Pam sank onto the sturdier couch, still clutching her manila folder as if she feared it might dissolve if she let go. “Thank you. I didn’t mean to cause a scene. I just didn’t know how else to reach you.”
“It’s okay.” Andi took a seat across from her. “You’re not causing trouble. We just wanted a bit of space.”
Rupert hovered near the door, a vibrating bundle of worry and indignation. Duke stood beside him, one hand casually braced against the doorframe, radiating his usual calm as he blocked out Rupert—a skill he’d mastered.
From outside the green room, muffled applause rose—likely Mariella buying them time with a story or a teaser. Even through the concrete walls, they could hear hundreds of fans chatting, laughing, buzzing with post-show energy.
In here, though?
It felt like another world.
Pam’s breathing trembled as she turned to them. “With every second that passes, I fear my chance of finding my sister alive is diminishing. You’ve got to help me. Please!”
CHAPTER
THREE
The last ofthe fans had finally dispersed from the signing floor, and the convention center staff had begun stacking chairs in the cavernous main room. The air still held the faint smell of popcorn, perfume, and five thousand excited true crime fans.
Andi and Duke had managed to make it back out to the floor after their chat with Pam, and now Andi’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much. There had been photos.
So. Many. Photos.
One fan had tried to jump into Andi’s arms without warning. Andi had saved her back when she scooted out of the way, but the fan had hit the ground. Another fan had gotten too handsy, and Duke had to put him in his place.
All in all, it had been a zoo.
Who would have ever thought a podcast would garner this much attention? She supposed their high success rate in solving several crimes had earned them that place.
But their podcast had grown fast—maybe too fast. And now everyone except Mariella was scrambling to keep their heads above water. Mariella was an anomaly. She was made for stuff like this. The hardest part for her was being so far away from herboyfriend, Jason Somersby, who was still in Alaska working as a charter fisherman.
When the event was complete and fans had been ushered out, Andi had called the team behind stage to chat.
“Tonight was . . . a lot,” Simmy started, her eyes heavy with exhaustion as she fell back into the sagging sofa. She flinched and rubbed her backside after being reminded how uncomfortable the seat was.
The truth was they were all exhausted from this tour, and they were only three weeks in. But tonight’s crowd had been more demanding than most. The venue had been larger, meaning more tickets had been sold.
There were towns in Alaska with far less people than the number showing up at this event. While San Francisco was beautiful, it wasn’t home. It wasn’t Alaska with its northern lights, reindeer, and craggy mountains.
“I think this crowd was even more excited than most,” Mariella added with a bright smile. “We didn’t get any breaks.”
“Excited or frantic?” Duke murmured with lifted eyebrows.
“You got that right,” Ranger agreed. “One lady tried to cut off a piece of my beard.”
“I’ve had five women give me their numbers,” Matthew said.
Andi wondered how many women had tried to give their numbers to Duke.
She trusted him completely.
However . . . she had seen him glance at his phone a couple of times, an uncomfortable look in his gaze. What had that been about?
That was something to think about at another time.
Right now, Andi needed to explain about Gina James.
She remained standing and placed her hands on her hips to address everyone.
