or something. Could we get you to open his door for us? Just to check.”
“Of course,” she said. “What’s the room number?”
Wes moved the handset away from his mouth. “What’s Tony’s room number?”
“One seventy-eight,” Alison told him.
“One seventy-eight,” Wes repeated into the phone.
“I’ll meet you there.”
39
The manager arrived at Tony’s room only a few moments after they did, and pulled an electronic keycard out of her pocket. But before she slipped it into the lock, she knocked.
“Motel management.”
No response.
She put the key into the slot, then turned the knob and pushed the door open. “Hello, motel management.”
Wes craned his neck so he could see around her, but the room was dark.
“Hello?” the woman said again.
She flipped on the light switch and took a step into the room, Alison, Anna, and Wes crowding in behind her.
“Tony?” Alison said.
“Doesn’t look like anyone’s here,” the manager said.
The bed was made and the room was neat.
“Has housekeeping come in yet?” Wes asked.
“I checked that before I came over,” the woman said. “They haven’t done this room yet.”
Wes could feel a chill in his spine.
“Tony?” Anna called out.
She stepped around the manager and headed toward the bathroom.
“I’m not sure you should be in here,” the woman told her.
“Tony?” Anna said. She disappeared into the bathroom, but stepped back out a moment later. “Not there.”
“Does it look like anything’s missing?” Wes asked.
Anna pointed at the bag sitting by the desk. “His suitcase is still here.”
“His hiking boots, too,” Alison added.
“Wes.” Anna was standing next to the bed, looking down at the nightstand.
Wes moved out from behind the manager. “What is it?”
She reached down and picked something up.
“You shouldn’t touch anything,” the manager chimed. “That’s not your property.”
Anna looked at the object for a moment, then held it out so they could all see.
It was a cellphone.
“Tony’s?” Wes asked.
“Looks like it,” she said. “Hold on.” She fiddled with it for a few seconds, then glanced at Alison. “Try calling him again.”
Alison pulled out her mobile and made the call. There was a delay of three seconds, then the phone in Anna’s hand started ringing.
“Oh, God,” Alison said.
“Doesn’t mean anything,” Wes said. “Just that he went to the bar without it.”
“But he wouldn’t have left it here all day, too. He’s supposed to be on call. Even on the days off.”
She was right. Being a PA for
“Your friend isn’t here,” the manager said, moving toward the door. “I think we should all leave.”
Wes nodded. “Thanks for letting us check.”
Anna joined them, still holding the phone.
“I think you should leave that here,” the woman said.
“We’ll give it to our friend as soon as we see him,” Wes promised.
The manager didn’t look happy, but she made no further protest as she ushered them out, then closed the door and left.
“This is not good,” Alison said, her eyes darting every few seconds back to Tony’s door. “He wouldn’t have left his phone.”
Anna was looking down at the cell and pushing a series of buttons. “He only made two calls yesterday, and received one. All Dione, so work related.”
Alison let out an exasperated breath. “I’m telling you, something is seriously wrong.”
“Maybe we should call the police,” Anna suggested.
Wes thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. That’s probably a good idea.”
The officer who answered the call put Wes through to a familiar voice.
“Detective Stevens.”
“Hello, Detective. It’s Wes Stewart. The man whose motel room was-”
“I know who you are, Mr. Stewart. Did you find something else missing?”
“I’m not calling about the break-in.”
A pause. “Okay. What can I do for you?”
“A colleague of ours, Tony Hall, he’s missing.”
“How long?”
“The last time anyone saw him was around one a.m.”
“So just about twelve hours ago.”
Anna and Alison were both watching Wes, concerned.
“Yes. He hasn’t been back to his room, and he left his-”
“Are there any signs of trouble?” Stevens asked.
“Not exactly, but he left his cellphone behind and he’s supposed to be on call all day.”
Both women nodded in agreement.
“How old is he?”
“I don’t know.” Wes glanced at Alison. “He’s probably about twenty-four.”
“Twenty-three,” Alison said, correcting him.
“Twenty-three,” Wes told the detective.
“Where was he last seen?”
“Delta Sierra.”
“The bar?”
“Yes.”
A pause. “I’ll note that you called,” the detective said. “If he’s still missing tomorrow, call me back, but for now I wouldn’t worry about it. He’s probably just sleeping it off somewhere.”
“But what if something bad
The line was quiet for a moment. “Have you considered the fact that this friend of yours might be responsible for breaking in to your room?”
“What?”
“It’s a possibility, isn’t it?”
“You can’t be serious.”
“You can call me in the morning if he’s still missing,” Stevens said, then hung up.
Wes held the phone to his ear for a moment longer, surprised at how the conversation had gone. When he lowered it, Alison immediately asked, “What happened?”
“You’re not going to believe this. He suggested that Tony might be responsible for breaking into my
