Page 5 of Lost Without You
She placed a hand on his forearm and felt the heat of his skin. How was he so warm in this freezing plane? She stifled the urge to lean closer and absorb his warmth.
“You’re very kind to be worried, but I can handle it. Now, what’s our schedule?” she asked as they were offered plates of breakfast pastries, assorted cheese, and fruit.
“A visit with your mom this afternoon. Then we have a meeting with the PI tomorrow morning. After that, we’ll head over to Harrison, June and Rodwell, the firm where your father worked. It’s a private company and the CEO has been around for thirty-five years. There’s a chance he may remember Walter, but it’s a large company so don’t get your hopes up. After that, hopefully a meeting or two with my FBI and other law enforcement contacts and dinner with Wes and Ryker.”
“Ryker doesn’t want to talk about the search. He’s still uncomfortable with the whole idea. He was only six months old when my father left so he only saw how it affected our mother as we grew up.”
“I understand. Wes invited me so I assume dinner is a social thing. I won’t mention your dad’s case.”
Rachel flushed and took a bite of her cranberry muffin. “Okay. That sounds good.”
“Excellent. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to read over the case notes that the PI, Alfred Long, sent me,” Ethan murmured as he grabbed his laptop case and pulled out a set of headphones.
“I have a book I’ve been meaning to read,” she replied and finished her muffin.
Three hours into the flight and she was halfway through her book, so engrossed in the tale she didn’t realize that they were starting to serve lunch. Hot hand towels were handed out as a refresher along with water. Despite the availability of wine, Rachel declined any alcohol to keep a clear head.
Ethan removed his headphones and rested them around his neck. “The case notes are quite detailed. In the summary, Alfred suggests that Walter left of his own volition. He reviewed your parents’ finances at the time. There was nothing to suggest any trouble, no gambling debts or otherwise, but he also noted that there weren’t any major withdrawals shortly before or after Walter left. I find that odd. If he did leave of his own free will, how far could he have gotten without any significant cash at that time? And there was no activity on his credit card after he left either.” Ethan paused. “And if he wanted to leave your mom, why didn’t he do it formally, and request a divorce? The original interviews suggest that Walter doted on your mother and you and your brother. So why the sudden disappearance and no word to his children for years? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that way. So, what’s next?”
Ethan’s brown eyes locked onto hers. “We have more digging to do. According to these notes, a neighbor of yours remembered seeing Walter leave the apartment on Wednesday, September 26tharound 11:30 PM. That was the last time he was seen. He was carrying a suitcase, so your neighbor assumed he was leaving on a business trip. But according to your mom, he didn’t travel for work.”
Rachel leaned in. “Dad packs a suitcase and takes off while we’re asleep. The only thing we have left is a note that tells us he had to leave and not to search for him. Either he had a breakdown and couldn’t cope. Or something terrified him enough to leave everything he loved behind.”
Ethan nodded. “I’m leaning towards the latter. There was no mention of any history of mental illness in the case file that might explain his sudden behavior.”
“That sounds like he was running scared. But from what?” she asked out loud.
“Exactly. He had a small circle of close friends, and they offered no clues as to why he would have taken off. They said the same thing as your mom—he was a loving husband and caring father and had no issues with money, gambling, or drugs. The PI even looked into the possibility that he left for another woman, but he found no evidence of an affair.”
Rachel sighed. She always felt deep down that her father didn’t leave them willingly. She turned to Ethan and braved a cautious smile.
“Thank you for taking this on. I know you have more important things to do, and books to write, but it means a lot to me and my family.”
Ethan placed a warm hand over hers and all the tension of the past months seemed to dissipate. She was not alone in her search anymore and it brought her more comfort than she expected.
“I’m happy to help out. I thrive on sorting out mysteries, and Wes wouldn’t have introduced us otherwise. I just hope that I can give you answers to your long-awaited questions.”
She remembered that her hand was still enveloped in Ethan’s strong grip and slowly pulled it away.
“Sorry about that,” Ethan muttered and turned back to his laptop.
“No worries. Is there anything else in the PI’s report that stands out to you?”
“He interviewed five people that your father worked with—his immediate supervisor, three co-workers, and the head of the firm. All had the exact same response, Walter was a model employee, hardworking, quiet, and got along well with others. There was only one thing that I found odd in terms of their feedback.”
“And what’s that?”
“They used the exact same phrasing.”
“Are you sure?” Rachel asked.
Ethan nodded. “It’s all here in Alfred’s notes. All five employees used the exact same words to describe Walter.”
Rachel pointed to his laptop. “Let me see the file again.”
Ethan placed the laptop on her tray, and she scanned through the document.