“Her name is AnnieLee Keyes,” Ruthanna said. “K-e-y-e-s.”
“And tell me about the last time you had contact with Ms. Keyes.”
“I saw her this morning.” Ruthanna swore she could hear the woman exhaling on the other end of the line, as if she thought she was dealing with some kind of nut.
“Just a few hours ago, then. Okay. Did you see her in person?” Officer Tucker asked.
“Yes. She was in the hospital.” Then Ruthanna recounted what she knew of the events leading up to AnnieLee’s fall—which, she realized, was almost nothing. How had that child fallen off a balcony?
“Do you believe she is a risk to herself?” Officer Tucker asked.
“No,” Ruthanna said quickly. She spoke out of stubbornness and loyalty. But as soon as Officer Tucker began to talk, Ruthanna realized her mistake.
“If an adult wishes to spend some time alone,” the officer said, “without notifying friends or family of their whereabouts, they are entitled to do that, ma’am. It sounds like she was under a lot of pressure. She might just be trying to take a little break.”
Ruthanna took a deep breath. “I misspoke. I do think she is in danger,” she said.
“All right,” the officer said. “I want you to tell me more about why you think that. But first I do want to reassure you that over fifteen hundred people go missing a day in this country, and the vast majority of them are found safe and unharmed.”
“But she wouldn’t just walk away from everything!” Ruthanna said.
“Have you reached out to her family? Her friends? Anyone who might have been in touch with her after you were?”
Ruthanna sucked in her breath. AnnieLee’s family? Her friends? Ruthanna had no idea who any of those people might be. She was trying to figure out how to explain this to Officer Tucker when she heard a sharp knocking at the door. Jack walked over to see who it was, and a moment later he returned with Ethan Blake, whose face was shadowed with worry.
Ruthanna motioned for him to sit. He didn’t. “No, I don’t actually have their contact information,” Ruthanna said to the officer. “But it’s extremely important that we find AnnieLee as soon as possible.”
“Who’s she talking to?” Ethan asked Jack, and when Jack said, “The police,” Ethan reached out and took the phone out of Ruthanna’s hand.
“Thank you for your time,” he said to the officer. “We’ll call you back.” Then he hung up.
Ruthanna’s mouth fell open. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Calling the police won’t help anyone, Ruthanna. AnnieLee doesn’t want to talk to them, and she doesn’t trust them. If she sees a cop, wherever she is, she’s going to run. I don’t know why, but I know I’m right.”
“So, what: we just sit here and do nothing?” Ruthanna said. “Wait for her to call us on the phone she left behind and tell us that she’s perfectly fine?”
“No, Ruthanna,” Ethan said. “I’m going to go find her.”
Chapter
79
AnnieLee pulled her baseball cap a little lower over her face as she made her way east along Tropicana Avenue. It had been almost disappointingly easy to slip away from the hospital, and though she’d set off an emergency exit alarm on her way out, she was halfway across the parking lot and hiding behind a Toyota minivan by the time the security guard poked his head out to see what the fuss was about.
Bent low, she’d wended her way to the road, and then she’d walked only a few blocks before finding a tourist shop full of cheaply made Las Vegas theme wear. Grabbing things almost without looking at them, she quickly outfitted herself. Where else on earth could a barefoot woman buy a hat, sweatshirt, sweatpants, socks, and sneakers with two hundred-dollar bills she pulled out of a pocket without making anyone bat an eye? It felt like a minor miracle.
Or else, AnnieLee thought, it’s just Las Vegas.
She didn’t have to wait long for a ride, either. The three bachelorettes pulling out of the 7-Eleven with Monster Energy drinks and a box of doughnuts took pity on AnnieLee, standing there with her big smile and little thumb, and they let her climb into the back seat.
“You look familiar,” the one who was driving said. “Did we party with you last night?”
AnnieLee offered up a false and sparkling laugh. “Maybe so,” she said. “There’s a lot I don’t remember about my whereabouts.”
“You and me both,” the driver said, rolling her eyes. “My name’s Bella.”