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.Except that I wish youwere Chase. What time do you arrive? Danica gave Tisha the details and hung up.She called Chase shome number once more to no avail.Danica banged her fist intoher other palm.Where are you, Chase? Why don t you answerme? She sat down heavily to await her flight.Whatever hadhappened, she was convinced it wasn t good.Chase rolled her suitcase into the hotel room, closed the doorbehind her, and leaned heavily against it.Now what? She wascompletely numb.Her decision to take off was based on a desireto get away, to disappear.She needed time to think, time to ponderthe meaning of her life.It was no surprise that she had picked thisparticular place for her getaway.She pushed off from the door and walked to the window.Itoverlooked the beach, which just then was aglow with the lastlight of day.If she strained hard enough, she could almost imagineDanica walking along the shore, her hair windblown and her barefeet leaving deep impressions in the wet sand.Chase bit back a sob.She would ve given anything to turn backthe clock to those unforgettable moments when life was no morecomplicated than falling in love.On an impulse, she threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt andhustled down to the beach.Suddenly, she needed to feel the sand,to see the water, to experience the sunset.She ran along the shoreuntil her lungs burned, as if by running she could catch up with thesetting sun.When she could run no more, she threw herself downand picked up a fistful of sand.She watched as the tiny grainsslipped through her fingers, much as she imagined her own timeslipping away.Hours passed, darkness fell, and still Chase sat on the coolingsand, unable to bring herself to get up and go inside.Her mind wasblank save for the knowledge that there was something in herbrain that didn t belong, something that could kill her.Eventually,she went in search of a lounge chair.She wanted to sleep with thesoothing sounds of the ocean in her ears.Tomorrow.She wouldthink about everything tomorrow.172 HeartsongDanica scanned the crowd outside the security area.Althoughshe d signed a book for Tisha in D.C., she had no recollection ofwhat the woman looked like. Danica, over here! Danica followed the sound and the raised hand that bobbed upand down in the crowd until someone materialized at her elbow. Hi, I m Tisha. Danica. As they walked toward the parking garage, Danicaasked, Any word? Nothing.I ve called everyone I can think of.I went to thehouse.Nobody knows anything. Tisha threw her hands up. I m sure the doctor s office wouldn t tell us anything, andbesides, they re closed by now. Danica scrubbed her face infrustration.They reached Tisha s car. Where to? You must be starving. Can t say that I ve got much of an appetite at this point, Danica said. Still, you probably should eat something.When s the last timeyou ate? I don t remember.It doesn t matter. Danica fought a feelingof futility. Hey, Tisha said, reaching over from the driver s seat to patDanica on the arm. We ll find her.Or she ll turn up.Everythingwill be all right. You ought to put a little more conviction in your voice whenyou give that pep talk next time, Danica said kindly. Maybe, but I still mean it. Tisha took her eyes off the roadfor a second to glance at Danica. Chase loves you so much.She llknow you re worried.She ll be back. I hope so. Danica looked at the impending darkness andthought about Chase out there somewhere, alone.Her heartcontracted painfully.Please, baby, come home to me. How about if I take you directly to Chase s house, then go getsome takeout for both of us? Would that make you feel better? Yes, thanks. Danica picked at a cuticle. Is it that obvious? That you re jumping out of your skin with worry? Tishaturned on her blinker and made a left turn. Yeah. 173 Lynn Ames It sure is, and I have to tell you, that gets you points in mybook.Chase is my best friend, Danica.I ve known her for sixyears.I d run through fire for her, and I know she d do the samefor me.If I may speak frankly, the girlfriend thing hasn t workedout all that well for her in the past.She s been hurt really badly.I d hate to see that happen again. Since you ve been so candid, I ll be equally blunt.I loveChase with all my heart.The speed with which we fell in loveboggles my mind.I ve never felt about anyone what I feel for her,not with that level of intensity and desperation.I don t know howit happened or why.I only know it s real and it s true, and thethought of losing her& Danica s voice caught and she buried herface in her hands. Chase is a fighter, Danica.She s tough and she s courageous.I know you are, too.You ll get through this.I know you bothwill. Tisha pulled into Chase s driveway. Here we are. Danica dried her eyes with a Kleenex Tisha offered her. Thanks. Tisha used the key Chase had given her and let them in.Thehouse was just as it was when Danica had left the day before.Shepeeked in the bedroom; a closet door was ajar, but otherwiseeverything was in place.She went into the bathroom and noticed that Chase stoothbrush was gone.A foray into the garage revealed that the carwas still there.She looked for a set of keys but found none.Tisha met Danica on the way into the kitchen. Findanything? Car but no keys and no toothbrush.You? Danica asked. No note and lots of messages on the answering machine.Should we listen? Danica frowned. I don t want to violate Chase s privacy. What if there s something on there from the doctor s office? Hmm& Danica considered. The doctor s office wouldnever leave something of a personal nature on the machine. True.Damn.Where the hell are you, Chase? Get back herebefore I wring your neck. Hey, that s my girlfriend you re talking about. Danicapaused. If there s any neck wringing to be done, I ll be the one todo it. She sank heavily onto a stool at the breakfast bar.Without174 Heartsonglooking, she took out her phone and hit redial. You ve got to bekidding me! She followed the sound to the bedroom, where shefound Chase s cell phone ringing on the nightstand. Oh, baby.What were you thinking? Danica picked up the phone and held it tenuously.It was theonly clue she had and she was loath to use it.Looking through thelist of calls Chase had made and received violated Danica sstrongly held beliefs about privacy.But if Chase was in trouble, itmight be the only way she could track her.Surely privacy took abackseat to safety and well-being. You have to do it, Tisha said from the doorway. What? Tisha pointed to the phone Danica held in her hand
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