older woman finally appeared, holding a housekey. “You let me have that back before you go, you hear?”
“Yes. Absolutely. Do you want to go in with me?”
Enid pursed her lips. “Do you really think something’s wrong? Why would she be here and not with Luke?”
Gemma decided to level with the woman. “Okay. The truth is Luke called off the wedding. It happened last night. Lianne was understandably upset when I drove her to Luke’s to pack a bag and pick up her car. That’s why she was supposed to show up here and spend the night. That’s what she told me.”
“She didn’t,” Enid stated with confidence. “I know for a fact Lianne never made it here. My bedroom window faces her side of the house. I didn’t sleep much last night. I would’ve heard her car pull up if she’d made it. And she didn’t. Never saw her car here last night at all.”
“I don’t understand that,” Gemma muttered as she slipped the key into the lock. With unease building in her belly, she stepped inside a dark house. Flipping on lights as she walked deeper inside, she called out to Lianne. But it soon became apparent there was no one at home.
Gemma walked down the hallway and back again. “Her bed hasn’t been slept in. It doesn’t look like she made it here at all. What’s happened to her, Enid? Where could she be?”
“Let’s not panic. Lianne Whittaker is as level-headed as any woman I know. But you should probably call Luke. Maybe they made up last night and slept in this morning. I’m not too old that I don’t remember how good makeup sex is.”
Any other time, Gemma’s instinct would’ve been to laugh out loud, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel the slightest bit amused.
With shaky hands, she dialed Luke’s number at the clinic. When Ginny Sue Maples answered, Gemma asked the nurse if she’d seen Luke and Lianne.
“Luke’s here. But no, I haven’t seen Lianne for a couple of days.” Ginny Sue lowered her voice and went on, “You know they aren’t getting along, right?”
“I know. But Lianne didn’t show up for work this morning. And she’s not at