Page 21 of Fearless Encounter
“Who is her boss?” Gabriel said to Weston.
“Meghan Reid is head of research at Capstone Security. Peter Schwartz is the CEO. He’s got some impressive creds in the technology field. It seems that Meghan didn’t show up for work today, which is out of character for her.”
Brooke paced. “She’s been with that company for a long time. She’s a cryptographer, and a damn good one. Not only that, but she also writes algorithms, code used for high-level security. She talked about it with me—without revealing company secrets, of course.”
“Capstone handles security for large entities like banks and tech companies,” Weston said.
Brooke was baffled. “What does that have to do with her disappearing?”
The silence in the room told her that was what they all wondered.
“We don’t know that her disappearance is connected to her career,” Gabriel said. “She was at a party. It could be personal. Considering the drug that was used, that is the most likely.”
Weston stared at him. “I don’t know. You could be right. I suppose that math and science geniuses party like the rest of us and have the same weaknesses.”
“I don’t think so,” Amalie said. “Just a gut feeling. It’s too coincidental that a respected cryptographer just happens to go missing.”
“You watch too many superhero movies,” Gabriel said.
“You don’t watch enough,” Amalie said. “There has to be a connection.”
Brooke tended to agree. If that was true, the situation had just intensified. This wasn’t a small-time crime, some idiot on drugs carrying her friend off. It involved data security and tech companies.
As if reading her mind, Gabriel said, “That means we’ve got something big here…if you’re right. I shudder to think what might be involved. This is only the tip of the iceberg.”
Before anyone could react to that, Gabriel’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen. “Hey, Abe. I was just about to call you.” He listened. “Oh, really? Yeah, I know. I’ll explain when I see you. We’ll be there.”
“What happened?” Brooke said.
“The CEO didn’t wait long to file that missing person report,” Gabriel said. “That was Abe. He has the report on his desk, along with more photos.” He looked at Brooke. “He wants you to come to the station to identify the woman in the costume…since he’s not yet aware that you know her.”
“Let’s go,” she said. “This is Meg. We have to help her.”
“And he has photos of other people from the party,” Gabriel said. “He wants to see if any of them resemble the man you saw in the alley.”
As he headed for the door, Gabriel said, “You guys stay on it. I need to know all you can find out about Capstone Security, the employees, what projects they were working on, anything…”
Brooke followed Gabriel down the hallway then stepped into the elevator beside him. She realized that her life wasn’t going to return to normal anytime soon.
Chapter 6
On the way to the police station, Gabriel seemed quiet. Brooke was trying to put all the pieces together, but felt she was missing a lot. “What are you thinking? Could this still be a sexually motivated crime?”
Gabriel touched her knee in a reassuring way. “We’ll find out. I know this is distressing, but we’re making progress.” He paused. “Due to the drug use, I wouldn’t rule out a rape-motivated crime. But it’s too soon to tell.”
His touch warmed Brooke in an intimate way, making her attraction to him stronger than ever. But she had to stay alert because it would be a mistake to rely on him. Gabriel was there for now, but that wasn’t permanent. She had no idea how things would progress, or what she was involved in. It was no time to be weak or dependent. She was an independent woman and needed to keep on top of the developments.
“What are you thinking?” Gabriel said.
“Oh, just about…all of this,” Brooke said, glancing at him. “Everything you’re doing for me. I appreciate it, but…”
“I understand,” Gabriel said. “This is unfamiliar to you, meaning that I doubt you’ve been involved in crime before—even as a witness.” He looked at her, surely noting that she didn’t exude confidence. “Navigating crime and dealing with criminals has been my career. It’s my nature to see that you get through this safely. But that doesn’t make you weak.”
The way he said it, Brooke felt like he could read her mind. She wanted to be back on her own, in control of her life. And more than anything, she wanted her friend found and rescued.
When they got to the police station, Abe was waiting for them. “Come on back—I’ll show you what we’ve got.”
Brooke and Gabriel sat across the desk reading the report. It was the first time that she had seen a missing person report. Much of it was routine, including full name, date of birth, and social security number. Meg’s employer would have had all that data. The narrative included the last time that Meghan Reid had been seen and other details. There were several photographs included in the file, plus the social media photo of her in costume.