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“I don’t know. I can’t think. Thirty minutes, maybe. Ranger’s got everyone looking for her. The young men in the car felt terrible, but it wasn’t their fault. She must have gone out through the side door.”
“Are you sure she’s not in the church? There are lots of rooms.”
“I don’t know why she would be someplace other than the restroom, but I guess it’s possible.”
“I’m on Route One. I’ll be home soon.”
I hung up and called Morelli.
He answered on the first ring. “I just heard,” he said. “Ranger called. I’m sending some guys over to help them sweep the church. I’m heading there now.”
“Is anyone with my mom?”
“Ranger has two men with her.”
I’d taken the call on speakerphone, and Lula had been listening in.
“What can I do?” she asked.
“I’m going to drop you at the office. Tell Connie to start making phone calls. And then you can ride around the streets.”
* * *
—
Morelli and Ranger were huddled in the vestibule when I walked into the church.
“Anything?” I asked.
“We’re questioning everyone who was here to see if they saw or heard anything,” Morelli said. “We have a team going room to room. So far, the church is clean. We haven’t been able to find any signs to indicate struggle.”
I looked around. “Are there security cameras?”
“No,” Morelli said. “They have an alarm system that they use at night, but there are no cameras.”
One of Ranger’s men came up to him.
“We found this behind a trash receptacle by the side door,” he said.
It was Grandma’s big black patent leather purse. I looked inside, and her gun was still there. Her cellphone was tucked into a side compartment.
I had to take a couple breaths to steady myself. This wasn’t a time to disintegrate into an emotional basket case.
“Are you okay?” Morelli asked.
I nodded. “I needed a moment.”
“Understood,” Morelli said.
“Where do we go from here?” I asked.
“I’m going to talk to the La-Z-Boys and explain the realities of life to them,” More
lli said. “You and Ranger can work the Lucca angle.”
“I need to check in with my mom,” I said to Ranger.
“I’ll meet you at the house. I want to give some instructions to my men.”
