missing.”
“I know he is. And his girlfriend thinks the same thing. This isn’t like him.”
“What is he like? Dependable? Responsible?” Sully’s eyes never left her face. “Punctual?”
“No, but—”
“Do you have reason to think he is injured or hurt in some way?”
“No.”
“Does he have any medical or cognitive dysfunction that would put him at risk?”
“No.” She felt her jaw pop from clenching it so hard.
“Does he have friends or family in areas outside this community?
“Yes, but—”
“When was the last time you saw your ex-husband, Ms. Costa?” Sully leaned forward and appeared to be taking notes on a yellow legal pad. “Was it before or after he stole ten thousand dollars from a client?”
Val looked out the window and tried not to scream. “Do you think I enjoy this?”
“It’s unnecessary,” Sully said under his breath. “Bridger City already has multiple officers looking into—”
“Don’t lie to me,” she snapped. “You and I both know Bridger PD thinks Josh is a lowlife who left town to avoid a client he robbed. We both know they think he’s in Las Vegas right now.”
A muscle in Sully’s jaw popped. “How—?”
“They’re not going to do anything to find him.” Val sat up straight. “Meanwhile, I’m fielding calls from his girlfriend, who thinks he’s cheating on her—she’s probably right—which means there could be an angry woman or an angry significant other out there.”
“Val, if you think you have information—”
“I don’t have information. I have suspicions and two boys who are wondering where their dad is and why he’s not answering their calls. Because if there’s one thing that Andy knows, it’s that his dad may be irresponsible but he loves him, because who on earth wouldn’t love Andy? Josh always calls Andy back within a day.” She leaned forward. “Are you hearing me? Even when he goes to Canada for that bike rally every summer. If Andy calls, Josh calls back. If he was in Vegas, he’d call Andy back even if the police were looking for him. So yeah, Sully. I think something bad happened to my ex.”
“Josh a gambler?”
“Other than the odd bet on the Super Bowl, no.”
“Does he have any friends in the Las Vegas metropolitan area?”
“None that I’ve ever heard of.”
Sully leaned his chin in the palm of his hand and stared at her long and hard. “So why do you think Bridger City PD thinks Josh is in Vegas?”
Val opened her mouth. Closed it. She couldn’t exactly tell Sully she knew because she read it on his hat the other day. “It’s… a nearby city.”
“Sacramento and San Francisco are closer.”
“But not as friendly to lowlifes.”
He cracked a smile. “Val, your ex’s girlfriend filed a report this morning. You don’t need to file another one.”
“Okay.” Val scrambled. “That’s good. I mean… good. So you’re saying they have people looking into it in Bridger?”
Sully leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. “Probably not.”
Val stood up. “Then what the hell, Sully? You and I both know—”
“We know nothing.” Sully cleared his throat. “You haven’t been married to the man for over nine years. I don’t know him, and my jurisdiction is limited in Bridger. He’s a grown man, Val. Maybe he just took off.”
She raised a hand and pointed it in his direction. Then she lowered it. She would not lose her cool with Sully. She refused.
She also refused to drop it.
“Fine.” Val kept her voice steady. “See ya.” She walked out of his office, flexing her hands as she went. She’d go. And she’d find out what happened to Josh.
“Val, don’t do anything stupid,” Sully shouted.
She looked over her shoulder. “What could I do?”
Sully narrowed his eyes. He looked like he was clenching his teeth. “Just… don’t do anything stupid about Josh.”
She met his eyes and held them. “Like I said, what could I possibly do?”
Chapter 7
She waited until she was out of the parking lot to call Robin. “We’re finding my stupid, irresponsible ex. You in?”
“Yep. I’ll let Mark know. When are we going into Bridger?”
“Tomorrow morning?”
“Sure. That works.”
She hung up and called Monica. “We’re going to find my asshole of an ex-husband. You in?”
“Do you promise to finally examine your feelings for Josh and the divorce and why you’ve been unwilling to move on to any new relationship in a meaningful way?”
Val rolled her eyes. “Fine. Sure, I guess so. After we find Josh so my boys aren’t traumatized for the rest of their life because their dad disappeared, okay?”
“Of course. Priorities.”
“Can you go into Bridger tomorrow morning with