“Any news?” Ray asked.
Millie burst into tears all over again. “Not yet. They haven’t found anything in her apartment that even gives them a clue as to what happened to her.”
She heard Ray sigh.
“I’m sorry. I’m worried sick for Rachel, and I know you are, too. But I’m also worried about you. I still think I should—”
Millie grabbed a handful of tissues and wiped her face.
“No, no, I’m fine. It was just a momentary letdown when the detective said they still didn’t know anything. But I’m scared, Ray. She was missing a whole night before we even knew about it. Tonight will be the third night. I’m afraid the police won’t find her in time to save her.”
“Listen, I’ve been thinking. Remember that private investigator and his partner who made the news a while back? I think his name was Dodge? His partner was the woman who took down that international consortium for medical malpractice, and a whole bunch of other stuff?”
“Oh. Yes, I remember. But what’s that—”
“I looked it up. Dodge Security and Investigations is based in Dallas, and their recovery rate on missing persons is huge. He’s made the headlines over and over for finding lost kids and other people who’ve gone missing. And his partner, that woman they call Wyrick...they say she’s brilliant on a genius level...and psychic. If you want, see if you can hire him.”
Millie’s heart skipped. “Oh, Ray...honey...we probably can’t afford him.”
“Rachel is family. If we have to, we can take a second mortgage out on our house.”
“Really?” Millie asked.
“Yes, really,” he said.
“Okay...yes... I’ll give the police until tomorrow morning, and if they don’t get anything positive from the tests at the crime scene lab, then I’ll call them. And thank you... I love you for this.”
“I love you, too,” Ray said. “Call me anytime. There’s no meeting more important than us finding Rachel.”
“I will,” Millie said. “And just so you know...you are my hero, Ray Chriss. I’ll call you tonight.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Ray said. “Now wash away your tears and go get yourself something to eat. Making yourself sick with worry won’t help anyone. Love you.”
“Love you, too,” Millie said, and then the call ended.
She sat for a few moments, thinking about what Ray had said. It was the first hopeful thing she’d heard since all of this happened. Then she got up, washed her face and repaired her makeup. Maybe by the time she found a place to eat, she’d have an appetite to go with it.
* * *
Barrett Taylor’s meeting with Marsh Fielding, the Dallas lawyer Raver hired to represent him, did not go well.
“So what am I facing?” Taylor asked.
Fielding pulled up his notes and started going down the list.
“According to the arrest report, you have been charged with stalking, breaking and entering, assault, attempted murder and carrying a firearm across state lines with intent to do harm.”
Taylor’s heart sank. “What kind of deal can I get?”
“There’s no way to whitewash an attempted murder caught on video. Unless you have something to give them in return for a lighter sentence, you don’t have anything to bargain with to get a deal.”
“There are other men coming after her,” Taylor said.
“Do you know who they are?” Fielding asked.
Taylor slumped. “No, only that he was sending three. I left first.”
Fielding shrugged. “Then you have no bargaining power.”
“Figures,” Taylor muttered. “When is my arraignment?”
Fielding looked up from his notes. “Tomorrow. You will enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. It’s your decision.”
Barrett Taylor frowned. “What are my chances if I go to trial?”
“You mean of getting off free?”
Taylor nodded.
“Absolutely none. You don’t know the woman you attacked. You had no prior history with her. You crossed state lines with a weapon, and with one purpose...to kill her, and they have that on video, am I right?”
Taylor glared.
“Am I right?” Fielding asked again.
Barrett Taylor leaned forward, his voice shaking with anger.
“Yes, you’re right. But she is an abomination in the eyes of God. The Righteous have a duty to the world to rid it of alien life forms.”
Marsh Fielding blinked.
“As your lawyer, I would advise you to keep that opinion to yourself. And just between us, how many alien life forms have you previously dispensed with?”
“Me personally? She would have been my first,” Taylor said.
Marsh shuddered, reminding himself that everyone deserved representation in a court of law.
“Okay. Just making sure I know what we’re dealing with. So how are you going to plead?”
“Not guilty,” Taylor said. “I know how the system works. The judge will hear my plea. Then there’ll be a hearing to set bail, and—”
Fielding interrupted, “You know as well as I do that a judge can refuse that. The DA can use your track record and the cold manner in which you stalked her as a reason to deny bail. Also, they may consider you a flight risk. If that’s the case, you won’t get out before your trial, which could be months, sometimes more than a year. Just so you know.”
“That’s not fair!” Taylor shouted, then looked around the small conference room and lowered his voice. “That’s not right.”
“Well, neither is murder. What you did is frowned upon in this country. You aren’t allowed to decide who lives or dies. You made an attempt on someone’s life, and it was caught on video. I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but your attempt on Jade Wyrick’s life pissed off some important people. You tried to kill a woman who is, at this moment in time, the single, most famous woman on the planet. And you got caught doing it. By her. I’ll see what I can do tomorrow, but don’t expect miracles.”
Taylor slumped where he sat. So much for trying out religion. It didn’t feel so good anymore.
* * *
Wyrick was still running background checks on Rachel Dean when Charlie left. She’d reminded him that they could have the food delivered, but Charlie wanted to get it because he said it was quicker. The truth was that Charlie didn’t like sitting behind a desk, and when they weren’t out on a case, he was doomed to desk work. As for reading the background she was getting on Rachel, it was like reading a bio of a woman’s fast track to success.