pained. “After you called, I reviewed what little information we have. No one has seen or heard from your sister. The Denver police led us to believe your sister had come here of her own free will.”
“She may have come here voluntarily, but she didn’t just walk away from her car, her home, her job, her friends and her family.” Sophie fought to keep the agitation from her voice. “Something has happened to her.”
“The report I read said that your sister has a history of depression.”
Here it was, the excuse they all gave for not taking Lauren’s disappearance more seriously. “She’s recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder—what people used to call manic depression. She was in treatment, on medication and doing well.”
“The report we received said she was recently divorced.”
“Yes.” Lauren had adored Phil; she’d been crushed when he announced he’d fallen in love with a woman he worked with. She’d had to cope not only with the end of her marriage, but also with the humiliation of his very public infidelity. But she was rallying. “My sister is much stronger than people give her credit for,” Sophie said. “I talked to her only two days before she disappeared and she was very upbeat, excited about a new project at work.”
“The police report also said she’d been put on probation at the TV station—that she was in danger of losing her job.”
“She told me she wasn’t worried about that—that this new project would prove how valuable she was.”
This seemed to spark some interest in him. “Did she say what the project was?”
“No. She didn’t like to talk about things like that until after they were complete. She was superstitious that way.”
The frown returned. “Ms. Montgomery...Sophie.” He leaned toward her, elbows on the table, hands loosely clasped. “Do you know the number one reason automobiles are abandoned within the park?”
“No.” But clearly he was going to tell her. And the expression in his eyes told her she wouldn’t like what she heard.
“For whatever reason, national parks are popular places for people to take their own lives. The canyon seems to offer what some perceive as an easy way out. If they don’t drive right off the cliff, they park the car and jump. When a Ranger sees a car parked in the same place for days, he knows he may be looking at a possible suicide. And when the missing person is known to have been depressed...” He spread his hands wide, allowing her to fill in the rest of the thought.
But she refused to go there. “So you’re telling me you haven’t even investigated my sister’s disappearance? She’s been missing a month and no one is looking for her?”
“You need to prepare yourself.” He sat back in his chair, his face calm, eyes still locked to hers. “There’s a good chance your sister is no longer alive.”
* * *
RAND HAD PUT his assessment of her sister’s situation as delicately as he knew how, but he could see by the pain and anger in Sophie Montgomery’s brown eyes that he’d been too blunt. Despite all the evidence pointing to this conclusion, she didn’t believe her sister had committed suicide. Without a body she’d never believe, and unfortunately, the vastness and remoteness of the parklands made finding a body difficult—sometimes impossible. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I wish I had better news for you.”
And he wished he had more time for her. So much of his job involved dealing with the dregs of society—drug dealers and killers and people who preyed on the innocent. It was nice to sit with a pretty woman who dressed well and had a soft voice and manicured hands, and just talk.
If only their topic of conversation had been more pleasant. And if only he had more time to listen to her soft, educated voice. But everyone on the task force was under pressure to root out the criminals who’d turned a sleepy corner of Colorado into a center for drug dealing, human trafficking and all manner of violent crime. They’d made some arrests and succeeded in slowing the flow of drugs and illegal aliens, but they’d yet to find the person or persons overseeing the whole operation. They were certain someone was in charge, and had ideas about who that might be, but still lacked the evidence they needed.
Meanwhile, perpetual thorn in their side Richard Prentice, a billionaire who’d made a name for himself causing trouble for local, state and federal authorities, continued to harangue about the need to disband the task force altogether. He filed lawsuits claiming the officers harassed him, held press conferences to point out how much taxpayers spent to fund the Rangers and how little they received in return. And all the while, he sat in his mansion on private land adjacent to the park, protected by his money and a team of lawyers. As far as Rand was concerned, Richard Prentice was suspect number one when it came to crime in the area, but as his boss, Captain Graham Ellison, so often reminded him, being a jerk didn’t make a man guilty.
And being a jerk wasn’t winning Rand any points with Sophie Montgomery. “My sister did not commit suicide,” she said. “I don’t care how many times you or the police in Denver or anyone else tell me so. I know her better than anyone, and she wouldn’t have done that.” She opened her purse and took out a small spiral notebook. “I came here today to convince you that Lauren is worth looking for. The least you can do is hear me out.”
Her eyes, full of so much determination...and not a little fear, met his. In that moment, he saw all it had taken for her to come here, knowing that pursuing her quest might only lead to the end of all hope for her sister. Her courage moved him, and fueled his growing attraction to this quiet, determined woman. “Of course,” he said. “I’ll be happy to listen to what you have to say. Would you mind if I brought in my commander and some other officers, as well?”
“No, not at all.” Her lower lip trembled, but she quickly brought it under control. “Thank you.”
He resisted the urge to cover her hand with his own; she might take his gesture of comfort the wrong way. He left the conference room, shutting the door behind him, and found Graham in his office. “Lauren Starling’s sister is here,” he said. “She doesn’t think Lauren ran away or killed herself. She thinks she might be in real trouble.”
Graham, a big man with the imposing demeanor of the US Marine he had once been, looked up from a stack of files. “Does she have any information that would help us find her sister?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but I thought we should hear her out.”
“All right. Who else is here?”
“Carmen and Simon were in the computer room a little while ago. And Marco is around somewhere.”
“Then round them up and ask them to report to the conference room. Maybe one of us will spot something in the sister’s story that will help.”
Ten minutes later, they all converged on the conference room. Sophie shrank a little as they crowded into the room—a mass of brown uniforms, all male except for Colorado Bureau of Investigations officer Carmen Redhorse. Carmen sat on one side of Sophie. Rand sat across from her; he wanted to be able to see her expressive face as she talked. He often learned more about people from their body language and emotions than their words.
“Ms. Montgomery, I’m Captain Graham Ellison. These are officers Simon Woolridge, Carmen Redhorse and Marco Cruz. I understand you have some information to share with us about your sister, Lauren Starling.”
