Page 8

Chapter 8

Cate

B ack at the office I asked Jay to look up the address he’d found in the trash and do some online digging while I went through Wendy’s phone.

I completely lost track of time as I read through dozens of text threads and hundreds of emails. Wendy had been socially active until about six weeks ago, when she slowly faded away from her friends before disappearing altogether.

“Sheppard.”

“Yeah?”

“Did Darling say anything about Wendy quitting her job?”

“No, I would’ve mentioned it.” He sounded offended.

“I was afraid you’d say that. According to one of her friends, she quit last week. All communication from Wendy stopped Thursday night, at least on this phone.”

I went back to reading the texts, forming a time line as I did .

Jaden stood up and stretched, loudly, breaking my concentration.

“Must you do that?”

“Do what?” he asked. His lop-sided grin reminding me of his father and brothers.

“Make so much noise?” I couldn’t hide my irritation.

“Whatever. I’m getting lunch. Unless that’s a problem too?”

It wasn’t. In fact, it was a blessing.

“It’s not.”

I’d brought leftovers, so I warmed them up in the employee kitchen and ate at my desk while I checked Wendy’s call log and listened to her voicemails. Making a list of any number not listed in her contacts for Jaden to research when he got back.

A glance at my watch told me he’d be back soon.

Wendy’s voicemails didn’t have anything to help find her, but a friend had left several messages. The messages made it seem like this wasn’t the first time Wendy had ignored her friends for a day or two (her friend’s words, not mine).

I had just opened Wendy’s laptop when Jaden’s voice disrupted my train of thought. He was talking to Meg from our doorway.

Seriously? He can’t stand by her desk like a normal person?

“Thanks, Meg.”

When he came in the room he asked, “Have you moved at all since I left?”

I held up my bowl. “I warmed up my lunch.”

“But you ate at your desk. ”

“What do you care?”

“I don’t. I guess I just forgot I work with a robot.”

Don’t let him get to you. Don’t argue with your boss’s son.

I mumbled, “I’m not a robot,” as I straightened the stack of papers on my desk. Was it a crime to like my desk neat and organized?

“You know you don’t get a gold star or extra credit for working yourself to death, right?”

“Yes, Jaden, I do. But unlike you, I’d like to find Wendy sooner rather than later.”

He didn’t have to say it; the fuck you was written all over his face.

Accusing him like that wasn’t fair, but at least it put an end to his bullshit.

“Did you at least find anything useful?” he asked.

“No, but I have a list of recurring numbers from her call log that aren’t in her contacts. Could you look them up when you get a chance?”

He walked over and held out his hand. “Sure.”

He looked up the numbers as soon as he sat down.

“Dead end. They belong to restaurants.”

“Hmm.” It made sense for the outgoing calls but not so much for the incoming ones. Unless she knew someone who worked there.

But if that were the case, wouldn’t they use their cell phone? How often did a restaurant call to confirm an order or a reservation?

I rarely ate out so I had no idea.

I gave up trying to guess Wendy’s laptop password and messaged Doug, asking him to help us when he got back to the office.

“Let’s piece together a timeline,” I said standing and walking to the large whiteboard I’d hung on the wall. Jaden had made some snarky comments about joining the twenty-first century when he first moved into the office, but seeing things mapped out helped me, so I’d kept it.

I drew a time line along the top and started filling it in while I waited for Jaden to gather his sloppy notes. How he gets anything done, I’ll never know .

I left room at the far left for anything on social media that predated the texts. “Can you start with the oldest, please?”

“Ten weeks ago she posted from a party she was single again.”

That coincided with the information we had about her break up with Bill.

“The following week, Wednesday, she posted, and I quote, “I met the most amazing man. Not only is he gorgeous but he’s charming and sophisticated. She didn’t use his name, and she never mentions him again.”

It wasn’t much, but the words charming and sophisticated were pretty telling when being used by a teenaged waitress.

“Did you happen to look into her last boyfriend?” I asked. It wasn’t necessarily something a new PI would think to do because Bill wasn’t a person of interest.

“I did. He’s a college freshman living the frat-boy dream. His posts are mostly about parties, and after a few posts about getting dumped he started playing the field. ”

“So neither charming nor sophisticated.”

“No.” He laughed. “I found a picture that might be Mr. R.” The picture he handed me wasn’t the best quality.

“I asked Doug to clean it up.”

“Good,” I said absentmindedly while sticking the picture to the white board with a magnet.

It looked like they were at a college party, based on the decor and few guests I could see. Wendy and the unidentified man were in the background of the image. She faced the camera, but he was looking to the side. We had more than a profile but less than a full face. The image was too dark and grainy to get a read on his expression, but his body seemed stiff. Wendy, on the other hand, looked relaxed. Probably a combination of the party being held by her friends and a healthy dose of alcohol. They both held beer bottles.

If Doug could clean it up, we might get some hits with facial recognition.

I crossed my arms as I stared at the picture. “He fits the profile, scant as it is. Suit, gold watch, slicked back hair, stiff demeanor,” I mumbled to myself.

“What was that?”

Lost in the puzzle, I’d forgotten Jaden was standing there. “Sorry, just thinking out loud.” I repeated what I’d said, filling in the gaps so he’d know the character profile I was building.

“Possessive asshole or fucktard groomer?” he asked with a lift of his chin.

I laughed. He’d nailed the two directions I was leaning in the least professional way possible.

“I’m not sure. ”

Both would be on their best and most charming behavior in the beginning. Both would lavish her with compliments and attention. Neither would reveal their true personalities or intentions until it was too late.

Zeroing in on Wendy’s neck, I remembered the empty jewelry drawer.

I looked closer at the picture. “When was this taken?”

“Three weeks ago, why?” They’d only been dating six weeks.

“I didn’t see that necklace,” I pointed, “when I was in her room.”

“It’s not like you were looking for it.”

“No, but I’d remember it.” The stone-studded chandelier necklace in question stood out from the others.

“Right, like you could remember every detail.” I could have done without his sarcasm.

Taking a deep breath, I refused to take the bait. Keeping my tone neutral, I said, “My point is, I doubt she bought it for herself.”

“Maybe it’s fake,” he argued.

“Fair point, but she didn’t have anything else like it. And that necklace,” I pointed at it, “would fill the empty drawer.”

We finished filling in the pieces with minimal arguments. I have no idea why Jaden takes pleasure in riling me up, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction.

Over the last eight weeks, Wendy had slowly faded away from her former life.

We compiled a list of people to question and messaged Doug, asking him to pull the GPS history from Wendy’s phone. It was possible she’d carried it while she was with Mr. R, even if only in the beginning. If we could ID a few places they’d gone, we might be able to get a better photo or our mystery man. I crossed my arms, tapping my fingers as I stared at our notes trying to connect the dots. There was something I was missing, something that was probably staring me right in the face.

But I can’t see it .

“Catie!” Anger welled up at Jaden’s use of the nickname I hated with every cell of my being. He knew, like everyone at SSI, that I preferred they use my last name. And I wouldn’t have reacted so strongly if he’d used Catelyn.

Spinning, I barked, “Don’t.” I fisted my hands to channel the anger.

“Don’t what? Call you Catie?” He said it again, his eyes sparkling with mischief, just to piss me off.

Don’t let him get to you . Through clenched teeth, I said, “Do not call me that.” Only two people had ever called me Catie. My mom, before she left us, and Gavin Nielson, when we were dating.

Before he fucked me over and destroyed my career.