Page 110 of Shadow Sabotage
She let out a sigh. “A few hours if we’re lucky. Longer if we’re not.”
Time ticked slowlyas we waited for the med evac. Robin had to have been in severe pain, but Claire was right—she was strong, and her relief at being rescued kept her spirits bright.
Claire was a marvel. She was patient, kind, and reassuring. Never let even an ounce of the exhaustion she must have felt show through. She monitored Robin’s vitals and kept her distracted from the pain.
This was her passion, and she was damn good at it. If the people who had underestimated her could see her in action out here, they’d be blown away. I was proud of her.
Proud to be her partner.
I’d worked with a lot of good people over the years, but there was something special about working with her. I had a nagging feeling that anyone else would be a disappointment after this—even at the FBI.
At the top of every hour, one of us would climb part of the way up the ravine to radio in. Seven minutes up, seven minutes down. It was a punishing exercise, but it kept us warm. By midday, the sun beat down from overhead, bringing welcome heat to the ravine floor after the cold of the night. Robin shifted, wincing from the pain, and asked how much longer.
Claire glanced at the watch on her wrist. “Shouldn’t be too much longer now. Last time we checked in, they said the heli was en route. Another fifteen minutes or so, I’d guess.”
Robin let out a breath and smiled. “Thank you. Again.”
“You’re welcome. Again.” Claire’s lips twitched in a gentle smile.
“You probably think I’m stupid, coming out here by myself like this,” Robin said, blushing.
“Nah. We all do stupid things sometimes. Doesn’t make us stupid people.”
Robin gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks. But Iwasbeing stupid.” She groaned. “I don’t even know what I thought I’d find out there.”
“What were you hoping to find?” I asked casually.
Claire’s ears pricked.
Robin shrugged. “Anything. The girl they found—Kate… I just wanted to find out what happened to her.” She swallowed hard.
“We heard you’re a student at UW,” Claire said, her tone matching the ease I’d kept in mine. “You knew her then?”
“Yes.” She paused, looking away. Her grief was palpable.
“Seems like you two were close,” Claire said gently.
Robin nodded. “Yeah. She was… She was my sister.”
“Your sister?” I asked, frowning. We weren’t aware of Katelyn having had any siblings, biological or adopted. “Like, a sorority sister?”
Robin shook her head. “My foster sister. We both grew up in the system. We were in some of the same foster homes when we were kids.” Shame coated her features.
“Oh, man,” Claire said, her face falling. “I’m so sorry.”
Tears welled up in Robin’s eyes. “Me too. Nobody cared when she disappeared. Not really. But I did. I tried to find her. Started a podcast, hoping I’d get clues or something. Or that she’d hear it and reach out, let me know she was okay at least. We’d… We’d always looked out for each other. Even after we were moved to separate homes. Then I saw the news.” Her voice broke. “I justwanted to help find out who hurt her. I was so stupid, thinking I could.”
Claire squeezed Robin’s hand. “You were trying to help your family. There’s nothing stupid about that.”
“And maybe you still can,” I added.
Robin looked at me, confused.
“Claire and I are the ones working the investigation,” I said, laying our cards out on the table. “We have a suspect, but we’re still trying to make our case. You were Katelyn’s sister—I would have talked to you immediately had anyone told me. If you know anything at all, either something Katelyn told you or something you’ve uncovered through your podcast, it could help.”
She blinked twice. “You… You guys? You’re the detectives on the case?”
Claire grinned. “Yeah. We wear a lot of hats.”
