He laughed. Dr. Kersey had just lost the last shred of respect he’d had for her. Her priority was her rich patient. He wondered if the Shurr family paid more for Brady’s treatment than Ava paid for Jayne’s. Wasn’t Ava’s money just as green?

“Feeling a little heat from the Shurrs?” Mason prodded, his anger growing. “I imagine staying in their good graces is rather important. I’ve heard they produce quite the line of drug addicts. They’ve probably helped keep you in business for years. What are their thoughts on this mishap?”

“They know it was no fault of ours that Jayne—”

“Why am I not surprised that you placed all the blame on Jayne?”

Isn’t it all Jayne’s fault?

He pushed on. “Jayne has no financial resources at the moment. They’ll need somewhere to go. Who out of that couple do you think has access to money? Because I know it’s not Jayne.” Guilt poked at him. He knew Jayne had orchestrated at least 90 percent of the escape; it was exactly the type of move she’d pull. But Dr. Kersey was pissing him off with her attitude. “I have a good buddy who’s an investigative reporter at the Oregonian. You can bet you’ll be getting some phone calls from him regarding your record at the treatment center. Has anyone else escaped over the years? Do some clients pay more than others?”

Did I just call Michael Brody a good buddy? He caught his breath and tried to shake the red aura that’d clouded his vision. Jayne’s affecting me and she’s not even here.

He counted to ten. “What are you doing to find them?” he asked in a calmer voice.

“Our policy is to contact family and police,” snapped Dr. Kersey. “We aren’t required to do anything beyond that. Yes, we are very concerned for their safety, but we can’t afford to hire a private security force to hunt for people who don’t want to be found.”

“So you sit and wait.”

“Exactly. Like you said, they’re adults.”

“Adults who were entrusted to your care, Doctor.”

“I’m sorry we let you down, Detective. I hope you’ll relay my regrets to Ava. Hopefully Jayne and Brady will appear soon.” She ended the call.

Mason stared out the window and down at the streetlights. Now what?

What will this do to Ava?

25

Ava studied Mason’s face.

Jayne is missing?

She looked deep inside herself, searching, waiting for the alarm. And realized she didn’t care.

She’s my sister.

Worry and concern shone from Mason’s eyes, and she wondered what he saw on her face.

He’d pulled her aside after her useless interview with Micah Zuch, led her into a quiet room, and blurted the news from Jayne’s doctor.

Missing. Another man. Police notified.

The words spun in her head. Jayne wasn’t dead. Her death might be the only thing that would wrench emotion out of Ava over her twin. She’d formed thick scabs and scars to protect her heart from Jayne’s next event. And here it was. Her defenses had protected her and she felt . . . nothing. “Do you remember if we set the alarm when we left the house this morning?” she whispered.

Amusement crossed his face. “First thing I thought about, too. Yes, I set it.”

“She’s okay,” Ava stated, still shocked by the calm in her chest.

“That’s right,” he reassured her. “No one’s reported anything. She ran off with someone with a lot of money, so I imagine she has a solid roof over her head tonight. Possibly a nicer one than ours.”

“About time she met someone with real money.”

Mason blinked and then coughed out a laugh. “I wasn’t going to say it.”

“Am I a horrible person that I don’t care?” Ava asked. Her lack of emotional reaction disturbed her. Am I broken? Did I kill the part of me that gives a shit?

“Lord, no. She’s stomped all over you. She’s not in any immediate danger that we know of, so I think your reaction is normal.”

He didn’t appear to be patronizing her; he looked as if he believed what he’d said.

She took a deep breath, nodding, trying to convince herself that she hadn’t evolved into a sociopath with no conscience. Now what? She switched her brain to investigator mode. “Should we reach out to Brady Shurr’s family?”

“That’s up to you. Do you think they’ll want to hear from you?”

“Good question. On one hand, we’re in law enforcement and that might be of comfort to them. On the other hand, I don’t think they’ll be happy to hear that Brady was the next in a long line of men that Jayne used for her own amusement.”

“I’m afraid they’ll expect us to find them.”

Ava shook her head. “I have no idea where they’d go. We don’t have time to waste on a couple of grown adults who made their own stupid decision. We need to focus on the case at hand.”

Aren’t I the least bit concerned about Jayne?

No.

“She knows how to take care of herself,” Ava said, for her own benefit as well as Mason’s. “She gets into trouble, but she’s managed to survive this long.”

“Barely.”

He watched her carefully, and she fought back an urge to assure him she wasn’t about to crack. Far from it. She was pissed and it felt good.

“I hope she doesn’t make more bad decisions,” Ava muttered.