Gone Too Far (Devlin & Falco #2) - Debra Webb Page 0,108
something more concrete—if she found something more concrete—there was nowhere to go with either of those theories.
She should make breakfast and then drop Tori at Diana’s for a few hours. Not the whole day, just enough time for her and Falco to do some research and determine where they went from here on this case. If Tori wasn’t game for that scenario, Falco could come to the house and work with Kerri. They’d done it plenty of times before.
There wasn’t a whole lot they could do related to the Kurtz-Walsh case until after the ballistics report came back on the handgun Falco had found at McGill’s town house.
She exhaled a big breath, opened the fridge, and checked for the necessary breakfast ingredients. French toast was sounding good to her this morning. It was one of Tori’s favorites.
Speaking of Tori, Kerri glanced at the clock. It was twenty before eight. Tori was always up by now even on Saturday after a late night. Kerri headed for the stairs. She stopped at her daughter’s door and knocked before opening it. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”
Standing in the doorway, Kerri stared for a moment before her brain assimilated what her eyes saw.
Tori’s bed was empty.
She had passed the bathroom on the way to Tori’s door. The bathroom door had been open, the room empty. She wasn’t in the bathroom.
When Kerri would have taken a step back to go to her own bedroom and check there, something on her daughter’s bedside table caught her eye.
A note.
Fear slowly overtaking her, Kerri crossed the room and picked up the handwritten note.
Mom,
Please don’t be mad. I know I can’t trust Alice, but Sarah has run away and she needs my help. I need Sarah to help me figure this out.
Love you,
Tori
Fear burst inside Kerri’s chest, spreading icy cold through her body. She snatched the cell from her hip pocket and called Tori’s cell. Ring after ring went unanswered. When the call went to voice mail, as calmly as possible, Kerri said, “Call me. Love you.”
Hands shaking, she called Sarah’s mother next. Each unanswered ring had Kerri’s heart beating harder.
“Renae.” Kerri caught herself. This woman’s daughter had tried to kill herself. She had to tread softly. “How is Sarah?”
For a long moment there was nothing but silence.
Was it true then? Sarah had run away, and Tori was out there somewhere trying to help her? Anguish knotted inside Kerri.
Renae cleared her throat. “She’s better. Until this morning she hadn’t spoken a word to us or anyone.”
Shock joined the fear tugging at Kerri. “You’re still at the hospital?”
“Yes.”
Kerri moistened her lips and dared to hope. “Has Tori spoken to you or Sarah?”
“No.” Renae took a deep breath. “I’m not supposed to talk about any of this since the detectives talked to Sarah only a few minutes ago, but there is something I need you to know—from mother to mother.”
Kerri’s heart stumbled.
“Sarah swears she doesn’t remember pushing Brendal. She also said Tori never suggested she do so. We didn’t press her about why she’d said so in the note. When she’s stronger, we’ll get to the bottom of this. I’m sorry . . . I don’t understand what’s happened or why.”
The tears streaming down Kerri’s face were filled with relief. She should be elated, but what she was beneath the brief flash of relief was terrified.
“Thank you for telling me,” she managed. “I’ll check in on Sarah later.”
Kerri ended the connection and called Falco. He answered on the first ring. Kerri blurted the words burgeoning in her throat, “Tori is missing.”
Every bit of restraint Kerri possessed was required to hold back a howl of misery. “She left a note saying Sarah had run away and she’d gone to help her. But I just spoke to Sarah’s mother, and she’s still in the hospital. They haven’t heard from Tori.”
“Call it in,” Falco said. “I’m on my way to you.”
40
7:50 a.m.
Sadie’s Loft
Sixth Avenue, Twenty-Seventh Street
Birmingham
Her head ached.
Sadie touched the back of her skull. Groaned at the new sore spot. She told her eyes to open, but the dreams weren’t quite ready to let her go.
She was back there . . . in Mexico. In the place where they’d kept her locked away. Eddie was there, holding her, telling her everything would be all right. The baby was crying in the background.
No. That wasn’t right. Eddie couldn’t have been with her then. He was dead.
She had killed him.
He had asked her why. Why she’d betrayed him. Sadie had told him the