Reese snatched the phone, still dazed. Lucy looked at her like she was a peculiar animal in a zoo, to be watched from afar but never touch. Reese explained to the building supervisor how there was a massive gust of wind the previous night which had blown out the glass. She also asked for new bulbs for her kitchen. She could sense Lucy moving about, assessing the damage, but she couldn’t look at her. She was bewildered, enraged, and infuriated. She couldn’t let Lucy know any of it. She remembered how Lucy had taken off the day before at Casey’s. Casey! Oh God! She still had to deal with telling her father about Casey. She decided to pull a Scarlett O’Hara and think about it later. She had plenty enough to discuss with her dad. Casey was small compared to what they had to talk about.

Reese hung up the phone after being reassured the super would be by in half an hour to board up and to determine if she just needed glass or a whole new door system. Lucy was lazily sweeping the glass into small piles.

“Man, what a mess,” she declared when Reese walked into the room.

“You don’t have to clean that,” Reese said.

“I don’t mind. I like cleaning.”

“Well, I’m going to run up for a quick shower. Will you wait here for me? I want to discuss Addie with you some more.”

Lucy shrugged. “Sure. No problem.”

Reese hesitated. She was afraid Lucy would book it. “We’re going to find her you know.”

Lucy stopped sweeping and turned to Reese. Reese figured she was going to say something along the lines of “thanks” or “I hope so,” but instead she said, “Do you want me to put on some coffee? You said you wanted some.”

“That would be great if it’s not too much trouble.”

Lucy shrugged again. She had no oomph, but Reese figured it was understandable. She knew when Luke went missing, after more and more time passed, she become disheartened and discouraged. Nothing was fun anymore. She felt a twinge of sadness for Lucy and found it curious she hadn’t felt it more before then. It wasn’t so much that she was insensitive but rather detached, she decided.

“Thanks,” she said over her shoulder as she ran up the stairs, hoping like crazy that Luke was nonchalantly waiting to tease her. She missed him. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since she last saw him, but she was scared. She felt like she might not see him again and the thought conjured the darkest fear from the deep depths.

She showered in record time, not bothering to wash her hair or shave. No time. She had plenty to do and was still nervous she would go downstairs to find Lucy gone. She dressed in her second favorite pair of jeans, a black turtleneck and black running shoes. Her closet was in dire need of a twentieth century infusion, but she dreaded shopping. She couldn’t understand how it was practically a sport for some women.

She rushed back downstairs to find the coffee brewed and Lucy shoveling dustpan loads into the kitchen barrel she had dragged into the living room.

“You want a coffee to go? “ Reese called out as she pulled two travel mugs down from the cabinet shelf.

“Where are we going?” Lucy asked as she carted the barrel back to the kitchen.

“To my office. I need your help with something.”

“What about my car?”

“Leave it here. Ride with me.” No way was Reese going to give her the opportunity to disappear. “I’ll give you a ride back,” she added.

Lucy tucked the trash can back under the sink. She went to the fridge and looked around. “Don’t you have any milk?” She asked after a solid thirty seconds.

“No. Sorry. How about black with sugar?” Reese was growing anxious to leave, but there wasn’t even a coffee joint on the short drive to work.

“Yuck. Is there a Dunkin’ Donuts around here?”

Reese gave a haste shake of her head.  She topped one of the mugs off and screwed the cap on. “I have cream at the office,” she said, relieved she remembered. She poured coffee into the second mug about two-thirds up. “Come on, let’s go. I have a lot to do.”

The ride to the office was blessedly quick with Lucy leaning into the window for about a two minutes snooze. But she woke easily which was good. Reese had plans. Plans that involved Lucy.

The office was stuffy so Reese threw the windows at the bay window open while Lucy prepared her coffee with lots of milk and sugar.

Once they were settled in, Reese pulled up a blank form like the one she had emailed Lucy the day before and printed a copy. “I need you to fill this out for me.”

Lucy took the sheets from Reese and groaned when she saw what they were. “You don’t need these. I’m here. I can tell you anything on this stupid form.” She flopped into one of the barrel chairs and slapped the papers onto the small glass table.

Reese reached for them and placed them on Lucy’s lap. “I need you to fill this out, Lucy. This isn’t about you and what you feel like doing or not doing. I need as much information as I can get if I’m going to find your sister.”

Lucy slouched forward and gripped the papers. Reese gave her a satisfactory nod and walked to her desk. At her computer, she pulled up her calendar. “When you’re done with that I need you to do something else for me.”

Lucy walked up behind Reese and peered over her shoulder. The day’s calendar was on the screen.

“How are your phone skills?” Reese asked and glanced back at Lucy.

“My what?”

Reese swallowed the irritation she felt toward the girl. “Never mind. Just … when you’re done with the questionnaire, call everyone on today’s schedule and tell them you are my assistant. Tell them you are sorry but I have an emergency and can’t make their appointment. Let them know I will call them tomorrow to reschedule. And whatever you do, don’t give out anymore information than that. If they ask what the emergency is, just tell them you don’t know. Can you handle that?”

Lucy rolled her eyes and plopped into the chair at the desk. “I’m not stupid, Reese.”

Reese bit her tongue. Stupid or not, her clients were her livelihood and she had no desire to lose them. “Okay. I’m just running upstairs for a few minutes. I’ll be back.” For good measure, she added, after you make the calls, I’ll make sure you get some Dunkin’s .”

Lucy bounced once in her seat like a kid, not a twenty-nine year old. “Awesome. I’m starving.”

“Oh, one more thing.” Reese reached into her back pocket and pulled up Paul’s number on her cell phone. She copied it onto a piece of paper. “After you finish the questionnaire and before you call my clients, call this number. His name is Paul Malloy. Tell him plans have changed …”

“Paul Malloy? As in THE Paul Malloy? The psychic?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my God! You know Paul Malloy?”

“Yes. He’s a friend of mine.” Okay it was sort of the truth. Reese tapped the scrap of paper to try and redirect the conversation.

“He’s so gorgeous. Is he that gorgeous in real life?”

Reese felt like she hit a hurdle during a cross trainer run. “Um, yeah, he’s good-looking. But you’ll see for yourself.”

“What! I get to meet him. Oh my God! I need my makeup!” Lucy scurried from the chair in the direction of the bathroom, Reese placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

“Hold on a minute. You can get pretty after you take care of a few things. You have time, but I don’t.”

Lucy huffed and plopped back into the chair with one foot under her bottom.

“We really need to focus here, Lucy. You’re the one who came to me, remember?”

“I know. Fine. So after I finish the questionnaire and before I call these people on your schedule, I’m supposed to call Paul Malloy and say what?”

“Tell him you are Addie’s sister and I told you to call him.” Reese talked like she was speaking to a kindergartener. “Tell him, plans have changed. Tell him I need him here as soon as possible. But tell him to stop and get some Dunkin’s first.”

“Cool. Paul Malloy’s going to feed me breakfast,” Lucy said dreamily.

Reese couldn’t help but chuckle. “You got all of that?”

Lucy nodded. She pulled open a drawer and found a pen and started the paperwork.

Reese looked back at Lucy as she shut the office door. She breathed once she was in the hallway. There was a reason she never had children. She found them exasperating, no matter their age. Oh, she loved them and was oddly consumed with helping them, but it had more to do with their innocence than a maternal instinct. She looked up the stairs. Gregory’s office was all the way to the end of the second level. She took another deep breath and marched to the stairs.

Seconds later, she hovered at the suite door. She gathered all her courage and softly turned the knob. His secretary wouldn’t be in until eight fifty-nine exactly. Reese had time. She crossed the reception area and barged into his office. Gregory was bent over his desk, reading a thick stack of stapled documents.

“Reese,” he said as he looked up at her and graced her with a big, fat smile. He started to stand, but she waved him to stay. “What can I do for you?” His tone was reluctant.

“Are you Lucy’s father?” Reese blurted.

Gregory coughed spastically into his fist. Reese stood at the doorway and waited for him to gather himself.

“What?” He choked out the words.

“Are you Lucy’s father?”

He waved a dismissive hand at her and then sipped at a bottle of water to his right. “I heard you,” he said. “Are you serious?”

Reese crossed her arms over her chest and waited. She wanted to hear him say no but she wanted to hear the truth even more.

“Reese. God. You are serious.” Gregory stood and walked to the front of his desk where he leaned against it. He began to shake his head slowly and then faster. “No. No. Absolutely not. I would have had to have sex with Heather when she was like twelve years old. Are you crazy?”

“Well what am I supposed to think? Lucy looks just like you.”

“She does, I know. But that doesn’t mean she’s my daughter.”

“She calls you Uncle Gregory. And …” Reese couldn’t bring herself to say the words on her tongue. She lowered her arms, feeling defeated. Some vigilante she was. Rid the world of scumbags one asshole at a time, but she couldn’t ask about a stupid kiss from almost thirty years ago.

“And what?” Gregory nearly snarled. “You come in here, basically accusing me of …”

“You kissed me when I was thirteen, Gregory! I was a child. You were a grownup. What else am I supposed to think?”

Gregory's shoulders went limp. He rubbed a hand on his chin and turned away from Reese. “That doesn’t mean I would have sex with a child, Reese.”

Reese was in no mood to discuss what was acceptable and not acceptable under the circumstances. “If you’re not her father, then who is?”

Gregory turned back. His eyes were squinted. “Why are you asking about Lucy? Aren’t you supposed to be looking for Addie?”

“Do you know who Lucy’s father is?”

Gregory glared at Reese for a few seconds and sighed. He twisted off the desk and walked back around. “No, I don’t.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not lying, Reese. What’s gotten into you?” He sat down again.

“Do you have a brother?”

“What the hell does any of this have to do with finding Addie?”

“Do you have a brother?” She asked sternly.

“Yes!”

“Who is he?”

“You went to school with him.” Gregory looked away and fidgeted with a pen on his desk. “He’s my half-brother. Wayne Albreck.”

“He’s Lucy’s father?” Reese asked expecting only the word “yes” in response.

Gregory shook his head and rubbed his thumb and forefinger across his eyes like he had a headache. “No. No. At least that’s what he says. I’ve asked. Believe me. I’ve asked.”

“He’s your half-brother? How come I didn’t know that before?”

“Does it really matter? I don’t understand what it has to do with Addie.”

“Because Gregory,” Reese snapped. She had an edge to her voice which said he should not mess with her. “Addie is missing and like most missing children who don’t run away, the culprit is a close family member.”

“I have nothing to do with Addie’s disappearance.”

Reese noticed the slump in Gregory's upper body. She was prepared to believe he had nothing to do with Addie’s disappearance, if for no other reason than he was out of the country when she went missing.

“Back to Wayne. How come you’ve never told me you have a half-brother?”

“My father never even knew about me until I was twenty-five. My mom left him when she found out she was pregnant. They weren’t married and she wanted nothing to do with him. She never said much other than he was a jerk. When she died, I decided to try and find him. It didn’t take much effort. He was married and they had Wayne. He didn’t want me telling his wife and son about me. Didn’t want to destroy their lives I guess. But that all changed when he ran off.”

Gregory continued his pathetically sad story of how he tried to convince his dad to bring him into the fold and all that crap. Reese didn’t care. But she did catch what Gregory said. Mr. Albreck ran off. She had a vague recollection of Wayne’s father disappearing during the summer before eighth grade, the first summer without Luke. He disappeared about the same time Heather did. She had no memory of what Mr. Albreck looked like, but it was easy to assume he looked like his son Wayne.

Suddenly Reese was done with Gregory. She was certain he had provided the only useful information he had. She needed to move on to the next person on her list to contact. Heather. But before she left, she said, “Do you talk to Wayne much nowadays?”

Gregory pursed his lips and shook his head. “No. Never had a good relationship with him.”

“One more thing.” Reese said. “Do you think Wayne is Lucy’s father?”

“I think it’s very likely.”

Reese walked out of the office without saying goodbye or thank you. She felt like a dog kicking his feet up when done with his business.

She popped her head back into her office to find Lucy hanging up the phone.

“Mrs. Jacobs says she hopes you’re okay and she’ll expect your call tomorrow,” Lucy said in a mocking snobby voice.

“Yeah, she’ll get a call.” Reese dismissed Mrs. Jacobs. “Did you get ahold of Paul?”

“Oh yes. He’s coming right over after getting me an iced caramel coffee and a breakfast sandwich. Did you want something?”

“No, I’m good. I need to run out. Can you wait here for Paul? I won’t be long.”

“Sure,” Lucy said with another perky bounce.

“Just tell him I’ll be back soon and you should both wait here.”

“Is he going to help us find Addie?”

“I hope so.”

“Cool,” Lucy said.

“So you’re good until I get back? You’ll finish the calls for me?”

“No prob.” Lucy swiveled in the desk chair and picked up the phone for the next call.

Reese left the building and steered toward Highway 95 South. She was going to get some answers in Rhode Island.

She cruised along, cranked the music to drown out the thoughts zooming in her head. She didn’t want to have preconceived notions walking into Heather’s house. She wanted a clean slate for her childhood friend to color on. Plus the music distracted her from the nerves fluttering in her stomach. She was on the brink of being a wreck. Facing Heather after all those years was going to be as bad as the conversation she was going to have with her father.

A couple of miles from the exit, her cell phone rang. She glanced at the phone. Paul.

“Hello?” She answered in a tone that said, “I’m not pining away for you.”

“Reese? It’s Paul. I’m at your office and Lucy’s not here.”

Reese hesitated before remembering Lucy wanted to decorate her face. “Maybe she’s in the bathroom?”

“No. The door’s wide open.”

“Maybe she ran upstairs to see Gregory?”

“No. I ran into him when I showed up. He was literally running out the front door. Barely said hi to me.”

“She couldn’t have gone far. She was excited to see you. Check for her cell number on the paperwork on my desk. There’s a questionnaire …”

“Reese?” Paul interrupted.

“Yes?”

“There’s blood on your desk.”