Kurt immediately turned away, touched his earpiece, and spoke in low tones.
Wendy said, “How do you know this, Cole?”
I ignored her and spoke to the Schumachers.
“You were involved with classified projects for the government.”
Corbin flicked his hand again and shook his head.
“Absurd. Absolutely untrue. Wendy!”
I talked over him.
“If they were spying on Josh, is it possible they learned something they shouldn’t know? About you or your work?”
The color drained from Adele’s face. Her skin grew splotchy and her eyelids fluttered.
Wendy said, “That’s it, Cole. We’re done.”
“If they have Josh, they’ll use him. If you know anything that will help me find him, tell me now.”
Corbin shouted, “Wendy!”
Corbin threw an arm around Adele and staggered toward the house.
Wendy stepped between us like a blocking back.
“Cole, we have to take care of her. Go.”
Wendy herded me toward the gate.
“Who are these people?”
“His parents. Do your job. Find their son.”
She muscled me harder.
“How’d you know I was making tacos?”
Wendy said, “Kurt!”
Kurt trampled through a bed of gladioli and added his weight. They shoved me past the guesthouse.
“Did you send drones to my home?”
Wendy said, “Find him.”
“To my home?”
“Find him.”
“Were those your drones?”
Wendy and Kurt shoved me through the gate into the driveway. We stood there, me on the drive, them in the yard, sucking gas as we stared at each other.
Wendy’s eyes turned sad.
“Find him.”
Kurt closed the gate.
32
I walked down the drive to my car. Nobody tried to stop me. Black helicopters didn’t suddenly appear. The red-haired driver and the bald guy watched me, but didn’t seem interested. I didn’t know what to do and wasn’t sure I wanted to do anything. I sat in my car. I considered Adele’s house and decided I liked it. I saw myself walking back up the drive, ringing the bell, and telling Wendy I quit. I wanted to quit but I didn’t. Being unable to quit was probably a character flaw, but sometimes not quitting was all you had left.
I was wondering what to do when the front door opened. Wendy stared at me for a few seconds, then came across the lawn and the street to my car. She stopped four feet away.
“Josh’s phone can’t be located or tracked so he’s probably removed the SIM card. He hasn’t used it since he disappeared. The only calls made or received during the days prior were with his mother and Ryan Seborg.”
I said, “Okay.”
She didn’t move, so I said it again.
“Okay. Thanks.”
“He’s probably using a burner. It’s clear he didn’t want anyone to know who he was talking to.”
It was clear Josh understood people could access his phone and probably would. And probably had since his parents gave him the phone. I wondered if all the rest of it was clear to Josh and decided it was.
I nodded.
“Yep. Clear.”
Wendy glanced up the street, but still didn’t move.
“He didn’t turn off his phone and use burners because he was involved with a pornstar. He anticipated trouble and planned for it. He didn’t want anyone to interfere.”
I said, “Not anyone. His family. He didn’t want his family to interfere.”
Wendy glanced toward the house. She took a breath and the tension in her shoulders eased.
She said, “It hasn’t been easy.”
“For him or for you?”
Her eyes flashed with something hard.
“I feel for the kid, all right? Josh has never been allowed to be Josh.”
She meant it. I liked her for meaning it.
“How long have you been with them?”
“Long enough.”
She considered the house again.
“These people are genius smart, Cole. Truly genius. So is Josh, by the way.”
“But are they happy?”
The hardness flashed, but a little grin replaced it. The grin looked lonely.
“No comment.”
“I hear you.”
“Whatever they are, they don’t understand their son. She smothers him and Corbin does nothing but criticize and demean. Seems to me Josh wants to grow up, but he’s never been given the chance.”
“So this is him, making the chance?”
She thought for a moment.