but the chair made no difference. Regardless, it was showtime.
Mrs. Davidson took a seat behind her enormous desk, the picturesque mountain scene behind her, seeming to frame her—another postcard moment.
“It must be hard to work in this office with such beauty at your back.” Rae hoped light conversation would bring Mrs. Davidson around. If the woman was like this all the time, she had no problem seeing why Zoey had left or why they were estranged. Zoey’s mother clearly had high expectations of everyone around her.
The woman huffed and smirked at the same time. “Small talk doesn’t suit you.”
“No, I suppose it doesn’t.” She’d found common ground at least. The woman liked to get right to the point.
“Does anyone know you’re here?” Mrs. Davidson asked as she tapped her laptop keyboard to bring the screen to life.
Rae had wanted her full attention, and given the topic, she would expect no less. “Yes. My brother, Tawny’s husband, Alan, knows. He asked me to come, in fact.”
“I assume he’s looking for her as well.”
This woman could be a wealth of information. How deeply had the police probed? Still, Rae sensed that she wasn’t going to give Rae too much. She seemed cautious. Wary. Downright cold as stone.
“He’s done everything he can, but they have a daughter.” Again, Rae was reminded how unprepared she’d been for this side of things—Zoey’s mother might not even know. But what daughter would keep so much of her life from her mother?
By the shift in the woman’s demeanor, Rae could tell she knew about Callie. Interesting. Zoey had kept private. Away from social media. Had she kept in touch with her mother, after all?
“Alan has to stay with Callie.” Rae had to direct the conversation to find out as much as she could in the shortest amount of time. “Is there anything you can tell me that might help?”
“I haven’t seen or talked to Tawny in years.”
“Mrs. Davidson. Zoey—”
“Who?”
Oops. “Zoey . . . It’s what Tawny changed her name to when she moved to Colorado. I was friends with your daughter for a few years before she met my brother. As I already mentioned, we were college roommates. During that time, she disappeared for a week, and when she came back to the dorm, she’d been beaten and traumatized. I’ve always suspected a stalker. That may have been the reason she fled to Colorado. I’m sorry if this hurts you, but I have to know—why did she leave Jackson Hole and change her name? Was she running from someone?”
That Zoey had fled her home seemed painfully obvious. But from whom, wasn’t clear. Maybe she’d left this seemingly cold, demanding woman behind and met her abductor in Colorado. Maybe no one had followed her from Wyoming. Would Zoey’s mother even know?
Mrs. Davidson’s whole demeanor changed. Softened. She appeared to decide. “Please . . . call me Sam. It’s short for Samara. Everyone here calls me that.”
Sam had suddenly dropped the castle fortifications. “Okay, Sam, then.”
“I’ll answer your questions, but first I have a few of my own. Do you have special skills?” Sam asked. “What makes you think you can find my daughter? The police are already looking for her. Why not allow them to do their own work? I’ve contacted the FBI as well to see if they’ll look into her abduction.”
Which one of those should Rae tackle first? Sam’s questioning Rae’s private investigation made sense. Who was she and what could she do? Now, see, this was why Liam could help her. She could hire him as a private investigator. She could use his intimidating demeanor at times and more personable, lovable-guy persona at other times. Like now. But . . . using him. Using him was what he blamed her for to begin with.
Time for Rae to make her case. “I’m a journalist. I write exposés. I spend months finding people and digging into their backgrounds. Usually that’s to expose the travesties and atrocities done to them. That’s my skill, if you will.” If she shared her father’s name and his legacy, would that matter? “As I said, my brother asked for my help. I knew Zoey. But not nearly well enough. She wanted her privacy, her secrets. I never pressed her.” Rae hadn’t even known Zoey’s birth name. “But now’s the time for me to invade her privacy and uncover her secrets. Knowing more could help me find her. ”
Her explanation appeared to satisfy Sam. The woman blew out a breath and suddenly appeared