But his lips…his lips did surprise her. Even with the frown on his face that hadn’t budged, there was a sensuousness to their fullness.
“Travis?” she asked.
He nodded once and took her elbow. “I’ve got us a seat right behind you.”
She turned to see a small alcove that had been hidden from her sight when she arrived. She must have walked right past him. He, on the other hand, would have had a clear shot of the door and everyone coming and going. From the distance their table was to where she had been seated, he’d undoubtedly heard all of the disgusting things Jason had said.
And taken his sweet time in coming to her aid.
Meredith took a seat on the leather bench of the small booth, leaving him to sit across from her. Travis didn’t speak for a moment, quietly assessing her.
She cleared her throat. “You’re the man my father sent?”
He gave her a single nod again. “Why don’t you tell me everything about the situation.”
His curtness was throwing her off more than she’d like. “Wouldn’t you care to confirm who I am?”
He just looked at her. “I’m well aware who you are. Meredith.” For the slightest moment, she thought she saw something other than impassivity enter his face, then it was gone. “But your daughter has been missing for approximately fourteen hours. The smartest thing would be to get the pertinent facts so I can do my job and make sure she’s safe and back in her mother’s loving embrace.”
Was that reproach in his tone? Whatever. She wasn’t here to make friends. “Darcy turned eighteen as of last week.” Before he could ask the inevitable question, she added, “She was eleven when I married her father, so, yes, she’s technically my stepdaughter. But it doesn’t change anything about how I feel—”
“Tell me about when you last saw her and why you think something’s wrong.”
She gritted her teeth. “She had a babysitting job last night. Left just before six. I expected her home by eleven, midnight at the latest. Only…she never made it home—and all of my calls go directly to voicemail.”
“Could she have gone to a friend’s?”
“Unlikely.” How could she explain to this guy that Darcy just didn’t do spontaneous things like that? Darcy was about order, lists, scheduled activities. If she was going to go out with friends, she would have called or texted.
At least, that was her daughter’s usual MO.
“I already called her friends. Her best friend, Cassidy, didn’t know where she was. Hasn’t seen her…” She paused, deciding how much to share. “Cassidy claimed she hasn’t seen Darcy for a couple of weeks, which can’t be true, because Darcy has been over there late practically every night for the past month.” Or so Darcy had told her. A sinking in her heart told her that maybe Darcy hadn’t been telling her everything.#p#分页标题#e#
“Boyfriend?
“No. Darcy wasn’t seeing anyone. Look. I know my daughter,” she said with more resolution. “As I told the police, she is not and never has been one to just disappear like this. She started volunteering at the library a few weeks ago. Reads to the kids every Tuesday and Thursday at ten. They called this afternoon. She didn’t show up. Darcy loves reading to them. She wouldn’t miss that for anything.”
“Okay. What did the police say?”
She scoffed. “That she’s an adult and until she’s been missing twenty-four hours, she isn’t a priority. I filed the missing person report and was told to follow up if I hadn’t heard anything by Monday.”
When it would be too late.
Travis nodded. “One possible angle would be that someone kidnapped her for a ransom. You haven’t received anything? No notes, odd phone calls, or hang-ups?”
Kidnapped. For the first time since she’d realized Darcy hadn’t come home, the ominous possibilities were staring her in the face. She shook her head in bewilderment.
“I’m going to need a little more background. Need to make sure we eliminate all possibilities short of something more sinister. What is her relationship with her father? Her biological mother? Have either of them heard from her?”
She loathed going into any details of her private life—particularly with this man—but it couldn’t be helped. “Darcy’s father died five years ago. Her mother hasn’t been involved in her life since she was seven. Frankly, I wouldn’t even know how to contact her. Last we heard, she moved to Italy. Sends the occasional birthday card when and if she remembers.”