The Longest Silence. Debra Webb

anything in the last couple of weeks. No private messages, no email. Nothing. Before that, she posted frequently, mostly about school. So something definitely changed recently. I haven’t been able to get to her cell phone records yet.”

      “The police say the call and text histories were deleted on both girls’ phones,” his sister pointed out.

      “True, but the carriers will have records of their communications. It just takes time to get them.”

      Angie looked at him as if she’d expected more. “It took you all day to find that out?”

      “I spoke to Tiffany’s roommate again.”

      Angie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Why?”

      “She wasn’t completely forthcoming in her official statement.” Few her age were. “In my second interview with her she mentioned that Tiffany was dating some guy with dark hair—a guy Riley didn’t know.”

      Angie frowned. “Tiffany never said anything about a new boyfriend to me. I assumed the boyfriend her roommate mentioned was only a friend. I can’t believe Tif would keep a new boy in her life a secret from me.”

      “Well, there’s probably a good reason for that. This guy is older. Mid-to-late thirties.”

      “Oh God.” Angie hugged herself, a fresh wave of tears gathering in her eyes. “Does she know his name or where he lives?”

      “No she didn’t know, but I do.”

      Angie covered her mouth with her hands.

      “The roommate also told me she’d seen Tiffany at a club in Macon with this guy. I went to the club.” No need to tell his sister how sleazy the place was.

      “Tiffany went to a club?”

      Tony raised his eyebrows. “Like you didn’t when you were in college.”

      Angie squeezed her eyes shut. “Right.” She drew in a deep breath. “Keep going.”

      “The roommate saw her with this guy. According to a friend of the manager the guy is one Miles Conway. I spent the past few hours trying to track him down. He’s not at home. I interviewed a couple of his neighbors who say he’s employed in some capacity in Milledgeville but no one knew where. I’ve got someone working on tracking down his place of employment.”

      “You think this guy may have seen her before she...disappeared, or do you think he’s involved somehow?”

      Tony opted not to mention the roommate’s statement about seeing Tif with the dark-haired man on Friday. He needed to know more before he gave Ang something else to worry about. So he shrugged. “Until I find him, I can’t say, but if the two were involved he may have seen her or know where she planned to go for the weekend.”

      The truth was he couldn’t say the guy was involved. Until Tony looked him in the eyes and questioned him, it would be best to keep his thoughts to himself. At this point he felt confident that Tiffany was taken by someone she knew. Her disappearance was far too clean to think otherwise. Generally, with an abduction by a stranger there were signs of a struggle or something left undone. The victim’s car might be left in an unexpected place. The vic’s home or room would be left unlocked or show signs of breaking and entering. Some little something would be off. A neighbor would have heard a noise. There was always some unexpected element, small though it might be.

      But this was clean. This was planned. And Tiffany cooperated without realizing she was doing so.

      “Did you share this information with the police?”

      “I called Chief Phelps on my way back here. He’ll pass the information along to the task force. Tomorrow morning I’m hoping to catch Vickie Parton’s roommate or one of her friends to see if I can connect this Miles Conway to her. Beyond that, I’ll continue trying to find him.”

      Angie swiped at her eyes again. “I’m sorry I was so hard on you.”

      Tony reached across the table and took his sister’s hand. “I won’t let you down, Ang.” He looked away a moment. “I know I screwed up with the Bureau. I let down my wife and myself. But I won’t let you or Tiffany down.”

      She squeezed his hand. “Giselle’s a bitch. She didn’t deserve you.”

      Tony laughed. “Yeah, well, maybe I made her that way.”

      They shared a good laugh before Angie hugged him hard and hurried back to the inn.

      Tony dropped back into the chair. He didn’t know how the hell he would keep the promise he’d made his sister, but he would die trying.

       9

      11:20 p.m.

      Angie Durand hugged her husband closer. As hard as she tried she could not go to sleep. How could her beautiful daughter get involved with an older man? She knew better. Angie had taught her better. Tif was so much more mature and responsible than most girls her age.

      Anger and hurt twisted inside Angie. She closed her eyes tight to hold back the tears. Dear God, how could she feel anger right now? Her baby was missing. She could be hurt badly or, oh God, dying. Please, please, just let me find my baby alive.

      Didn’t matter how old Tif was, she would always be her baby.

      Tif had her entire future ahead of her. Angie closed her eyes and prayed. Please, God, don’t let my sweet girl be taken from me.

      Maybe Tif did make a terrible mistake, but she was only human and so very young.

      “I’m so scared.”

      Steve turned onto his side, facing her. He stroked her hair gently. “I know. I am, too. But we have to trust Tony and the police. They will find her. I refuse to believe otherwise.”

      “I don’t know about Tony.” More of that ridiculous anger fired inside her. “He’d been drinking tonight.” Tears choked her for a moment. “Maybe...” Her voice broke. She cleared her throat, fought back the tears. “Maybe he can’t help. I know he wants to, but maybe he just can’t. Between the divorce and all the drinking and now his career is tanked.” She pressed her hand to her mouth for a moment. “Maybe he just can’t help the way he wants to...the way we need him to.”

      Steve pulled her close against his chest. “Please don’t cry. We have to be strong right now. For Tiffany and for Tony. We have to believe.”

      Angie nodded, unable to speak for fear of breaking down completely.

      She believed. She believed. Tiffany was coming home. Tony would find her.

      Angie believed this with all her heart.