She'd always had a terrible sense of inferiority that her FBI agent sister was the golden child, the top achiever who could do no wrong. Her parents wanted all their children to be ultra-successful. When Lauren had been around, all three had been pitted against each other. The result had been that she and Kerry had often felt more like enemies or rivals, than sisters.
May had felt, as a county deputy, that she was nothing more than a failure, a second-rate apology of a human being, after she’d flunked her academy exams and missed the cut by just a couple of points. But recently, Kerry's golden life had shown cracks. She'd split up with her fiancé after he'd cheated on her. May had never believed that could happen. It had shown to her that Kerry had a human side, a vulnerable side. Also, she'd discovered that Kerry herself had been jealous of May at times, even though she really didn't know how that was possible.
It had taken a long time to accept that the two of them were two different people but that deep down, they were family.
She and her big sister had grown into a better relationship, an easier one. Now, they'd had a chance to get to know each other again and under better circumstances. And the hunt for Lauren had also helped to improve their relationship and bring them closer.
May dug hungrily into the food. Only when her bowl was finished, did she turn to Kerry and say, "So, what's up? What did you discover?"
Kerry's face lit up. "I found the house plans for the place where Harriet lived," she said, her voice full of excitement.
"We didn't know about those," May said, feeling intrigued.
"I took a close look at them this afternoon, and I compared it to the house we walked through this morning."
"And?" There was something in Kerry's voice that was giving May the shivers.
"And the two don't match up. I'm telling you, that house has been rebuilt. It's been changed. Altered."
"You mean—" She could see what Kerry meant.
"I think there might be places we have not yet explored. Places that we could search for. I am totally sure that areas within that house have been walled off. Maybe more than one part of it. I've circled the most likely places on the plans themselves."
Kerry handed the plans over to May, and she looked down at them, her heart racing. Could this be it? Could they finally be closer to finding Lauren? She couldn't help the sudden feeling of anticipation that rose inside her.
"Let's get over there as soon as I've wrapped up this case," May said, feeling determined. "We can search it and see if we can find anything. I had a feeling there was more, and this has proved it. We just have to look harder."
She had always believed that finding out what happened to Lauren was an impossible quest, but the past few weeks had changed her mind, and now, she felt a wave of hope.
They finished their food and wine and sat companionably for a few minutes. Then, May yawned so wide her face almost split in two.
"I guess we'd better get some rest," she said, knowing it would be a long day ahead. "And I must text Owen and tell him what you found out."
"Is he in the loop on that?" Kerry asked.
"Yes, he is," May said. "I'm making a big effort to keep him in the loop. It's not fair to him when I keep things from him. He feels like I'm shutting him out. It caused problems between us a while ago."
"I'm glad you sorted them out," Kerry said, her voice somber now. "I'm glad he's a part of your life. I'm hoping that in the future, when I find someone special, it will be someone with as much integrity as Owen. He's really a good guy."
May's eyes widened. Kerry genuinely wasn't being sarcastic. She was showing May that her values and priorities had changed. Her last boyfriend, the cheater, had been a wealthy highflyer. Now, integrity topped her list. And that was for the better, May thought.
"I'm not going to make the mistake of dating another cheating loser again," Kerry insisted, this time sounding a lot more like May was used to hearing her. May snorted, but in a sympathetic way.
Then, they stacked the dishes in the dishwasher, and May headed upstairs to bed, after making sure Kerry had everything she needed in the spare room.
As soon as she was in her room, she texted Owen.
"Kerry thinks there's more to be found in the house where Harriet stayed. She looked at the old plans," she said.
"Wow!" Owen texted back. "That's progress. Perhaps it's there but hidden."
"As soon as we're done with this case, Kerry and I will go back for another look. Hopefully tomorrow. And do you want to come to dinner tomorrow night at the parents? Or the next night if this case goes on for longer. They’re flexible."
She smiled as she typed it. It was so nice to bring a boyfriend to a family dinner, and Owen got on surprisingly well with her folks.
"Love to!" he replied. "Sleep well and see you early tomorrow."
"You too."
