by Lynn Story
“Kay’s office?” She pointed to the closed door next to where we were standing.
“Yes, that will be fine,” I said. I stepped inside and looked around. I don’t know what I was expecting frankly but somehow it wasn’t this.
“Has anyone else been in here this morning? Or last night?” I asked looking around the office. It was well appointed with very few personal effects. The pictures were of employees, company awards. There was nothing of the woman who normally occupied this office.
“No one comes in here without my knowing it. If I’m the last one to leave, I lock it. If Kay is the last one out, she locks it. She and I are the only ones with keys.”
“What about janitorial staff?”
“They come early in the morning and Kay puts her trash can outside the door if it needs to be emptied.”
“Okay, so no one else has a key. Are you sure?”
She looked thoughtful. “Eddie might.” She looked stricken that she didn’t know the answer.
“That’s okay, I’ll check with Eddie later.”
“He would never do anything to hurt her, she treats her like one of his own children. He worships her.”
“I don’t believe Eddie would do anything to Kay.” I tried to reassure her.
“Is there anyone that might hold a grudge against her?” I motioned for Sherry to sit down. “Has she fired anyone lately that might want to get back at her?”
“No, the last person she let go was three years ago or more and that was Elliot,” she told me.
“Who is Elliott?” I didn’t remember Kay ever mentioning anyone by the name.
“He was the corporate attorney when her father ran the company and he and Kay didn’t really see eye to eye. Elliot was old school and didn’t like Kay’s new ideas for the company. Michael was his junior attorney, so she encouraged Elliot to retire and then she promoted Michael to the lead corporate attorney.”
“And was Elliot bitter?” I asked.
“I don’t think he was happy, but I wouldn’t say he was bitter. He received an excellent retirement package and I know they still exchange Christmas cards.”
Sherry was wringing her hands in her lap. She was nervous about something.
“Okay, so not Elliott, anyone else? Has she talked about anyone new lately, anything stressful here at the office?”
“Well, there is this company that is trying to buy us out. They are being really aggressive about it, too,” he said, looking a bit secretive.
“What do you mean, aggressive?” I was surprised to hear this; Kay had only mentioned there had been an offer and she didn’t intend to sell.
“When did this start?” I wanted to know.
“Last week, I think.”
“What else can you tell me about it?”
“Well, not too much. Kay said she would never sell, and she had me researching companies that are traded publicly that went private.”
“Can they do that?” I was surprised.
“Oh yes, it can be done, it requires Kay to buy out all the other shareholders,” she said with wide, honest eyes.
“Who currently owns the majority of the stock?” I thought I knew.
“Kay does and before that her father did. There are about ten other shareholders in the company and I know she made them offers this week.”
I could see she was very thorough. “Do you know if any of the sales have gone through?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t.” She shook her head. “Michael would know, you should talk to him.”
“Michael?”
“Our attorney, the one that replaced Elliott.” Sherry smiled.
“And do Michael and Kay see, eye to eye?”
“Oh yes, Michael and Kay are very close, professionally I mean.” She added quickly.
“He was the one she called after the attack.”
“I’m sorry, what attack?”
Kay had never mentioned Michael. I was beginning to realize I still had a lot to learn about Kay.
“Oh, maybe I shouldn’t say anything. If Kay hasn’t told you about it yet.”
“Why? Sherry, what attack?”
“It was back right after her mother passed away and she was still working overseas.”
So right after I had met her, putting the timeline together in my head.
“Ethan, I really am not sure I should be the one to tell you this story.” She was very protective of Kay’s privacy.
“She told me she was injured while she was in Afghanistan, but she didn’t give me any details. Sherry, was the attack something that might have anything to do with her current disappearance?”
“I don’t think so. The attack wasn’t aimed at her personally. It was part of the war and she was embedded with a company of marines and was injured when they were attacked.” “Well, Kay was one of the first ones hit and she nearly died but she still managed to save the rest of them. Imagine a bunch of marines getting saved by a photojournalist!” Sherry laughed. “They gave her the Medal of Freedom and everything!” She beamed.
“She was awarded the Medal of Freedom by the President of the United States?”
“Oh yes, everyone was quite proud of her.”
“How did she take it?” I had a feeling Kay wasn’t quite so proud.
“She threw one heck of a fuss and said she didn’t want it and said she didn’t deserve it.” Sherry shook her head. “It was quite the scene and she and her grandfather didn’t talk for a while after that.”
“Her grandfather?”
“Yeah, he insisted she accept the medal and she refused.”
“I see. So, what did Michael have to do with any of this?”
“Well, Kay wasn’t sure if she was going to make it or not. She called Michael over to Germany where she was in the hospital to draw up papers to deal with the company and other things in case she died.”
“And is that when she retired Elliott?”
“It was right after that yes, when she came home.”
“Well, I’ll know more after I speak to Michael.”
“Oh dear, I just realized I don’t think he knows Kay is missing. He has been in meetings all morning.”
“Is that normal?”
“Well, yes and no. His meetings usually don’t start until ten because he and Kay block out time each morning to talk.”
“About what?” I was curious.
“Oh, anything really.” She waved her hands and sighed.
“I make the coffee you see, and when Kay arrives, she and I sit down together and go over her schedule for the day. Then Michael comes in and they talk about anything of a legal nature and then they both start their meetings for the day. Sometimes they are in the same meetings.”
“And today?”
“Well, everyone’s schedule has been off this week because of the takeover of the business, so Michael wasn’t scheduled to be here this morning. He is meeting with the bank.”
“Okay, do you have access to his calendar? Can you tell me when he will be back? I’d like to talk to him and find out more about this take over thing.”
“Sure.” Sherry got up and went back to her own desk.
“He should be back here within the hour.”
“Okay, can you tell me the name of the company wanting to take over Port City?”
“InDesign, is the name of the company.”
I took out my cell and called Stephanie.
“Boss, you okay?” she sounded concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine, but we have another case,” I told her.
“When it rains it pours.” Stephanie recited.
“No kidding. Listen get everything you can on a company called InDesign and their take over strategy or any companies they have bought out. Do a deep dive, okay?” I instructed.
“Sure, no problem.”
“Thanks.” I said, then hung up.
“Ethan?” Sherry poked her head back into Kay’s office.
“Yes?”
“Michael is here.”
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Sherry stood aside and a middle-aged man dressed in a suit that probably cost as much has my car walked in and gave Sherry a questioning look. He was what most women would probably consider attractive.
“Sherry what’s going on?” he asked looking from me to her.
“Mr. Nichols? I’m Agent Craddock, FBI.” I stepped forward and offered my hand.
“FBI?” He shook my hand.
“When was the last time you talked to Kay?”
“Kay, oh my God, what’s happened?”
“We don’t know that anything has happened yet.” I motioned to a chair. “Please sit down.” Sherry quietly closed the door.
I sat in the chair next to him and turned it, so we were facing each other.
“Has something happened to Kay?” he asked directly.
“No one seems to be able to find her,” I told him.
“And that involves the FBI?” He was understandably curious.
“I’m a friend of Kay’s so I’m helping out for the moment.”
“Oh, okay. Let me think.” Michael put his head in his hand. “Yesterday. I talked to her yesterday.”
“In person or on the phone?”
“Both.”
“When was the last time you talked to her? Was it after work? In person?”
“It was on the phone and she was here in the office.”
“What did you talk about?”
“A company is trying to buy us out and we are fighting them. I have been interviewing consultants to help us fight the take over.”
“Were you aware that she tendered an offer yesterday to the other shareholders?”
“Yes,” He looked at me curiously.
“And how’d that go?”
“Well, it was met with mixed results, but I think they all agreed in the end.”
“Why is that?”
“Because they care about the company too and I think that will prevail over greed,” he analyzed.
“You think their stocks would go up with this new company?”
“No, but I think the new company will offer them more for their shares than Kay can.”
“I see.” I didn’t understand the details, but I was getting the gist.
“Anyone of the shareholders upset enough to do her harm over the offer?”
“Absolutely not!” he declared.
“You seem pretty sure.”
“I know all of those people and they’ve been around since her father ran the company. They are loyal to Port City Manufacturers and Kay?”
“I hope you’re right.” I paused, “What do you know about this InDesign company?”
“Well, they are a bit sketchy. I can’t prove anything. No one seems to be able to. But they don’t have a reputation for being the most transparent company. I have a friend that used to work at the SEC, and he investigated them several times. They were always too smart to get caught.”
“Do you think they would harm Kay?”
Michael looked thoughtful. “Well if they found out about the tender offer, they might as she is the largest shareholder. And if she isn’t able to follow through on her offer to the others then they wouldn’t have anything stopping them from taking over the company.”
I had suspected as much.
“Mr. Nichols, you need to consider the possibility if they have harmed Kay you could be in danger as well.”
He looked at me in surprise. “Do you really think so?”
“I’m not sure of anything yet, so we can’t rule it out.”
I took out my cellphone and called Logan. “Logan, it’s Ethan.”
“Hey man, what is going on? Why’d you take off like that?” Logan asked.
“Kay is missing, and we think she may have been kidnapped,” I told him.
“Are you serious?” He was dumbfounded.
“Yeah, I’ve been to her house and Andria is there now. And I’m at Kay’s office now. Listen, I think the corporate attorney may be in danger as well. Can you come get him and take him to a safe house?”
“On it. I’ll be there soon.”
I clicked off.
“It is going to take a few minutes for my agent to get here. He has to open up the safe house and then come and get you.”
“Agent Craddock, I appreciate your concern, but it is going to be very hard for me to work from a safe house. If we just stop our efforts to fight back against InDesign they will take over for sure, in fact, that may even be their plan. With Kay out of the way they may think it would be easier to take over the company.”
“Alright, I’m listening.” I sat back down.
“I think maybe Sherry should hear some of this.”
I nodded for him to bring Sherry back into the room.
Michael got up and pressed a button on Kay’s phone. “Sherry can you join us?”
A moment later the door opened and Sherry came in with a pad.
“Have a seat,” I said.
“Okay, so at the moment the facts are this….” I started.
“Kay is missing from her home. She disappeared in the last twelve hours or so. We have no idea who took her or why if she was even taken.”
Sherry started to protest so I held up my hand to stop her. “We suspect that her disappearance has something to do with the attempt to take over the company.”
I paused and looked at the two of them. They both nodded.
“If we follow this assumption then Michael, like I said before, you could be in danger as well.”
“Why?” Sherry asked.
“Well, if our assumption is correct then the kidnappers may believe a takeover will be easier without the CEO and major shareholder of the company.” I continued. “And if they know or believe that Michael has the ability to act on behalf of Kay, then logically, they will need to remove him from the picture as well.”
Sherry gasped.
“I’d like Michael to stay in a safe house and I understand your concerns about effectively being able to fight this take over while in a secure location.”
“So, what do we do?” Sherry asked.
“That is a good question.” I agreed.
“Well, I can tell you if we lose this company before we find Kay, she will be devastated. We can’t lose the company.” Michael protested.
“We have to find Kay.” I argued. “And as an FBI agent she is my only concern.”
“As a friend?” Sherry asked.
Michael looked from Sherry to me, clearly confused and interested where this was leading.
I sighed. “As a friend, I’ll do everything I can to help ensure that those who can save the company are able. But,” I raised my hand before Michael could speak. “My first priority is keeping you safe and finding Kay.”
“Understood,” Sherry said.
“Does that mean I don’t have to stay in a safe house?” Michael asked.
“No, it means you will stay in the safe house and when you leave the safe house you will have an agent with you at all times.”
Michaels shoulders slumped.
“Don’t even think about arguing.” I looked him in the eye.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He gave in.
Sherry reached over and squeezed his hand. “It’s for Kay.”
Michael nodded. “I know.”
“Ethan!” I heard Logan calling out in the outer office. Sherry jumped up and opened the door.
“In here,” she said. Logan walked in and assessed the situation.”
“Whose going with me?” he asked, all business.
“He is.” I pointed to Michael.
“What about Sherry?” Michael asked.
“Me?”
“She’s Kay’s assistant. She knows everything.”
“Honestly, I don’t believe Sherry is in danger. And if they wanted to use Sherry for leverage, they would have taken her first, not Kay.” I said. “They aren’t wasting any time which shows how desperate they are,” I assessed.
Michael nodded.
“Sh
erry are you scared, and do you want protection?” I looked at her directly.
She swallowed hard.
“No, I’ll be fine,” she said bravely as she lifted her chin slightly.
I nodded to Logan to take Michael.
“Okay, come with me,” he said to Michael.
After the two of them had left I turned back to Sherry. “I honestly don’t believe you’re in danger but give me your address and I’ll come by tonight and check on you. If you see anything that is just slightly out of the norm, you call me, okay?”
She nodded and took my card.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ethan
I headed back to the office to see if Andria had learned anything new and to talk to the IT gurus and see if there wasn’t some way, we could let Michael work from the safe house. I also put a call in to Detective Cavanaugh to update him on what I had learned over at the Port City offices. I also told him that I had moved Michael to a safe house and offered him the opportunity to provide the protection instead of the FBI. He declined.
I was going to have to be able to justify using the safe house in this situation but if my hunch was right it wouldn’t be a problem.
Mac was still there when I walked in. I had forgotten about him after the phone call from Sherry. I owed him an apology.
“Mac, hey man. I’m sorry about leaving like that earlier,” I began.
“We had everything under control by then, no problem.” Mac looked at me his brow furrowed. “Is it something I can help you with?”
“I wish you could but there isn’t an NCIS interest that I know of yet.”
“Doesn’t matter, you helped us. I’m sure I can find a way to help you.”
“Thanks, I’d appreciate that. It’s actually not even my case. It belongs to the local police and the only reason I’m involved is I called in a chip with the GPPD Chief.” I shrugged I wasn’t going to turn down free help, especially to find Kay.
“What do we have?” Mac jumped right in.
“Possible kidnapping.”
“Possible?”
“Not sure yet, and don’t really have a clear suspect only a hunch.”
Mac leaned on a desk and crossed his arms. “Why don’t you start from the beginning”
“Well, the…” I couldn’t bring myself to say, victim. “The missing person is Kay Dandridge.”