Stranded

night, too. Creed wanted to see her immediately. Maggie took that opportunity to leave.
    She had the rented SUV, since Tully had stayed with Lopez and his crew. Before checking in with Tully she found her way back to Noah Waters’s house. She parked along the curb opposite the split-level house. She punched in the phone number and watched through the Waterses’ front bay window. Though the sheer curtains were closed Maggie could see someone walk by to pick up the landline phone that Maggie remembered seeing on a bookcase in the corner.
    “Hello?”
    It was Noah’s mother.
    “Mrs. Waters, this is Agent Maggie O’Dell. I met you earlier today.”
    Silence. Of course, the woman remembered. She had spent a good deal of time staring darts at Maggie. She had complained when Maggie wouldn’t allow her to stay in the room while she interviewed her son.
    “Mrs. Waters, I need to speak with Noah.”
    “He’s not here,” she said quickly.
    “He’s not allowed to leave your house, Mrs. Waters. If he’s not there, I’ll need to notify Detective Lopez and an arrest warrant will be issued.” She said this while she watched Mrs. Waters through the window waving her hands at someone in the room in an attempt to get him to stay quiet or leave.
    Maggie got out of the SUV, crossed the street, and started up the sidewalk.
    “He’s with his father. They’ll be right back,” she lied as Maggie rang the doorbell. “Oh, I have someone at the door, you’ll need to call back.” And she hung up.
    When she answered the door the woman’s expression quickly changed from a smile to surprise and then anger. “That wasn’t very professional,” she scolded Maggie.
    “And lying to a federal officer is a felony,” Maggie said as she saw Noah sitting on the edge of the sofa.
    “You can’t just come in here whenever you want.”
    “Would you rather I come back with an arrest warrant?”
    “Don’t be ridiculous. I won’t let you—”
    “You found him,” Noah interrupted, but he didn’t move from his seat.
    “Oh, my God. You found Ethan? Is he okay?”
    “He’s dead. Just like your son told us.”
    “I’m calling your father, Noah.” And the woman was already heading back to the phone. “You shouldn’t talk to anyone without a lawyer.”
    “It’s time you told me the truth, Noah,” Maggie said.
    He looked over his shoulder at his mother, now talking on the phone in a hysterical tone. Noah stood, grabbed a jacket, and said to Maggie, “Can we take a walk? I haven’t been outside all day.”

CHAPTER 46

    Noah couldn’t believe how calm he suddenly felt. Finding Ethan meant he hadn’t imagined that horrible night. It shouldn’t have made him feel better, and yet there was relief. He breathed in the crisp spring air. The sun had started to slip behind the ridge and the sky was already filled with streaks of pink and purple. With the sun went the warmth of the day and he shoved his hands deep into his jacket pockets as he walked alongside the FBI agent.
    She was shorter than him. The jeans she wore were soiled at the knees and he noticed some raw scrapes on her forearms where she had her shirtsleeves shoved up above her elbows. Her short hair was tousled, though it wasn’t windy. Despite the chill in the air, she didn’t appear cold at all. And here, right now like this, she appeared younger. Not as intimidating. She certainly didn’t look like an FBI agent.
    He had questions for her but he wasn’t sure he wanted the answers. He knew she was waiting for him to speak first. They had walked a block before he realized he’d have to tell her something.
    “It wasn’t us that was stranded,” he finally started. “We thought he was. He said his car wouldn’t start and his cell phone battery had died. He had his arm in a sling.”
    And stupid Ethan rolled down the car window. We were so close to home
.
    “What did he look like?”
    “It was dark. He wore a ball cap low over his eyes.” He knew he’d never forget those eyes, narrow set and black. They looked like they belonged to a wolf.
    She was waiting for more. He’d never tell.
    Can’t tell. Promised I wouldn’t tell
.
    “How tall was he?”
    Noah shrugged like he couldn’t remember.
    “As tall as you?”
    “Yeah, I guess.”
    He saw her push back a strand of her hair and let out a frustrated sigh.
    “You’ve got to give me more than that, Noah.”
    The tightness returned to his chest. What if the madman was watching his house? What if he