Reese chuckled, but it sounded strained. “I guess I haven’t given it much thought.”
“And you find it awkward?”
Reese turned his full attention over to him. “Yes, but not the way you probably think.”
“And what do I think?”
“It’s not the date part. Two guys goin’ out, dinner, movies, whatever. The concept’s not awkward for me.”
“No?”
“No. I like doin’ things with you.”
“But?”
“But I’m not used to bein’ on the receivin’ end of the request.”
Brantley hadn’t considered that. Now that he thought about it, made a bit of sense. Reese was definitely an alpha male, liked control. It was something they had in common.
But Brantley was nothing if not flexible.
“Fine. You take me out.” He shot Reese a grin. “I’m not opposed to you footin’ the bill for dinner.”
Reese laughed. “I don’t imagine you are.”
“But you’ll need to be spontaneous.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep. Can’t be tonight. I’ll already expect it.”
“Fine. Then I’d like to take you out on Friday.”
“Hmm.” Brantley pretended to consider it. “I might have other plans.”
“That so?”
“It’s possible. I’ll have to check my calendar.”
“Well, you do that. And I’ll be by to pick you up on Friday night. Seven o’clock.”
Brantley cut his eyes over once more. “You’ll pick me up? In the Walker Demo truck?”
“No. I’ll have somethin’ by then.”
“You want help pickin’ it out?”
Reese was silent long enough Brantley peered over at him again.
“What?”
“Yes. I’d like you to help me pick it out.”
He laughed. “You just need a ride to the dealership. I’ve got your number, Tavoularis.”
The chuckle that followed eased some of the tension and gave Brantley something he hadn’t had in a long time.
Hope.
Brantley’s first impression of Rob Tyler was that he was a man who loved his children beyond measure. And he wasn’t only referring to the two he had now—Max, a boy of six, and Gabrielle, a cute little girl of four. Based on the nice two-story house situated in a quiet cul-de-sac, Rob and his wife, Reba, were proud parents who liked to show off their kids. Along with the pictures of Max and Gabrielle they had lining the stairs were numerous pictures of Lauren. Placed chronologically to depict her life from before she could walk right up to one that looked to have been taken at a high school dance.
“That’s the last picture I have of her,” Rob said softly.
Brantley looked at the picture of Lauren with a couple of other girls, all of them grinning widely, as though they were happier than they’d ever been.
“She disappeared shortly after that,” Rob noted.
Brantley detected the pain in his voice. It was the same inflection he’d heard when he had spoken to Lauren’s mother. Despite the apparent problems they’d had between them, both of Lauren’s parents loved her very much and they were still suffering after all these years.
“I was a little surprised to get your call,” Rob told them, motioning them into the family room. “It’s been quite some time since I’ve managed to get anyone to give me information on her case.”
“We just recently took it over,” Brantley admitted, lowering himself to the sofa.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Reba offered.
“We’re good, thanks.” He turned his attention back to Rob. “Both Reese and I grew up in Coyote Ridge. We’ve recently been assigned to a task force created by Governor Greenwood. We’re lookin’ into missing persons cases. The governor mentioned this one specifically, so we decided it would be the first one we focused on.”
Rob was staring back at him, and if Brantley wasn’t mistaken, there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
“I haven’t seen Gerard in years,” Rob said, his voice low, as though it took effort to project it. “Not since shortly after Lauren’s disappearance. He still calls from time to time to check in.”
“If you don’t mind, sir, maybe you could walk us through what happened the day Lauren went missing,” Reese suggested.
Rob’s eyes turned glassy. “Of course.” He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. “It was a normal day, I guess you could say. I woke up that morning, left for work while Lauren was having breakfast.” He smiled at the memory. “Frosted Flakes. Her favorite. She had a bowl every morning.”
Brantley listened intently as he continued to explain how he had gone to work and was on his way home when Ellen called him to let him know Lauren hadn’t made it.
“She thought maybe I’d picked her up that day. I figured she had gone to a friend’s house.”
“Did she normally do that?” Reese inquired.
“Not unless she was at Corinne’s. But she did have a lot of friends and she was starting to hang around more people. Part of high school, I figure. It’s when kids blossom, establish the basis for who they will be.”
Brantley nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“By the time I got home, Ellen was frantic. She’d called the police. They were checking in with the school, reaching out to her friends. Corinne had stayed home sick that day, so Lauren hadn’t gone over there.”
