“She was smiling. Laughing at lunch. Talking about the baby and Brandon,” Seraphina went into more details about their lunch.
“Isn’t that what she is supposed to do?” I asked. “She’s about to be a grandmother. Margaret was the same way last night. Grandmothers do that kind of thing I’ve heard.”
My sister groaned. “It is what she’s supposed to do, but she’s never done it. Not since I announced my pregnancy. You have to go see her. I think there’s something going on with her. And she mentioned a guy.”
The last few times I had seen her, she was plastered. She wasn’t sober enough to organize a kitchen drawer. She couldn’t execute any task other than pouring another glass of wine.
“A guy? What the hell does that mean?”
“It was a slip. I’m sure she didn’t mean to tell me. But I think she’s dating. Or she has been dating. I don’t know.”
“Okay. I can stop by. Only for a minute.”
“Thank you.” She exhaled.
“Don’t call her. Let me handle it,” I warned. The last thing I needed was Seraphina stirring up something that didn’t exist.
“I want him back. I didn’t sleep. I can’t do anything like this. I need to know he’s okay.”
“I know you do.” I paused. “Did you hear from Crew’s parents?”
“I got a text from his dad this morning. They went to the police department. I couldn’t stop him.”
“It’s better you didn’t try too hard. That looks suspicious enough. Why wouldn’t you want him found?”
“Of course I want him found!” she shrieked.
“I’m talking about what it looks like on the outside,” I reminded her. Crew’s parents would be looking for any speck of dirt that was out of place. They weren’t detectives, far from it. They were parents looking for their son, and that made them desperate.
“Sorry,” she lowered her voice. “It’s like I need to get out of town, but I can’t leave. I need to be right here for him.” There was a long beat of silence. “Knight, I know you think I’m crazy right now. I realize it sounds crazy. I hear it, the crazy in my voice.” She paused. “But, I don’t think I’m wrong. Even if you’re just patronizing me right now, go. Get over there and find out where she knows about this.”
I cracked the bedroom door. I saw Kimble leaning over the map. “I’m on my way,” I reported. “But it could just be Felicia being Felicia.”
“I know, but thank you for going anyway.”
“We’re going to find him. Something will surface. We know he didn’t vanish.” I was trying to make her feel better, but my stomach only began to churn the more I talked. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you back.” Kimble was staring at me. Something didn’t feel right.
“What is it?” I strolled out of the master suite, closing the door behind me.
He raised his phone. “There’s a missing person’s report.”
“Fuck,” I muttered. “The parents?”
He nodded. His dark eyebrows seemed even thicker when he was concerned. “This is a problem for the boss. For the company.”
“For all of us,” I growled.
“Where is she?” he asked. “She would want to be out in front of this story.”
“She has people to handle this kind of stuff for her,” I argued.
“Yeah, people like Crew.” He bared his teeth.
I shook my head. I didn’t want to go back this fucking male posturing. I had a new problem—my fucking mother.
“This is going to be picked up by every news outlet in Louisiana.”
I slid my hands in my pockets. “Look, I have to go check on something.”