on.”
“You’ve been very helpful, Ms. Pestrak,” Mettner said. “We appreciate your coming all the way out here to speak with us especially this late at night.”
“I’ll be staying at the Eudora Hotel if you need me. You have my number,” Jaime replied.
“Why did you come?” Josie blurted out.
Gretchen said, “Detective Quinn.”
Jaime stared at Josie, confusion drawing a vertical line between her eyebrows. “Trinity’s my boss. I thought I should be here. She might need me when you guys find her.”
“But you just said she was out of a job. If that’s the case, she wouldn’t need you anymore, would she?” Josie said.
“She’ll get another job, no problem,” Jaime said. “She’s really talented and driven as hell. I’ve met Mila Kates, you know. She’s kind of an asshole, and she’s not nearly as smart as Trinity.”
Gretchen, perhaps picking up on the discomfort that Josie felt with the young woman, who hadn’t yet shown any concern for Trinity’s well-being, said to Jaime, “Trinity was abducted. Aren’t you worried about her?”
Jaime looked past Gretchen and locked eyes with Josie. “You probably think because she’s just a news anchor, she’s not as tough as you, but she’s just as badass as you are. The person dumb enough to kidnap her is the one I’d worry about.”
Twenty-Three
In the stairwell, Josie told Noah, “Trinity’s tough, no doubt, but she can’t fight. Maybe if she took off one of her stilettos and used it to stab her attacker in the eye, but other than that, I’m not sure Jaime’s technically correct.”
Noah grimaced. “That’s a nice visual. Thanks for that. Jaime was right about one thing: Trinity is smart. Any way she can find to stay alive, she’s going to do it.”
They emerged onto the first floor and headed toward the conference room. Inside stood Lisette Matson, leaning heavily on her walker as she spoke with Shannon and Christian. She turned as they entered, jerked her walker around and moved over toward Josie, nudging Noah out of her way. Her soft gray curls bounced as she moved, and her blue eyes gleamed as she smiled at Josie. She reached out a gnarled hand and Josie took it.
“Thank you for coming,” Josie said softly.
“It’s better than sitting around with all those old blue rinses at Rockview,” Lisette said.
Josie couldn’t help but laugh. “Gram, I’m pretty sure you’re one of the oldest in that place.”
“Mentally, I’m still in my twenties, dear.” Lisette knew better than to ask Josie how she was holding up or to offer too much comfort. Lisette knew Josie better than anyone in the world. She knew that what Josie valued most in that moment was to maintain her focus so she could best help her team locate Trinity. “I hear you’ve got half decent coffee here,” Lisette added. “Why don’t you show me where?”
Josie managed a small smile for her grandmother. “Come on,” she said. “The break room is just down the hall. Noah can bring Shannon and Christian up to speed on what we just found out from Trinity’s assistant.”
She shuffled along beside Lisette until they came to the break room which was also a functioning kitchen complete with a sink, refrigerator, several appliances, and a long table surrounded by several chairs. It was empty but Josie smelled freshly brewed coffee before they crossed the threshold. Lisette seated herself at the table while Josie prepared their drinks.
She sat across from her grandmother, pushing a mug toward her. Lisette said, “This shows real growth, you know.”
“What’s that?” Josie asked, sipping from her own mug.
“That you sent Noah to get me. That you wanted me here for moral support. Usually when there’s some kind of incident, I’m the last to know. I’m proud of you, Josie.”
“Thanks.”
Before the moment could become too fraught with emotion, Lisette got right to business. “Do you have any idea who took your sister?”
“No,” Josie admitted. “I don’t know Trinity that well, Gram. Yes, we’re sisters, and we’ve spent as much time together in the last three years as we could manage given both our careers, but Gram—”
“You know her well enough, Josie.”
Josie lowered her voice. “No, I don’t. I know how she takes her coffee. I know her favorite restaurant. I know she weighs less than me, but she eats like an NFL linebacker. I’ve been to her apartment. I know she values her career above all else. Those are the things I know about her. That doesn’t add up to much. Do you realize, I don’t even know what kind of