She was shaking inside, but she forced herself to remain calm. Wherever Julie had gone, whatever the atlas meant, she couldn’t have gotten very far. Samantha knew she needed help. She carried the things back to the house and called Wil Sherer.
In his usual manner, he hung up without saying good-bye. But he seemed to arrive at Samantha’s house with the same abruptness. Wil was a man who did not waste words or time.
Samantha knew her eyes were puffed and bloodshot from crying. She splashed icy water into them, for what it was worth. But Wil was perceptive enough to see how distraught she was. Once before, Samantha had wanted him to put his arms around her, just because she needed the comfort of another adult.
This time, he did it. Without a word he encircled her in his sturdy embrace, offering her the strength of his support. She held on to him for just a moment, then pulled away. Feelings were stirring inside of her, feelings she did not have time for right now.
She swallowed. “She’s taken my money. I was going to do some major grocery shopping today, so there was two hundred dollars in my purse.”
“When was the last time you saw her?” Wil asked gently. He was the one who led Samantha into the living room and made her sit down on the couch. He sat beside her.
“Right before I went to bed,” Samantha said. “It was nearly midnight. She must have gone out to the playhouse sometime after that.”
She pointed to the coffee table, where the atlas lay open. Wil reached for it and studied the altered page.
“What do you suppose it means?” she asked. “Where is she headed?”
“You mean, where in the East?” Wil asked. “She’s circled a large area. I don’t know why it includes so much of the Atlantic. Could just be a child’s sloppiness.”
“Julie was never sloppy,” Samantha said.
Wil was thoughtful for a few moments. Samantha watched him, as if his expression would reveal an answer to her problem. But he shook his head.
“It gives us half the country to search,” he said.
“What about the picture I gave you?” Samantha asked, hopeful. “Has anything come of that?”
“Not yet,” Wil said. “But it’s still early. Look, we have to start somewhere. If she is heading east, someone instructed her to do so. The fastest way to get her there would be by airplane.”
“Who’d sell an airplane ticket to a child?”
Wil met her worried gaze.
“Who’d erase a child’s memory and leave her with a perfect stranger?” he asked. “Someone’s got to be behind this. It wasn’t Henley, although he seems to have been a pawn.”
Samantha made a face to remember the condition of Henley’s body, but quickly lost the expression.
“I haven’t had time to read the papers,” she said. “Did the police find him?”
“I called them,” Wil said.
Samantha looked surprised. “But then they must know we were there!”
“They know I was there,” Wil said. “I didn’t mention you or Julie. I gave the information to an old friend of mine working in that precinct. There’s more to the story, Samantha.”
Samantha straightened herself. What more could happen?
“Do you remember how it seemed Henley had been skinned alive?”
Samantha’s expression told Wil she didn’t want to be reminded.
“That isn’t what the union Fort police found,” Wil said. “They found a skeleton, in perfect condition. Nothing of the flesh was left.”
Samantha turned away, hugging herself.
“Who could be doing these things?” she demanded. “What do they want with Julie?”
Wil reached across the couch to touch her arm. The gesture made her turn to him again.
“We’re going to find her,” he said. “I think she’d start her journey by airplane. I’ll check the nearest airport and see what I can find out. In the meantime, I want you to call your friend Barbara.”
“Why?”
“Two reasons,” Wil said. “You need a friend right now. And she’s known you long enough that she may be able to fill in some blanks.”
Samantha looked befuddled. “What does that have to do with Julie?”
“I’m not sure,” Wil said. “But somehow I think there is a connection. Find out if she knows anyone in the East. It could help us narrow down the search area.”
Samantha stood up. “Barbara is off-duty right now. She’s probably sleeping. But I’m sure she’ll understand.”
Wil stood up and tucked the atlas under his arm. “I’m going to take a closer look at this.”
They walked to the back of the house together. Samantha grabbed her purse from the kitchen table, unhooked her car keys from their peg, and led Wil out the back door. He waited for her while she tended to the dogs; then they went to their respective vehicles.