She Once Vanished, page 3
“I’ll bet they just loved you.”
Dain grinned, shaking his head. “I never felt so good about myself before. Never accomplished anything like that. It was incredible to see what effect posting a few words could have. So the police began the investigation. The mainstream media camped out on their doorstep. And plenty of fellow Instagrammers and other social celebs were either there or posting about it.”
“Amazing. Did you sleep that night?”
“No, not a chance. I was too hyped up and worried, and there was no way the cops would have let me rest after all that. To start with, I think they were only interviewing me because they wanted to show the fans that they were doing something about the case, and maybe also retaliation against me for causing them trouble… you know, taking turns interrogating me so I wouldn’t get a break. It was grueling.”
“It sounds like it. And then, at some point, the police decided you were the primary suspect.”
“Yeah. Probably that night. It’s always the boyfriend, right? And I was the last one to see her, and I was the one making trouble for them, trying to get attention. All suspicious activities, apparently.”
“Did they find anything out the first day? The police didn’t release anything to the media to begin with.”
“They didn’t tell me much about what they were doing, but they were looking for her car the first day. Calling her phone. Trying to track its location. But the GPS was disabled. They don’t have license plate scanners everywhere, especially in a place like Vermont. It’s not like New York City.”
Dain rubbed his face, fatigued. Maybe tired from the strain of recounting the emotional experience. Maybe remembering how exhausted he had been that first night when they grilled him all through the night.
“They were looking in New York,” Dain went on. “That’s where we were supposed to go to finish our trip, and everybody kind of figured that if she was okay, she would be moving ahead with that plan. Even if she wasn’t posting her trip anymore, she would still go on to New York because that was where we had booked our trip home from. Police were all over the place waiting to see if she checked in at the airport in New York. And keeping the crowds down, because everybody figured that was where she would go. There were thousands of fans there to catch sight of her, to be the first ones to say that yes, she was okay, and had shown up for her flight. Everything would go back to normal again.”
“But she didn’t continue to go east. Why do you think she doubled back? Why head back to the Grand Canyon? You’d already been there, and it would have been much faster to go to New York and fly home, even if she didn’t catch the flight she had already booked.”
Dain shook his head. “It doesn’t make any sense. I’ve looked at it every way possible. But it just doesn’t fit. We already went through the Grand Canyon and she didn’t even like it very much. She got some nice pictures, and the fans loved them, but Elysse didn’t like it. It was hot and dry, and it’s not a venue where you can just pop in and out. The trail rides and everything take a lot of time. Sitting on a mule for hours in the sun… she wasn’t really impressed with it.”
“She said on her TV appearance that she’d wanted to see more than she did when she was with you. That you wanted to look at different things.”
Dain shook his head irritably. “She made all the plans. There was no discussion about where I wanted to go or how I wanted to do things. It was her itinerary. I didn’t take her to a bunch of places she didn’t want to go in the Grand Canyon.”
“So she’d already seen everything she wanted to there.”
“I don’t know. Maybe Elysse wanted to go on a helicopter tour or a picnic or something she read about in the brochures while we were there. But I can’t believe she really wanted to go back there. Unless…” He trailed off.
Zachary got up and refilled his coffee cup and refreshed Dain’s as well. He let the silence work on Dain.
“Unless she wanted to hide,” Dain said. “That’s the only thing I can think of. No one would be looking for her because we’d already been there. And when we went through together, they talked about the number of people who get lost in the Grand Canyon. Some who never turned up again. But thousands disappear and then are found again. If she really wanted to stay out of sight… well, it would be one of the most likely places to try. She only resurfaced because a fan saw her and wouldn’t let it go.”
If that hadn’t happened, how long would it have been before Elysse had reappeared?
5
Zachary thought about his closing conversation with Dain as he drove back home, taking a circuitous route to watch for any tails.
“So you don’t believe the story Elysse gave the media on her return. What do you think really happened?”
Dain shook his head. “I’ve thought about it, come up with all kinds of scenarios, but I don’t know if any of them make sense. I haven’t come up with anything that fits… I just know it didn’t happen the way that she said. She wouldn’t just leave and never come back. That’s not in Elysse’s makeup. I’ve known her since we were kids, and I know.”
“You don’t think she just needed a few days to get her head on straight? Like she had done before?”
“No. Elysse had never cut off all communication. She might not want to talk to me if we’d had a fight, but she would still talk to her family and friends and post on social media. I knew something was wrong.”
“You think something happened to her, but she won’t discuss it.”
Dain shook his head, lips pressed together tightly. “I just don’t know. Since she came back… she’s not the same person.”
“In what way?”
“It’s hard to put into words. I mean, she’s not talking to me, so I only know what I can get from mutual acquaintances. Her family or friends who will talk to me. They say she is just trying to stay out of public scrutiny. But I know that isn’t all that is going on. Something is really wrong. I wouldn’t hire a private investigator just out of ego because she won’t talk to me anymore or to prove that I was right to report her missing in the first place. I really think something happened to her… and the story isn’t over.”
His words echoed around Zachary’s head. Something happened to her… and the story isn’t over.
Could Dain be right? When Elysse had returned, everyone thought that was the end of it. Elysse would go back to her regular activities. Everything was resolved and back to normal. But what if it wasn’t?
Zachary checked the time as he approached the house. The streetlights cast long shadows across the pavement. He hadn’t been sure how long he would be in the interview with Dain, so he had warned Kenzie that he might not be home when she returned from the medical examiner’s office. Unless she had ended up with a last-minute autopsy that had kept her at the office, she had probably beaten him home. But she had enough control over her schedule that she normally wouldn’t start one that late.
He drove up in front of the house and saw that there were more lights on than he had left turned on. So Kenzie was home. Zachary looked up and down the street before getting out of the car, alert for anyone who might be watching from another vehicle. Anyone who was there that shouldn’t be.
He was usually careful. But taking on the Elysse Allan case, he knew he had to be more cautious than ever. She had millions of fans. There was no way to keep track of them or know if people around him, even those he knew well, were followers. Would they object to him taking on the case? Would it be seen as an attack on Elysse? Not taking her at her word?
Or would they believe that he was doing something to help her? That maybe he could bring the old Elysse back again?
He was anxious about having taken Dain’s case. What if it led to more violence? He didn’t want to make a target of himself or those close to him.
There didn’t seem to be anyone suspicious on the street, so Zachary eventually got out of the car, carefully locked it, armed the security system, and checked everything again.
He looked at the house and saw Kenzie in the doorway watching him. He tore his gaze from the car and walked up the sidewalk toward her.
“Everything is fine,” he assured her.
Kenzie accepted a brief hug and kiss and didn’t say anything to him about his being paranoid. Most of the cuts and gouges he had sustained from a package bomb left on his doorstep were healed now, but there were still a few marks on his face, neck, and arms. They had not been caused by an overactive imagination.
They stepped inside and Zachary re-armed the security system from the keypad at the door.
“How was your day?” Zachary asked, keeping his tone light.
“Pretty good. Things have slowed down, and we are getting caught up. Nothing new today.”
“Good.” He didn’t imagine Kenzie would like it if they stopped getting bodies to process and there was nothing to do, but slowing down after the post-Christmas and New Year’s Eve rush was good.
Kenzie had apparently just finished preparing dinner. The comforting aroma of chicken wafted through the air, mingling with toasted bread. She motioned to the table, which she had already set. Usually, that was Zachary’s job. But she hadn’t known when he would be home and had done it herself. “Good timing,” Kenzie observed. “I’m glad you got home when you did.”
“Is this what it would be like every day if I worked an office job?” Zachary teased. “I kind of like the service.”
“Definitely not. You would still have to help.”
“Oh, well. That’s another dream crushed.”
They both chuckled at this. Zachary would never have survived an office job. Having to be in an office or cubicle from nine to five every day sounded like torture. He needed the freedom to move around, to keep his own schedule and work whatever time of day he liked, to have interesting puzzles to solve, and to work with a variety of people. Working in an office environment would have him climbing the walls within days.
“So, did you take it on?” Kenzie asked as she sat down and started dishing up green salad onto her plate. “The Elysse Allan case?”
Zachary let out a long, slow breath. He knew she probably wouldn’t like it. He smiled and kept his voice casual and calm, trying to give her the impression that it would be an easy, routine investigation. “Yes. It shouldn’t take too long, I don’t think, and it will be profitable.” He had charged Dain his highest rate and gotten a sizable retainer. “It’s an interesting case.”
“I’ll give you that,” Kenzie agreed. “People are wondering what actually happened to Elysse while she was missing.”
“I’m thinking alien abduction.”
Zachary said it with a straight face and no hint of humor in his voice. He thought he had done an outstanding job at sounding serious.
Kenzie looked at him, startled, and shook her head. “You don’t really think that.” Her tone indicated that she was ninety percent sure that he was joking. Maybe eighty percent. Sure, but not sure. He could be experiencing new symptoms from his medications. Hallucinations. An extension of his security compulsions. A psychotic break.
He grinned at her. “No, I’m just pulling your leg.”
“Thank goodness for that.” Kenzie blew out her breath.
“Everyone knows that the high concentration of quartz crystals in the Grand Canyon’s rocks creates an energy field that repels UFOs.”
Kenzie laughed, buttering a piece of crusty bread. “You are the weirdest guy sometimes.”
“I aim to please.”
“I’m just not sure about you taking on the Elysse Allan case. With her being such a prominent figure in social media… trying to disprove her story is asking for trouble, isn’t it?”
“The whole point is to help Elysse, not to vilify her on social media. I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”
He knew he was overstating his position. He was also concerned about the potential blowback but thought it would be manageable.
“Besides, no one will know I’m looking into it. I will keep my inquiries discreet. It isn’t like Elysse’s millions of fans are going to know I’m looking into it.”
“You have to talk to people. It will get out.”
“No one will be interested in some small-town private eye in Vermont investigating what really happened to Elysse Allan. I’ll be right up there with the UFO conspiracy kooks.” He smiled again, though it felt as unnatural as if he were wearing a mask. “No one is going to think anything of it. Just another Elysse Allan fan trying to get the scoop. I’m sure people are always asking questions, wanting the inside story.”
“Then how are you going to make any inroads?”
“I have charm.” This time, the smile came more naturally.
Kenzie shook her head. “I don’t know how far that will get you.”
“It got me here, didn’t it?”
Kenzie nodded slowly. “True… although part of it was just, you know, you needing a place to sleep after a psychotic killer kicked your door in.”
“The killer used a bump key. It was the cops who kicked the door in.”
“Right. I wonder who you paid off to do that.”
Zachary laughed. “It always pays for a PI to have friends in the police force.”
6
The next day was Saturday, which was normally a short day for Kenzie, so Zachary tried to arrange his schedule so that he would be able to get something constructive done on his case in the morning and then spend time with Kenzie on whatever she wanted to do in the afternoon. Then, they planned a visit to the home of Lorne Peterson and Patrick Parker on Sunday.
Lorne was an old foster father of Zachary’s. Though he had only lived in the Peterson home for a few weeks, Lorne had given Zachary the photography bug. They had kept in touch over the years, often poring over photographs each of them had taken, enjoying Pat’s culinary accomplishments, and developing a friendship—a family relationship—stronger than any other in Zachary’s life. His chosen family.
Zachary decided to begin his investigation with the present and move back in time. Where was Elysse now, and what was she doing? Despite what Dain had said about Elysse having changed, he suspected she would be doing exactly what she had before the period during which she had been missing. He had a feeling that maybe it was all a PR stunt. She had wanted more visibility, and she had certainly gotten it. She had been at the center of the media storm for five days. People had been sure she was dead, and there were memorial posts and lamentations everywhere.
Dain was probably lucky he hadn’t been killed by a mob over what they thought he had done. Social media fans could be bloodthirsty and easily developed tunnel vision.
But when he searched for Elysse Allan’s social media posts, he was surprised to find nothing recent. Other people had posted comments on her various accounts, some of them angry and some of them pleading for her to post an update, but she had posted nothing since she had disappeared from Vermont.
Nothing during the time she had been missing. Nothing when she had reappeared in the Grand Canyon and made her TV appearance, and nothing in the months since then.
What was she doing, then? What happened to a social media influencer when she stopped posting?
He widened his searches to look at other social media accounts and blog platforms, and then just some general web searches to see what she was doing and what people were saying about her. The furnace hummed quietly and the TV he had left on to prevent the house from becoming too quiet droned on in the background.
Elysse didn’t appear to be posting anywhere. Not on any of her old social media platforms. No new accounts he could find. There were some spoof accounts, but it became clear on opening them that they were not the real Elysse Allan, but someone simply posting in her name. All the verified, authentic accounts were silent.
Posts about Elysse were varied and wide-ranging. People who claimed to know her. People with news about her, though it was unclear what was true and what was just made up. Most of it, Zachary expected, was simply made up. Anyone with actual knowledge would have posted backup. Pictures, evidence, names, something to show they knew what they were talking about.
Where was she now? There was plenty of speculation. There were those who, despite what Zachary had said about the quartz crystal in the Grand Canyon, declared that she had, in fact, been abducted by aliens. Some believed that the Elysse who had spoken to the media was an alien or pod person herself, or that her memory had been wiped or she had been programmed to give the statement she had to the media.
But she hadn’t made any public appearances since the press release immediately after she was discovered.
There were suggestions that she was living with her parents again. Or that she was living with Dain or another boyfriend. The luxury home she had lived in prior to the fiasco had apparently been sold.
Zachary remembered family members who had spoken to the media while she had been missing. Most of them, he suspected, had not been in touch with Elysse for some time. Even those whom she was supposedly close to didn’t seem to be as worried about her being missing as getting their time in the spotlight. They wiped their eyes and speculated with ghoulish glee about what might have happened to her.
Poor Elysse. Poor, misguided, out-of-her-element, too-big-for-her-britches Elysse. It was truly tragic. But she should have known when she got involved with that element that things would not end well.
Zachary wasn’t sure whether that element meant Dain or the Instagrammers or if there had been something truly shady going on. Maybe her family had been referring to drugs, exotic dancing, or some other slander carefully trimmed from the published footage to keep the network from being sued.
Zachary did some general searches and started assembling a background portfolio for Elysse. He should have gotten some of this information from Dain, but perhaps it was better that he dug it out and consulted other sources and didn’t rely on Dain too much anyway. He was young and unreliable and had already shown that he would lie if confronted with something he would rather not reveal.
