> or did someone sneak into my house and move it
> to a very logical hiding place with a logic that
> no coincidence can put into my noggin

That sounds suspiciously like the phenomenon that in our house causes someone to solemnly intone "It's been put Somewhere Safe".

I've evolved a trick for something that's been mislaid. If it takes a long time to find it, don't leave it Somewhere Safe which happens to be logical; if you're not about to use it immediately, leave it where it is, as you're more likely to remember where you found it than a newly-minted Somewhere Safe (whose logic will evaporate once you leave the room).