Page 31 of The Last Straw

“That’s fine. We can’t tell you not to, nor would we. If he takes your case, he’ll check in with us, and we’ll go from there.”

“Thank you for understanding, but please keep me updated,” Millie said and disconnected, then pulled up the contact info for Dodge Investigations and gave them a call.

Wyrick had just opened the office and was at the coffee bar setting it up for the day when the phone rang. She licked a smear of sugar off her thumb and ran to answer.

“Dodge Investigations.”

Millie Chriss took a deep breath.

“Yes, hello. This is Millie Chriss. My sister has gone missing. The Dallas PD don’t have any leads, and I’m desperate for help. I was wondering if it would be—”

“Can you be here by 10 a.m.?” Wyrick asked.

Millie stuttered. “Uh...oh, my God...yes! Thank you.”

“Do you have the address?” Wyrick asked.

“No, but I can—”

“Get a pen and paper and I’ll give it to you,” Wyrick said.

“Yes, yes, just a second,” Millie said and grabbed the little pad of paper and pen off the desk. “Okay, go ahead.”

Wyrick told her the address, then added, “Parking is in the rear of the building. Drive safe, Mrs. Chriss. We’ll see you at ten.”

“Yes, yes, thank you so—” Then she realized the woman had disconnected, and wondered if that was the Wyrick woman that Ray said was psychic, then realized it didn’t matter. Millie had just set into motion what she needed to happen.

Even though it was a little early, she went to freshen up her makeup. She needed gas, and there was a lot of Dallas territory and traffic between where she was, and where she needed to be. So as soon as she was ready, she left the hotel.

Charlie arrived at the office a short while later, and in a mood.

“Nearly got sideswiped trying to exit the beltway,” he said. “I hope there’s a bear claw waiting for me at the coffee bar.”

“Two,” Wyrick said and got up to go to their printer. “And Millie Chriss will be in at 10.”

“Who’s Millie—”

Wyrick was gathering a handful of pages coming off their printer. “Remember yesterday when I told you we would get the case on that missing woman, Rachel Dean? Millie is Rachel’s sister.” She pulled the last page off the rack and handed him the stack. “This is all the information I have on Rachel. There are no secrets in her past. I think whatever happened to her is either stalker related, or an act of random violence.”

Charlie took the papers.

“Thanks for printing them off. I hate reading notes on an iPad.”

“I know. That’s why you’re holding them in your hand now. You have about forty-five minutes before she’s due, so...”

Charlie took the hint and went into his office, dumped the papers and his briefcase on his desk, then divested himself of his Stetson and jacket before going for bear claws and coffee.

By the time he’d eaten his first one, he was in a better mood, and by the time Millie Chriss arrived, he was primed and ready.

Millie arrived at the door, then hesitated as she realized she had to be buzzed in. She pressed the button and looked up at the camera. Moments later she heard a click as the door unlocked. She turned the knob and walked in.

It would have been an understatement for Millie to say the stunning woman at the desk was a surprise. And then all six-feet-plus of her stood up from the desk and came to greet Millie.

“I’m Wyrick. We spoke on the phone,” she said and extended her hand.

Millie clasped it, wondering if her touch would be as electrifying as her appearance, but all she got was a warm squeeze, and then she let go. She was admiring Wyrick’s guts, as well as the silver pants and black knee-high boots she was wearing, with a long-sleeved white blouse featuring a neckline that plunged all the way to her waist. The dragon tattoo was startling, but at the same time, amazing, and the blouse gave the red-and-black dragon beneath plenty of room to see out. Its teeth were bared. Its yellow eyes were glittering as if warning people not to get too close.

The silver eye shadow above Wyrick’s eyelids made her dark eyes look huge, and the single black tear below drew Millie’s eyes to the slash of red on Wyrick’s lips, and then she realized the woman was speaking.

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