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“Could she have gone to a friend’s?”
“Unlikely.” How could she explain to this guy that Darcy just didn’t do spontaneous things like that? Darcy was about order, lists, scheduled activities. If she was going to go out with friends, she would have called or texted.
At least, that was her daughter’s usual MO.
“I already called her friends. Her best friend, Cassidy, didn’t know where she was. Hasn’t seen her…” She paused, deciding how much to share. “Cassidy claimed she hasn’t seen Darcy for a couple of weeks, which can’t be true, because Darcy has been over there late practically every night for the past month.” Or so Darcy had told her. A sinking in her heart told her that maybe Darcy hadn’t been telling her everything.
“Boyfriend?
“No. Darcy wasn’t seeing anyone. Look. I know my daughter,” she said with more resolution. “As I told the police, she is not and never has been one to just disappear like this. She started volunteering at the library a few weeks ago. Reads to the kids every Tuesday and Thursday at ten. They called this afternoon. She didn’t show up. Darcy loves reading to them. She wouldn’t miss that for anything.”
“Okay. What did the police say?”
She scoffed. “That she’s an adult and until she’s been missing twenty-four hours, she isn’t a priority. I filed the missing person report and was told to follow up if I hadn’t heard anything by Monday.”
When it would be too late.
Travis nodded. “One possible angle would be that someone kidnapped her for a ransom. You haven’t received anything? No notes, odd phone calls, or hang-ups?”
Kidnapped. For the first time since she’d realized Darcy hadn’t come home, the ominous possibilities were staring her in the face. She shook her head in bewilderment.
“I’m going to need a little more background. Need to make sure we eliminate all possibilities short of something more sinister. What is her relationship with her father? Her biological mother? Have either of them heard from her?”
She loathed going into any details of her private life—particularly with this man—but it couldn’t be helped. “Darcy’s father died five years ago. Her mother hasn’t been involved in her life since she was seven. Frankly, I wouldn’t even know how to contact her. Last we heard, she moved to Italy. Sends the occasional birthday card when and if she remembers.”
“Would Darcy have tried to reach out to her? Maybe decide to visit her and have some long-awaited confrontation. A reunion?”
“No. Darcy has never wanted to have anything to do with that woman. Not since she—she left.”
Something Meredith understood too well. Darcy and Meredith were of the same opinion on this score. If someone didn’t want you, then to hell with them. Lesson learned. Because loving someone was a risk—it left you vulnerable. Better not to let anyone in until you were sure they weren’t going to hurt you.
Or leave.
She worked to keep her voice casual. “Even if she wanted to contact her mother, I’m not sure she would know how. As for her stepfather—my former husband—they were sort of close up until recently.” When her third and last husband decided to take up with a girl just barely older than Darcy. “I called him, but he hadn’t heard from her. Not since graduation.”
“Have a picture?”
She opened her mouth to let Travis know he could at least follow the rules of common courtesy and follow his requests with a please or thank-you. But just as quickly she snapped it shut. Focus.
This was about Darcy.
She took out her wallet and opened it. “This was taken last month. Her high school graduation.”
The picture was of both Meredith and Darcy together, her daughter’s clear face bright with excitement and optimism, although Meredith could almost see the frustration clouding her daughter’s eyes from an argument they had that very morning. The same argument they’d been having since Darcy told her she wanted to go to a school as far across the United States as she could find to get away from her. Okay, maybe she hadn’t said those exact words, but that was what it had felt like to Meredith.
She slid the photo across the table to him. If he saw any distress in her face, he didn’t comment, much to her relief. He held the photo up and stared at it.
“Since that picture was taken, Darcy got a haircut, added highlights. Even started wearing some makeup, bought new clothes…”
His green eyes had been focused on the photo, but now raised to meet hers. “And you’re sure there wasn’t a boyfriend?”
“No, definitely not.” But she shifted a bit uncomfortably under that searching gaze. Sure, she and Darcy didn’t exactly confide all the details of their lives to each other, but Meredith would know if her daughter was seeing someone. “She’s leaving for college next month. Wellesley College. I think she wanted to change things up, look a little more mature. Lord knows I’ve always told her she really should wear her hair in a more becoming…” She trailed off again. They had always argued about that point. It was almost like Darcy was purposefully trying to look her worst, just to test her.
It all seemed really unimportant now.
She took a deep breath and stared at her hands. If she— No. When she got her daughter back, she promised herself she would be more supportive. More understanding. Even if Darcy wanted to put two thousand miles between them. Just…let her come back.
Travis tucked the photo in his front pocket. “You last saw her at six last night. Anything unusual happen? Did she say anything?”
