Page 32 of The Last Straw

“Charlie is waiting to see you,” Wyrick said. “Follow me.” Then she led Millie in without delay. “Charlie. Millie Chriss is here.”

Charlie stood, and Millie blinked. The man made Wyrick look small, and he was seriously good-looking.

“Mrs. Chriss. Please have a seat,” Charlie said. “Wyrick and I work together on all of our cases, so she’ll be sitting in.”

Millie nodded nervously, then sat. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, but my sister has gone missing and—”

Charlie held up his hand.

“No explanations necessary. Wyrick told me yesterday you’d be coming. She’s already pulled all of the info on your sister that was available online. So if there’s anything you know about her that’s very private, now’s the time to tell us.”

Millie looked over at Wyrick. “But...how did you...?”

Wyrick shrugged. “I saw the report of her having gone missing on the news and...well...sometimes I just know stuff.”

Millie nodded as if she understood, but she didn’t. Not really.

“Before this conversation goes any further, I have to ask what you charge,” Millie said.

“Wyrick handles all of the accounting. I’ll let her explain,” Charlie said.

Wyrick offered no explanation other than the truth.

“I know this seems intrusive, but I also ‘knew’ you would have to mortgage your home to raise the money, and we don’t ever want to put a family in hardship when they’re already worried about a loved one. We have a pro bono fund, and it will take care of all the incurred expenses for this case.”

Millie’s eyes welled, and then she covered her face and started to cry. “Thank you. Oh, my God, thank you. Rachel is my baby sister. We’re the only living members of our family. I’ve gone through every imaginable hell thinking what might have happened to her. If she’s alive, I just want her back. If she’s not, I need to find her and bring her home.”

“We’ll take the case,” Charlie said. “And we will find her. At this early date, I can’t promise more.”

“I understand,” Millie said. “I’m just so grateful. I don’t even know what to say.”

“Tell us about Rachel,” Charlie said. “Any relationships? Anybody jealous of her at work? Anything she’s mentioned to you in the past few months that she seemed concerned about?”

And so Millie started talking. Wyrick was recording the session and taking notes as she listened. Every now and then, Charlie would stop and ask another question that would take Millie off into another avenue of info.

And then finally, they were done.

“That’s all I know, and Rachel wasn’t the kind of person who kept secrets from me...or anyone else. She was what you saw...a pretty, career-driven woman with a great outlook on life.”

Charlie nodded. “Okay, we have your contact information, and we’ll stay in touch. And if we have any other questions as the case progresses, we’ll call as we go.”

Millie nodded. “I’m not leaving Dallas until she’s found.”

“Understood,” Wyrick said. “Follow me. I’ll show you out,” and then stood and walked Millie into the outer office, and then opened the door for her.

Millie paused and then turned. “I don’t know your story. But the woman I see before me is a gift from God. Thank you, and thank you to Charlie for agreeing to take my case.”

Wyrick was touched, but only nodded her head as she let Millie out. When she closed the door and turned around, Charlie was in the doorway, watching her.

“I just got off the phone with Detective Floyd in Missing Persons. He knows we’re working the case. And he knows we’ll share anything we find. He’s also calling the manager at the Detter House to let them know we have the okay to go into Rachel Dean’s apartment and look around.”

“Give me five minutes and I’ll be ready,” Wyrick said.

Charlie nodded and walked back into the office.

When he came out again, Wyrick was waiting.

Seven

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