Page 34 of Distress Signal

Certainly, that had been the case. She couldn’t have known what would happen to her—whatever that was.

I was surprised to find her tent propped up in the corner of the room, though. When packed up, it was about two feet longand narrow enough to tuck into the side of her suitcase. That meant the one they’d found in that clearing with the dead girl hadn’t belonged to Lainey.

For the first time, I wondered how the girl had ended up with Lainey’s ID. Had Lainey lost it? Had it been stolen?

I dropped my own things on the bed, rifled through for some headache medicine, and washed the pills down with the bottle of water I’d picked up at the airport earlier.

Getting behind the wheel of my rental, a thought occurred to me.

Lainey had a rental car.

Racing back into the room, I rifled through her backpack, half of its contents spewed atop the little stand under the TV. Lainey rarely carried a purse, content to wear bottoms or dresses with pockets that fit her wallet and lip gloss. With a cry of triumph, I came up with a receipt from the airport rental car place.

Stepping back onto the curb outside the room, I scanned the lot, not seeing any sign of the vehicle described in the paperwork.

Then I called the sheriff.

“Sheriff Lawless,” he answered, sounding exhausted.

That made two of us.

“Lane, it’s Reagan.”

“Hey, Reagan. What can I do for you?”

“She had a rental car.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Lainey had a rental car that she picked up at the airport. A black 2025 Toyota Highlander.”

“You got a plate?”

I read off the numbers.

“This is great, Reagan. Thank you. We’ll run this down, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

Satisfied I’d accomplishedsomethingto help bring Lainey home, my stomach emitted an insistent growl, gnawing at itself.A quick Google search alerted me to a few places in the area that provided takeout—Mozzy’s Pizza Parlor and the diner.

A few greasy slices of pizza would go a long way to restoring some of my energy, so I returned to my car and headed out. I could’ve walked but, given the fact that my sister had gone missing in this town, I wasn’t taking any chances with my own safety.

The main street was brightly lit, both by lampposts and signs and interior lights of the businesses still open at this time of night.

When I pushed through the door of Mozzy’s, the kid behind the counter looked up and grinned. “Lainey! Back for more? I told you that blueberry pizza would change your life.”

“Oh…”Fuck. Tears pricked my eyes. I missed my sister like I’d miss a limb, and this kid mistaking me for her pricked a nerve. “I’m not Lainey. I’m her sister, Reagan.”

The guy raised a brow. “Are you fucking with me?”

I chuckled, some of the tightness in my chest easing. “No. We’re twins.”

“Damn, that’s freaky,” he said, though it sounded like a compliment coupled with his boyish grin. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Reagan. What can I get for ya?”

“Not gonna lie, that blueberry pizza sounds intriguing,” I chuckled. “I’d love some cheese sticks as well.”

“Perfect,” he said as he punched it into the system. “I’ll get that started for you.”

“So you met my sister?” I asked as nonchalantly as I could while he ran my card.