Page 66 of Roughing
Briggs, who had the worst timing, chose that moment to enter the building. He saw me, and a huge smile brightened his face, only to be replaced by a frown when my panicked expression registered.
“What’s wrong, babe?” He quickly crossed the room. Briggs gave me a quick kiss on the lips before turning all business. If he noticed how stiff I was, he didn’t mention it. Despite the circumstances, a little thrill of excitement zipped through me at the sight of him, not to mention warmth seeped into my heart. He’d never called me babe before. I reminded myself he was in my sin bin, but I’d deal with that later.
His gaze flipped from me to Remi and back.
“Remi can’t find her mom. She was supposed to be back hours ago. I was about to ask Hal what he knew.”
Together we approached Hal and woke him up. He took a few seconds to get his bearings before sitting up straight and putting on his professional face. “Uh, sorry, I, uh, what can I do for you? By the way, great game tonight, Briggs.”
Briggs nodded tersely. He sensed, as well as I did, that something was very wrong.
“Hal, Remi’s mom isn’t back yet. Can you tell us when she left and if she gave you any indication of when she’d be back?” Reminding myself I was a fledgling investigator, I maintained a professionalism I didn’t feel.
Briggs watched me with pride in his gaze, and I began to soften toward him. He really did care, even if I didn’t like how he went about it sometimes.
Hal glanced at the clock on the wall. “Crap. Her mother’s been gone for hours. I tried calling her around eleven, but the phone went straight to voice mail. Then I fell asleep. Some security guy I am, and an even worse uncle.”
“Don’t worry about that right now, Hal.” Briggs pulled the man away from blaming himself. We didn’t have time for that.
“I don’t know what to do. If I report this, Remi will be taken away, and I don’t want that to happen. She’s a good, loving mother, even if a person doesn’t approve of her profession.”
“What time did she leave?”
“About six thirty p.m. She told me she’d be back by eight thirty in time to put Remi to bed.”
“Was she seeing a client?”
He nodded.
“Did she mention his name or where she was going?”
“Oh, hell no, she keeps that stuff private. She wasn’t driving, though. He picked her up.”
“Did you see the car?”
“I did. It looked like a black Prius, but I didn’t see the driver.”
“Okay, let’s formulate a plan. We’ll take Remi upstairs. Heidi can watch her. Hal, you keep an eye open for her mom and text us if she returns. I’ll work this from my end and try to find her.” I was all business.
“I’m coming with you,” Briggs said.
Of course he was.
Briggs picked up Remi, who was suddenly sleepy, possibly because we were here to help. I hoped she didn’t feel so alone. Heidi was more than happy to babysit. She put Remi to bed and came back a few minutes later.
“Would you, by chance, know any of her mom’s clients?”
“I might. I’m not sure. Trelika dealt with wealthy men who wanted discretion.”
“Don’t they all?” Briggs muttered. “Most of them are probably cheating on their wives.”
I ignored him, even though I agreed.
“Do you…do you think the Rose City Killer has her?” Heidi ducked her head, hiding her face behind her hair.
“It’s possible. This guy drives a black Prius. Not exactly what I’d expect for a super-wealthy client.”
“A black Prius?” Heidi’s face turned ghostly pale.
