Page 16 of Holmes Is Missing

“Typically, sure,” said Schulte. “She often brings them back and forth from the nursery to the moms for feedings.”

“Can we talk to her?” asked Marple.

“I’ll call her station,” said Schulte. As the doctor pulled out her iPhone and tapped the screen, Poe glanced at Holmes, who was leaning back against a console. His eyes were down. He looked sullen, disengaged, off his game.

“Who’s this? Katy? Hey. It’s Dr. Schulte. Keelin’s on today, right?”

Poe couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, but he saw Schulte’s expression shift from impatience to irritation.

“Okay, thanks,” she said, ending the call. She looked at Marple. “Keelin didn’t show up for her shift.”

“Is that unusual?” Marple asked.

“It’s a first,” said Schulte. She turned to Baxter. “Clint, can you pull up Keelin’s profile?”

Baxter turned his chair to a side table that held a Dell computer. He flicked his fingers over the keypad and brought up a profile image of an attractive young woman with auburn hair and a sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks, then clicked to the personal info page.

Poe squinted at the screen. He pulled out his cell and took a photo of Keelin’s phone number and Jersey address.

“She’s new,” said Schulte. “Here two months. Terrific references. I’ll try her home phone…”

“No, don’t,” said Marple. “You might make her nervous. Better to let us go find her.”

Poe followed as Marple speed-walked out of the security station and down the hall to the elevators. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw Holmes hanging back.

“Brendan! Let’s go!” he called out.

Holmes stopped short and shook his head. “I told you I was good for one meeting today. Not three. I need you to believe me when I say I’m done.” He folded his arms and leaned back against the wall. “I want my name off the front door.”

The elevator door opened. “This is not the time for debate, Brendan,” said Marple. “We’ll talk later.” As the elevator door closed, Marple lowered her voice and said to Poe, “I can’t worry about him right now.”

Poe nodded but said nothing. Marple seemed itchy and out of sorts. Maybe she was off her game too.

CHAPTER20

AS USUAL, POE’Ssleek blue Road Runner turned heads as he sliced through crosstown traffic. The powerful Plymouth was the latest addition to his impressive muscle car collection, and it was a real attention-getter.

Marple was not impressed at all. She ignored the gawkers as she tapped her fingers on the passenger-side armrest. When they reached the Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River, traffic appeared to be backed up for the entire length of the tube.

“We would have been better off on a moped,” said Marple.

“How far is Keelin Dale’s place?” asked Poe, straining against his seat belt as traffic inched forward.

“About half an hour,” said Marple, “if you can ever get us out of this wormhole.” She could tell that Poe was resisting the urge to hit the car’s horn, with its ridiculous cartoonbeep-beep.When they finally broke into daylight on the Jersey side of the tunnel, they passed a pair of parked police cars at the exit, lights flashing.

“Maybe we should ask for an escort,” said Marple.

“I doubt they could keep up,” muttered Poe. Marple realized that he felt the need to reassert his vehicle’s dominance. He revved the Plymouth’s hefty V8 and roared around the southbound curve of Route 78. Marple held on tight as Poe did his best to blast past every vehicle in his path.

Less than ten minutes later, they entered the downscale Greenville neighborhood, a mix of prewar apartment buildings and single-family homes. Poe pulled into a space across from a renovated two-unit frame house with matching front doors.

“Keelin’s place is on the left,” said Marple, sliding out of her seat.

They walked up the steps and looked around. Traffic on the side street was light, and the only pedestrian in sight was an Amazon driver stepping back into his truck a few houses up. Marple knocked on the door while Poe pressed his face against the front window.

“Anything?” asked Marple.

Poe shook his head. He waited for a few seconds, then pulled a thin metal tool from his pocket.