She heard Valentina talking inside, and she sounded upset. Ali waited for her to finish her call, and when she no longer heard her speaking, she went to the kitchen, where she found Valentina pacing.
“Are you okay?” Ali asked.
Taking a deep breath, Valentina shook her head. “I’m not sure. I called Renée’s cell, and it went straight to her voice mail. Then I texted her our special code, and she hasn’t replied. I’m worried, because she always responds to me immediately when I use the code.”
“Maybe her cell battery is dead?”
“You’re probably right. After a day at the mall with Danielle, her best friend, she’s probably snapped pictures all day to post on Instagram and didn’t bring her charger with her.”
“Can you view her page on your phone?” Ali asked.
Valentina rolled her eyes. “Of course. I don’t know why in the heck I didn’t think of that. I’m the mother, and you’re the gal without kids. Let me check,” she said, using both thumbs to type.
Ali busied herself by wiping the cabinets out, using the same disinfectant she’d used earlier for the freezer. She needed to line her cabinets. Next time she was in town, she’d purchase a roll of pretty liner.
“There aren’t any pictures, and she hasn’t checked in,” Valentina said. “I should go to the house and see if she’s in her room. Would you walk over with me?”
“Absolutely—let’s go.” Ali dropped the dirty paper towels in the sink, grabbed her keys, and together they raced to the Valentina’s house.
Running up the three flights of stairs to the deck, Alison was surprised when her friend opened the door without a key. “Shit,” Ali said out loud. “I forgot to lock the house.”
“Renée,” shouted Valentina. “If you’re in your room, you’d best get your ass downstairs now!” She turned to Ali. “Your place is fine unlocked during the day. I forget to lock mine sometimes, except at night, when I turn on the security system. I’ll be right back,” she told her before racing upstairs.
Ali waited in the main room, walking to the window to look out at the view. “Amazing,” she said to herself. While her place didn’t have this view, she was still able to see and hear the waves, probably more so if she were to leave the windows open.
When Valentina returned, her face was as white as the walls. “I don’t think she’s at the mall. Her purse and cell phone are lying on her bed.”
Ali took a deep breath. “Can you call the girl she was with, Danielle? Her friend. Maybe they’ve met up with some guys. Renée told me she had a crush on a football player, though I can’t recall his name.”
Valentina nodded, then used her landline to make the call. “Hey, Beth, it’s Val. I’m worried sick. Renée’s phone and purse are in her room, and there’s no sign of her. Please tell me she’s with Danielle at your house. She left me a note saying they were spending the day at the mall.”
Waiting for some sign that Valentina heard good news on her end, Ali watched her as her look went from worried to disbelief. “Are you sure? She said they were both going. Yes, of course I’m sure. Call my cell as soon as you talk to her.” She hung up the phone, her hands shaking.
“She’s not with Danielle. According to Beth, Danielle spent the night in Naples with her grandmother and was there most of the day. I can’t just sit here; I need to find her. Something is wrong. I know it; mother’s instinct. The note was typewritten, printed off her computer. That’s not like her.”
“Let’s go find her,” Ali said. “I just need to lock up beforehand.”
“I don’t want to wait. I’ll go by myself. Maybe you could stay here and answer the phone if it rings. And here is mine and Renée’s cell numbers. Call me if she comes home or calls.” Valentina jotted the numbers on a pad by the landline, then disappeared before returning with a designer handbag and a set of keys. “Say a prayer she’s all right.”
Ali nodded. “I will. You let me know too, okay?” She was truly worried now.
As soon as Valentina left, Ali wished there was a way she could help her friend. She trusted her, which meant more to her than Valentina would ever know. The joy from the view gone, she sat on a stool by the phone so she could answer the second it rang.
Chapter Eleven
Valentina had been gone for over an hour. Wishing she could be of more help, Ali went out to the deck to look over at her house to see if the electric company had arrived. If she wasn’t home, most likely they’d leave. She’d reschedule. Renée’s safety was much more important.
Cramming her hands in her pockets, she pulled out Kit’s business card. Debating on whether to call him again, and what she’d say if she did, Ali swallowed her pride and dialed his cell number.
“Kit Moore,” he answered immediately.
“Hey, it’s me,” she said, then added, “Alison Marshall.”
“You’ve decided to take me up on my dinner invitation?” he asked.
Hearing the humor in his voice, she smiled. “Uh, no, I can’t. Yet.”
“So you’re calling to tell me what?”
Feeling like an idiot, she explained. “My friend Valentina, the one with me today, her daughter is missing.” Saying the words out loud made them much more real to her.
“Has she called the police?” he asked, his tone going from humorous to professional.
“I’m at her house now. She drove into town.” Had Valentina actually said she was going to the police department? “Actually, she left in such a hurry, I’m not sure. Maybe she was going to search for her. Renée, that’s her daughter, told her mom she was hanging out at a mall with a friend, but her friend was at her grandmother’s house in Naples.” She gave him what little information she had.
“I’m glad you called. Where is this house you’re at now?”
“It’s by the cottage—it’s the three-story pale blue house on the beach. You can’t miss it,” she told him. “I told Valentina I’d stay here in case Renée came home or called.”
“I can be there in twenty minutes,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said. “I’ll be here waiting.” Ending the call, she wasn’t sure if Valentina would approve of her inviting Kit to her house. But these weren’t normal circumstances. He might be able to help locate Renée, or possibly he had contacts in the local police department.
Her mouth dry from nerves, she opened the massive refrigerator. Bottles of water, tea, and every kind of soda one could ask for filled the bottom half. She chose a bottle of spring water. Gulping half of it down, she returned to the stool by the phone. On edge, she picked at her cuticles, an old habit from long ago. Ali wondered if she’d made the right decision staying on Palmetto Island. It seemed trouble had followed her everywhere since she’d checked into the Courtesy Court. Had Betty really put a drug in the cookies or the tea? She recalled eating two or three, then drinking more tea. She’d been dizzy. Try as she might, she couldn’t summon up much more than that. No memory of returning to her room, absolutely no recollection of Betty taking care of her or the kittens. Or so she’d said that’s what had transpired. If Betty were involved in this cult Kit was investigating, she sure as heck put on a good show acting like the poor little old lady without friends or family.