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Claire shook her head.
“Why not?” Charlotte asked. “Even if Steve and Rina aren’t, you know, ‘together,’ she’s still a friend of the family. She would do everything she could to find Gail.”
Claire raised her shoulders. “Rina handles real cases. Cases with criminals. Cases that deal with violence. I don’t want to distract her with something like this.”
Fear dripped from her words. Why hadn’t she allowed herself to fully consider this side of things?
“I don’t think we should rule anything out,” Charlotte whispered. “Rina wouldn’t tell us to, anyway.”
Claire rubbed her temples and gazed across the yard's dead grass. Unlike most of her family members, she and Russel didn’t have the capital to purchase a coastal home. This had been yet another contributing factor to Russel seeking a new job. He’d wanted to “set them up.” He’d wanted a gorgeous, coastal home. He’d wanted to fish outside his door.
“Why don’t we just call Steve and talk it over?” Charlotte suggested. “He’s your older brother. He’d do anything for you.”
Claire put the phone on speakerphone. She first dialed Steve’s number, but it went to voicemail. After that, she called Steve’s auto shop, and Isabella answered on the third ring.
“Montgomery Autos,” she said. “How can I help you?”
“Hey, Bella,” Claire said, her voice wavering.
“Aunt Claire!” Isabella sounded immediately stricken. “How are you? Have you found Gail?”
“No,” Claire said. “We haven’t.”
Isabella was quiet.
“Can we talk to your dad?” Charlotte asked.
“Sure. He’s in the shop. I’ll grab him.”
Steve was breathless when he answered, as though he’d burst from working beneath a truck and scrambled to the phone. “Claire. Charlotte. Are you all right?” He stuttered. “That’s a ridiculous question right now. I know.”
Claire locked eyes with Charlotte. All she wanted right now was for Charlotte to take the reins.
“We were wondering if Rina’s still in town?” Charlotte began. “We’d love to pick her brain.”
“Oh. Um, no. She’s not.” Steve sighed.
Claire remembered what Charlotte had said about Rina running out of the New Year’s Eve party. It had looked like a breakup. Steve’s tone half confirmed this.
“Would you mind reaching out to her for us?” Charlotte went on. “We wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t serious.”
“Of course,” Steve said. “I’ll give her a call today. She has connections, you know. People in the industry who can dig into things.”
“That’s what we need,” Charlotte affirmed.
“Claire?” Steve’s voice was quieter. “Claire, I’m so sorry this is happening.” He sounded choked up. “I’m going to do anything I can to find her, okay?”
“You and Rina broke up, didn’t you?” Claire interjected.
Steve sighed deeply into the phone. “We were never anything. Not that I know of, anyway.”
Claire and Charlotte eyed one another over the table. Charlotte’s face echoed doubt.
“She’ll answer my call if that’s what you’re worried about,” Steve said. He sounded like the confident, proud older brother Claire had always admired. She had to trust him.
“I love you,” Claire said. “Thank you.”
“I love you both,” Steve assured them. “We’re going to find her.”
