Page 29 of Fearless Encounter
Sandra shook her head. “No, she didn’t. She seemed very much in control of things; that was her personality.” Using a tissue, she wiped tears from her eyes. “I am concerned about her. It’s not like her to vanish without a word, or to leave a party with a man that hadn’t been invited. And…”
“Something else?” Gabriel said.
Taking a moment to compose herself, Sandra took a deep breath. “I don’t know if this is anything or not. I’m not prone to intuition and tend toward facts over feeling.” She paused. “But that evening as I snapped photos, the guy who appeared caught my attention.”
“How so?” Abe said.
“It all happened so quickly,” Sandra said. “One minute he was there beside Meghan, and the next they were gone. But I got a bad vibe. In that brief glimpse of him with her, I sensed tension. It was subtle, and I doubt anyone else noticed. But I know Meghan well, and she didn’t appear to have good rapport with him. She’d been drinking with the rest of us and shouldhave been having fun. But I picked up resistance in her body language and didn’t like how the man stepped behind her—almost as if forcing her out the door.” She expelled a breath. “I should have said something, stopped her. But in that split second, I didn’t realize it was important. It crossed my mind to ask Meghan about the guy later. It didn’t occur to me that she was in danger.”
The rest of the interview wasn’t revelatory. The key takeaway was that Sandra confirmed that Meghan was coerced to leave. Some fear drew her away, and she left with a man she didn’t fully trust. Gabriel had handled people and cases long enough to understand that much.
The others on the party list didn’t take long to interview. Each knew Meghan but had no helpful information. Except for Pamela and Sandra, no one had even noticed the man escorting Meghan from the party. Whoever he was, the guy was smooth. He had something on Meghan, some leverage to get her to obey and go with him. But it wasn’t clear who’d targeted her and why.
Chapter 8
Brooke enjoyed a long lunch with her sister, who listened attentively while she poured her heart out. “Meghan is one of my best friends. I can’t bear the thought of her being held captive.”
“She’s my friend too,” Genevieve said. “There must be a way to solve the crime and get her back. Aren’t the police working on this?”
“Of course,” Brooke said, “but there aren’t many clues. I’m driving myself crazy trying to come up with something helpful. When I last spoke to her, everything seemed fine. Sure, there were normal work stresses, but nothing alarming.”
Brooke talked more about Meg, reminiscing about things they’d done together. Genevieve spoke of the last times she had seen her friend. Yet it didn’t lead to any revelation. The abduction seemed like random misfortune. But Brooke knew that couldn’t be true.
Afterward, they went shopping. It was difficult to enjoy herself, but Brooke found a few items she needed—like new shoes. Her job required standing for hours, and the right shoes were indispensable. It was nice to spend time with her sister. The comments from sales clerks on how much they looked alike was no surprise. They got that all the time.
Later in the afternoon, they stopped at a cocktail bar for a drink and to rest their feet. Genevieve entertained her with stories of failed dates. It was amazing how difficult it was to find the right guy to hook up with. Brooke was relieved that she wasn’t looking. Her thoughts drifted to Gabriel, but that wasn’t the same thing. And she had to face that the relationshipmay end with the resolution of the disaster she found herself involved in.
There were indications that Gabriel might feel something more. But Brooke focused on her sister’s story, unwilling to think about that possibility yet. She hadn’t shared the fact that he’d kissed her, which likely came from her insecurity that his interest in her was a passing thing.
As they finished their drinks, Brooke texted Gabriel. He replied that he had just dropped Abe at the station, and he would pick her up shortly.
It wasn’t long before he walked into the bar, looking as handsome as she remembered. Even after a day of work, he exuded sex appeal. Brooke glanced away to avoid revealing her true feelings.
“Hello, Genevieve,” he said, then sat next to Brooke. “From all the packages, it appears you went shopping.”
“Indeed, we did,” Genevieve said. “I tried to persuade my sister to buy a few trendy items.” She smiled. “But I suppose a pastry chef has to be practical.”
“You work in nightclubs,” Brooke said. “It’s not the same thing at all.” She motioned toward Gabriel. “Before we leave, why don’t you share with him what you told me?”
“Oh, sure,” Genevieve said, then turned to Gabriel. “You told me about the abduction, at least what you knew at the time. I followed up to see if I could get any skinny at the club.” She finished her drink, then continued. “I kept my ears open, and I noticed this one guy who frequents the club. Normally, I wouldn’t have paid attention. But I overheard him talking about a coworker, and his tone caught my attention. There was something suspicious about the guy.”
“Did you get a name?” Gabriel said.
“I stopped by his table later, after his friends left. He introduced himself as Daniel Fontenot. I was chatty, feigned interest in him and the company where he works, Capstone Security.” Genevieve leaned closer. “He has a fancy title, head of product management. Doesn’t mean much to me, of course. But he was pleased to tell me more, which I didn’t fully understand. I got that it has something to do with developing marketing strategy for the release of new products.”
“Anything more?” Gabriel said.
“He didn’t mind talking but clammed up about the employee he’d mentioned to his buddies. Not too strange, since he didn’t know me,” Genevieve said. “Then he used a lame line to ask me out. Not interested. He’s not my type. Too into himself. I’m sure I’d hear endless tales about his career and how important he is. I’m not inclined to hang out with the corporate types. Boring.”
Gabriel laughed. “There’s no need to date the guy. But keep an eye on him and let me know if you hear anything else. I’ll be interviewing the company employees soon, so any insight could be useful.”
“Happy to,” Genevieve said, then stood up. “I have to get going. I wasn’t supposed to work tonight, but I’m scheduled to perform one set.” She hugged Brooke before leaving.
Gabriel didn’t make a move to leave. “I’ll have one of those,” he said, pointing to Brooke’s half-empty cocktail. He flagged the waitress and placed an order.
Brooke nursed the rest of her drink. She didn’t really need more, as the alcohol had already gone to her head. It had been a while since lunch. “Was Genevieve’s information helpful?”
“You never know,” Gabriel said. “And she might hear more. I’m interested in key employees, starting with the CEO. Abe is setting up an interview with him.”