Page 28 of The Vanished

“I swear, I don’t,” he replied. “If there’s anyone Logan would have confided in, it’s you. Or Jude.”

“He never said anything to either of us. What should I tell Jude?”

“Tell him the truth.”

“But he’ll want to come,” Quinn replied.

“Maybe he should. You shouldn’t have to deal with this yourself, whatever this is.”

“I’m scared, Gabe. If this was Logan, he expressly told me to keep Max safe, which must mean he’s in danger. And what do we tell Max? He’ll know something is wrong, but he’s too young to comprehend anything beyond the fact that his dad is not here.”

“Well, we certainly don’t tell him his father might be in trouble. Let’s tell him Logan had to go on a work trip.”

“I hate to lie to him.”

“It’s better than frightening him. We can tell him more once we know what we’re dealing with.”

“All right,” Quinn agreed. “Do you think it’s safe to take Max to nursery school?”

Gabe considered the question. “The school won’t allow anyone who was not previously authorized by Logan to take Max out of the building. I think he’ll be safe, but maybe you should consult Sean before you decide. I trust his judgment.”

Quinn nodded. “I don’t think I should call him from the house. Max might overhear the conversation.”

She could hardly phone Sean this early in the morning, so she would have to wait until at least eight, by which time Max would be up and getting ready for school.

“You can go for a walk or phone Sean from the car,” Gabe suggested. “I’ll ask Max to help me make breakfast. He won’t suspect a thing.”

“Thank you,” Quinn said and hugged him. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Well, let’s hope you never have to find out,” Gabe said and pulled her close. “It’s too early to get up, and you’re extremely tense. Let me give you a massage.”

Quinn knew precisely what sort of massage he had in mind but didn’t protest. There was nothing she could do at this moment, and Gabe was right, she was tense, and he always knew how to make her feel better. She surrendered to his ministrations until she heard Max’s piping voice calling for her from Alex’s bedroom.

“I got him,” Gabe said. He jumped out of bed, pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, and headed for the door.

Quinn dressed, took a quick shower and brushed her teeth, then pulled her hair into a ponytail and was out the door before Max could ask her about Logan. She was in no mood to walk, but speaking in front of the house was risky, so she got into her car and pulled out her mobile. Sean answered on the second ring.

“I’m sorry to ring so early,” Quinn began, but Sean cut across her.

“What happened? You wouldn’t be calling me otherwise.”

Quinn told him about the text and expressed her concerns. “What do you think, Sean? Should I go to the police?”

“No,” he replied. “Logan is clearly not missing, so there’s nothing to report.”

“But he might be in danger.”

Quinn had hoped that Sean would help her to decipher Logan’s cryptic message, but all he was telling her to do was wait, which was the hardest thing. And she needed to explain the situation to Max. She might be able to hold off on the conversation for a few hours, but once she collected him from school, she’d need to tell him something, since Logan would have called and asked to speak to him if he were really on a business trip.

“I don’t know why Logan didn’t use his own phone, but if he’s able to text, for the moment we have to assume he’s safe. The only reasonable advice I can give you is to do nothing until you hear from him again and know more.”

“Thank you, Sean. I appreciate your help.”

“Don’t mention it. Let me know if you hear from him again.”

“I will,” Quinn promised.

She knew she should go back into the house, but she couldn’t seem to find the strength to get out of the car. It had taken her hours to fall asleep last night, and now she was tired and cross. She was also angry. Logan had sent the text at a time when he’d hoped she’d be asleep. He had not wanted her to answer, nor had he planned on giving her more information until he was good and ready. He didn’t have to ask her to look after Max. She would do so regardless, so the only reason he’d messaged her was to warn her off reporting his disappearance to the police.