knew. An old girlfriend, maybe? There had been dozens in high school and college. Where would he even start?
"Did Gary happen to mention a name? I'm just curious."
"I don't remember if he did, but I got the feeling it was a woman. Don't tell Rachel I said that," he added quickly.
"Why? Was something going on?"
"No, I'm sure not," Mike denied. "Look, I gotta run. Anything else?"
"No, thanks."
"Give me a call when you're done house building. We'll have a drink."
"Sure." Dylan ended the call with an uneasy feeling in his gut. Who the hell had Gary gone to see in Tahoe? If he could figure that out, the rest of the story would follow.
His chest tightened when he saw Rachel's minivan turn into the driveway and come up the hill. He wondered if he should tell her about the supposed "old friend" in Gary's life. But he didn't know anything specific, and until he did, he should probably keep the information to himself.
"Hi," Rachel said as she got out of the van. Dressed in a pair of jeans and a light blue t-shirt, she looked both cool and casual. She handed him a cardboard cylinder. "The plans are in here."
"Thanks. Let's take a look."
"In a second," she replied.
He saw the worry in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Nothing?"
"Well, probably nothing. Oh, damn Carly anyway!"
"Carly? What did she do?"
"She told me Gary had phone calls from some woman named Laura. Do you know who she was talking about?"
"Laura? I don't think so," he said slowly. "I can't think of anyone off the top of my head."
"Neither can I. But after I spoke to Carly, I looked through the phone bills and saw some numbers I didn't recognize."
Dylan tensed. "Did you call any of them?"
"Not yet. I couldn't quite bring myself to do it."
"Any cities stand out?"
"There were a bunch -- Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles, Reno, maybe others. I scanned the numbers quickly."
"Reno?" He jumped on that one. Reno was only thirty minutes from Lake Tahoe. Maybe there was a connection there. "What about Tahoe?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, but I don't have the bills for Gary's cell phone; those were paid by his firm. I'm sure the calls are all reasonable and innocent."
"Probably," he agreed.
"I didn't realize Gary knew so many people in so many different places."
"His business took him all over the country."
"Yes." She paused. "I can't stop thinking about the perfume bottle in Gary's apartment."
"Rachel –"
"I know, the perfume might not mean anything. But when I put it together with phone calls from someone named Laura, a woman Gary never mentioned to me, I get a bad feeling. I didn't think Gary had secrets from me, but it appears that he did."
"You don't know that. Maybe the calls just weren't important enough to mention."
"Maybe. I can't do this, Dylan. I can't question every little thing. I'll go crazy. I am going crazy." She bit down on her bottom lip, struggling to hang on to her composure.
He dug his hands into his pockets, struggling against his instinct to offer comfort.
They both lost the battle.
Rachel burst into tears and he reached for her, drawing her against his chest. "It's okay," he murmured. "It's okay."
She cried a river of tears that streamed down her cheeks and soaked through his shirt. She hung on to him like he was the only buoy in a raging sea, and he couldn't have let her go even if he wanted to.
"God, I'm sorry," she sniffed as the sobs finally began to lessen. She pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I don't know why I keep crying. I'm usually pretty controlled."
"You're entitled. It's been a long six months, hasn't it?"
"Yes. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday that I saw him, and other times it feels like a million years ago. But crying won't bring him back or help me get to the truth. I shouldn't be wasting my time with tears."
"It's not always a waste. If you keep everything inside, it will eat you alive."
She sent him a startled look.
"Did Gary happen to mention a name? I'm just curious."
"I don't remember if he did, but I got the feeling it was a woman. Don't tell Rachel I said that," he added quickly.
"Why? Was something going on?"
"No, I'm sure not," Mike denied. "Look, I gotta run. Anything else?"
"No, thanks."
"Give me a call when you're done house building. We'll have a drink."
"Sure." Dylan ended the call with an uneasy feeling in his gut. Who the hell had Gary gone to see in Tahoe? If he could figure that out, the rest of the story would follow.
His chest tightened when he saw Rachel's minivan turn into the driveway and come up the hill. He wondered if he should tell her about the supposed "old friend" in Gary's life. But he didn't know anything specific, and until he did, he should probably keep the information to himself.
"Hi," Rachel said as she got out of the van. Dressed in a pair of jeans and a light blue t-shirt, she looked both cool and casual. She handed him a cardboard cylinder. "The plans are in here."
"Thanks. Let's take a look."
"In a second," she replied.
He saw the worry in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Nothing?"
"Well, probably nothing. Oh, damn Carly anyway!"
"Carly? What did she do?"
"She told me Gary had phone calls from some woman named Laura. Do you know who she was talking about?"
"Laura? I don't think so," he said slowly. "I can't think of anyone off the top of my head."
"Neither can I. But after I spoke to Carly, I looked through the phone bills and saw some numbers I didn't recognize."
Dylan tensed. "Did you call any of them?"
"Not yet. I couldn't quite bring myself to do it."
"Any cities stand out?"
"There were a bunch -- Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles, Reno, maybe others. I scanned the numbers quickly."
"Reno?" He jumped on that one. Reno was only thirty minutes from Lake Tahoe. Maybe there was a connection there. "What about Tahoe?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, but I don't have the bills for Gary's cell phone; those were paid by his firm. I'm sure the calls are all reasonable and innocent."
"Probably," he agreed.
"I didn't realize Gary knew so many people in so many different places."
"His business took him all over the country."
"Yes." She paused. "I can't stop thinking about the perfume bottle in Gary's apartment."
"Rachel –"
"I know, the perfume might not mean anything. But when I put it together with phone calls from someone named Laura, a woman Gary never mentioned to me, I get a bad feeling. I didn't think Gary had secrets from me, but it appears that he did."
"You don't know that. Maybe the calls just weren't important enough to mention."
"Maybe. I can't do this, Dylan. I can't question every little thing. I'll go crazy. I am going crazy." She bit down on her bottom lip, struggling to hang on to her composure.
He dug his hands into his pockets, struggling against his instinct to offer comfort.
They both lost the battle.
Rachel burst into tears and he reached for her, drawing her against his chest. "It's okay," he murmured. "It's okay."
She cried a river of tears that streamed down her cheeks and soaked through his shirt. She hung on to him like he was the only buoy in a raging sea, and he couldn't have let her go even if he wanted to.
"God, I'm sorry," she sniffed as the sobs finally began to lessen. She pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I don't know why I keep crying. I'm usually pretty controlled."
"You're entitled. It's been a long six months, hasn't it?"
"Yes. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday that I saw him, and other times it feels like a million years ago. But crying won't bring him back or help me get to the truth. I shouldn't be wasting my time with tears."
"It's not always a waste. If you keep everything inside, it will eat you alive."
She sent him a startled look.
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