A.L. Jambor - Where's Audrey? by A.L. Jambor Page A

got up at five for work. Her body had grown so used to getting up early and going to bed early that the thought of going out after eight made her anxious.
    Mel was tired. Her neck hurt. She was still worried about Audrey and wondered if Conner had learned anything new. She also wanted to see him. She missed him, but she didn’t want to talk to Lisa about him. She wanted to keep it to herself for a while longer until she was sure there was something to talk about.
    She tried to think of some excuse to get out of staying in the condo for the night. Lisa would never believe Mel was worried about Vera. Maybe she could say her grandmother called and wanted her to come home. Lisa might buy that. Then she felt bad about wanting to ditch her friend. What was wrong with her? She and Lisa had always gone out together, and Lisa would always drink too much. It didn’t bother Mel when they were eighteen, but at twenty-six, she didn’t feel like holding her friend’s hair out of the toilet while she puked.
    She noticed a message from Conner. As she listened to the message, she thought about what a nice voice he had. He said he had talked to animal control and their vet confirmed that Maurice had died from blunt force trauma to his head. That meant someone bashed the poor dog over the head and killed him. Since the dog was buried behind Audrey’s house, that made Jason Jr. the likely suspect.
    He’d been picked up and taken to the county jail. Conner also asked if Audrey had given anyone her power of attorney. That was at three. She called him back and got his voicemail.
    “Hey, sorry I missed your call. I was at the beach with a friend and forgot my phone.” She looked at the time. It was twenty after five. “Listen, if you get this message before six, call me.”
    She hung up. She hoped he would call. She could then tell Lisa she had to leave. But that wouldn’t stop Lisa from going out alone. She was fearless. Shit. Mel would have to stay. Before she went back to Lisa, she called Laura.
    “Hey, Grandma,” she said.
    “Hi, dear. How are things going?”
    “I still haven’t any news for you. I called to ask if you have a power of attorney for Audrey.”
    “I don’t think so. She did send me a copy of her will a while back. Maybe there was one with that. I have to look for it. Why do you need to know that?”
    “Just something the deputy asked for. I’m not sure why.”
    “Well, I’ll look for it and let you know.”
    “How’s Nana Grace doing?” Mel asked.
    “She’s worried. I’m trying to keep her occupied, but she keeps asking if you saw Audrey.”
    “Tell her I miss her. Tell her I got stuck at Lisa’s and haven’t had a chance to go back to the mobile home park but I promise I will before I come home.”
    “Do you think you’ll be back by Christmas?”
    “I don’t know. I miss you. I want to be there for Christmas.”
    “Call me when you know. I miss you, too, Mel.”
    When Mel hung up, she felt sad. Nana Grace was worried. Mel was trying to spare her, but her imagination was probably worse than what Mel knew. She thought about what Conner had said, that Jason was in the county jail. That meant he wasn’t home. The home was empty.
    “Do you need something to wear?” Lisa asked when Mel emerged from the bedroom.
    “Yeah. I have dresses, but I feel cold. I want something that will cover my legs.”
    “There’s nothing wrong with your legs,” Lisa said.
    “No, it’s not that. I’m just cold.”
    “Cold! You should be in New York right now. Come on, Mel! Once you start dancing, you’ll warm up.”
    “Yeah, but before that, I’ll freeze. Do you have something else?”
    “I may have a pair of leggings, or you could wear tights.”
    “Let me see the leggings.”
    “They’re in the second drawer.”
    Mel went to the dresser and looked in the middle drawer. She found a pair of black leggings. She went through the closet again and found a black, silk shell. The leggings were spandex and when