Chapter 26

26

Meyra hadn't been able to settle. Not knowing what had happened. It was all over the news, and Charlotte was pacing right next to her. Charlotte hadn't stopped in the hours since Brandt had left in such a hurry.

Charlotte's pacing was driving Meyra insane. Making her worry for him, for his sister even more. She knew he had to be terrified right now. He loved his twin sister so much.

They still didn't know what had happened to Powell, or the woman Heather who had been a guest at the hotel at the same time, either. The one with the sweet little girl and the baby Meyra had gotten to hold that day.

Brandt's sister was one of Charlotte's closest friends on the planet. Had Charlotte been able to leave Masterson again so quickly she would have. But Brandt had already been gone when Miranda had informed Charlotte what had happened.

Charlotte had booked a flight out first thing in the morning. It was the only one she could get. Charlotte wasn't waiting very patiently.

Meyra sat on her stool next to the check-in desk. She had already handled all the night check-ins, even though she technically wasn't working. She just had to do something .

Now she just had to wait until Dylan got back from her date with Quade Davis.

"This is insane. Why does this stuff keep happening?" Charlotte asked, after pacing in front of the desk again. "None of this makes sense. Unless it was all just to get to Gunnar, or something? Powell doesn't have anything to do with the Texas State Police. And Heather wasn't even in Finley Creek when all of this started."

Charlotte had spoken to her friend Shelby. She'd told her that Powell had just disappeared off the streets with Heather. Powell and Heather had just disappeared. In a gated neighborhood. Where there were security guards and everything.

They should have been safe there.

Meyra just nodded. She suspected that was all Charlotte expected. "I liked Heather. She is a cop, right? So she can take care of Powell okay?"

"I don't know," Charlotte said as Fletcher came in the lobby doors. He had driven Dusty home from the diner. Well, to Ben's. But Dusty was in the dining room now, helping out since their newest clerk Abby had gotten sick or something and Devaney was filling in for her, while Dusty took the dining room instead. Charlotte was supposed to be working the dining room tonight, but everyone knew she wasn't in much of a state to be working.

Her friends just kept getting hurt lately. And Charlotte was up here, too far away to help them. Meyra suspected that was driving Charlotte crazy. She wanted to help the people she loved.

"I don't know what kind of cop Heather is. If she can do anything to keep Powell safe. Or if she's hurt, or Powell is hurt, or—and Heather is a single mom and has two little girls, and she takes care of her family, and?—"

And Charlotte looked like she was going to cry. Meyra stood. She hugged her cousin. Just for a moment. "I thought the people in Major Crimes were supposed to be the best? They'll get them back, Char. I just know they will. I don't think that man Gunnar will stop looking, ever."

She had met the people in Major Crimes before. When Charlotte had been shot and nearly died. Her entire family had flown down there as fast as they could, to be with Charlotte in the hospital.

Those had been some of the scariest moments of Meyra's adult life. Waiting to know if Charlotte was going to live had been horrific.

Dylan came in, almost floating. Quade was with her.

Dylan's expression tightened, when she saw Fletcher. Then there was concern when she looked at Charlotte. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"Charlotte's friend in Finley Creek was abducted about seven hours ago. We just learned," Meyra told her. Dylan's eyes widened. "Powell Barratt and Heather Coleson."

"Heather?" Quade's voice almost rose. "The woman that was here? That Heather?"

Meyra nodded.

Charlotte cursed. "Quade?—"

"What happened?" he asked.

Dylan slipped her hand into his. Then Meyra remembered Quade's secret. "Heather's your aunt, isn't she? I'm so sorry, Quade."

"I only met her for the first time the other night," Quade said. But Meyra thought she saw fear in his eyes. "What about her girls? Are they okay? What happened?"

"They don't really know," Charlotte said. "They were walking together in their neighborhood. And basically just disappeared."

"Does it have something to do with the case that brought her here?" Quade asked.

"It would make sense, wouldn't it? I mean, Powell is in love with Gunnar Erickson, right? And Heather works with him, on that drug thing?" Meyra asked.

Charlotte blinked at her. "Powell isn't in love with Gunnar."

"Powell is most certainly in love with Gunnar," Dylan told her. "Everyone can see that, Char."

Meyra just couldn't sit still. Brandt had to be terrified right now, he just had to. And Heather's family—those little girls. They needed their mom. More than anything, they needed their mom.

They were still talking about that—Meyra suspected Dylan was trying to distract Charlotte, even though Charlotte hadn't quite caught on yet—when the call came.