It wasn’t until they pulled onto Allie’s street that Meredith trusted herself to speak without breaking down. “What next?”
She hated how her voice trembled. She hated relying on anyone for anything. Giving them that control. She dug her fingers into the side of her thigh as she waited for his response.
He didn’t speak until they’d pulled up to the curb and parked. “I’ll check and see if we know any of the local law enforcement. Find out if there’s any similar pattern of missing girls. But I want to be clear about something, now that we’ve decided I’m taking the case. I’m in charge of this investigation. Me. I make the calls, and if I tell you to stay put, you need to stay put. You’re not to interfere no matter what. Can you agree to that?”
She bristled at his suggestion that she might interfere but managed to nod, meeting his hard gaze. “Okay.”
“I’m heading to a hotel,” he continued. “You should go home, try and get some sleep. If you hear anything, call me immediately. Otherwise I’ll be by at eight to coordinate our next efforts. Get a list of her friends, anyone she might reach out to if she were in trouble.”
She only nodded numbly and climbed out of the SUV, sensing his gaze on her as she clambered up the driveway and to her car. It was only after she’d climbed in and started the car that he seemed satisfied and drove off.
She looked at the time on the dashboard. Just after nine. How the hell was she going to go home and even consider sleep when she was tied up in a million knots? She sank her head down to nestle on her arm atop the steering wheel. Someone tapped on the window, sending her bolting upright, sounding off the horn.
Great. It was Allie.
Why hadn’t she waited until she was home for this little breakdown? Begrudgingly she rolled down the window.
“Have you heard anything from Darcy?”
Meredith sat back and sighed. “No. We haven’t.”
“I am really sorry, Meredith. Despite our many differences, I care about Darcy and I hope you find her soon. Look, I was just about to make myself a cup of tea. Do you want to come inside for a minute?”
The thought of voluntarily spending any time with Saint Allie sounded as appealing as having a rottweiler chew off her left arm. “Thanks, but I’m going to head home. Maybe Darcy will be there and surprise me.”
“All right. Keep me updated, if you don’t mind,” Allie said, not looking particularly surprised by the decline. Actually, maybe “relieved” was a better word.
Well, Meredith was not a charity case. She started to roll her window up as Allie took a step back. But…pity or not, it was still a decent offer. Before she could change her mind, she added, “Thanks, Allie.”
Then she backed up and headed home.
…
Travis thought of a million reasons why he should turn around now. It wasn’t like he had the time to do the whole reunion thing. If this were a kidnapping case, the first hours and days were pivotal to finding the person, as the scent went cold very quickly.
What if she didn’t want to see him?
But the fact that he’d just seen Allie a few hours before meant it was likely she already knew he was in town. And would be hurt if he didn’t reach out. He went ahead and knocked.
Immediately, a dog barked on the other side, and a few seconds later he heard footsteps that paused at the door. He raised his gaze and stared into the peephole.
The door swept open, followed by a squeal, then his sister was throwing herself into his arms. Guess she might be happy to see him after all.
“I almost didn’t believe Allie when she told me you’d been by,” she said once she settled back down on the ground in front of him. “It’s been so long and you look…” She looked him up and down. “Wow. Hot.”
“You’re not doing too bad yourself,” he said and smiled.
Claire was only eighteen months older than him, but without makeup and wearing her glasses, she looked like she was twelve. But even as a brother he could appreciate that she was stunning, with her long chestnut-colored hair—something she’d ground into his memory when they were kids any time he tried to call it brown—and those wide innocent blue eyes. With her hair pulled into a ponytail, she looked more like a schoolgirl than a woman.
“Come in, come in,” she said and scooped up the small, fluffy white dog that was still barking around their feet. “Stop that, Daisy.”
As if she’d only been waiting for attention, the little dog immediately stopped and stared at him. Travis looked uneasily at it. He wasn’t very good with small yippy dogs. He stepped into the small, sparse, but tastefully decorated condo.
Not sure what to do with himself, he took a seat on the worn and scarily bright celery-green couch as Claire continued. “I hope it was okay that Allie called me, but she knew that if I heard you were in town and that she knew and didn’t tell me, I would never forgive her. At least not without causing her some bodily harm.”
He shrugged. “Figured as much.” Although Claire hadn’t gone to St. Andrew, she and Allie now both taught at the school, something he’d learned through the letters Claire sent him over the years. The two women had become quick friends when they realized their connection through him.
“I couldn’t believe it when Allie told me that Darcy was missing,” she said and put the dog back on the ground.