Half truth

Chapter Forty-Six

Logan

The investigation was moving too slow for my liking. Today marked two days and God knew how many hours. Mr. Bastón had enlisted the help of people who dressed and acted like the S.W.A.T. but weren’t. They’d brought search dogs with them. Search dogs. The mere thought of what that could mean sent a chill down my spine. I’d missed two days of hockey practice and was pla

“They’re helping,” Nora said.

“How exactly are they helping if they’re here?” I looked between the three of them. The only reason I was here was because I had to use the restroom and now I was trying to figure out places I hadn’t yet been to try to look for Amelia.

“We’re still hazing,” Adam said. “We’re making the guys do a search on the back end of our woods right now. We’ll take over tonight.”

“You look like shit, by the way,” Will added.

“Fuck you.” I started pacing again. “I just don’t understand why we’re only searching the woods. She would never have gone to the woods by herself.”

“I think . . . ” Nora started and paused to lower her voice. “I think they’re searching in case someone kidnapped her and tossed her body.”

“Don’t talk like that.” I cast a glare at her and then at the other two guys. “She’s not dead.”

“It’s only been two days,” Adam said. “The body is meant to survive ten days without water.”

“Don’t give me a fucking scientific countdown, Adam. I don’t want to fucking hear it. I want to hear you tell me that my girlfriend is going to be okay. I want her to call me and tell me she needed a break and apologize for driving me out of my mind. I do not want to hear about survival.”

“I’m going to go back out and search,” Will said. “I have to go pick up my cloak.”

“I’ll go with you,” Adam said. He turned to me once more. “If you need anything at all, we’re here.”

“Thanks.”

They left out the back and the front door opened. Nolan walked inside. I did a double-take, making sure it was the right brother.

“Your brother just left,” Nora said. “With mine.”

“He told me they were helping.” Nolan sighed heavily, ru

“What do you think?”

“I think we have enough people searching the woods and campus and every building surrounding the perimeter,” he said. “I think you should play. You already missed two practices.”

“I don’t care.”

“Since when do you not care about hockey?” he stared at me.

“Since my fucking girlfriend has been missing for two days,” I yelled. “Are you seriously going to give me shit for missing a game?”

“No, man.” He shook his head. “I just think it would help if you played. Everyone has got this covered.”

“Not me. I don’t have it covered. I’d never live with myself if someone found . . . ” I stopped talking, feeling a knot climb up my throat. I didn’t want to verbalize what I was thinking. I didn’t even want to think what I was thinking but Nora’s comment had sunk in and I couldn’t just ignore the possibility.

“Have you gone to the coffee shop?” Nora asked.

“Twice,” Nolan said.

“Have you seen Hailey in the search?” I asked.

“I think she’s out there with Felipe right now.”

“Out where?”

“North side across from the library.”

“I have to go.” I grabbed my keys. “I have to talk to campus security anyway. They promised me I could see a surveillance video.”

“I’ll go with you.”

I spotted Mr. Bastón talking to Hailey outside of the library. Nolan was walking beside me typing furiously on his phone.

“Coach said he understands if you miss the game,” he said. “But I still think you should play.”

“I’ll keep you in mind when I need your counsel.”

Mr. Bastón stopped talking to Hailey and looked up when he saw us approach. I hated the man, but I had to respect everything he was doing to find his daughter. I couldn’t stand Hailey either, but she looked like she’d been crying. I wondered if this was another one of his many conquests. She didn’t fit the bill. She wasn’t exotic enough for him, but he was a sick man. Perverts didn’t have a type.

“I’m headed to campus security,” I told him.

“Campus security for what?” Hailey asked. I cast a glare at her and hoped she would shut the fuck up. “Security doesn’t patrol the woods.”

“I have a really hard time believing Amelia would run off into the woods by herself,” I said, reminding myself to breathe with each word.

“Thank you, Logan. Please keep me posted on what they say,” Mr. Bastón said.

“I’m not doing this for you, so don’t thank me.” I walked off with Nolan.

“Dude, that’s your girlfriend’s dad.”

“Fuck him.”

Nolan laughed, exhaling with the shake of his head. We both turned around when we heard someone ru

“What are you going to ask them?” she asked. “Why don’t you ask the guy at the front desk in her building for information.”

“We did that,” Nolan said, stopping. “When was the last time you saw her?”

“Sunday morning.”

“At the coffee shop?” I walked back to them. “Around what time?”

“Eleven? Twelve?”

“Did she say where she was going after she left?”

“No. She was talking about an assignment she needed to get done for the newspaper but that’s it.”

I stared at her. She glanced away after a moment. So she’d been at the coffee shop that morning and then . . . headed where?

“Maybe she’s with her ex,” Hailey suggested, looking at me again. “Did you try calling him?”

My stomach coiled. I felt my fists close. Nolan stepped forward and grabbed my arm.

“We’ll keep you posted,” he said, pulling me away. “Dude you need to calm down.”

“I wasn’t going to hit her.” I felt anger radiating through me.

“Sure didn’t look like it.” He paused. “Call Lincoln, get that guy’s number, and play the fucking game tonight. You need to do something with this pent-up anger.”

He had a point. I called Lincoln as we approached the security office. His mother answered the phone.

“Hey, Mrs. Bastón, this is Logan. Have you spoken to Travis by any chance?” I grit my teeth. “Maybe Amelia decided to visit him?”

“Travis?” she asked. “Travis took the first flight over there. He’s in the woods looking for her with some teammates.”

“Okay. Just checking. Thank you.”

“I’ll see you later,” she said. “Lincoln wants me to take him. He won’t be able to do much, but he wants to be close by anyway.”

“Let me know when you’re here.” I hung up the phone and gripped it when I looked at Nolan. “Travis is fucking here with some teammates.”

“Dude. We need all the help we can get.”

“Fuck everything.”

I was seething by the time we went inside the security office. We asked for Jeff, who was a big hockey fan and nice guy around campus. He ushered us into his office quietly, as if he was plotting something.