“Nothing on her background. My friend at the FBI ran the DNA through CODIS. No criminal record. No missing persons photos matching hers, nothing on any facial recognition software picked up from CCTV. Nothing.”
Blythe sighed in frustration. “So what now?”
“I’m going to go to New Jersey, since that’s where we know she was. I’ll show her photo around, talk to folks and see if I turn anything up. I’m also using a facial recognition program that works with social media to see if she had any profiles out there.” He pursed his lips. “There is one update from our surveillance. As you predicted, her life is pretty routine. Back and forth to work, to your son’s apartment, etc. But she took a long walk one day at Pennypack Park. My guy said that she started talking, and he thought she was on the phone. When he sped up to pass her, he realized she was talking to herself. She sounded quite upset, apparently.”
Blythe felt herself go cold. “What was she saying?”
“Just two words, over and over. ‘Go away.’”
Blythe was silent, trying to process what this meant. Was Addison mentally ill? “Um, thanks. Have your man keep watching her, please.”
“Will do.”
“Okay, I appreciate the update.” She ended the call and walked back into the bedroom, where Ted was already in bed, reading.
He looked up from his book, peering over his glasses. “Who was that?”
She waved her hand. “Just an update from one of the projects I’m working on for the club.” She felt bad lying to him, but she didn’t want to hear him lecture her on letting the kids live their own lives. What was it with men? They were so much more capable of turning their worry off than women. She knew that Ted would tell her to just let things play out, that she couldn’t control everything, yada, yada, yada. She was no more capable of doing that than he was of giving birth.
She slid under the covers next to him and touched her foot to his. He jumped.
“Woman, your feet are like ice cubes.”
“So warm them up.”
He smiled and moved closer to her, taking her in his arms. They made love, and afterward she snuggled against him, feeling contented and relaxed. They had a good marriage, and she was grateful for it. Not that it had all been rosy. They’d had their share of ups and downs, times of closeness and times of distance. But he was a good man, and she’d never doubted his loyalty or fidelity. They had a shared history, families who knew each other, and similar values. Was it so wrong for her to want the same thing for her children?
She lay awake long after Ted had fallen asleep, tossing restlessly. At five a.m., she gave up and went to her studio, where she escaped all uneasiness for the next few hours, concentrating fully on her clasped-hands sculpture. Finally, arching to stretch her back, she put down her tools and surveyed the piece from every angle, slowly turning it around. She’d gone as far as she could this session. Turning out the lights, she went back to the house. Ted was up and dressed, sitting at the kitchen table with the morning paper and a cup of coffee.
“Mm. Coffee smells good,” she said, pouring a cup for herself.
“You were up early.” Ted folded the newspaper and placed it next to him on the kitchen table. “Did you have trouble sleeping?”
Blythe sat down at the table. “I did. I figured I might as well use the time to do some more work on the hands.”
“You haven’t been yourself lately. Distracted. Troubled. Do you want to talk about it?”
“It’s nothing. Really.”
He shrugged. “If you say so.”
Blythe could see that he wasn’t convinced, but she said nothing. When the landline rang, it startled both of them.
“I’ll get it.” Blythe rose and picked it up. “Hello?”
“Hi, Mom. Okay if I stop by? I have some good news.”
A smile spread across Blythe’s face. “Yes. Come for lunch. I’ll see you then.”
Ted looked at her, eyebrows raised.
“Hailey. She has some news.”
“Ah. You’ll let me know?” He got up to leave. “I’ll be home early.” He gave her a longer kiss than their usual morning one. “Shall we go out to dinner tonight, have a romantic evening, just the two of us?”
“I’d love that. I’ll make a reservation.”
Blythe finished her coffee after he’d gone, but it did nothing to ward off her exhaustion. She tried to read the paper, but her eyes grew heavy. She went to the sunroom and lay down on the sofa. The soft cushions and warmth of the sun shining through the windows put her to sleep instantly.