Page 30 of Fearless Encounter
When his drink arrived, Gabriel leaned back and took a couple of sips. He filled her in on what he’d learned from the party attendees—although the interviews didn’t provide a clue where Meghan was. Yet Sandra Wilson’s perception of the man she left the party with substantiated Brooke’s claim that Meghan was abducted. It appeared she had been swept away from her friends at the party—and it had gotten worse from there.
*****
After drinks, Gabriel suggested going by his office. “Maybe Weston has learned more. I have him digging into the employee backgrounds. I’d like to have a good idea of who your friend worked with.”
When they arrived, Amalie motioned for Brooke to follow her. In the lunchroom, she retrieved a jacket from a narrow closet. “What do you think?” she said. “Does this jacket go with my pants? Is the color off? I have a date, and I don’t want to go home to change.” She held a faux-leather short jacket in front of her. The pale purple matched her hair.
Brooke looked at her purple hair then her striped pants. “The jacket is fine. Where did you get that one? I like the cut of it.” She felt the edge of the hem. “And the material.”
“It’s from Aéropostale,” Amalie said. “I like their stuff.” She turned to face a mirror on the wall and fluffed out her hair. “I’m not sure how long I’ll keep the purple, but I like it for now.”
“It suits you,” Brooke said. “I couldn’t pull off that look.”
Amalie chatted about her date, where she was going, and who else would be there. Brooke enjoyed talking with her and appreciated her youthful perspective. She remembered when she was young what things had been important to her. And Amalie’s verve for life was inspiring. “We should go shopping sometime,” she said, returning to the original subject.
“Absolutely,” Brooke said. “I would like that.”
“I’m doing an online course right now for my PI license,” Amalie said. “I only have about ten more hours of study, then I can take the state exam. After that, I’ll have more free time.”
Gabriel stood in the doorway. “Weston didn’t find out anything more on the party attendees than we already knew. But he’s following a new line of investigation.” He tipped his head to indicate they should come with him.
Weston wore a casual sweater and jeans. Brooke’s impression was that he worked a lot of hours and dressed for comfort. Apparently, he didn’t handle many of the in-person tasks. “As I was telling Gabriel, Capstone is a security company focused on developing better technology,” he said. “Where there’s valuable new technology, there’s a black market.”
“What does that mean?” Brooke said.
“Any new technology can be worth a lot of money,” Weston said. “When I looked at Capstone’s business model, it made sense to look for any developments that make them a target. And by that, I mean products that are in demand or will be.”
“Like I brought up the other day, the abduction might be related to Meghan’s job,” Amalie said.
“Very possibly,” Weston said. “I’ve been monitoring the dark web, and I’ve found a few items of interest.”
Brooke listened closely. Tech wasn’t her thing, but she knew of the dark web.
“Where there’s money there’s often trouble,” Gabriel said. “What do you have so far?”
“It’s not hard to find active participation on the web by those who want to profit illegally,” Weston said. “But it will take more time to get specifics. Dark web users mask their location, so it’s not easy to learn their true identities.”
Brooke looked at Gabriel, who said, “Don’t worry. Weston is a pro at this. If anyone can hack this data, he can.”
“I’ll help,” Amalie said. “I can research public databases, records, and documents to see what I can find.” She stood next to Weston. “After all, I’ll have my PI license soon. You should put my skill to good use.”
“Knock yourself out,” Weston said with a smile.
“But it will have to wait,” Amalie added. “I have friends expecting me.” She swung the jacket over her shoulder, gave her dad a hug, then left.
Brooke was impressed with how savvy she was at such a young age. Youth could easily be underestimated. She’d try not to make that mistake with Amalie. She turned to Weston. “How does this help us find my friend?”
“If I’m able to learn enough, I’ll get an idea of who the perpetrator was,” Weston said. “Provided that we’re on the right track with our theory that her abduction is connected to her job.”
“Utilize Amalie as much as you can,” Gabriel said. “That will free you up for what you do best. Tomorrow, Abe and I will interview the CEO and find out what he knows.”
Brooke was anxious about how long the investigation was taking. It had been less than a week. But for a woman held captive—or worse—it must feel like a lifetime.
*****
Gabriel headed to his house with Brooke. She was starting to think of his place as home, which was an indication that she’d overstayed her welcome as his guest. But she didn’t want to have that discussion again.
On the way, Gabriel shared his thoughts about the case. “The bad guys want Meghan Reid, enough to take her by force. That could work in her favor. If they need her, they may keep her alive.”