Page 16 of Lost Without You

“Of course. Here’s my contact information,” Ethan paused as he handed over his business card to Helen and Lloyd. “If you think of anyone else we should talk to, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”

Helen looked like she wanted to say something, taking a deep breath, and opening her mouth. But she quickly pursed her lips, grabbed his card, and nodded instead.

“I realize you’re both very busy. Our last stop is Zoe Clarke.”

“I’ll escort you to her office, it’s right beside mine,” Helen volunteered as they all stood up.

“Nice to have met you both. Good luck with your investigation,” Lloyd replied and left the room.

Helen waited a minute and shut the door behind him.

“There’s one thing I wanted to mention, but not in front of Lloyd,” Helen whispered, squeezing her hands together.

“Yes?”

“It’s about his father. Around the time Walter disappeared, Mr. June faced a review.”

“A review?”

“Someone in his group complained about him. I don’t have any details, but I know it happened because I was tasked with arranging the meeting with HR. I overheard Mr. June on the phone the day before. He was furious that someone had ‘accused him of misconduct’. I heard him use that phrase exactly. Whatever it was, it went nowhere so I assumed the accusation was baseless.”

“Thanks for telling us, Helen.”

They were still no farther ahead, but suspicions started to creep into Ethan’s mind. What if Walter had been the one to complain. What if he’d been threatened by June in some way? Or by Salitzo? Would they have threatened Walter in such a way that he would leave everything he loved behind?

More questions than answers began to pile up in his mind. Ethan had a feeling they’d pried opened Pandora’s box and there was much more to come.

Chapter Eight

Rachel

“The meeting with HR was useless,” Rachel murmured as they sat in the SUV in the parking lot across from the firm.

Ethan looked over from the driver’s seat and nodded. “Nothing she can do. Her hands are tied when it comes down to it. I think Helen was our best bet for intel.”

“I agree. Any word from Lane?”

“Not yet,” Ethan replied as he sipped from a can of soda. “We have a meeting with Dalton Sunema at 3:00 PM at the FBI office. He investigates white collar cases, but he started out in missing persons. We better get there early since we have to go through security screening.” Ethan started the car and pulled out into traffic.

“Sounds good. I just hope Lane has something for us soon. After our meetings at HJR, I have a horrible feeling about that disk.”

“I agree, but don’t get too focused on that. There may be information that will take a while to process. Days, weeks, months. If it can be processed. You have to be patient.”

“Not one of my strong suits I’m afraid.” She paused and turned to him. “Since we’re on our way to the FBI, tell me more about your work with them. What did you love about the job?”

They were stuck in traffic gridlock as everyone tried to pile out of the city in the early afternoon. Ethan glanced over and gave a quick smile.

“I was like most people when I started out. Idealistic, excited, full of energy and curiosity. It was satisfying to work a case, meeting so many people, uncovering the truth. I also valued the fact that when we did solve a case, I could give families closure. I worked for ten years in the BAU, behavioral analysis unit. I worked on child abduction cases, serial murder investigations. I learned a lot at the bureau.”

“Sounds like a tough but rewarding job,” Rachel murmured. “Can I ask why you left?”

Ethan tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Like most agents, the grueling pace and the overwhelming workload got to me over the years. I was rarely home, I was exhausted all the time, and my diet was less than good. My wife Lara was unhappy for years and finally left.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s good for me to talk about it. Our marriage was pretty much over for the last three years we were together. She liked the initial glamour of telling people that I worked for the FBI, but the reality of day to day, not so much.”

Rachel nodded and looked out the window, taking in the swarm of pedestrians flooding the streets around them.