Chapter 29
“I’m so happy we could get together like this, Adela,” Missy gushed from across the table. They were having lunch at a bistro café in the adjoining town of Goodyear. They huddled in a small table in the corner of the restaurant eating cold pumpkin soup and a salad. Adela decided that she really, really liked Ranch dressing.
Adela sipped her iced tea. The taste made her eyes water, so she followed Missy’s example and poured in three packets of sugar. Tasting it again, she loved the sweetness and smiled. “I’m glad we could as well, Missy.”
Adela really liked Missy. Her smile was so bright it reminded her of the sun. Missy was like a little tornado of happiness, spreading grins wherever she went.
They had discussed movies, which had been a difficult conversation as the last movie Adela saw with Liam the other night was apparently considered old. Adela had to laugh when Missy told her that it had been made in 2008. If Missy considered that old, Adela was downright prehistoric.
They discussed celebrity gossip, and, thankfully, Adela was a little more knowledgeable on that subject. It was hard to ignore the tabloids in the grocery store and on people’s coffee tables. She hadn’t been in very many grocery stores, but thousands upon thousands of homes.
“So do you think she got pregnant on purpose?” Missy asked with a glint in her eye. “I mean, it’s so easy to avoid that with birth control these days.”
Adela’s cheeks warmed as she thought of the passion in those damn books that could very well lead to pregnancy.
“I don’t know,” Adela answered, taking another sip of tea. She had no idea how to answer the question and didn’t recognize the celebrity Missy was talking about, so she decided to change the conversation.
“It seems you and Jeff have known each other for a while,” she said.
Missy’s smile faded and she lowered her eyes. “Yes. We’ve known each other about two years. Sara was a good friend of mine.”
“If I may be so bold, where is she?”
Missy opened her mouth as if to speak, then shut it again. She looked around the restaurant, then back to Adela. Running her fingers through her blonde curls, she said, “We don’t know where she is. She just . . . disappeared one day. I mean, we sort of know, but it’s pretty apparent she doesn’t want anything to do with Jeff, or me, for that matter.”
Adela stared at Missy. If Sara disappeared, did that mean she and Jeff hadn’t been happy together? “Disappeared?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Why? Was she not happy with Jeff?”
“No, they were very happy together.”
“Then what happened? Is she alive?”
Missy took another bite of her salad and chewed thoughtfully. Adela waited for an answer, her heart pounding. She knew she was so close to finding out the information they needed.
Missy set her fork down, and when she looked at Adela again, a deep sadness had taken the place of the sparkle in her eyes. “As far as I know, Sara ran off with another man.”
The words were spoken so softly, Adela was almost uncertain Missy had spoken at all.
“Another man?”
Missy nodded.
Adela sat back in her chair. Another man? How could this happen? Sara was supposed to be with Jeff. Perhaps they needed to find her and tell her the error of her ways and how important it was that they get back together, that they loved one another.
“She was very good at hiding the affair, but when Jeff found out, he hit the roof.”
Adela nodded, hoping Missy would go on, and not blaming Jeff one bit. She felt as though she’d been cheated on with Liam’s straying ways. She couldn’t imagine the pain of finding out the one you loved gave their body to another, and possibly their heart. Thankfully, Missy didn’t disappoint and kept talking.
“I didn’t see Sara for a few days, which wasn’t normal. Usually, we had coffee or grabbed a bite to eat at least once a week. I remember Jeff was quiet and reserved as well during that time, like they had had a big fight or something. I called a couple of times, but it went to voicemail. If they were fighting it wasn’t any of my business, and if Sara wanted to talk about it, she had my number.”
Adela took another sip of the iced tea, almost afraid to move so she wouldn’t break Missy’s train of thought.
“Finally, I saw Jeff in the hallway. God, Adela, he looked horrible. He looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. He told me that Sara left him for another man, and I couldn’t believe it. Her college professor, of all people! She’d never given any indication that she wasn’t happy with Jeff. I mean, there’s nothing for her to be unhappy about! He’s got a good job, he’s nice, has a good sense of humor, he takes care of himself . . . it just didn’t make any sense.”
Adela listened as Missy told of her desperate attempts to find Sara. “I called her about a zillion times and she never answered. I left so many messages. It was like she’d just left her whole life behind. And then she changed her phone number.”
Studying Missy’s face, Adela could see the hurt in her eyes. Sara had not only devastated Jeff, but she had hurt Missy as well. As far as Adela was concerned, it was all the more reason for Sara to be back in both Missy and Jeff’s life so they could all make amends.
Missy looked out the window. “Jeff looked for her as well. He called her family and other friends, and no one had heard from her, or so they said. It was like I was watching this physically strong man crumble before me, brick by brick. He went back to her professor’s house, but no one answered.”
Adela was afraid to breathe. This was the information that they needed to find Sara.
Missy turned to Adela. “Then he started to hang out at the professor’s house, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, maybe talk some sense into her. I reminded him that he was a cop and he could very well lose his job for stalking, trespassing, or whatever the charge would be. Then he found out that she stole the money they had been saving up to buy a house. Forty thousand dollars.”
Adela gasped.
“Yeah, I know. He was so angry, but he still wanted her back.”
Evangeline had said that Adela and Liam would be getting the “easy” assignments, but there was nothing easy about this. This was a mess, and Adela had no idea what to do. How in the world did they go about finding someone who obviously didn’t want to be with the person she was supposed to be with?
“Are you okay, Adela? You look a little pale.”
Adela nodded. “Yes. It’s just such a sad story.”
Missy forked the last bite of her salad. “Yes, it is. I don’t know how Jeff is going to survive. He’s lost without Sara.”
Adela couldn’t help but think that she and Liam were as well.