Helen gave in and nodded. She gave Noah a hug before grabbing her car keys off her desk. “Call me if you need me.”
Noah sat in a chair and leaned his head against the wall. He rubbed his face with his hands and stifled a yawn. Drake was off the phone. He came and sat down looking discouraged. “I hate not having anything positive to tell Jasmine. She is staying with Alana at her parent’s house. Jasmine hasn’t stopped crying since we got the news.”
“I know. Alana thinks having her parents help out with the baby keeps them calmer. The last thing we need is Carlos having a heart attack from all this stress. Ray is there, too. He knows his way around weapons. They will be safe,” Noah assured Drake. “I am going over there right now. We start fresh in the morning.”
“Holly is staying with Faith tonight. I know Adam and all his friends from the fire station were out searching the roads from here to Morehead, even the backroads,” Matt told them. “Faith is only weeks from giving birth. Holly wanted to make sure she didn’t get stressed out. Faith adores Alicia, too. Everyone does.”
“You think Novak is involved in this?” Tony wanted answers. He felt it in his gut, but he wanted to hear Noah’s opinion. The man lived and breathed law enforcement. Alicia was part of his family and he would keep looking for her no matter what. Drake had been friends with the Garcia family for years. Alicia was like a little sister to him. Noah was married to Alicia’s sister and always kept an eye on her. Alicia had always complained about having too many brothers. She had warned Tony to not get any bright ideas about ordering her around. He should have assured her he did not feel brotherly toward her.
“Nothing else makes any sense,” Noah admitted. “Janice’s parents were surprised she was working, since she had a drug dealer boyfriend. Gerald is gone. His little drug-selling buddies high-tailed it out of here. Novak is the only one still on the loose. The likeliness of a new player being involved just doesn’t make any sense to me. Novak has motive to hate us and want his revenge. Alana and Alicia were both there the day one of his men was messing with the staff. I saw Novak looking her and Alana over.”
A few months back, Novak and two of his henchmen had made an appearance in town. Gerald Ferguson, a small-time dealer from Red Hook, had brought him in. It had all gone to hell when Novak had Gerald killed and kidnapped Holly for himself.
“Alana admitted they didn’t know much about Janice. She isn’t a hard worker, but she shows up on time and every time she is scheduled. Alana didn’t like her much, but they were busy, so they kept her,” Noah continued.
“How did Alicia become friends with her?” Drake asked the question Tony had been thinking.
“Alana said one night when they were closing up, Janice approached Alicia and asked if she wanted to hang out with her and Kelly. Alicia had been depressed and Alana encouraged her to go have fun. Now she feels guilty for that,” Noah stated.
Tony clenched his fists. He hated the idea that he had hurt her, and because of him, she started partying with Janice and Kelly. “This is my fault, not your wife’s. I let my strong feelings for Alicia scare me away. I let our age difference cause doubts in my head. Instead of being honest with her, I fucked it all up with Dee. I didn’t try hard to apologize for that mess. I thought she would move on quickly. If I had been brave, she would not have started hanging out with Janice. She sounds like bad news.”
“Age is just a number, my friend,” Noah stated wisely. He had been mad at Tony, too, but now they were all focused on finding the girls alive. “I am eight years older than my wife, and have many years of experience on her. I broke it off with her for that same reason. I hurt us both and put us both through hell. I regret it every time I see the scar on her stomach. It took a stabbing to get me to open my eyes.”
Tony heard the story before. That was a few years back, when he and Matt had just gotten home from serving and were hired by Noah. Alana had been mugged and stabbed, and it had brought Noah running back into her life. Now the couple had a son and a happy marriage. Was it possible he could have had that if he had not been so scared? Did he want that deep commitment?
“When we find her, don’t let insignificant things like that hold you back from confessing your feelings for her.” Noah stressed the word “when.” Tony knew they would not give up. Alicia would be found. He prayed she was alive. He hadn’t prayed since his mom had gotten sick. After she died, he refused to pray, but for Alicia, he would. She had a gentle and loyal heart. Surely God would save her.
”I think Janice is the key here.” Drake stood up. He lifted his arms up in the air to stretch. They were all exhausted. “Tomorrow we should focus on finding out about
this boyfriend of hers. Alicia could have just been at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Tony sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted physically and emotionally. He nodded in agreement. His greatest fear was that they would never find her. He wasn’t giving up. No matter how long it took, he would keep looking for her. He would catch a few hours of sleep, and then he would do some searching online. He would soon know Janice Sands better than her parents did. If this was her fault then heaven help her.
Chapter Six
“I don’t know anything about a boyfriend,” Kelly insisted the next morning. Noah had brought her in for questioning. She sat in a chair, crying. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her eyes were red and swollen. Helen had handed her some tissues. Tony sat with Noah as he interviewed the young girl. He wanted to hear what she had to say. Drake and Matt were in Morehead dealing with the sheriff and his ongoing search. “I just met Janice when she started working at the Hacienda. I’ve seen her around town, but we never spoke before. She always hung with the wild crowd and I didn’t. I was married and I have a son.”
“Was it her idea to go to Club Rock?” Noah asked, leaning back in his chair. He looked relaxed, but Tony saw how rigid his body was.
Kelly nodded. “Janice said the bar in Red Hook was lame, and Alicia said she would not go there anyway. I just went through a bitter divorce and going out distracted me from my problems. Alicia was depressed because she said some guy broke her heart.”
Tony winced inwardly. He already felt bad enough, but Kelly’s words pierced his heart like an arrow. Guilt sat heavily on his shoulders and the weight felt too heavy to bear.
“So Janice was not dating one certain man.” Noah sounded disappointed and so was Tony. They had been hoping for a definite ID on Novak. Noah’s pencil tapped on the notebook he was jotting notes on.
Kelly shrugged. “I am not sure if this one guy was a boyfriend or just a hook-up. Janice was a big flirt and danced with different men all the time. She never introduced us to this man, but she talked to him a lot. She said he had lots of money. He owned part of the club. He was a fancy guy, always dressed in a suit. Kind of snobby but she seemed liked him.”
“Would you recognize him if you saw him again?”
Tony could hear the sudden interest in Noah’s voice. Could it be Novak?
“I doubt it Sheriff Blake. He came to the table once, but like I said, she never introduced us to him and he always seemed to stand in the shadows. I always felt intimidated so I never looked straight at him. They would go off in a corner for thirty minutes or so. I saw them kissing a few times. She was always in a good mood after he showed up,” Kelly told them. Her hands were shaking and she folded them and put them down in her lap. “I am sorry. I wish I knew more. I haven’t known Alicia long, but I really like her. She is fun and so nice. Janice, too. I hope you find them, Sheriff.”
“Okay, thank you for talking with us, Kelly.” Noah stood up and had Helen walk the girl out.
When Kelly was gone, Noah looked at Tony. His eyes were filled with anger. “I was hoping for a definite yes on Novak. Damn it. We’re back to just possibilities.”
“I know. I looked Janice up online last night. She does have an erratic job history. She was in and out of work over the last two years. She had good grades in school and lots of potential. How she got involved in drugs is a mystery, but she lost her steady boyfriend, her best friend, and her parents. For what? A temporary high?” Tony said through gritted teeth. Drugs were a cancer on society. He wished there was a way to rid the world of that problem. “Maybe Novak was giving Janice drugs to lure Alicia away from the safety of our town. The lure of the drugs could have overshadowed any decency Janice should feel. But like you said, we are just guessing right now.”