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He turned around and ran back to his office. His hands were shaking as he punched in the numbers, and waited for it to ring, and then her secretary answered immediately.
“This is Lucy.”
“Lucy, this is Wayne Dyer. Rachel isn’t in her apartment. The television is on in her bedroom. There is a partially eaten meal from last night still on her dining table. Her car is still here. Her purse and briefcase are still in her apartment. Have you called her sister? She might know something. Do you have her contact information?”
“Yes, yes, I do. I’ll call her right now, and thank you,” Lucy said.
“Of course, and please keep me updated when you know something more.”
Lucy heard the line go dead when he disconnected, but she was already looking for the contact info for Rachel’s sister. She’d heard her talk about her often, and knew they were close. If there had been a family emergency, Millie Chriss would know.
She finally found the info and made the call, and as she was waiting for Millie to answer, Lucy kept thinking of Rachel’s purse and car still on the premises. Even if it had been a family emergency, she would not have left the purse behind.
Millie had just dropped her husband, Ray, off at the airport, and was on her way home when her phone rang. When she saw the call was from Addison-Tunnell, she smiled. It was Rachel. She hit Bluetooth to answer for hands-free driving, and took the exit off the freeway to head home.
“Hello?”
“Mrs. Chriss, this is Lucy Arnold, Rachel’s secretary. Do you have a minute?”
Millie frowned. God, please don’t let Rachel have been in a wreck.
“What’s wrong?” Millie asked, and then heard Lucy hesitate. It was enough to intensify her concern.
“Well, we’re not sure. Rachel had a big presentation this morning and didn’t make it into work. She didn’t call in, which isn’t like her. And she didn’t answer any of our calls. Was there, by chance, a family emergency?”
Millie’s heart sank.
“No. Nothing like that! Oh, my God. Have you checked her apartment? Maybe she fell!”
“I already had the manager do a wellness check. The apartment was locked, but she wasn’t inside. He said there was food leftover on the table from last night. Her purse and briefcase are still there, and so is her car. But she’s gone.”
Millie moaned. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God! Have you called the police?”
“Not yet. We wanted to check with you first.”
“Call them!” Millie cried. “Call them now. I’m on my way home. Keep me updated. If you haven’t heard anything by tonight, I’ll be heading that way tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, I will. I’m so sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”
“I’ll be in touch with the Dallas Police myself today. You’re reporting her as a missing person, right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lucy said.
Millie braked for a red light, her voice shaking.
“You report it, and I’ll follow up and deal with them.”
“I will,” Lucy said, disconnected and then called Russ Addison. Reporting a missing employee carried more weight when it was the boss doing the reporting.
Once she filled him in on what she’d found out, Russ Addison became concerned, as well.
“Yes, I’ll make the call to Missing Persons myself, and fill them in on what we know,” Russ said.
Back in Tulsa, Millie Chriss was in a panic, and too far away to help. She was in shock. She was nauseated, but too scared to cry. She wanted to call Ray, but he was on a plane bound for Seattle. She and Rachel were all the family each other had. She couldn’t lose her.
“Please, baby. Wherever you are, please be safe. If you’re in trouble, I’ll find you... I swear.”
Detective Darren Floyd was at his desk finishing up a report when his phone rang. He hit Save, then turned around to answer.