She Once Vanished, page 18
He cleared his throat. “I could be better. Bit of a rough night.”
“A bit of a rough night,” she repeated. “Your normal night is worse than my bad nights. So how bad was it?”
Zachary shrugged.
“Did you sleep at all?”
“Not really.”
She motioned him away from the driver’s side of the car. “You’re not driving.”
“It’s just to the airport.”
“Yeah, and I will take this leg of the trip. You’re going to relax for a few minutes while I do. Grab a nap on the plane, and I’m sure you’ll be fine to drive in Salt Lake.”
“I’m okay to drive now.”
“Nope.” Kenzie opened the driver’s door and got in.
There wasn’t anything for Zachary to do but to get into the passenger’s seat. He did up his seatbelt while Kenzie adjusted her seat position and mirrors. There wasn’t any point in arguing about it, so he sat back and watched out the window, alert for anyone watching them go or falling in behind the car once they pulled out.
“How was your sleep?” he asked.
“Not bad. I don’t usually sleep great at hotels, but I felt like I needed to catch up, and I think I did. I’m feeling a lot calmer today.”
“Part of that will be the anti-anxiety pills.”
She nodded. “Yes, I’m sure it is. But a good night’s sleep makes a big difference, too. I think… being away from the house for a few days was a good idea. I feel like I can relax.”
“Good.”
Zachary was paranoid enough for both of them.
Once they had made it past the airport security and were waiting for their flight, Zachary felt a little better. Getting past airport security with a weapon wasn’t impossible, but it was not easy. Even someone who was trained to kill with his bare hands would still have to find a way to get Zachary or Kenzie away from everyone else to do the deed.
So he had another cup of coffee and a chocolate chip muffin and was able to relax enough to visit with Kenzie and look forward to the next leg of their journey. No one else knew their itinerary. Following Elysse’s erratic trip had the added benefit of being unpredictable, no one could anticipate where they were going next.
Unless someone knew the route she had taken and that Zachary was following it.
“Now go to sleep,” Kenzie told him once they were in the air. She pulled a paperback out of her carry-on.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep on a plane.”
Zachary had not had much opportunity for air travel during his lifetime. He had flown only a handful of times and was usually hyped up and looking out the window or following their route on a map.
“Close your eyes and relax. We’re in the air for four hours. What else are you going to do?”
He looked at his carry-on, which, of course, included his computer. There was plenty he could do while they were in the air. Kenzie shook her head. “Not until you’ve had some sleep.”
After the events of the last couple of days and the anxious, sleepless night, Zachary’s body was crying out for sleep. He knew by the frayed-at-the-edges feeling that the lack of sleep was affecting him. He sighed, settled back in his seat, and closed his eyes.
He was completely dead to the world until Kenzie woke him up, shaking his arm gently so as not to startle him. Zachary still awoke with a start, jolting his broken ribs. He gasped and held still for a moment, waiting for the pain to subside enough that he could breathe shallowly.
“What is it?” He looked around to see if she had woken him up for drink or lunch service.
“We’re landing.”
Zachary blinked. He rubbed his eyes. “I slept the whole time?”
“Like a baby. I guess you needed it.”
That was longer than Zachary slept at home in his bed many nights. He took a deep breath and let it out again, wincing at the expansion and contraction of his rib cage. He was feeling a lot more clear-headed and energetic. Amazing what a few hours of sleep could do.
“Sorry, I guess I wasn’t very good company.”
“I had a book. I didn’t need any conversation.” She tucked it back away in her bag.
Zachary couldn’t imagine being able to read a thick novel for entertainment. He could, if pressed, read through large amounts of material with the aid of his ADHD meds, But the idea of reading for fun was foreign to him. The challenges of dyslexia, ADHD, and PTSD in those early years had prevented him from developing a love of reading.
Even at school when they had been instructed to put their heads down on their desks to listen to a beloved children’s novel read by the teacher, he had not enjoyed it. Sitting still and being quiet were not his wheelhouse, and there were many times when he had been banished to sit in the hallway alone so that other students could listen to the teacher undistracted by his restless movements.
It had been pretty obvious he wasn’t going to grow up to be a reader.
“Please fasten your seatbelts,” the flight attendant instructed.
Zachary reached down to buckle his up and saw that he had never unbuckled it in the first place. He relaxed and watched out the window as the plane glided out of the clouds and toward the runway.
37
Of course they had to wait for Kenzie’s luggage but, eventually, they were on their way again. With several hours of sleep under his belt, Zachary was allowed to take over the driving again, heading towards a mall where several people had reportedly sighted Elysse.
The reports had been discounted by the police because, of course, they weren’t anywhere near Vermont, New York, or Elysse’s home in Oregon. The authorities were focused on the areas where they expected to find her, especially the wilderness areas in Vermont that could have swallowed her up so easily.
Places where her body could have been disposed of and not found for years except by chance.
They had been so sure she was dead, and that Dain had killed her.
Was that what they were supposed to think? Had Elysse planned to disappear, be presumed dead, and never resurface again? To start another life under another name and identity? Was she so disenchanted with her life that she had been willing to kill her identity and start again?
The fans who had found her in Arizona had wrecked any chance of that happening. Elysse had probably not realized just how recognizable she was and how quickly she would be forced to return to her old life.
Zachary and Kenzie examined the pictures of Elysse at the mall downloaded from social media and discussion boards. They looked for recognizable objects in the backgrounds of the photographs to establish where Elysse had been and walked around the mall to find the stores or other locations pictured.
Zachary went into the first store that Elysse had been seen leaving, a women’s clothing store. One of the saleswomen approached him, smiling but reserved.
“Hi, can I help you with something?”
“Hi.” Zachary had not entirely decided on the approach to take to confirm the sightings. “I’m wondering… were you working here six months ago?”
She looked curious but said that she had been. The turnover of staff at retail stores could be pretty quick, so Zachary was happy to have found someone on the first try who was there when Elysse disappeared.
“Great. This might be a stupid question, but do you know Elysse Allan? The social influencer… Elysse?”
She was wary. “I know of her,” she said stiffly.
“She was seen here six months ago, during the time she was a missing person. Do you know who was on shift when she was here?”
“Why?”
“I’m investigating her activities during that time,” Zachary told her vaguely. “There are a number of pictures showing that she was in this mall and in this store.”
“So what?”
“I’m just wondering if anyone remembers her being here. If they can confirm her presence.”
The young woman bit her lip, thinking about this. She looked around the store as if she didn’t know who was there with her.
“I don’t know what it matters. So what if this woman did come to the store? Why not? Who really cares?”
“I am investigating her disappearance.”
“But she was found.”
“Yes, but the story she told the public wasn’t true.”
“I don’t know who was here or if anyone talked to her. I remember them talking about her, but…”
“Who talked about her?”
She looked around the store again. Kenzie was walking around the store, looking through the racks of clothing. Another saleswoman approached her to see if she needed any help. Kenzie started talking to her about the clothing lines and what she liked or didn’t like.
“I’ll ask around,” the saleswoman Zachary was talking to said. But she didn’t make any move to talk to anyone else.
“Now?” Zachary asked.
“People are busy. We’re working, you know. If we start chatting about other stuff, we’ll get fired. If you want to buy something…” She gestured around her at the racks of dresses and other women’s clothing and gave him a little smile. “See anything you like?”
“I don’t think you have anything in my size,” Zachary laughed.
She looked at him critically. “It’s not like you’re some big, buff guy. We’ve got plenty that would fit you.”
Zachary laughed. “Okay, well, you’ll talk to the other staff later, then? Can I give you my card, and then you can call me? Or whoever saw her in person can call me to confirm?”
She reluctantly agreed to take his card. Zachary could tell she was not eager to call him back. She was just hoping to get rid of him and his questions. He would be lucky if he got a call back from anyone in the store.
Kenzie was still having an animated chat with the other salesclerk. Rather than motioning for her to follow him or joining the conversation, Zachary drifted out of the store and checked out some of the other stores nearby. It was possible that workers or employees of other stores had seen Elysse while she had been there.
He tried starting a few conversations, casually mentioning that he had once seen Elysse Allan there, hoping someone else would chime in and say they had also seen her. Mostly people just looked at him as if wondering what some old dude’s interest in the young social influencer was. He felt dirty just mentioning her, as if he were doing something wrong.
Kenzie caught up with him eventually. It seemed like she’d had a very long conversation with the clerk at the clothing store.
“How did you do?” Zachary asked. “Did you buy anything?”
She grinned at him. She held up a shopping bag. “I bought a blouse. Can I expense it?”
“Expense it?”
“As a business expense for interviewing the salesclerk.”
“Did you find something out?”
“We had a long conversation about brands and clothing lines.”
“Uh-huh.”
“About how it was odd that Elysse Allan would come in there when she didn’t normally wear any of those brands.”
“Oh. So she remembered Elysse?”
“Yes, she did.” Kenzie grinned broadly.
“Great! So we have a confirmation that she was here. Did they talk? Did she know who Elysse was when she was in the store?”
“Yes, she knew who Elysse was and talked to her.”
“Perfect. Great job.”
“Aren’t you glad you brought me along?”
“Definitely. You’ve earned your place on this trip. Talking to her about clothing brands—that never would have occurred to me.”
“You probably don’t spend much time talking about women’s clothing brands.”
“That’s true,” Zachary admitted. “Hardly any. I’m obviously going to have to bone up on women’s fashion.”
They went to the food court to get some lunch, and started conversations at strategic locations about Elysse Allan to see whether they got any responses from anyone else who had seen her there.
Sitting with a milkshake and looking around the food court, considering any other approaches that might be successful, Zachary’s eyes caught on a familiar logo. A Knicks cap. Someone standing behind a group of people. Funny that he should see a Knicks cap at the same time as he was thinking about the Elysse Allan case. He waited for the person wearing the cap to come into view.
Eventually, the crowd thinned, and he could see the wearer.
A big, heavyset man with a bushy beard.
38
Zachary jolted before he could control his visceral reaction. Not a great PI trait, showing everything he was thinking in his face. Kenzie saw the reaction and turned her head to see who he was looking at.
“Don’t look,” Zachary warned her. “Don’t do anything to attract his attention.”
She pointed her nose back directly at him. “Whose attention?”
“A man just came in… he matches the description of someone seen multiple times on Elysse Allan’s tour.”
“Matches his description? You haven’t seen a picture?”
“No.”
“Is he distinctive?”
“Well… not unique,” Zachary admitted, watching the bushy-bearded guy peripherally while talking to Kenzie, trying not to give away that he was paying any attention to the man. “Big guy, big bushy beard. Wears a Knicks cap.”
Kenzie arched an eyebrow. “That description must match dozens of men. Hundreds, maybe. How many people would you see in the stands at a Knicks game? How many of them would be big guys with bushy beards?”
Zachary tried to envision a stadium full of fans. How many people would it hold? How many of them would match the description? Kenzie was right. He had no reason to get worked up over seeing one guy who fit the profile. It had just startled him. It was a coincidence.
But seeing a lot of big guys with bushy beards at a stadium during a Knicks game was not the same as seeing a man somewhere other than a Knicks game in Vermont or Utah. There were far fewer people wearing Knicks caps while they were out and about.
“We should go over there and talk,” he suggested.
“To him?”
“No. Just close by. So he might overhear.”
“Okay,” she agreed, unperturbed by the suggestion.
Zachary’s gut was getting a workout as they walked across the food court, getting closer to the bushy beard guy. Was it wise to approach him? He did not have anything to do with the case. It was just a coincidence that Zachary saw someone who matched the potential stalker’s description while following Elysse’s back trail.
Why would the man with the Knicks cap care about Zachary’s investigation, even if he were the man who had been following Elysse? He didn’t even have any way of knowing about it.
Certainly, there was nothing dangerous about talking to him. And they weren’t even going to start talking directly to him but would only slide into a conversation if he responded to their fictional discussion.
Kenzie looked at Zachary, confirming whether they were going ahead. Maybe she sensed his anxiety.
Zachary swallowed and nodded.
They stopped near the bearded man. “And the last time I was here, you wouldn’t guess who I saw.”
“Justin Bieber,” Kenzie suggested promptly.
Zachary stared at her. She grinned. He wondered whether her suggestion was prompted by their recent visit to Canada.
“Not Justin Bieber,” he told her firmly. “Elysse Allan.”
The bearded guy, who hadn’t turned a hair at the mention of Justin Bieber, turned quickly toward them. Zachary ignored the reaction, pretending not to see the man.
“Really?” Kenzie asked. “What would Elysse Allan be doing here?”
“I don’t have a clue. Shopping, I guess.”
“In Salt Lake City?” Kenzie scoffed. “It couldn’t have been her. It was someone who resembled her. Maybe.”
“No, it was her, for sure,” Zachary insisted. “Don’t ask me what she was doing in Salt Lake City. Maybe it was part of a media tour.”
The man was turned fully toward them, clearly wanting to be involved in the conversation.
“Excuse me?” he had a rich baritone voice. “I couldn’t help overhearing, did you say you saw Elysse Allan here?”
“Crazy, right?” Zachary asked. “I mean, she lives in Oregon, so what would she be doing in Salt Lake?”
“I heard she was here too,” the man contributed, encouraging him.
“Zachary Goldman,” Zachary said, holding his hand out to introduce himself.
The man hesitated, then shook. “Marvin Haroldson.”
“Good to meet you, Marvin. Are you a big Elysse Allan fan?”
Marvin wasn’t sure whether to admit it or not. Zachary appeared to be unembarrassed about being a fan. But maybe Marvin had been mocked in the past about being a fan. The millions of fans around the world couldn’t all be teen and twenty-something girls. Maybe Marvin could find in Zachary a friend and confidante—an Elysse Allan groupie closer to Marvin in age and gender.
“Well, I’ve been following her for a while,” he offered tentatively.
“Me too,” Zachary told him enthusiastically. “I know it might seem like a strange choice for a guy my age, but she’s so… genuine. I really miss her postings. I wish she would come back from this… hiatus.”
Marvin nodded his agreement. “She was posting every day, several times a day, and was just soaring in popularity. And then suddenly, she stops. Just flat-out stops. I can’t understand her leaving everyone in the lurch like that.”
“I guess it was when she disappeared,” Zachary contributed. “But I thought she would start up again once she was found.”
He studied Marvin’s face, trying to read everything he could there. Hero worship? Love? Lust? Obsession? What had made him follow Elysse Allan and how had he responded when she had stopped posting? Or had he been part of the reason she had disappeared?
“She should have,” Marvin agreed fiercely. “Why would she just stop? All of us out here, waiting for her to start talking to us again. Waiting for some word or picture, some piece of her life… but she just stopped sharing.”
