Read Online Missing Persons by Clare O'Donohue - Free Book Online Page B

That’s a pretty strong word.”
    “She told me he used to show up at the hospital where she was doing some volunteer work. I think he wanted to check on her, see if she was where she said she would be.”
    “That would scare me. Was Theresa scared of him?”
    “She didn’t use those words. But she was glad when Tom had that talk with him. I think it put an end to it. Theresa was already dating Wyatt, and they were happy together. She didn’t want to get back with Jason, and I guess after he talked with my son, he finally understood that.”
    “What’s Wyatt like?”
    She smiled. “He’s a dream. I’d be so happy to have him as my son-in-law. Theresa and Wyatt were so in love with each other. They looked like the top of a wedding cake. He keeps her picture next to his bed. Even now.”
    “He’s still in touch with you?”
    “We talk every week. Wyatt has become like a second son.”
    “And the day she disappeared . . .” I only had to start the question. This was familiar territory for Linda.
    “It was a great day. A summer day, like now. We were going to have a Memorial Day picnic on Monday, and Theresa and I were going to make potato salad and all the fixings. Only we didn’t because on Saturday Theresa disappeared.” She took a deep breath. “She left about eleven o’clock that morning to meet up with Julia, her best friend since grade school. They were going to have coffee. Julia had just gotten engaged and Theresa was helping her with the wedding. She was going to be the maid of honor.”
    Linda stopped. I could see that she was backing away from the story. She didn’t want to go to the next part and I couldn’t blame her, but it was the whole reason I was here.
    “When did you realize Theresa was missing?”
    “When she didn’t come home for dinner, I called her cell phone but she didn’t answer. I started to get worried. Theresa used to say I was overprotective. I waited. I shouldn’t have waited, but I didn’t want her accusing me of treating her like a child. When it was almost midnight and she still wasn’t answering her phone, I called Julia.” Linda’s voice shook. “She said that Theresa hadn’t met her for coffee. She hadn’t seen her all day. I don’t know why Julia didn’t call me when Theresa didn’t show up at the coffee shop.”
    “Julia told the police they didn’t have plans to meet that day, is that right?”
    “She was mixed up. They had plans. Theresa told me they had plans.”
    Linda was waving her arms around; her voice was getting louder. At some point someone must have suggested that Theresa might have lied to her mother, and it was pretty clear that there was no way Linda would accept that explanation.
    “What do you think happened?”
    “I think she got taken by a stranger.” She was getting more insistent with each syllable. “I think she’s out there doing something against her will, trying to escape, trying to come home.”
    “Any possibility she ran away from home, maybe decided to start a new life?”
    “Why? Her life was perfect. We’re a very close family, Theresa, her brother, and me. We used to joke that Theresa wouldn’t buy a pair of shoes without talking it over with me. We were best friends. She would never have gone willingly.”
    “And you don’t think she’s dead.” I said it gently, but it didn’t matter what my tone was. That’s not a gentle question.
    She bit her lip. “No. I’d know if she were dead. Besides, there were a couple of hang-ups in the months after she disappeared. And one on Christmas Eve. I know that was Theresa trying to reach out, but whoever took her must have caught her, must have stopped her. That’s why I’m doing this show. I think whoever has her will see all the publicity, and they’ll let her go.”
    “I hope so,” I said quietly.
    Linda sat back, triumphant. We continued the interview for another twenty minutes, but I had the sound bites I wanted. The ex-boyfriend was obsessed, Theresa had