Page 30 of Last Seen
“Well, if she’s missing, maybe I can find her.”
There is a deep pause on the other side of the phone. “You want to go searching for a woman who’s been gone for fifteen years, who, let me remind you, murdered your mother and tried to kill you, too? Isn’t that a bit ...”
“A bit what?”
He sighs. “A bit foolhardy. You have no resources. No training—no real-world experience.” At her indignant sigh: “Hal, I know you’re a trained forensic scientist, and good at it. That’s not what I mean. Everyone is saying your sister is dangerous. I think maybe you need to take a step back, think rationally about this. Let law enforcement know what you’ve discovered. See if they’ll agree to look into it.”
She can’t help it; she sees red. “Iamacting more than rationally. This is my world being blown up here, Theo. I think, under the circumstances, I deserve a damn award for how rational I’m being.”
“Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m worried about you. I want to help. What can I do to help?”
“Find out who filed the missing persons report. I want to talk to whoever it was. There’s a Boston phone number on it. I called it but it rang off the hook.”
Silence. She can imagine him with his head down, running his thumb and forefinger along his eyebrows as he does when he’s thinking. “Give me the number. I’ll make some calls, see what I can find out. But Halley, you have to promise me you’re going to be careful. Some secrets should stay buried.”
A knock against the side of the Jeep makes Halley jerk. Kater is standing by the window, grinning.
“I gotta go. I need to talk to my dad. Thanks, Theo. I promise I’ll be careful.”
She hangs up before he can reply, just in case. Last night’s kindnesses from him feel far away.
She rolls down the window. Nurses scurry past into the building. A chilly breeze ruffles her hair, which is still damp.
Kater immediately looks concerned. “You okay? Your face is all red. What were you doing, sitting here holding your breath?”
“Something like that. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Seriously, are you okay? You seem ... off.”
“Oh, you know. Stress about Dad, and stuff.”
“Stuff?”
This is a friend, someone she can trust. And she doesn’t want to be alone with this right now.
“I just found out my mom didn’t die in a car accident like I always thought.”
“Oh, Halley, I am so sorry. How did she die?”
“Murder. She was murdered.”
Kater’s face goes white. “Jeez. That’s ... By who? Not your dad?”
“Oh, God, no. Actually, it was my sister. Who I also thought was dead. Apparently it’s been ‘hide the truth from Halley’ all these years.”
“Your dad didn’t tell you? Why?”
Damn good question. “He thought I was in danger. Which ... Well, none of it matters now. I found out, and I need to track down my sister. She went missing fifteen years ago, supposedly.”
Halley gets out of the Jeep, and they walk toward the ER entrance, their feet grinding the loose gravel.
“Do you know from where?”
“No, but I’ll figure it out. I have some leads to follow. My husband is checking some stuff, too.”
“Ooh. Tell me about this husband? Is he the hottie you always dreamed of?”
She thinks back to his declaration of love last night. “Sort of. Yeah. He’s hot. Tall. Works for ATF.” She smiles despite herself. “We’re having some issues. He’s worried about me.”
