Easier to Lie

Chapter Thirty-Two

On Christmas Day, I received the worst call of my life. Betty Cole was missing. Not again, I thought, this couldn't be happening again. Her mother called me at two o'clock that afternoon wanting to know when I last heard from her.

"Yesterday," I said, my voice shaky, "she called to let me know that my dad stopped by. They were going to have dinner. She was at the store trying to decide between regular potatoes and sweet potatoes."

"Sam called about three hours ago, said she's missing. Her purse was on the table, her car in the garage. The dog was still in the backyard. How long was your dad staying? Could you call him, please?"

I called my dad immediately. He said he left Highlands earlier that morning, around nine. Betty was baking a cake for her neighbor's birthday. Sam wasn't home, he left before my dad did. Nothing made sense.

"When will you be home?" I asked, not wanting to be alone.

"This evening. I have a few stops to make, couple errands to run. I'll call you when I can."

I wanted to join the search in Highlands. The news was already covering information and conducting interviews. I couldn't look away. All I could think about was finding Betty, but I couldn't leave my animals behind. If Mom was in town I would ask her to look after them, but she was still on vacation with her boyfriend.

The TV stayed on all night. I didn't get any sleep. Images of SamSam and their families never left the screen. My heart broke for him. Seeing what a mess he was made me cry even harder. She had to be okay. The baby had to be okay.

The next day, coverage was saying that people had seen Betty walking the dog, walking around her neighborhood. One neighbor said they saw a van and three suspicious people at a nearby house. None of it made sense. Sam was out there all day and night searching for her. The media looked for ways to blame him, as they always do. I was never close to Sam, but I was sure that he would never hurt Betty. Their love put Nicholas Sparks' couples to shame.

"Where were you the day your wife disappeared?" Sam gave a sit-down interview on Day Three.

He looked handsome in his polo shirt and jeans. He kept a finger on his wedding band, spinning it as they spoke.

"Fishing. I know it sounds stupid—fishing in December—but I love it. I wanted one last trip for myself before the baby came."

"You left your pregnant wife, who was only days away from giving birth, alone, to go fishing on a December morning?"

"She wasn't alone."

"Oh, she wasn't?"

"No. A family friend was with her. He travels for work and stays with us when he's in town."

"And where is this friend now?"

"Back in Sedona, where he lives. I talk to him every day."

"And what does he say? About the last time he saw Betty?"

"She was baking the cake for our neighbor. He took our dog for a walk and put her back in the fence before he left."

"You were still fishing when he left?"

"Yes."

"What were you fishing for?"

"Flounder. It's Betty's favorite. Striped bass too."

"Do you have any idea, any idea at all what may have happened to her? Did she have any enemies?"

Sam shook his head and wiped away the snot from his nose. "No. Everybody loved her. Loves her. I want her back. She's pregnant with my baby, I need both of them back. I love them very much. Everything is still the way she left it. My sole priority is to find them. I know we're on camera and I know my house-our house-is a mess, but I don't care. I want to find her and bring her home."