“Your grandmother is missing,” Misty said, tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Lila. I’ve looked at all of her usual spots, but she is nowhere to be found.”
“What? Have you checked the church? Wixx?”
Misty nodded. “I’m so sorry,” she repeated. “She wanted a glass of orange juice. I only left her for a few seconds, but she snuck out.”
“Fuck.” Lila rushed behind the counter, grabbed her cell phone, and dialed a number.
“What do you need?” Mason asked her, going to her side.
She shook her head at him as the call connected. “Cohen, it’s Lila.”
Really? She was calling his brother before tellinghimwhat was going on? Mason tried not to let it hurt, given that his brotherwasthe Sheriff.
Maybe this is our chance to show Lila that we can be responsible and in it for the long haul, his wolf suggested.
“My grandmother has gone off on her own. Misty tried to find her, but she hasn’t had any luck. I’m gonna go out and look for her, but I need help.”
With his shifter hearing, Mason heard Cohen reply, “Okay. You go out and check all of the spots you think she might have gone. I’ll get some of the deputies, and we’ll patrol. I’ll also warn Mrs. Francis to get the word out to the neighborhood watch. We’ll find her. Is Mason still at Moony’s?”
Lila looked up, and their eyes met. “Yeah. He’s here.”
“Good,” Cohen said. “Take him with you. I don’t want you walking around the woods in the dark all alone.”
“But…” she started.
“Go,” Cohen ordered. “Keep in touch by text. We’ll find her.” The call ended.
“So, where to first?” Mason asked.
Lila shook her head. “You’re gonna stay here and close the diner at the usual time.”
It was his turn to shake his head. “Nope. You heard the Sheriff. I am to go with you, and if you think I am gonna let you go out to the woods all by yourself, you’re nuts, Lila.”
“Well, I go in the woods by myself in the middle of the night all the time. I don’t need a keeper.”
“Maybe not, but wouldn’t it be better for there to be two of us in case something has happened to your grandmother? God forbid, but she could be hurt. You might need help.”
She grunted and sighed. “Fine. Flip the closed sign. We need to go. I think I know where she might have gone.”
“I’ll go back to the house,” Misty offered. “Maybe she’ll come back by herself.”
Judging by the withering look Lila sent to Misty, Lila didn’t agree with the caretaker. “You do that.”
Misty tried to apologize again, but Lila just waved her off as she locked the diner door. Lila growled low when they were finally alone and speed walking down Main Street. “I can’t believe she lost my grandmotheragain.”
“Does it happen often?” Mason asked.
“Sorta. My grandmother has dementia, as you know. She forgets who she is and where she is. She’ll wander off if she isn’t under constant supervision. I pay Misty a whole lot of money to keep an eye on my grandmother. Might as well fire her after this.”
“Hey,” Mason said. “We’ll find her. It’ll all be okay.”
Lila closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “We better.”
The moon, a slim sliver of white gold in the dark night sky, gave very little light. Thankfully, Mason had his wolf’s eyesight. Sure, he couldn’t tell Lila about it, but it helped him scan their surroundings for her grandmother. Now, if he knew what the older woman smelled like, he could try to sniff her out, but that wasn’t going to happen without explaining to Lila that he was a wolf shifter. Besides, that would mean outing Cohen, and there was no way Mason was doing that. This was Cohen’s chosen home, and Mason wasn’t going to mess with that.
“Where do you think she went?” Mason asked as they turned off the main street and onto a walking path that led to the thick forest that bordered all of Half Moon Key, even the lake.
Lila was very quiet for a little while. Finally, she responded. “Well, she usually goes to the same places. Her first house with my grandfather by the lake. Danielle’s store.”