and—what do you call them? Trace samples?”
“We brought in John Box. He got a few prints. As good as they are, I suspect they’re Faith’s—and yours.”
The slight delay in adding her name made Michaele lift her chin. “So now I’m a suspect in my own sister’s disappearance?”
“Of course not. The point is aside from those prints and a little red ore on the driver’s floor mat, it’s as spotless as if she had just washed the thing.”
“She did. Yesterday. She’s very proud of that car. Should be, considering what it cost.” The crass comment made her grimace. “What about the steering wheel?”
“Clean.”
“You mean, except for her prints and mine again, right?”
“No, it’s been wiped down.” That revelation triggered her queasiness again. “The caller.”
“Maybe.”
“What now?”
“I need you.”
They weren’t new words to her. He’d said them before; in fact, they were his usual “call to duty” whenever he phoned to say he had a vehicle in need of a tow. But tonight they sounded different, somehow…and stirred emotions too complex to deal with.
“Good,” he said, when she didn’t respond. His gaze moved over her face. “I was afraid I was going to have to fight you about this. I’m glad you don’t want to go out there. I’ll call Cuddy and tell him to get Bendix. It’ll go over better if he phones—”
She clamped her hand over his on the phone’s receiver, and held him still. “Don’t even think it!” Of course, it was merely a token gesture, but she had to try.
“It’s the best way to go in this case,” he told her.
“That clumsy ox isn’t putting his paws on my sister’s car.”
“Could you please let me save you from having to do this?”
“You didn’t let anyone hide anything from you when you lost Sandy.” His warm breath on her face made her release him and take a step back, but she didn’t yield on her argument. “This is my job.”
“You’ve got the wrong wrecker. You’ll need the rollback for the Firebird.”
Seeing that he knew he’d lost this round, she grew calmer. “Which is at the garage and directly on the way.”
“You’ll wake Buck.”
“Fat chance.”
“I’ll talk to Bendix and watch him like he was on the Ten Most Wanted list. He’ll have to be careful, and under the circumstances I’ll bet he’d have no problem with dropping off the car at your place. C’mon, Mike. For once, don’t turn this into a twelve-round championship fight.”
Is that how he saw this? To her, it wasn’t about stubbornness, it was about being a professional—dependable and efficient. But as she rubbed her sweating hands against her hips, she was reminded of what she was wearing.
“From what I heard today on the police scanner, Bendix’s already had a pretty full day. Give me a minute to change, and I’ll be ready to go.”
As she started for the stairs, he blocked her way with his arm across the doorway.
“No matter how hard you try to prepare yourself, this isn’t going to be like a normal call.”
“I thought you said there’s nothing there?”
“There isn’t. That doesn’t mean it’s an easy scene to look at. Everything reverberates with more questions than answers, as though someone stood there and set a scene.”
“Premeditation.”
“No, sweetheart. Psychological fucking. I don’t care how long you’ve been in the business, a situation like this preys on your mind, starts eating at you from the inside out.”
“Right now, I’m more concerned that Buck might wake up as Bendix drops off the Firebird, and instead of asking questions, take a crowbar to him.”
“Bendix is three times your size—he can take care of himself. Don’t you get it? One Ramey is already missing—I’d rather not go for two.”
It was then that she felt his fear, almost tasted it. “You do think she’s dead,” she whispered.
“Don’t start putting words in my mouth.”
“Don’t treat me like some just-hatched chick. It’s even in your eyes. You’re thinking the worst.”
“No.”
“Why give up so soon? You said yourself that all you have is an abandoned car. Or is it? If there’s something you haven’t told me, I want to know. Now.”
“Will you give it a rest! Somebody is playing a nasty trick. You know it. I know it. But until I understand why and find Faith, I want you safe.”
They were logical words, but as insistent as he sounded, there was something in his expression that kept her from believing him.
“I’m not ready to explain more, Mike.”
She continued just standing there.
“It’s for your own good.”
How she hated that line. “In case you haven’t noticed, I already have one daddy more than I need.”
“If you think that’s how I think of you, you’re in deeper denial than I thought.”
She felt a muscle twitch under her right eye. Embarrassed, she bowed her head. “Not now.”
“You brought it up, not me. Either way, I’m not going to pretend your safety isn’t as important to me as finding Faith.” Before she could interrupt, he removed the arm blocking her. “All right, all right. Go do what you have to do. I’ll be outside. Just understand this—I’m not letting you out of my sight until you’re back here and locked up tight again.”
Afraid he might change his mind, she hurried upstairs.
Once she’d exchanged wreckers as quietly as possible and was driving toward the Fite farm, Michaele’s adrenaline really kicked in. It was one thing to want to save face in what was a male-dominated profession; it was quite another to act the classic masochist-martyr. But how much worse would it be to be stuck at the house with her overactive imagination? No, she needed to see everything Jared had seen before facing her father, let alone everyone else who was bound to stop by, once word got around, asking innumerable questions.
Jared’s car lights remained close behind her. She wasn’t used to such mother-henning. This had to be triggering something about Sandy long buried in him; in any case, she hoped he would snap out of it. Although she wanted and needed friendships—more than was comfortable to admit—if this search stretched out,
