Chapter 4

The morning after the second day of searching for Ryan, the police had made the decision that Jack, Fred, and Jimmy would be allowed to go home. It felt strange. Jack had expected to be questioned further, to be asked for every little detail about their trip and Ryan’s behavior leading up to his disappearance. But instead, Detective Daniels had called them into the lodge and told them, rather formally, that the search was being expanded into surrounding areas, and there was no need for them to remain at the resort.

“We’ll be in touch if we need anything else,” she had said, her eyes lingering on Jack just a little longer than the others.

Jack hadn’t missed the way she had looked at him, as if she already suspected he was hiding something. And maybe he was. That phone call he’d received—Ryan’s voice whispering “Help me”—still haunted him. He had heard it twice now, but he hadn’t told anyone about it, not even Fred or Jimmy. What would he even say? It sounded insane. He was also wondering how far they might dig into Ryan’s past. And what they might find. An uneasy feeling came over him as Detective Daniels walked away.

As they drove back to the city, the car was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Fred was at the wheel, gripping it tightly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Jimmy sat in the back, staring out the window, his face pale and drawn. No one had the energy to talk about what had happened anymore. Everything felt surreal.

Weeks passed, and Ryan’s disappearance slowly started to fade from the headlines, but for Jack, Fred, and Jimmy, it remained a constant weight. Every day felt like they were living in a shadow. The police had continued their investigation, expanding their search, interviewing other guests at the resort, and even combing through Ryan’s past. Jack had received occasional calls from Detective Daniels with updates, but they were always the same: no leads, no suspects, no trace of Ryan.

Life went on, but it didn’t feel the same. Jack returned to his job at the marketing firm, but his work felt meaningless. Every time his phone buzzed, his heart skipped a beat, hoping it was Ryan calling again—or dreading that it might be him. He had started to think about Ryan more than ever, replaying their last few days together over and over in his mind.

Had he missed something? Was there some sign that Ryan had given him, some clue he hadn’t seen?

Fred, meanwhile, had thrown himself into work. He owned a small IT consulting business and used it as a distraction, burying himself in client meetings and projects. Jimmy had taken a different approach, sinking into long nights at bars, drinking alone more often than not. He had called Jack a few times in the middle of the night, rambling about how Ryan had been keeping secrets, how there had to be something more to his disappearance. But every time Jack tried to get Jimmy to talk clearly, the conversation had fizzled out into drunken mumbling.

One evening, about two months after Ryan’s disappearance, Jack sat in his apartment, flipping through an old photo album. He found pictures of the four of them—Jack, Ryan, Fred, and Jimmy—during better times: fishing trips, birthday parties, barbecues. Ryan was always smiling in those pictures, looking so carefree, so normal. But now, as Jack stared at them, he couldn’t help but wonder how much of that was real. How much of Ryan’s life had been hidden behind that smile?

His phone buzzed, breaking him out of his thoughts. Jack glanced down and saw an unknown number on the screen. A flicker of hope, followed by dread, flashed through him. He answered it.

“Jack Bryant?”

The voice on the other end was familiar. Detective Daniels.

“Yes, this is Jack,” he said, sitting up straighter.

“Mr. Bryant, I’d like to speak with you again,” Daniels said, her voice neutral but firm. “There have been some developments in the case, and I have some questions that I think you might be able to help answer.”

Jack felt his heart rate pick up. “Developments? What kind of developments?”

There was a pause on the line. “We’ve been looking into Ryan’s past. There are a few things that we’ve learned that I believe you might not be aware of. Can you come down to the station tomorrow morning?”

Jack swallowed hard. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be there.”

“Good. We’ll see you then.”

The call ended, leaving Jack staring at his phone. What had they found?

The next morning, Jack walked into the police station feeling like a weight had settled on his chest. Detective Daniels met him in the lobby and led him to a small interview room. The air inside was stale, and the walls were bare except for a clock ticking loudly on one wall. Daniels sat across from Jack, her notebook open in front of her, the recorder in the middle of the table.

“Thanks for coming, Jack,” she said, her tone professional but not unkind.

Jack nodded. “What’s this about? You said there were some developments.”

Daniels took a breath before speaking. “As I mentioned, we’ve been digging into Ryan’s background. We spoke to some of his former colleagues, friends, and even his ex-girlfriend, Julia.”

Jack’s stomach twisted at the mention of Julia. He had a feeling that was going to come up. She and Ryan had dated for a while, off and on for the last couple of years. The breakup had been messy—something about Ryan cheating on her, if Jack remembered correctly. Ryan had never been too open about the details, but it had been one of those relationships that lingered in the background of their friendship for years. The relationship took a toll on Ryan and Jack thought it might send Ryan over the edge. He was glad when it ended.

“What did Julia say?” Jack asked, his voice tight.

Daniels flipped through her notes. “She told us that Ryan had been distant in the months leading up to his disappearance, which aligns with what you and your friends told us. But what’s more interesting is that she hinted at something deeper. According to Julia, Ryan had been acting strangely for the last year or so. He was paranoid, convinced that someone was watching him.”

Jack frowned. “Watching him? Like, stalking him?”

Daniels nodded. “Julia didn’t have a lot of details, but she said Ryan became obsessed with the idea that someone was following him—monitoring him, even. He started avoiding certain places, changing his routines. She thought it might have been some kind of mental health issue, but Ryan never sought help for it.”

Jack felt a cold knot form in his stomach. Ryan had never mentioned anything like that to him—or to any of them, as far as he knew. The idea that Ryan had been living in fear, convinced that someone was after him. Jack wondered how much he should say about Julia and wondered how much Detective Daniels knew. He decided to see where she was going with this.

“Do you think he was right?” Jack asked. “That someone was actually following him?”

Daniels shrugged. “We don’t know yet. But it’s something we’re looking into. There’s more.”

Jack’s heart sank. “More?”

Daniels leaned forward slightly, her gaze sharp. “Julia also mentioned that Ryan had come to her a few months before the trip to Green Pines. He asked her if she still had some old contacts from her time working in real estate.”

“Real estate? Why?”

“He wanted to disappear,” Daniels said, her voice low. “He was looking into buying property under a different name, somewhere far from here. Julia said he was dead serious about it. She thought it was just him spiraling—maybe a midlife crisis—but now, with everything that’s happened, it seems like he was planning something.”

Jack felt his breath catch in his throat. “So you think he actually disappeared on purpose? That this was all part of some plan?”

Daniels held up a hand. “I’m not saying that. We’re still investigating all possibilities. But it does raise some important questions. If Ryan was planning to disappear, why? What was he running from?”

Jack shook his head, his mind reeling. “He never told us anything about this. I mean, we knew he’d been acting strange, but… planning to disappear? That doesn’t sound like him.”

Daniels watched him closely, her eyes narrowing. “That brings me to my next point, Jack. I don’t think you’ve been entirely forthcoming with us.”

Jack froze. “What do you mean?”

“I think there’s more you know—more that you’re not telling us,” she said, her voice sharp. “When we first interviewed you, you said there was nothing else, nothing unusual. But I don’t believe that.”

Jack felt his pulse quicken. He had thought he could keep the phone calls to himself, but now, with Daniels staring him down, he realized he couldn’t hide it any longer. He swallowed hard.

“There is something,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “But I didn’t tell you because… I didn’t know what to make of it.”

Daniels leaned in, her gaze intense. “What is it?”

Jack took a deep breath, feeling his chest tighten. “I’ve gotten a couple of phone calls. From Ryan’s number. They came after he disappeared. And when I answered… it was his voice. He said, ‘Help me.’”

Daniels didn’t react at first, her expression unreadable. But after a moment, she frowned. “You’re saying you’ve received calls from a missing person’s phone? And you didn’t think to mention that earlier?”

Jack shook his head, frustration and guilt bubbling up inside him. “I know it sounds crazy. That’s why I didn’t say anything. The first time I thought it was a prank or a glitch or something. But then it happened again. I don’t know what to make of it.”

Daniels stared at him for a long moment, then finally nodded. “We’ll look into the phone records, see if we can trace the calls. But Jack, if there’s anything else you’re holding back, now is the time to tell us.”

“I swear, that’s it,” Jack said, feeling a mixture of relief and dread. “I just didn’t know how to explain it.”

Jack was starting to panic. How much does Daniels know? Does she know about Julia’s family and what they are involved in? She has too. But why did she not bring that up.

Daniels stood, closing her notebook. “We’ll be in touch, Jack. And don’t hesitate to call if you think of anything else.”

As Jack left the station, his mind buzzed with questions. Who had been making those calls? And if it really was Ryan, what had happened to him? The fear that had been gnawing at Jack since that weekend at the resort was only growing.

Ryan had been keeping secrets, more than any of them had realized. But Jack couldn’t shake the feeling that the biggest secret of all was still out there—waiting to be uncovered.