her mind off everything. Because of her absence last week, it was the busiest day she’d had in a while. At five o’clock she put up the CLOSED sign and swept the floor. She had to pick Raisin up from soccer practice. Fortunately, the school had agreed to pay a nurse to sit with Scout during these practices. Once everything was put away, she shut the lights off and headed out the back door. As she was locking up, her cell phone rang. No caller ID. She answered it and was shocked to hear Felicia’s wavering voice. Why was she calling her, and why now? She’d been so intent on meeting this intimidating woman face-to-face that to speak to her now felt terrifying.
“I saw what happened to you on the news, Felicia. How are you holding up?”
“Not too well, I’m afraid. The doctor said I fainted from all the stress.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you for your concern. He wants me to rest for the next few days and stay in bed.”
“Then you should certainly listen to him.” She wondered why Felicia was calling her, of all people. Merely to tell her what the doctor had said?
“I saw myself on television this morning and realized just how awful I look. I know that’s a terribly selfish thing to say, with my daughter missing and all, but there it is.”
“It’s not at all a terrible thing to say. Besides, I thought you looked lovely.”
“Thank you, but Willow’s disappearance has consumed me, to the point where I’ve let myself go.”
“I’m certain they’ll find Willow alive, just like they found Katie.”
“I really hope you’re right.” She waited a few seconds. No mention of Katie or how she was doing.
“So how can I help you, Felicia?”
“Everyone tells me what a talented stylist you are. I’ve been traveling down to Portland every two weeks for a shampoo and cut, but I’m in no condition to drive now.”
“You’re more than welcome to schedule an appointment with me whenever you’re ready. I have some openings next week, if you’re interested.”
“Well, that’s the thing. I really can’t leave here. I was hoping you might be able to do a house call.”
Isla paused for a few seconds to mull it over. House calls were usually reserved for the elderly and invalids. Besides, the woman’s concern for her appearance puzzled her. Who cares about what they look like when their child goes missing?
“I’ll pay you extra. And it would really be doing me a big favor if you could help me out in this difficult time.”
“Sure. I can come over around ten tomorrow,” she said, glancing at her appointment book, knowing she’d have to shuffle a few appointments around. Her regular clients would understand, hopefully, and would come back at a later time.
“Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.” Felicia’s voice trailed off, and it sounded as if she was crying.
Isla heard the line go dead. Felicia must have been overcome with emotion. She couldn’t really blame her. And she did feel for the woman, especially considering that her own daughter had been found alive. It was true that she’d wanted to meet Felicia for some time, but now she wondered how she would approach this visit. Should she converse with her like normal and act hopeful that Willow would be found? Or should she stay quiet and let Felicia do all the talking, assuming she felt up to it? Best to size the woman up once she got there. Small talk was out of the question, as she realized she knew absolutely nothing about Felicia or her background. She figured she might know a lot more about her after the house call tomorrow.
KARL
ANOTHER DAY OF SEARCHING AND THEY’D STILL NOT FOUND A SIGN of Willow Briggs. Karl had a bad feeling about this case, like he had with Dakota James. He couldn’t put his finger on why he felt this way. A pall of darkness hung over the town, and his intuition told him that the culprit of these crimes might be right under his nose.
He stopped at the local diner and sat at the counter. The news on the overhead television replayed the interview with Gil and Felicia Briggs and showed the dramatic moment when Felicia fainted. If not for the uniform clinging to his body, he would have ordered a Shepherd’s Bay stout with his meal. But he had a lot of work to do and needed his wits about him. Felicia’s fainting spell had