No Return

38

Wes was surprised to find Anna and Alison waiting in his room when he came back.

“Did you find one?” Anna asked.

“One what?” he asked.

“Backup drive.”

“Had a change of plans.”

“Then you’d better call Dione,” she told him. “She’s called here twice looking for you. Said she tried your cell, but it went straight to voicemail.”

He’d forgotten Dr. Handler had had him turn it off. He pulled it out and pushed the power switch.

“So where did you go?” she asked.

“I was with Lars,” he said, giving her a look he hoped would convey his desire not to get into it with Alison in the room. “Were you guys waiting for me?”

Anna glanced at Alison. “It’s Tony.”

“He’s still not back,” Alison said.

“You’re sure?”

“I tried his cell and he wasn’t answering, either,” she snapped.

“Well, maybe he had it off like me,” he shot back. He took a breath. “Look. It’s our day off. He probably just wanted to get away from all of us. God knows I’ve felt that way on shoots before.”

Alison bit her lip, her face tense.

“What?” he asked.

When she didn’t answer right away, Anna said, “We ran into Danny. He told us he saw Tony at Delta Sierra last night. Said Tony was heading back to the motel around one a.m.”

“Alone,” Alison added.

Wes sat on the bed next to her. He put a hand on her back, expecting her to flinch, but she didn’t. “Think about it. Would you have told Danny you were going home with someone?”

Her gaze flicked away, then at him again, a bit of doubt in her eyes.

“Yeah, neither would I,” he said. “Tony strikes me as pretty smart, so I’m sure he wouldn’t have, either.”

“But that doesn’t mean he did go with someone.”

Wes nodded. “You’re right. It doesn’t.”

“It’s just, you know, with what’s been happening around here … it makes me nervous. Like maybe something happened to him.”

Wes thought for a moment. “Have you checked inside his room?”

Alison shook her head. “Just knocked.”

He scooted over, picked up the motel phone, and dialed zero.

“Front desk,” the woman on the other end said.

“Can I speak to the manager, please?”

“That would be me, sir,” she said.

“I need to check on a friend. He’s not answering his phone or his door, and we’re worried he might be sick or something. Could we get you to open his door for us? Just to check.”

“Of course,” she said. “What’s the room number?”

Wes moved the handset away from his mouth. “What’s Tony’s room number?”

“One seventy-eight,” Alison told him.

“One seventy-eight,” Wes repeated into the phone.

“I’ll meet you there.”