Grange grimaced. “I know. Not that it would matter. I don’t think she voluntarily tossed her phone in the trash and is out somewhere partying and shopping. I think someone took her.”
“So how do we find her?”
“We retrace her steps, figure out where she was, who were the last people to see her when she disappeared. If we can get a lead, we can maybe find out who took her. I can’t move on anyone until I know that.”
“Okay. How can I help?”
“You know her movements better than anyone. Where she goes, who she hangs out with, where she stays.”
“She has some friends who might be able to help.”
“I’ll need names and addresses,” Grange said.
“You’re going to go talk to them?”
“Yes.”
She laughed. “They won’t give you any information on my mom. They’ll talk to me, though.”
He shook his head. “You’re not leaving the island. It’s not safe for you.”
She shrugged. “Go ahead and try, but I’m telling you it’s a waste of your time.”
She wrote down the names and addresses of her mother’s friends, then handed them to Grange. “Why didn’t you just come to me right away? We could have done this a week ago.”
“It was important for me to keep my distance from you. At the time, I was chasing other leads on your mother, anyway. And we didn’t want to involve people she knew. The less people involved the better. Now that someone has targeted you, too, everything has changed, including how we approach looking for her.”
She nodded, knowing nothing about how one searched for someone who was missing. Or taken.
Her worry about her mother increased.
Grange and Pete prepped to leave. Pete changed into a pair of khaki pants and another flowered shirt. Grange stayed in his camo pants and beige shirt.
She laughed at him. “Now I’m sure they won’t talk to you, at least a couple of these people. If you go in there looking like a general, they’ll probably hide their bongs and think you’re DEA there to raid them.”
“She’s right, Grange. You need to look more like a local,” Jed said.
Grange frowned. “This is what I wear.”
“Think undercover,” Jed said, then motioned to Pete.
“You want me to dress like him?”
“Yes. That might at least get you near the front door,” Elena said.
“No fucking way am I going to wear a shirt like that.”
“Hey,” Pete said. “This shirt is comfortable.”
Grange crossed his arms, lifted his chin and glared at all of them. “This is ridiculous.”
“You want to find your sister, or you want to maintain military bearing?” Pete asked.
Finally, he sighed. “Fine.”
Grange trudged off behind Pete.
“Really? That’s all he ever wears?” Elena asked Jed.