Alex stared out at the road ahead, hoping that the Livestrong mantra was not something that Natalie would need to cling to.
“Does she have a lot of rules at home?”
Abby’s eyes met his in an ironic stare.
“Come on, Alex. Has it really been that long?” She shifted and looked out the passenger window. “You know my parents. They expect a lot from her. She doesn’t seem to resent it.”
“She never snuck out of the house to go to a party, get drunk, and have the cops deliver her home?”
Alex cast Abby a wry smile. He could still remember the police driving the two of them home after one such incident and the punishment that followed. His father prescribed two backbreaking weeks of building and painting the Watson’s garage, during one of the hottest summers in Puget Sound history. They had both been grounded for weeks.
“Let’s just say that she doesn’t have the type of friends that would lure her into trouble.” The lopsided grin on Abby’s face was good to see. The faintest touch of pink stained her cheeks, and Alex looked away.
“Ah, right. It was your friends who got you into trouble. I seem to remember you had something to do with it.”
“It’s not fair,” she said, still looking out the window, eyes focused on the road. “You know all of my secrets.”
“Not all of them.” A beat of silence rested between them before he added, “Besides, everyone has secrets.”
“Not you. You have always been a straight shooter.”
“I’m too dumb to lie.” Abby shot him a skeptical look, and he shrugged. “At any rate, let’s see if Natalie’s friend knows hers.”
Pulling up next to the curb outside Emily’s house, they both stepped out of the Jeep.
Nora Jenkins’s expression was wary as she opened the door to admit Alex and Abby. Her watery eyes and gin blossoms gave Alex the impression of someone who had seen the bottom of a bottle or two.
“What’s this about?” she asked. There was nothing friendly about her tone.
“Natalie’s missing,” Abby said, wasting no time in getting to the point. She had always been very direct. It was one of the things Alex liked best about her. “We’re here to talk to Emily, to see if there is anything she knows that might help.”
Nora’s face blanched, and she stood rooted to the spot.
“She’s in the kitchen.” Nora gestured toward the back of the house, and with a nod they walked down the hall. Alex followed Abby, who seemed to glide down the narrow passage with natural grace.
Emily was standing at the cluttered counter pouring juice as they entered. Alex noticed the dishes piled high in the sink, the food scraps encrusted on the Formica surface, and the half-empty bottle of vodka by the stove. For a second, he wondered if it was just juice in her glass.
Barely a hair over five feet tall, Emily’s muffin top poured over the band of her too-tight jeans. Her thick, black hair pulled away from her face in a hasty ponytail. Residue from her heavy makeup still smudged the outline of her brown eyes.
There was nothing welcoming about Emily’s gaze, and she glared at them as if they were alien intruders.
“We wanted to talk to you about Natalie,” Abby began. “This is Detective Alex Shannon, from the Seattle Police Department.”
Emily turned to pick up the glass and drank some juice as she stared over at them as if trying to mask a flicker of surprise.
“What about Natalie?” Her voice was deep, unexpectedly gravelly, and dripping with teenage attitude.
“Mind if we sit?” Alex asked. Her shrug was noncommittal, and he took a chair at the kitchen table. Abby perched on the bench opposite him. But Emily stayed where she was, arms crossed. Alex fixed her with a long stare. Her guarded eyes never wavered from his.
“When was the last time you saw Natalie?”
Not answering right away, she transferred her gaze from Alex to Abby and then back again. Chubby fingers gripped the juice glass as she finally spoke.
“Friday after school. We came here to listen to music.”
“Did Natalie spend a lot of time over here?” Alex asked. Emily shrugged, trying to mask a small smirk.
“Sometimes. Her parents don’t allow loud music.”
“And your parents?”
“They’re not around much. Dad’s long gone and Mom … Well, Mom doesn’t mind.” Her eyes moved across the counter to the bottle of vodka, expression guarded.
“Natalie was supposed to come here yesterday afternoon, right?”
“Yeah, I guess that was the plan.”
“You guess, or you know?” Abby pressed, her temper flaring quickly to the surface. Alex glanced sharply at her before looking back at Emily.
“It’s not my day to watch her,” she said placing her glass on the counter and propping her fists on her hips.
“So you’re saying that you didn’t have plans with her?”
A hiss escaped Emily in the form of an exasperated sigh, and she rolled her eyes.
“She was planning to come over. But when she didn’t show I figured, whatever.”
“Did she call?”
“Like I said, I don’t keep tabs on her.” She angled her gaze away from him to make a thorough examination of the black polish flaking off her fingernails.
Alex continued to study her while he considered tactics. Given his unofficial status, badgering her was not going to help. The harder she was pushed, the more she would withdraw. But her lack of concern for Natalie disturbed him.
“Does Natalie have a boyfriend?”
A shadow rippled across Emily’s face, and he saw the answer in her eyes.
“No,” she lied.
“You’re sure? Is there someone she liked to hang out with? Someone that maybe her parents didn’t approve of?”
“God, didn’t I just answer that? No.” After another oh-my-God three-sixty, she gnawed at the corner of a fingernail. Her eyes flashed to Abby before angling away. Another direct hit, he sensed.
“Christ, Emily, you’re supposed to be her friend. Natalie’s missing. Aren’t you the least bit concerned?” Abby asked. Her face was beet red as she glared across the table at the teenage girl. Small hands were clenched in tight fists, as if she were fighting the urge to wrap her fingers around the girl’s neck.
Emily’s head snapped up, and her fingers dropped away from her lips. Her eyes rested on Abby before taking in the countertop and the bottle of vodka again. She licked her lips absently.
“Listen,” he began softly, “Natalie’s family is worried about her. Is there anything you can tell us that might help? We just want to find her. Make sure she’s safe.”
Emily nibbled on her lower lip, looking uncertain. Alex allowed himself to hope she might open up and start telling the truth. Then her expression closed, and hope evaporated.
“Look, I don’t know where she is.”
The conversation was going nowhere. There was a guy. He knew it the same way he knew pressing Emily now was a waste of time. With any luck he would find out more by combing through Natalie’s hard drive.
“Okay, thanks for your time,” Alex said. He pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to her. She made a show of studying it. “If you think of anything, please call me. Anytime.”
Emily inclined her head in a sulky nod, and stubbornly refused to look up as they passed. Nora hovered in the doorway, concern reflected in the downcast turn of her lips. Alex thanked her for their time as he stepped out onto the creaky porch. The warm sunlight did little to penetrate the deepening chill he felt.
“We can’t just leave,” Abby said, her voice low and terse as they heard the front door close. “She’s lying, Alex. We both know it.”
Abby trudged back toward the front door with a look of grim determination on her face. Alex stopped her, his hands gripping her shoulders. He felt the hum of an electric current race between them. Abby looked up, as if she felt it, too. All at once, Alex released her and stepped away, breaking contact.
&nb
sp; “Emily knows something, but she’s not going to say it in front of you, her mother, or anyone else. I know this isn’t easy, but you’ve got to let me handle it. You’ve got to trust me. Can you do that?” Their eyes met, and after a long moment, her expression softened. She gave a grudging, but compliant, nod.
Alex fished the cell phone from his pocket. His every instinct told him Natalie was in trouble and needed help. Turning toward the Jeep, he hit a number on speed dial. Too much about the situation bothered him. The sooner he got the official investigation under way, the better.
“Jackson, it’s Alex. I’m on my way to the office. Meet me there.”
5
“Wow, I think I need a drink after that review. What did you do to piss off Dana Evans?” Rachel Meyers asked. She set her lunch tray down on the table opposite Jill and squinted against the bright sunlight that streamed into the busy ZyraNet cafeteria.
Jill stared down at the salad in front of her and grimaced, still fuming. “Believe me, I have no idea. It’s the first time I’ve actually met her.”
Not only had Evans interrupted Jill’s project status report, but she’d drilled in on the problem areas with all the delicacy of a pit bull gnawing on a pug. Once her jaws locked, Dana refused to let go.
“Why didn’t Jamie shut her up? I thought he would at least jump in to stop her, but he said nothing, which is unusual for him. I’ve never seen him at a loss for words before.”
Jill forced a casual shrug. “I know he’s concerned about the performance issues we’re tracking, but yeah, I expected him to step in, too.”
His lack of support bothered her more than she was willing to let on. Up to now, he was her biggest advocate. But this morning she felt a definite shift in his demeanor, like something had changed, and she didn’t know what.
“I thought he was your biggest fan,” Rachel said, her eyebrows arched above her dark eyes.
“Apparently not.” Jill leaned forward, picking at her Cobb salad.
“How bad are the performance problems?”
“Well, tests show a significant slowdown in the software,” Jill admitted, and she slowly sighed. “The team is working day and night to try and uncover the source of the problem, but so far, no luck.”
Rachel nodded. Her look was sympathetic.
“With the WebNOW demo in a few weeks, we’ve got to get it fixed. It won’t look good for Jamie to be onstage in front of thousands of people and have latency issues. The world is watching.”
“Did he offer any suggestions after the meeting?” Rachel asked, nibbling on her sandwich, eyes not wavering from Jill’s face.
“Are you kidding? That’s why we’re managers, right? It’s our job to fix the problems. Not his. Mind if we talk about something else?” The problem weighed heavily on Jill. Her lips were twisted into a bitter frown as she picked up her fork to shuffle around some bacon.
“Hey, speak of the devil.” Rachel’s sharp, dark eyes met hers across the lunch table. Her Botoxed lips twisted into a conspiratorial grin. Rachel inclined her head toward a table near the windows.
Jill’s gaze shot across the room, following the trajectory of Rachel’s nod. Her eyes widened as they focused on the table where a curvy blond woman perched on a chair opposite Jamie. Dana Evans was smiling, and Jamie laughed at something she said. With a rising sense of dread, Jill watched as Dana reached across the table, her hand resting a full five seconds casually on Jamie’s forearm before pulling away. The gesture seemed comfortable. Familiar. Inappropriate.
“You know they used to work together?” Rachel asked, taking a dainty bite of her sandwich.
Jill swallowed hard, bile tasting bitter at the back of her throat.
“They did?”
“Yeah. Rumor has it they did more than work, if you know what I mean.”
A jolt shot through Jill, followed by a terrible sinking, spiraling sensation. Was Dana the reason for the shift in Jamie’s demeanor last night? Did he have someplace better to be? He seemed a little brusque. Maybe it wasn’t just work.
Through a sheer effort of will, she rearranged her features into a neutral mask before looking back at Rachel.
Her fork clanged against the bowl as she reached for her water. Despite the delicious smells of forbidden foods like fresh bread and burgers that filled the cafeteria, Jill was losing her appetite. She took a long pull from her bottle, struggling to contain her emotions.
Turns out Rachael was right. She could use a drink about now. What she wouldn’t give for a martini. Water wasn’t going to cut it.
“You don’t think there’s something going on there, do you?” Jill said, keeping her tone light. “Surely, Jamie is smarter than that.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Rachel snorted. “Jamie has a reputation. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed his preference for young, attractive women. And as for the delightful Ms. Evans, they’ve been joined at the hip since she stepped out of orientation. I wouldn’t be surprised if he recruited her for the position.” Tossing her graying mane over her shoulder, Rachael continued to observe the pair.
“Can’t really blame her, though. He’s not exactly hard on the eyes. I sure wouldn’t kick him out of bed for eating crackers. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed that he has a certain … appeal.” Rachel’s gaze was shrewd as she peered across the table, trying to read Jill’s thoughts. Digging for more gossip perhaps?
Jill didn’t flinch. She forced a careless shrug and dodged the question.
“Well, she’s new. Maybe he’s taking her under his wing until she gets settled.” Her insides felt like they were being squeezed in a vice so hard it was difficult to breathe. Rachel was the closest thing to a friend she had in the San Jose office, but there were things Jill didn’t share with her. With anyone. Jamie was one of them.
“Like a mentor? Ha. I don’t think it’s the kind of mentorship Human Resources has in mind.” Rachel’s words dripped with innuendo as she arched an expressive eyebrow at Jill, leaving little doubt as to her opinion.
Jill’s lips twitched.
“Whatever. You think everyone is getting some.” She fought the magnetic pull of her gaze toward Jamie’s table.
Rachel’s throaty laugh was bitter. She ran her fingers absently over the place her wedding ring used to occupy. “You may have a point there. God knows, I’m not.”
“Is the divorce final yet?” Jill asked, taking full advantage of the chance to change the subject.
Rachel grimaced and shook her head.
“No, the bastard wants me to sign over the cabin in Big Sur. No doubt to take his teenage, Barbie-doll girlfriend there to commune with nature.”
“He’s still seeing her?”
Jill looked across the table and instantly regretted the question. Rachel’s lips pressed together in a tight line. Her eyes were liquid pools of acid.
“They’ve moved in together.”
“I’m sorry. How are you doing?”
Jill was tempted to stretch her hand out to touch Rachel’s arm. She knew it was a good-friend thing to do. But instead, she let her fingers fall back to the table. Rachel’s twisted grin was bitter.
“I’m a tough old bird. I just wish I had extracted my own pound of flesh, if you know what I mean.”
Jill didn’t, but that was okay. She knew Rachel was working her way through the stages of grief and might be stuck in anger for a while. Who could blame her? She tried not to picture Alex’s face as she looked across the table. After all, their situation was different. She wasn’t planning on leaving Alex or anything. She was just …
“Fucking online dating sites,” Rachel muttered.
“Excuse me?” Jill snapped back to the conversation.
“That son of a bitch had posted his profile on three online dating sites and was actively nailing anything in a skirt while we were still together. That’s how he met Barbie.”
Across the table, Rachel’s moist eyes met Jill’s.
“It’s so cliché. Married m
an goes in search of a little something on the side. Lying about himself to get what he wants. Really, what kind of bastard does something like that?”
Jill shook her head and glanced over toward the windows in time to see Jamie follow Dana Evans out of the cafeteria. Her eyes bore a hole into the back of his striped Hugo Boss shirt.
What kind of bastard, indeed?
6
No smoking gun lurked in Natalie Watson’s email account. Alex ran a hand across his tired eyes. He’d spent hours late into the previous night sifting through information on Natalie’s computer, searching for some clue, some inkling into where she might have gone. To no avail.
Disappointment tasted as bitter as cold coffee. He was sure he’d find something on her hard drive. His instincts, typically dead-on, were telling him the secret to Natalie’s disappearance lay somewhere in the online world. But so far, no dice. And no Natalie, either. It was as if she’d just vanished.
Although this was now officially a missing-persons case, with Jackson in charge, Alex couldn’t leave it alone. He spent part of his morning talking to the principal of Ballard High School, lining up interviews with Natalie’s teachers and some of the students.
Alex glanced at his watch and waited for the bell to ring as he stood outside the main entrance to the high school. He wanted to meet Emily Jenkins, Natalie’s best friend, on neutral territory. After her adamant refusal to open up to him yesterday, he had decided to come alone. One on one, he might have more luck.
Pale November sunshine warmed his face. The smell of fried onions and bacon reminded him it was time to eat. With all respect to Jill’s healthy-eating, no-skin-on-the-chicken mantra, a burger and a shake would taste mighty fine right about now, he decided.
A few minutes later the doors opened, and hordes of hungry students poured from the building, a torrent of under clad teenage girls and scruffy teenage boys. The mob streamed passed, and Alex searched for a familiar face. As the last few trickled out, he wondered if he’d missed her somehow. But then Emily trailed out of the building, walking apart from the crowd.
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