Or her car.
Back outside, they climbed into his car, and he dialed the impound lot, knowing in his gut what they were likely going to report.
The woman who answered obtained the make, model, and license plate from him in a monotone voice. She clicked at her keyboard and then put him on hold. Another minute passed as he and Meredith waited, the phone on speaker.
“Yeah. We have that here. Arrived this morning.” The woman proceeded to give him the information they needed to get the car back as well as the daily rate they’d charge until it was picked up while Meredith stared outside, her face a mask, even though he knew she had to be upset.
He hung up. Time to make the call.
With Darcy’s car sitting in an impound lot, it seemed less and less likely that Darcy had taken off for a few days. And from Bryce’s description, she’d been completely out of it, possibly drugged, when he last saw her.
And nearly twenty-four hours later, she was still missing.
“Guess I’ll go find a hotel for the night. Looks like, if you still want me, I’ll be taking the case.”
She glanced over at him, her emotions now clear. But instead of righteous anger that she’d been correct all along, or relief that he was helping, she looked alarmed. No, petrified.
“Isn’t that what you wanted?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
“If you’re taking it, then it means you think something’s wrong. That Darcy really is in trouble,” she added in a near whisper.
There wasn’t anything he could say. He looked at the front of the building again before pulling away, knowing that at some point tonight he’d be returning to find and talk to the squatter.
Without his new sidekick.
Chapter Five
Meredith didn’t have much to say the rest of the ride back to her car. Her thoughts were with Darcy. Still missing.
Meredith looked down at her cell phone for the thousandth time. No messages. No new texts. Almost automatically, she tried Darcy’s phone again and was sent promptly to voicemail.
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?”#p#分页标题#e#
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.”