Page 27 of Fearless Encounter

*****

Some days it felt as if he hadn’t left the force. Gabriel walked past the desk clerk and raised his hand. “Going back to see Abe.”

He found his buddy digging through piles of paper. “You’d think with all the technology we have these days that I wouldn’t have to deal with so much paper.”

“Not gonna happen.” Gabriel dropped into a chair. “You got the list?”

Abe shuffled papers aside and lifted a folder. He opened it and retrieved a document. “I put an officer on it immediately. Here’s what we’ve got: the name of the party hostess and a list of the attendees.”

“Phone numbers and addresses?”

“Got that too,” Abe said. “Turns out the party was a yearly event, so it wasn’t difficult to get the list. I phoned the hostess, let her know we’re coming.” He stood and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. “You ready?”

Gabriel followed him out the door. “I’ll drive.”

Once in the car, Gabriel headed for the apartment in the French Quarter where Meghan Reid had last been seen. He was familiar with the location. The French Quarter wasn’t that big. At the building, Gabriel pulled into the alley in back to park. They took the stairs to the second floor and rang the bell.

A middle-aged woman wearing glasses opened the door. She reminded Gabriel of a librarian, studious and smart.

“Pamela Williams?” Abe said, flashing his badge.

“Yes, come in.”

The apartment was decorated in keeping with the historical building. The blue and white theme with brighter accents was popular in cottages in the area. Pamela invited them into the living room, and each took a seat in a plush, velvety chair.

“Can I get you anything?” Pamela said.

“No thank you,” Gabriel said. “We’re here to ask you a few questions, hoping you can help us.”

“I was distressed to learn that Meghan didn’t show up for work Monday. I believe that Sandra Wilson already sent you the photos she took.”

“Yes, that was helpful.” Abe leaned forward, arms on his knees. “We appreciate your cooperation. Apparently you saw Meghan Reid when she left the party. Can you give us any details you can think of?”

“Well, let’s see,” Pamela said. “Meghan is a good friend. She attends my party every year. Sometimes she brings a date, but often not. That night she was alone, until that guy came to pick her up.”

Abe leaned back. “How do you know Meghan?”

“We became friends in college,” Pamela said. “We took different career paths, but we still had a lot in common.”

“Can you describe the man she left with?” Gabriel asked.

“Not that well,” Pamela said. “Sandra got a photo of him, as you saw. But he was in costume. I didn’t recognize him, so he wasn’t anyone that Meghan dated regularly.”

“Did she mention him to you?” Gabriel said.

“No, she didn’t. We chatted over drinks, and she circulated to see other friends. I think if she was expecting someone, she would have told me.”

“Likely so,” Abe said. “Can you think of any reason she would want to keep the man a secret, someone she might have dated privately?”

Pamela shook her head. “You don’t know Meghan. She didn’t do clandestine stuff. She’s a very up-front person. And she didn’t date much anyway. If a new guy had popped up, I would have heard about it.” She looked thoughtful. “I didn’t speak to the man. But it is odd that Meghan didn’t introduce him. That’s not like her at all. He just appeared in the room, didn’t even ring the bell. Then she left without a word. I was in the middle of a conversation but happened to notice as they went out the door. I didn’t see any reason to chase after her. I assumed his arrival to escort her elsewhere was planned. It’s not my business…but I am upset that she’s missing.”

Abe handed her a list of the party attendees. “This is a copy of the list you provided. Can you look it over and confirm that all the attendees are on there?”

Pamela ran her finger down the list. “I’m sure that’s everyone.”

“We plan to interview each person,” Abe said. “Of those on the list, who knew her the best?”

“I’m her closest friend from college,” Pamela said. “Then there’s Sandra Wilson, the one who took the photos. The otherfour people on the list knew her. Two were from the college gang with a couple of newer friends. But no one was close to her. My party is just a yearly social event, sort of like a reunion.”