Chapter 55
Kitty and Antoinette’s Airbnb, West Hollywood, Los Angeles
I grab the phone back from Charlie and call the number the text came from. An automated voice answers.
‘This number is used for outbound SMS only.’
Fuck.
Fuck.
‘It’s a burner number,’ I say, frustration making tears collect in my eyes. Charlie slips an arm around me. I just want to melt into him and let him hold me.
But I can’t.
I need to hold it together.
I need to find my sister.
‘Kits,’ he says, ‘it’s going to be okay.’
‘I need to send this to Travis,’ I say, ignoring his platitudes. ‘He might be able to trace the number somehow.’ I notice that my hands are trembling as I try to take a screenshot of the text.
‘Let me do it,’ Charlie says and I let him slip the phone out of my hands before I slump down on the couch.
‘This is all my fault,’ I say. ‘I should never have let her come out here with me.’
Charlie sinks down beside me. ‘You can’t blame yourself. You didn’t know any of this was going to happen.’
‘I can absolutely blame myself.’
And I will.
If we don’t find my sister in the next twenty-four hours, she’s going to die. And it’s all my fault.
I should’ve been helping her find the WeHo Ripper, not leaving her to her own devices.
I check my phone again but there’s nothing from Travis.
Not that I expect him to be on-call for me, but this is kind of urgent.
I fire off another text.
Please get back to me ASAP.
‘We should be out there,’ I say to Charlie. ‘We should be looking for her.’
Charlie frowns. ‘Where would we start?’
‘I don’t know,’ I say, ‘but I’ll knock on every door in LA if I need to.’ But as I say the words a wave of exhaustion washes over me, pulls me under.
‘I think,’ Charlie is saying, ‘that the best thing you can do for Antoinette is get some rest. I’ll stay awake in case there’s any news.’
I want to argue but my eyes are already closing. I can’t fight it.
‘Wake me up if Travis replies,’ I murmur as I let the darkness take me and I drift into oblivion.