by Tripp Ellis
We pulled to the curb in front of Nolan Orton's house at 1214 Anglers Way. It was a stunning home. There was no doubt about it. But the multimillion-dollar estate seemed somewhat pedestrian for a man of Nolan Orton’s wealth. He was on the list of the richest men in America. As the CEO of the social media giant Flutter, he'd amassed an unbelievable amount of wealth within a few short years. The company was experiencing exponential year-over-year growth and was on pace to knock off platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
His property was surrounded by a privacy wall that was 8 feet high. None of the other homes in the neighborhood had one, and the wall was constructed at Orton's request. I had no doubt that a large contribution to the homeowners association got the board to look the other way and ignore the deed restrictions.
There were two silver SUVs parked at the curb in front of the home. The driveway was gated, and so was the main walkway.
JD pulled to the curb across the street, and we hopped out of the Porsche and ambled to the gate. I rang the video doorbell, and Orton's voice crackled through the speaker a moment later. "Deputy Wild?"
That answered my question about whether or not he knew we were officers of the law. I flashed my shiny gold shield to the camera. “This is my partner Deputy Jack Donovan."
JD smiled and waved.
Nolan buzzed us into the courtyard, and we ambled up the walkway to the front porch. I noted multiple security cameras around the premises.
A stocky gentleman in a grey suit pulled open the front door. He was mid 30s with a slick bald head and a square jaw. He had a dimple in his chin and was the kind of guy that had a 5 o'clock shadow a minute after he shaved. His nose looked like it had taken a few punches, and his blue eyes were narrow and calculating. He had an Eastern European look to him. He looked like he’d seen action—definitely former military. He didn't look like the kind of guy that took crap from anybody.
He extended his hand and shook with a firm grasp. "I'm Jason Bradley, head of security."
We made introductions.
"Come on in,” he said. “Nolan is waiting."
He motioned us inside and closed the door behind us after scoping out the courtyard, his watchful eyes always on the lookout.
He led us across the marble tile into the living room with high vaulted ceilings and large windows that allowed copious amounts of light to bathe the interior. The home was elegantly decorated with modern white leather furniture. The dark grey hardwoods in the living room contrasted well with the French gray walls and white trim. Large canvases of fine art adorned the living room. There was a beautiful pool in the backyard. The clear water glimmered with sunlight, and spires of tall narrow evergreens lined the edge of the pool like columns. Beyond the pool was a canal and what I assumed was Nolan’s 132-foot SunTrekker yacht. Again, a nice boat, but not as decadent as I would have imagined for a man of Nolan’s wealth.
Orton stood up from the couch and greeted us with a solemn face. He had short dark hair, light brown eyes, and a narrow face. He wore stylish glasses with thick black frames, a black fitted shirt, and gray slacks. He was thin and fit and stood about 6 feet tall. His skin looked like he just had a facial. It was smooth and vibrant. His eyebrows were manicured, and his hair quaffed to perfection.
"Thanks for coming. I'm sorry I couldn't be more specific on the phone, but I didn't want to take any chances."
"What seems to be the problem?” I asked. “And how can we help?"
"It's my wife… She's missing."
5
"How long has she been gone?" I asked.
"Yesterday afternoon," Nolan said.
"What time?"
"I don't know exactly. I'm guessing between 3 and 4 PM."
"Has she ever run off like this before?"
Nolan hesitated and exchanged a tense glance with Jason. His worried eyes reconnected with mine. “I’m not sure she ran off. I’m concerned she was kidnapped."
“Have you received a ransom demand?"
"No.”
“Any communication from the possible kidnappers?”
“No.”
“What makes you think she was taken?”
“Gut instinct. This is totally out of character for Eva. She wouldn’t leave without telling someone. She never goes anywhere without a security detail. I forbid it.”
I lifted a curious brow.
“You have to understand, I receive countless death threats on a daily basis from disgruntled users. As one of the fastest-growing social networks, we have an extraordinarily high customer satisfaction and engagement ranking, but we can't please everyone. As you are no doubt aware, I am a high-net-worth individual. That makes my family a prime target for kidnapping and extortion. We try to take every precaution, but yesterday there was a SNAFU.”
"I noticed security cameras on the way in,” I said. “And I see several throughout the house."
"The perimeter is secured with cameras," Jason said. "But we ran into a bit of a glitch with the system. There was a power surge during the recent storm, and even with surge suppression, it knocked out the home network. There was a direct lightning strike.”
"The whole system has been down for a few days,” Nolan said. "There is no security footage."
“Tell me about your security team.”
"I have a security staff of 16. Had,” Nolan corrected. “We’re at 15 now.”
“Had?"
"I let an employee go."
I lifted another curious brow.
Nolan continued. "My former Head of Security, Liam Nash."
A staffing change sparked alarm bells right away.
"We work in four-man teams," Jason said, "doing six-hour shifts."
"I find six hours allows for peak performance,” Nolan said. “More than that, attention starts to wane."
“So, normally, you have four guards at the house, 24 hours a day."
"Yes."
“Surely one of your staff can speak to Eva’s whereabouts at the time of her disappearance?”
"That's the SNAFU,” Nolan said. “Since I had fired Liam, that left us short-staffed. I had a meeting to attend yesterday. I left the house with Will and Toby. Jason stayed behind with Eva.” His eyes filled. “I should never have left her alone."
"It's my fault," Jason said. "I take full responsibility."
My eyes fell upon Jason.
"Eva begged me to run an errand for her,” Jason explained. “I told her I couldn’t leave her at home by herself. But she didn't want to ride with me."
"So you left Eva alone in the house between 3 and 4 PM yesterday, correct?"
Jason nodded. "She wanted me to pick up a dress from Biagi Couture and a gallon of chocolate chip mint ice cream on my way home. I mistakenly thought the next detail would arrive shortly.”
"It's not your fault Jason," Nolan said. "I'm well aware of how difficult it is to say no to my wife. She can be very demanding at times," he said, choosing his words carefully.
There was a picture of Nolan with a beautiful blonde on the coffee table. I picked up the silver frame and studied the photo. "I assume this is Eva?"
He nodded.
The girl was nothing short of perfection—blue eyes, pouty lips, perfect skin, symmetrical features. Eva graced the pages of catalogs as a former lingerie model. She had style and sophistication, and her sultry gaze could heat things up quicker than a nuclear detonation. I could understand Nolan’s distress. Eva was the kind of woman you’d do anything to get back if she went missing.
"When did you fire Liam?" I asked.
"Last week."
“Why?"
6
Nolan hesitated and exchanged another glance with Jason before answering. “I suspected they were having an affair.”
The words dribbled from his mouth, and he hung his head and sighed. He seemed both crushed and embarrassed.
“So, let me get this straight,” I said. “Your former Head of Security is engaged in extracurricular activities with your wife, and you fired
him. Within a week, your wife goes missing. I’m thinking Liam Nash could be a person of interest. Is it possible she ran away with him?”
Nolan was silent for a long moment. The thought was a bitter pill to swallow, I’m sure. “I’ve considered that.”
“Have you reached out to him?”
“No.”
“I’m sure you’ve tried calling your wife?”
“Her phone is here. She wouldn’t leave without it.”
“How long has your wife been having an affair with Liam?”
Nolan stammered. “I don't know. I think I had blinders on for a long time. I felt like something wasn't right, but I ignored it. I noticed subtle glances between the two. The way they'd laugh together. Little touches between them. I dismissed it. And the few times I brought it up, Eva turned the tables and made it seem like I was some kind of paranoid psychopath. She even accused me of cheating."
"Were you?"
Nolan's face crinkled. "Who in their right mind would step out on a woman like Eva?"
"If things were heating up between Eva and Liam, I assume they were cooling off between you two in the bedroom?"
"I don't see how that's any of your business," Nolan said, taking offense.
"I'm just trying to get a full picture of the situation."
Nolan's entire body was tense. He forced himself to relax and exhaled a breath. "I'm sorry. I understand you need as much information as possible. You'll have to forgive me. My nerves are beyond frazzled."
“Do you know if Eva is in love with Liam?"
It was a painful question. He sucked in a breath, held it, then exhaled again. "I don't know. That's a distinct possibility." He slumped like a sad puppy dog. "I just want her back. I don't care what she's done. I just want a chance to fix our marriage and put our life back together."
"We’ll talk to Liam and see if he knows anything. I'll need a list of your entire security team as well as household staff and anyone else who may have access to the premises—lawn care professionals, maintenance crews, cleaning staff."
Nolan nodded. "Jason can provide you with all of that information.”
“We’ll report her as missing and put out a BOLO,” I said.
“I don’t want this getting out to the press yet. If she has run off with Liam, I don’t want this splashed all over the tabloids.”
“I understand.” I didn’t mention we had a leak within the department. Paris Delaney and her news crew seemed to know about events almost before they happened.
"Tony told me what you did for him,” Nolan said. “He said if you can't find Eva, nobody can."
“Try to stay calm. For all we know, she just needed a little personal time. She could have planned her escape, sent Jason on an errand, and is sitting in a posh hotel right now getting a spa treatment."
“I’d like to believe that. But Eva would never leave her phone. The damn thing was an extension of herself."
"If she's having an affair, you need to consider the possibility that she has a burner phone."
He cringed. "Right."
"We'll do everything we can."
He forced a grim nod. "I trust that you will."
"Where's the rest of your security staff?"
"I thought it best we had this discussion in private." Nolan looked at his watch. “The rest of my security detail should arrive shortly if you'd like to speak with them.”
"I want to talk to everyone. What about executive assistants, personal chefs, etc.?”
“I value my privacy, so I don’t keep a full-time kitchen staff—only for special occasions. Harlow is my personal assistant. She helps with scheduling, keeping the home fully stocked and functional, and keeps me on time to appointments.”
“Where is she now?”
“She should be here soon.”
“Was she present the day of Eva’s disappearance?”
“She was with me at the time. She’s usually glued to my hip during business hours.”
“Tell me a little more about your basic security setup."
“I’ll let Jason give you a rundown."
"We usually have two security personnel outside, walking the perimeter, and two inside. We keep the spaces in front of the house occupied at all times so no one parks a car bomb at the curb. The walls and windows of the home are bulletproof. All of the cars have reinforced doors and bulletproof windows. The vehicles are equipped with run-flat tires. There is a panic room in both the bedroom and Mr. Orton's home office. We routinely practice emergency evacuation drills. Unfortunately, there was a gap in our security yesterday, and I take full responsibility."
"Stop beating yourself up over it," Nolan said. "We need to move forward and focus on finding Eva. I should have made sure there was a replacement for Liam. If I would have done so, there wouldn't have been a gap. I'm as much to blame as anyone."
I was surprised that he was willing to take some of the blame. In my experience, people in his position were always looking for a scapegoat.
“Tell me how the gap occurred.”
“I thought the next security detail would arrive at the house momentarily,” Jason said. “Unfortunately, I had forgotten about the schedule change. They came on duty an hour later than normal.”
“Why was there a schedule change?” I asked.
“Keenan, one of the security staff, had a dentist appointment that morning, and we pushed the schedule an hour,” Jason said. “I simply forgot.”
"An unfortunate confluence of events led to this situation,” Nolan quickly added. “Dwelling on the past isn't going to change anything. So where do we go from here?"
7
“Just sit tight,” I said. “We’ll handle this.”
Nolan's face tensed. "I don't like feeling helpless."
"Nobody does.” I paused. “I know it’s an uncomfortable question, but was the staff aware of your wife’s affair?”
Nolan looked at Jason.
The bodyguard shrugged sheepishly. “I think we all suspected it.”
“And nobody said anything to Mr. Orton?”
“It was a difficult position to be in,” Jason said. “I find it best to stay out of the personal lives of my clients.”
He had a point.
I called the sheriff and updated him on the situation.
Jason gave me a list of the security guards and staff. It wasn’t long before two of them arrived—Will Davies and Toby Pearson. I pulled them aside and interviewed the two bodyguards in the parlor about yesterday’s events.
Will was skinny and tall with short brown hair and a narrow face. Toby was a big bruiser. His navy blue suit looked like it was going to burst at the seams. He wore his sandy-blond hair in a tight crew cut.
Their stories mirrored what Nolan and Jason had said.
“Do you two always escort Nolan when he ventures out of the house?" I asked.
"No," Toby said. “We rotate. Really, it’s whoever's available. Nolan likes to avoid routines as much as possible. We change routes, drivers, vehicles. We try to keep a good variation."
"Were you aware of the affair?" I asked.
They both tensed and exchanged a glance, then answered in unison. "We suspected."
“How well do you know Liam?” I asked.
“We’d been working with him for over a year,” Toby said. “He was on top of things and easy to get along with. I thought he was crazy when he started diddling the missus.”
“This is a great gig,” Will said. “Pay is awesome. We get benefits, and Nolan is a good guy.”
“Seemed stupid to screw that up,” Toby said. “But maybe Liam thought he’d run away with Eva and get half of Nolan’s money.”
“Have you spoken with him since he was let go?” I asked.
“That’s verboten,” Will said. "There is a strict no-contact policy regarding that guy. Nolan said anyone who talks to, or hangs out with, Liam is fired on the spot."
"Can't say I blame him for feeling that way," Toby said. "I wouldn't want my security st
aff associating with the guy who was banging my wife." Toby glanced around to make sure no one was in earshot. He straightened up and cleared his throat. "You'll have to forgive me. I shouldn’t have phrased it that way."
"Were you aware that the schedule had been changed yesterday?”
"We all were, but I didn't give it any thought. Nolan had a meeting, and we escorted him to it.”
"When we left, Jason said he had a handle on things," Will added.
I asked them a few more questions, then wrapped up. I told Nolan we would be in contact and to let me know if he heard anything from Eva.
We ambled down the walkway, pressed the button, and buzzed open the gate. We stepped outside the compound and climbed into the Porsche. JD cranked up the engine, and we shared a look.
“It would drive me nuts to have all those people around all the time,” JD said. “He's like a prisoner of his own success."
"At least he has a nice cage."
JD put the car into gear and pulled away from the curb.
We headed across the island to Neptune’s Cove, hoping to catch up with Liam Nash.
The former Head of Security lived on a 30-foot sailboat. The marina was on the west side of the island and was home to an array of motor yachts, sport-fishing boats, and sailboats. It was a nice place but a far cry from the luxury of Stingray Bay.
JD pulled into the lot and found a spot. He killed the engine, and we walked to the dock, the sun beaming down. Gulls hung on the draft, squawking as we searched the slips for Liam’s boat, the Guardian Angel.
8
We found Liam working on his boat. I flashed my badge and made introductions.
"What can I do for you, gentlemen?"
Liam wore white deck shorts and a pale blue short-sleeve collared shirt. He was a handsome man with dark wavy hair, ice-blue eyes, and a square jaw. He had a couple days worth of stubble and could have easily been a model. He had an athletic frame and certainly did his share of bicep curls.