girl? You mean Amber.”
“Well, I wasn’t sure, so I put him off. The girl he’s looking for is named Rachel.”
“So, it’s not Amber.”
“The picture he showed me of her at about fifteen or sixteen is a dead ringer. But I had to be sure, so I did some digging.”
Peter didn’t know what to think. My best friend is looking out for me. But he’s also digging up information on the woman I love behind my back. Amber’s already told me so much. Could there be more?
“The agency this man works for seems to be legit. They specialize in finding people. Based in Portland, they have a couple offices in California, one in Nevada, and another in Washington State.” Andy paused and rubbed his eyes.
“So someone is definitely looking for her but thinks her name is Rachel?”
“I believe so. It turns out her name is Rachel. Amber is her middle name and apparently what she’s been going by for a while. Not that the man I talked to last week seemed to know that.”
“What else did you find out?”
“Well, she was tough to follow. Everything you’ve told me about her has checked out. She’s moved around a lot the last few years, never staying anywhere that I could find longer than four months. Worked about every low income job there is to be found, but all legitimate businesses. Been in the hospital a couple times. Once was after a dog attack and once included some pretty good contusions she wouldn’t explain.”
Peter sat forward. The dog attack explains her fear of Sassy when she first got here, but the contusions . . ? Stuff like that only comes from accidents or beatings. And if she wouldn’t tell the doctors anything . . . “What kind of contusions?”
“On her upper arms like someone had grabbed her and another on the cheek. One of the staff told me her ribs were bruised up pretty good. The doctor wasn’t happy when they found out she’d snuck out of the hospital, but shortly after she went missing a brute of a man showed up looking for her.”
“What do you know about this man looking for her now, Andy?”
“His name is Matthew.” Andy sat forward and put his elbows on his knees. “When he came into the office, he was dressed like he’d been traveling, possibly out looking. Blue jeans, hiking boots, thick winter coat.”
Peter felt goosebumps going up his arms. “Blonde hair and bright blue eyes?”
“You’ve seen him around?”
“I saw him in my backyard!”
Andy looked at Peter, suddenly alert. “When?”
“The night of Mom’s party, that Saturday before Christmas.” Peter couldn’t sit any longer. He paced to the fireplace and back to the couch. “He was standing at the tree line. I was getting ready to head over to Mom and Dad’s, so I turned off the lights in the kitchen. That’s when I saw him standing there.”
“What time was that?
“About 6:00, I guess.”
“How did you see him so clearly in the dark?”
Peter tried to remember exactly what had happened. “I don’t know. It was like he was standing in daylight, as close to me as you are. But I’m also certain that he was at the tree line at the back of the yard.” He ran his hand through his hair. “This doesn’t make any sense.”
“What else do you remember?”
“I called out to him but he didn’t answer. After a moment he just nodded his head at me and turned to leave. I ran out to him, but he was gone.”
“Why did he choose your backyard?”
Peter silently walked back to the fireplace while Andy continued. “Does he know where Amber is? If he’s connected her to you, then why waste time coming to see me?”
“There’s more.” Peter knew his friend would believe him, but he struggled to believe it himself. He turned to look at Andy. “When I got out to the tree line, there were no footprints.”
“What do you mean no footprints?”
“I mean the snow was not disturbed. It looked like no one had been standing there. No one had walked there or turned to walk away. The only
“Well, I wasn’t sure, so I put him off. The girl he’s looking for is named Rachel.”
“So, it’s not Amber.”
“The picture he showed me of her at about fifteen or sixteen is a dead ringer. But I had to be sure, so I did some digging.”
Peter didn’t know what to think. My best friend is looking out for me. But he’s also digging up information on the woman I love behind my back. Amber’s already told me so much. Could there be more?
“The agency this man works for seems to be legit. They specialize in finding people. Based in Portland, they have a couple offices in California, one in Nevada, and another in Washington State.” Andy paused and rubbed his eyes.
“So someone is definitely looking for her but thinks her name is Rachel?”
“I believe so. It turns out her name is Rachel. Amber is her middle name and apparently what she’s been going by for a while. Not that the man I talked to last week seemed to know that.”
“What else did you find out?”
“Well, she was tough to follow. Everything you’ve told me about her has checked out. She’s moved around a lot the last few years, never staying anywhere that I could find longer than four months. Worked about every low income job there is to be found, but all legitimate businesses. Been in the hospital a couple times. Once was after a dog attack and once included some pretty good contusions she wouldn’t explain.”
Peter sat forward. The dog attack explains her fear of Sassy when she first got here, but the contusions . . ? Stuff like that only comes from accidents or beatings. And if she wouldn’t tell the doctors anything . . . “What kind of contusions?”
“On her upper arms like someone had grabbed her and another on the cheek. One of the staff told me her ribs were bruised up pretty good. The doctor wasn’t happy when they found out she’d snuck out of the hospital, but shortly after she went missing a brute of a man showed up looking for her.”
“What do you know about this man looking for her now, Andy?”
“His name is Matthew.” Andy sat forward and put his elbows on his knees. “When he came into the office, he was dressed like he’d been traveling, possibly out looking. Blue jeans, hiking boots, thick winter coat.”
Peter felt goosebumps going up his arms. “Blonde hair and bright blue eyes?”
“You’ve seen him around?”
“I saw him in my backyard!”
Andy looked at Peter, suddenly alert. “When?”
“The night of Mom’s party, that Saturday before Christmas.” Peter couldn’t sit any longer. He paced to the fireplace and back to the couch. “He was standing at the tree line. I was getting ready to head over to Mom and Dad’s, so I turned off the lights in the kitchen. That’s when I saw him standing there.”
“What time was that?
“About 6:00, I guess.”
“How did you see him so clearly in the dark?”
Peter tried to remember exactly what had happened. “I don’t know. It was like he was standing in daylight, as close to me as you are. But I’m also certain that he was at the tree line at the back of the yard.” He ran his hand through his hair. “This doesn’t make any sense.”
“What else do you remember?”
“I called out to him but he didn’t answer. After a moment he just nodded his head at me and turned to leave. I ran out to him, but he was gone.”
“Why did he choose your backyard?”
Peter silently walked back to the fireplace while Andy continued. “Does he know where Amber is? If he’s connected her to you, then why waste time coming to see me?”
“There’s more.” Peter knew his friend would believe him, but he struggled to believe it himself. He turned to look at Andy. “When I got out to the tree line, there were no footprints.”
“What do you mean no footprints?”
“I mean the snow was not disturbed. It looked like no one had been standing there. No one had walked there or turned to walk away. The only
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