Free Relics by Maer Wilson

not been found. She is supposedly on a cruise.”
    “I wonder why she didn't tell us that.  Is she so fixated on that locket that she doesn't care?”
    Thulu shook his head. “I don't know. The pattern is clear, though. The missing person moved or is a on a trip. Convincing anyone that something has happened to any of them will be hard. Jane is active in online communities and look here. Someone posts to her page, just like the Masons.”
    “Except the Masons were alive long enough to move here.”
    He pulled up the site and, sure enough, Jane was showing recent posts and allowed everyone to “see” her. That was something I also thought was odd. I opened my tablet and made notes to ask her about both of those things. Prior to her death, her posts and friends were just her granddaughter and a few others.
    I thought out loud. “Back to the Masons. Their pattern is a bit different because they moved here and changed their names before whatever happened to them happened. They got found out, kidnapped, and then the posts began. Jones's way of covering his tracks, maybe?”
    He shrugged. “As good a working theory as any, at this point.”
    “Well, something had to trigger Jones. I want an answer to that question, too.” Another note. I almost needed a list to organize my lists.
    Thulu ran his fingers through his hair and laced his hands on top of his head while he stared at the screen. Well, frowned at it is more like it.
    “Maybe brunch is in order.” He was not a happy Thulu.
    “Well, I'm going to ask Jane about both of these things first.”
    I called, and she promptly popped in. Today her colors were blues, and she wore a silk blouse and slacks. No jeans for this lady, I would bet.
    “Jane,” I began.
    She interrupted. “I heard. My apologies, I didn't mean to eavesdrop.”
    “No, that's fine. Saves time. So, we know you aren't the one posting to online, but were you set to be seen by everyone?”
    She shook her head, “No, only family.”
    That was the easy one and only confirmed what I thought. Next was the hard one.
    “Jane, where is your body?”
    “I don't know.”
    Good lord, there was a lot of that going around.
    She frowned as she stared at the floor. “The house is completely clean, no sign of anything wrong. Just as if I really had gone on a trip.” She looked at me, her eyes full of sadness.
    I told her about our proposed meeting with Jones that afternoon and she seemed interested, asking if she could tag along. Thulu and I agreed she might pick up something we missed. At this point, any edge we could get with Jones would be welcome.
    With that settled, we wandered into the kitchen to make sandwiches for lunch. Until we got answers from Jones, we were basically stuck. We took our sandwiches, some leftover cabbage salad and our drinks into the study.
    We munched as we logged into our online game. It was always a nice diversion, and time passes very quickly when you're killing monsters, enchanting gear or gathering virtual resources. Before we knew it, it was time to leave. I put on shoes, checked my gun and put it back in my bag. Thulu tucked one of his own guns into an ankle holster. It was too warm for a jacket, so this would be the best he could do.
    Jane joined us as we walked to the garage. Nana Fae was waiting outside her condo when we got there. Nana climbed in the backseat and immediately sensed another presence. Her greeting brought a big smile to Jane's face.
    My heartbeat was picking up speed as my emotions started to clash. Excitement warred with a tinge of fear, and I could tell that Thulu was feeling it, as well. His knuckles were a little white as he held the steering wheel, but otherwise he appeared relaxed. It would have taken a Thulu expert to sense his apprehension, which, of course, I was.
    I focused on his profile, which I loved. His nose had a small bump from where it had been broken once. I liked that a lot; it gave him character and made us sort of match.
    We parked close