Before he could make any comment, she continued. “I was thinking…about this interview thing. What if I talked about Darcy? Would I be putting her in danger?”
He considered it. He’d even mentioned that very possibility yesterday. But now that they had some idea what they were dealing with—and he had no reason to doubt Meems’s instinct as she’d been dead-on every other time—he wondered if it could have some benefits. “This organization—these human traffickers, if that’s what they are—they’ve been keeping a low profile. Selecting girls who would easily disappear with little to no alarm set off. The usual mode of operation would be to select girls who have low self-esteem, who are easily misguided and likely living with no one who will care if they never come home. The runaways, girls from broken homes, like a struggling single parent, that sort of thing.”
“But Darcy has me.” She sounded fierce as she said this.
She wasn’t going to like him for what he was going to say. Well, she’d like him less. “I’m guessing that they underestimated you and the depth of your feelings for your daughter. Take a step back. Look at what’s publicly known. Darcy’s biological mom took off when she was a kid, and her dad was left to raise her. But then he dies and she’s dumped on a stepmom, barely a girl herself. A stepmom who, by some accounts”—he remembered the reactions from people they’d spoken to yesterday, people who could be described as surprised at the level of Meredith’s feelings for her stepdaughter—“wouldn’t have thought you’d be so invested in Darcy’s interests. Maybe would have been relieved that she’d turned eighteen, graduated high school, and maybe gone off to find herself. That she was no longer your responsibility.”
She didn’t say anything, and he glanced over to see she was staring out into space.
“Go on,” she finally said, not looking at him.
“I’m just saying to the casual observer, Darcy appeared to be someone whose disappearance would go unnoticed. Maybe. It’s just a theory. But I think your appearance now, telling everyone watching that you care and you’re not giving up…it might work. It’s worth a shot.”
“Good.” She nodded quickly, smoothing her hair around her shoulders. All businesslike. Cool. Unaffected.
A contrast to the real, raw emotion he’d seen just moments ago.
If that’s what she needed to do to get through the next hour, then he’d let her have it.
Chapter Eight
The lights on the studio dimmed as they faded to a commercial, and Travis watched from the wings as Meredith faced Annabeth, who, without the cameras on her, was smiling like a feral alley cat.
“You don’t think you could have clued me into the change in direction for your interview, Mer? Not that I don’t have sympathy for your plight, but this is my show. And your hijacking the interview made me look anything but professional.”
Ah, there’s the Annabeth he knew so well. She’d given them both a glowing smile when they first arrived, as, like Meredith before, she hadn’t realized she’d previously made his acquaintance. Now, her lips were stretched tightly over her lips, and she was ready for a fight. Unbelievable.
Meredith didn’t look concerned as she stood, pressing her hands down over her dress. “I’m sure that your exclusive interview with the mayor after he announces his intention to run again in the next election should help your injured pride.”
That also sounded right. Annabeth wouldn’t do anyone a favor, not even her own mother, unless she had something to gain.
The scary stretched smile on the woman’s face loosened. “Yes. As long as you hold true to your word.”
He walked out to join them, coming to Meredith’s side.
“Travis, any word?” she said immediately on noticing him.
He shook his head, aware of Annabeth’s gaze raking over him and then settling back on his face. Her face scrunched up as she took a minute. “Do we know each other? Wait. Oh my God. You’re not that computer guy, are you? From high school?”
His silence spoke for itself, and the woman placed her hand on his arm. “Wow. You sure have changed. For the better.” She laughed and wrapped her arms around him like they were old friends, her cloying scent also wrapping around him like a snake, suffocating him.
A glimpse of Meredith’s face showed clear exasperation.
He pulled away, eager for air, as Annabeth continued, “And you’re here with Meredith? That’s rich, considering your history.”
Meredith smoothed her face into a neutral mask. Save for the slight twitch under her left eye that had returned. “Travis is helping me find Darcy. He’s with a private security company.”
Annabeth ripped her gaze from him and stared at Meredith, that cunning smile back. “Really, Mer? I was certain that stunt out there on air was just a ploy to grab attention for yourself. Are you actually serious about this missing daughter thing?”
“I appreciate your graciousness in giving me the airtime, Annabeth,” Meredith continued, not bothering to respond to the jab. “I trust I’ll see you tomorrow night at the event?”
“So you’re going?” The woman’s voice dripped with condemnation.
“I have every confidence that Travis will find my daughter and things will be back to business as usual.” Meredith accepted her purse from a page who appeared at her other side. “Thanks again, Annabeth. You’ve been…gracious, as always.”
With that special swish of her head, she walked away, graceful and poised like the queen bee he’d known her to be. Only in this instance, he admired the spunk she’d shown. Not lowering herself to the other woman’s level.
She kept a fast pace, not stopping until they were outside, the heat hitting them like a furnace.