In the book flush Lice Peeking does not show up. Why?

Noah and Abbey were sitting in the skiff in their backyard waiting for Lice to show up. After a while, Noah became concerned and sped over the Lice's trailer on his bike. Shelly was home and didn't know where Lice was. He took her Jeep the night before. The cops found her car abandoned that morning. Some bald-headed guy with a crooked nose and a foreign accent stopped by to see Lice just before he took off. Noah thought to himself that the description matched the guy that grabbed Abbey. Shelly forced Noah to tell her what was going on between Lice and Paine. Noah was shocked when Shelly told him she could help him.