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“If someone targeted her, they would have waited for another opportunity. It wouldn’t have made a hill-of-beans difference,” he quickly countered. His reassurance meant more to her than he could ever know.
Darren opened his laptop and hit the power button. He entered a search for “missing teen + Cider Creek” and then sat back. “There are a few hits for missing teens but Cider Creek is crossed out.”
“What if we try ‘missing teen plus Texas’?” she asked.
The results narrowed by a slim margin.
“We can scan the headlines to see if we recognize any of the towns nearby,” he said.
“Here’s one that isn’t far,” Darren said. Robb City was forty-five minutes east. “The missing person is a high-school sophomore. Tandra St. Claire is her name.”
“Any details about the case?” she asked, scooting closer to him so she could read the print on the screen.
“She’s been gone almost two weeks now,” he said.
“What about the family?” she asked. “Did they make a statement?”
“The father swears his little girl was taken and that she didn’t run away,” he said. “Mother blames the father for cheating on her and asking for a divorce.”
“Trouble at home,” Reese said quietly. It sounded a little too familiar.
“They might speak to us if we can find their address,” he said.
“I happen to know Camree Lynn’s mom still lives at the same place,” Reese said. “We could go talk to her. A lot of time has passed, and she might have done her own searching for her daughter. She could have information that could help us tie the cases together.”
“Let’s go,” he said, checking the time as he bit back a yawn. It was eight o’clock.
Reese glanced down at her clothing, or lack thereof. “I can’t go out like this.”
“I probably have something in the laundry room for you to borrow,” he said.
She shot him a look that said she didn’t want to wear another woman’s clothes, especially if it was someone he was dating, had dated or had been married to.
“Stacie left a jogging suit here once,” he explained. “You two look to be about the same size.”
She wanted to ask why Stacie was leaving clothing at his home but suspected it was a sure sign someone was staking a claim. As if the way the doctor had treated Reese earlier wasn’t enough to convey the message. Since her only other option was a T-shirt and bathrobe, she agreed. Liking the idea wasn’t a requirement. Going outside half-naked was probably still frowned on.
Facing Camree Lynn’s mother wasn’t something she was looking forward to. Virginia must have been devastated. After losing her only daughter, Virginia didn’t show up to school anymore. To be honest, the whole time period was fuzzy for Reese. When Stacie mentioned the part about the brain blocking out trauma for survival purposes, it had resonated. Reese was sure she’d done that exact thing to avoid thinking of her best friend’s disappearance.
As much as Darren seemed overprotective of his daughters now, she’d read kids were at far greater risk of being abducted by a stranger at around age fifteen, like Camree Lynn. It was an early stage of independence, a phase of rebelling against parents and testing boundaries. Camree Lynn had fallen into the right age category, but Reese doubted that her friend would do something foolish like meet in person with someone she didn’t know from the internet. Besides, the law would have checked her computer and social media sites. At least, Reese hoped that would be the case. The past sheriff had been a little too quick to classify Camree Lynn as a runaway. Was there something in her journal that Reese didn’t know about? As close as they’d been, it wasn’t impossible to think her friend had kept some secrets to herself.
Teenage years were hard enough with hormones and all the insecurities that came with transitioning from a fully dependent kid to an independent adult. There wasn’t enough money in the world to make Reese want to go back to those days. The only bright spot in high school after Camree Lynn’s disappearance had been Darren, and she’d broken his heart. He was right about one thing. The toughest years for his girls were ahead. Stacie seemed plenty eager to step into the role of mother.
There must be a story behind the way she looked at him. One that ran deeper than her loving the girls and wanting to pitch in to help because she missed her sister. Those two things might be true, but Reese had picked up on more.
Darren returned with the offering, folded up in outstretched arms. Reese took the warm-ups. Now, she was going to get to wear the woman’s clothing. That wouldn’t go over too well if they ran into Stacie. Reese hoped it wouldn’t happen. She had a feeling Stacie believed Reese was homing in on what she’d designated as her turf.
Reese had a few choice words for Stacie should the woman confront her. Besides, she’d known Darren first.
Clearly, she was going down a rabbit hole. “I’ll be right back.”
Five minutes later, she was changed and ready to go. The jogging suit fit well enough. A little tight in the chest area, but she could make it work. Besides, beggars couldn’t be choosers, as the saying went.
Could she get information from Virginia Bowles? Or would her former best friend’s mother slam the door in Reese’s face?
DARRENDIDN’THAVEshoes that would fit Reese and she couldn’t go out barefoot. So when she came out of the bathroom wearing her shoes, he was relieved.
“I cleaned them,” she said, motioning toward her ballet flats. “Kept them because I didn’t figure they would be much use as evidence, and I needed something to use to walk.” She issued a sharp breath and her face twisted up like she was in pain. “Ballet flats and sweatpants—high fashion at its best.”
