Page 37 of Do Not Disturb
“I think you know what I’m saying.”
“Well, that’s just preposterous!” She’s trying to sound indignant, but I can hear the tremor in her voice. “I think the police should focus their energy on locating Quinn.”
“Actually,” I say, “I don’t care what you think, Lori. Expect to be hearing from the police.”
I hang up the phone and drop it down onto the center of the bed. Back when I was a kid, we used to have a real phone. A landline. And when you were mad at someone, you could slam it down. It’s just not the same with a cell phone.
As much as I dislike that woman, I don’t genuinely think she knows what happened to my sister. She’s just a busybody. She’s the sort of person who would take pleasure seeing Quinn on trial for what happened to Derek. And she wouldn’t be the only one. Derek was eminently likable. As well as rich and powerful.
The phone rings again. If it’s another one of Derek’s mistresses, I swear I’m going to lose it. But when I look over at the screen, I see a name I didn’t expect.
It’s Quinn.
Chapter Eighteen
Iscoop up the phone, my hands shaking so badly I can barely swipe to answer.Don’t hang up, Quinn! I just need to get my fingers working again.
Finally, the call connects. I gasp into the phone, “Quinn?”
I expect to hear my sister’s high, sweet voice. Instead, I hear a much deeper voice. “Hello?”
My breath catches in my throat. It’s a man. A man is calling on Quinn’s phone. Does that mean he’s kidnapped her? And he’s going to demand ransom?
“Who is this?” I manage.
There’s a long pause on the other line. “Who isthis?”
What is going on here? “Why are you on my sister’s phone?”
“I found this phone,” the male voice tells me. “It was in the back of my truck.”
I frown, not sure what to make of this development. “The back of your truck? What are you talking about?”
“I was getting something out of my truck and I saw the phone in there. And there were all these missed calls from somebody named Claudia. Is that you?”
“That’s me.”
“I don’t know how the phone got in my truck, but I’d be happy to return it.”
He poses an excellent question. How did the phone get in his truck?
I spoke with Quinn on the phone, so it was in her possession when we were talking. Shortly after that, I discovered Derek’s dead body. At that point, she was no longer answering her phone. So sometime between our call and when I found Derek, the phone ended up in this guy’s car.
The real question is, is this guy on the level? Or is he just messing with me? If I go retrieve the phone from him, will he hit me on the head and try to stuff me in his closet?
I’d like to see him try. Unlike Quinn, I’m a fighter.
“Who is your sister?” the guy asks.
“Her name is Quinn. She—”
“Wait—Quinn Mackey?”
There’s a note of surprise and eagerness in his voice. Also, he used our maiden name. I realize at this moment that this man did not do anything terrible to my sister. He’s just a guy who found her phone in his truck.
“That’s right,” I say. “Do you know her?”
“Yeah! My name is Bill Walsh. She used to babysit for me years ago, and I actually saw her earlier today. At a gas station maybe half an hour north of here.”
