04 - Shock and Awesome (45 page)

 
   
"I'd be helpful."

 
   
"Maybe Garrett could take you on a ride-a-long?"

 
   
"Oh! You think he would? Great! I'll call him." My mother sounded so delighted, I wondered how bored she must be lately. Truth be told, I didn't spend nearly enough time with her in recent weeks. I found myself wondering what I could do to make it up. After all, there were many, many criminals out there to catch, but only one woman who would always be my mother. "So, did you call for anything in particular, honey-bunny?"

 
   
"I wondered if you'd like to go for lunch soon? Maybe do some shopping?"

 
   
"That sounds just wonderful. Oh,
Lexi
, I'd like that a lot."

 
   
"Great. I'll call when I finish work and we'll pick a day."

 
   
"I'm so pleased. It'll be nice to catch up, just you and me. Now, what's this job you're working on? Are you being safe? Are you going to get hurt?"

 
   
"Who me? No! When do I ever get hurt?"

 
   
"Shot. Nearly thrown off a building. Broken arm. Did I get those in the right order?"

 
   
I winced. "Uh, yeah. But not this time! This time, I just get to wear pretty clothes and date creeps."

 
   
"That doesn't sound much different from your normal life, honey. How's that nice man of yours? Solomon?"

 
   
"He's not mine."

 
   
"Maddox?"

 
   
"Not mine either."

 
   
"You know all your brothers and sisters were married by your age."

 
   
"Don't remind me. Anyway, Daniel is on his second marriage."

 
   
"The first one didn’t count!"

 
   
"And Serena just got divorced."

 
   
"And now she's found a lovely man. You should think about settling down."

 
   
"
Jord
only just got settled."

 
   
"He doesn't have perishable eggs, darling."

 
   
"Okay, thanks! Listen, I’m at the place I was heading to, so I have to go, but I'll call back later, okay? We'll set lunch up. Great talking to you! Don't get a baby! I bought a house! Bye, Mom!" I hung up. Fifteen minutes later, I arrived at Million Matches.

 
   
I parked in one of the designated spots, the spaces marked by a discreet double M symbol. I figured they must have chosen to abbreviate it because no client wanted to advertise having resorted to an agency just to get a date. I really didn't know why. An introduction agency was really no different from being set up by a friend, or a family member, except you filled out a questionnaire before the date, and got a bill, and you both knew you were looking for someone special. Maybe I would try Internet dating. Lily got dozens of emails when she tried, and received hardly any penis photos. What could go wrong? My dating life couldn't get any worse. Come to think of it, I wasn't even sure I had a dating life. After all, didn't that mean actually dating?

 
   
Before I got out of my VW, I tried calling Ben. I sighed deeply when the call rang out, not even going to voicemail. Of course, he could be really mad at me for accusing him, but when he didn't answer, I got worried. Shouldn't he want to yell at me or something...? If he were innocent.

 
   
I had a bad feeling deep in my gut. It was possible that MPD had picked him up, but Maddox didn't call to notify me, and I was sure he would send a text message, if nothing else. Plus, it was less than an hour after putting out the BOLO. That would be fast even by Maddox's standards. I stuck the phone in my pocket, grabbed my bag and headed over to the agency's building. Just as I entered, my phone beeped. “Be careful,” read a text from Solomon, “checking on you in ten minutes.”

 
   
"You got it, Boss," I said to my phone before sticking it back into my pocket.

 
   
The reception desk was manned, and I announced myself, signed in, and headed to the elevator, riding it to the Million Matches floor.

 
   
As soon as I entered, I knew something was wrong.

 
   
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and a cold chill ran down my spine. The filing cabinets behind the reception desk were all pulled apart, with files scattered all over the floor. The desk was swept clean and it smelled like someone had tried to start a fire. Yes, the wastebasket, peeking out from under the desk, had a blackened lip. What the hell went on in here?

 
   
I stood very still, my hand in my pocket as I clicked the tiny switch on my phone to turn the ringer silent. The last thing I needed was for my phone to ring, alerting an intruder. I waited for what felt like many minutes, but couldn't have been more than thirty seconds. I heard nothing.

 
   
No footsteps. No creaks. Wait. There was a muffled sound coming from somewhere down the hallway. Before I took another step, I carefully extracted my phone and texted 911 to Maddox and Solomon. Whatever happened, one of them would be on their way.

 
   
Cautiously, I turned away from the disarray and towards the hallway leading to Helen
Callery's
office. The closer I got, the louder the muffled noise became until I recognized it was sobbing. Continuing to approach the source of the sobbing, my fists clenching and unclenching with nerves, it became very obvious to me that I didn't have a weapon.

 
   
I edged past the two doorways leading to the small kitchenette and a bathroom — both clear — and stopped at the doorway to her office. Keeping my back to the wall, I peeped my head around the door. At first, I saw nothing. No criminals rifling the room. Actually, no one at all. Nothing seemed out of place... nothing except the legs sticking out from under the desk. Well, that evoked old memories best forgotten.

 
   
Fortunately for me, this pair were wriggling and wearing the most divine
Manolo
Blahnick
pumps. I rushed over and rounded the desk, bending down beside Helen
Callery
. She had a piece of silver duct tape stuck over her mouth, her hair was a mess, and mascara was smeared on her cheeks. Her left eye was swollen enough that I'd put money on her having a black eye by morning. Her hands were bound behind her back so she couldn't do anything, but wriggle.

 
   
"Mmmm, mmm,
arrrrf
!" she groaned and wriggled some more.

 
   
I reached for the tape. "I'm sorry," I said, "I'm going to rip this off on three, okay? One..." I ripped it off.

 
   
"What happened to three?" Helen squeaked, her hand darting to her lips. The tape left raw, red marks around her mouth.

 
   
"I thought it would be better if you weren't expecting it."

 
   
"You thought wrong! It hurt! That bitch!"

 
   
I sat back on my heels. "Me?"

 
   
"No! Madeleine!"

 
   
I looked around. "Where is Madeleine?"

 
   
"Damned if I know. She did this to me." Helen rolled her shoulders and I helped her up. Her wrists were bound by tape too, several layers thick.

 
   
"Do you know where she might have gone?"

 
   
"Long gone I should think," Helen told me while I searched her desk for a pair of scissors. I found them in the top drawer after she told me where to look, and set about cutting through the resistant layers. "I got back from lunch and caught her doing something on my computer. She knows everything we do here is confidential, and no one should have my password, but me. I don't know how she got it. When I demanded to know what was going on, we fought and she knocked me down. She straddled me..." Helen heaved a sob and her chin wobbled.

 
   
"Go on," I coaxed.

 
   
"She hit me several times before I think I passed out. When I woke up, I was bound and my mouth was taped, and I saw her working at the laptop. I don't know what she was doing." I tore off the last little bit binding her and Helen pulled her hands free. She attempted to tug the remaining tape off her wrists and winced.

 
   
"I think we need to soak them off," I advised her. "You sit up here on the desk chair and I'll check what she was doing on your computer."

 
   
"She's going to ruin my business! What the hell got into her? Maybe she wants to steal the business."

 
   
Somehow, that didn't ring true to me. I couldn't see two millionaire matchmaking businesses competing with each other in Montgomery. I didn't know what Madeleine was up to, but I had a sick feeling she was somehow connected to the thief. Maybe even connected to Ben.

 
   
I pulled the chair upright and tugged it over to the desk for Helen, helping her to sit before turning to the open laptop. Madeleine didn't bother to shut it down and it opened to the desktop when I hit the spacebar. I couldn't tell what was tampered with; that was a job for Lucas. All the same, I checked the recycle folder. Empty.

 
   
"Did you trash any files recently?" I asked.

 
   
Helen frowned. "I guess."

 
   
"The recycle folder is empty. I think Madeleine purged it clean, but I can't be sure that's all she did. What kind of information do you keep in here?"

 
   
"Everything to do with the business. All client information. Payment records. Photographs. Supplier information. Access to our database."

 
   
I pursed my lips as I thought about it. "Where do you keep your client files?"

 
   
Helen shuffled the chair over. She reached for the mouse. "Here, they're all here," she said, clicking a folder, and opening a subfolder. "Why?"

 
   
"Just a hunch," I told her as I scrolled through. "Just as I thought..."

 
   
"What?"

 
   
"At least one client file is missing." And wouldn't you just know it? The file I couldn't find belongs to Ben Rafferty. I would have tried to investigate further, as much as my limited technical knowledge allowed, but I heard a footstep in the hall, the barest sound that told me someone had entered the office suite. Fueling our worry, they didn't declare themselves.

 
   
"Someone's here," I whispered to Helen and her eyes widened as I dropped into a crouch. She shuffled off her chair and dropped next to me, pressing her back against the desk.