The least she could do if he’d done something to upset her was to tell him.
“Something bothering you?” he asked in a clipped tone.
“No, I’m fine,” Addy answered without taking her eyes from the scenery passing by outside the car window.
Fine. If she didn’t want to talk, they wouldn’t talk. He wasn’t in any rush to get kicked in the teeth again, anyway.
He parked the Yukon in the same parking lot from that morning, and he and Addy made their way to Spectrum offices.
Unlike earlier that morning, no one sat behind the reception desk.
“That’s fortunate. Let’s go on back. Maybe we can catch Ben off guard.”
They walked side by side, but he made sure to keep a respectable distance between them. Addy stayed in step with him but didn’t look his way as they made their way through the corridors of the office.
The floor was emptier than it had been earlier in the day. The door to Ben’s office stood open, but it was empty, the lights off. When did this guy work?
“Can you act as a lookout while I search?”
“Lookout? You sound like we’re about to pull off a heist,” Addy said, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.
He felt some of the pressure in his chest loosen.
Addy stood near the door while he went to Ben’s desk.
He wiggled the mouse next to the desktop computer. The screen came to life, demanding a password.
He turned the keyboard over and searched under the desk. Despite the many high-profile hacking incidents in the past several years, people still did asinine things like taping their passwords to their computers and desks. It appeared Ben wasn’t one of those people, but he didn’t lock his desk drawers, not that there appeared to be a need for him to. The drawers were empty except for the usual office products—pens, a box of paper clips, a letter opener. In the larger bottom drawer, Shawn found three legal pads, still in the cellophane wrapper. He’d only been in the job a matter of weeks, but it certainly didn’t seem like Spectrum had given Ben a ton of responsibility.
Shawn went to his knees and reached upward, running his hand over the underside of the top drawer. He hadn’t expected to find anything but wasn’t surprised when his hand moved over a small square envelope taped to the underside.
He pulled the envelope free and opened it.
A computer chip with the Intellus logo stamped on it fell into his hand.
“Someone is coming,” Addy hissed, stepping away from the office door.
He put the chip back in the envelope and shoved it into his back pocket. Using one hand, he grabbed a square Post-it pad and pen from the desk. He hunched over the desk as if he’d been writing out a note to leave for Ben.
“What are you doing in this office? Who are you?” A slender man with unnaturally bronze skin available only in a tanning salon stopped in Ben’s office doorway.
“I’m Addy Williams. I’m Cassie Williams’s sister. This is my friend Shawn West.”
Shawn straightened, waving the sticky note he’d quickly scrawled in the air. “We were just leaving a note for Ben.”
As if a light had been switched on, the man’s frown turned into a smile. “I’m Lance Raupp, vice president of Spectrum Industries.”
Lance stretched his hand out to Addy while his eyes swept over her body in obvious examination.
“Martin Raupp’s your father?”
Lance’s eyes flashed surprise. “Have you met?”
“Earlier today.”
Shawn rounded the desk, his jaw tightening in irritation. Lance held on to Addy’s hand much longer than was appropriate. Shawn stopped next to Addy, thrusting his hand out.
Lance frowned but dropped Addy’s hand and shook Shawn’s in a tight grip.
Lance took his hand, smirking as he did so, Shawn’s pique and the reason for it apparently not lost on the man.
“We spoke to Ben this morning, and we were hoping to catch him for a few follow-up questions, but it looks like we missed him,” Addy said, taking a step closer to Shawn while putting more distance between herself and Lance.
“I’m sure Ben will do whatever he can to help you locate your sister, but I believe he went home early today.” Lance turned a charming smile on Addy.
“Maybe you can help, then,” Shawn said.
Lance’s gaze narrowed on Shawn. “Spectrum is a small company, but I can’t say I knew Miss Williams.”
“But you were aware she’d gone missing? How is that?” Shawn asked.
“As I said, Spectrum is a small company. Word gets around. I was under the impression Miss Williams moved back to her hometown of New York City.” Lance pulled at the cuff of his left sleeve.
“She didn’t,” Addy said flatly. “We have reason to believe she didn’t leave Bentham on her own, if she left town at all.”
Lance raised an eyebrow, shooting Addy a curious look. “Really? And what, may I ask, gives rise to this belief?”
“Did Sheriff Donovan interview you?” Shawn asked without acknowledging Lance’s question.
Lance gave Shawn a probing look, no doubt an action that had made many a man squirm. Unfortunately for Lance, he was not one of those men. Shawn met the other man’s gaze with equal scrutiny.
“No. No doubt he saw no need to do so. Miss Williams was an intern. Caroline Webb, my human resources director, was her supervisor.”
“Would you mind if we spoke to Ms. Webb again?”
“I know the sheriff already talked to her, but I’m sure she’d be happy to speak with you.” This time his smile was tight and forced.
“Everyone seems willing to buy into the theory that Cassie just woke up one day and left town. But as you said, she was a solid, dependable worker. Wouldn’t she, as a solid, dependable employee, have given notice to her employer?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure you know your sister better than I do.” Lance turned away from Shawn, sliding another smile at Addy.
Shawn fought the desire to punch the man in the face. Thankfully, Addy didn’t seem to be buying Lance’s routine.
Her eyes narrowed on Lance. “You’re right, I do know my sister. Even if Cassie had decided to move home, she would have given notice. An email or phone call would have only taken minutes.”
In the several silent moments that passed, Shawn read the change in Lance. He realized the charming shtick wasn’t going to lead to Addy falling all over him. Abandoning it, he adopted what Shawn suspected was a much more natural countenance. Superiority.
Lance glanced at the expensive Rolex on his wrist. He’d schooled his facial features into an expression of boredom.
“I don’t know what to tell you,” he said while tapping his right foot.
Shawn had spent enough time studying people to know a nervous tic when he saw one.
Lance looked back at Addy, his expression not nearly as friendly as before. “I’m late for a meeting.”
“Lance,” a voice called from the hall. “Here you are.” Martin Raupp appeared at the door to Ben’s office. “Oh, Ms. Williams, Mr. West, so nice to see you both again. Has there been any news on Cassie’s whereabouts?”
“I’m afraid not,” Addy answered.
Martin took both her hands in his. “Please know I am keeping her and you in our nightly prayers.”
“Thank you,” Addy said.
Shawn’s gaze danced between the two Mr. Raupps. Martin Raupp appeared to be genuinely concerned about his missing employee. Unfortunately, the apple seemed to have fallen far from the tree with respect to the man’s son.
“Lance, we’re late for the meeting with the distributor.” Martin’s bushy eyebrows rose.
“I’m going to have to ask you to leave Ben’s office since he’s not here.” Lance stepped aside, gesturing for Addy and Shawn to leave the office.
&n
bsp; They moved past Lance out of the office, and he snapped the door closed.
Shawn spoke just as both Raupps began walking away. “If you could just remind us of the location of Ms. Webb’s office before you go.”
Lance did a slow turn, facing Addy and Shawn once again. “I think she’s also left for the day. Maybe you can give her a call tomorrow and set up a time that works for all of you.” Lance’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
The likelihood that all they’d ever get was Ms. Webb’s voice mail was one hundred percent.
“That was interesting,” Addy said, watching Lance and his father turn the corner at the end of the hall.
“You can say that again. Come on. I’ve got to get you back to the hotel.”
Darkness had descended on the town while they were inside, and the temperature had fallen even farther. They hustled to the Yukon. Neither spoke until they were inside with the heat blasting away the frigid air.
“We need to go see Suri Bedingfield,” Addy said as Shawn pulled into late-afternoon traffic. “She and Ben are the ones who said Cassie left town. If we can’t find him and make him tell us why they lied, we have to find her and make her tell us.”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow? Garwin is only a forty-five minute drive.”
He shot her a sidelong glance. “I have somewhere I need to be this evening.”
“But if we can get Suri to admit she lied about Cassie leaving town, Sheriff Donovan will have to take her disappearance seriously.”
“We will. I just can’t do it tonight.”
“What? I—”
Her phone rang, interrupting whatever she’d planned to say. She scrambled for the purse at her feet, pulling the phone from the outside pocket quickly, her face awash with hope. Her face fell when she saw the screen. “Damn it.” He watched her punch the ignore button.
“We’ll go to Garwin first thing in the morning and talk to Suri before she leaves for work.”
Addy stared out of the passenger side window, saying nothing further. Anger poured off her.
He pulled into a parking space in the hotel’s lot and turned to her. “I’m sorry, but I can’t miss this meeting.” He reached for her hand, and she turned toward him. “It’s for the case I’m in town on. This will give you a chance to catch up on work.”
Addy pulled her hand back. “No, I understand,” she said, getting out of the car.
His jaw clenched as he got out of the driver’s side and rounded the car. They fell in step next to each other, headed for the hotel entrance.
“Addy, wait.”
She marched on. “You’ve spent most of your time helping me, and I’m grateful, but you have a job to do,” Addy said.
The stiffness in her body made it clear she was still upset, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. “First thing tomorrow. I promise.”
Shawn got Addy safely ensconced in the suite before heading out again. He felt bad that they couldn’t go to Garwin to talk to Suri this evening, but he only had two days until the fraudulent chips were supposed to be delivered. He’d been neglecting the Intellus case.
His first stop was to a twenty-four-hour courier service. He suspected the chip he found in Ben’s office was one of the knockoffs, but he needed the computer gurus back at West to make the final determination. The courier service assured him that they could have the chip at West’s New York offices by 10:00 p.m. that night.
He dialed the number for West’s tech department.
“Sup?” Tansy Carlson answered the phone. He could see her short, spiky pink hair and array of silver lip rings in his mind’s eye. Tansy was one of West’s best computer technicians. He quickly explained the situation. Long nights and unusual hours weren’t out of the ordinary for West’s employees, and Tansy assured him she’d be on hand to receive and process the chip as soon as it arrived.
He ended the call and headed to the address for Spectrum’s factory.
The factory was located twenty minutes outside town on a street lined with dingy gray warehouses.
Shawn drove around the perimeter of the building. A brass plaque next to the front entrance denoted the factory as a “Carrier-Forest LLC property.” He made a mental note to research the LLC when he returned to the hotel and continued to circle the building.
A tall chain-link fence encircled the property. Security cameras pointed at the front and side doors, as well as the doors leading from the building to the loading dock. That didn’t mean much. Anyone capable of using Spectrum’s distribution line to create fraudulent chips wouldn’t have much difficulty getting around the security cameras.
Shawn parked on the street at the far edge of the factory property, out of sight of the cameras. Workers began trickling out of the employee entrance at exactly five thirty, and by five thirty-five, men and women streamed from the building in pairs and small groups. A young white blond man and a stockier man with dark skin and black hair headed for the far corner of the parking lot.
The blond reached for the door handle on a beat-up red pickup truck with a white-paneled door and called over the top of the truck, “Hey, Jorge. Got time for a drink?”
Jorge pointed his keys at a newer black pickup truck with chrome wheels, beeping it unlocked. “The missus is visiting her sister this week. I’m a free man.” Jorge threw his arms open wide and grinned.
The blond laughed as both men got into their respective pickup trucks.
Shawn put the Yukon in gear and followed the trucks a short distance to a sports bar.
Music streamed from overhead speakers, and televisions strategically placed around the restaurant and over the bar beamed various sports events in closed caption.
About half the tables in the dining section were full, and a half dozen people sat scattered around the large bar.
Shawn grabbed a seat two stools down from the Spectrum employees he’d followed.
They’d ordered beers and chatted loudly enough for Shawn to hear their conversation.
Mostly work stuff. He overheard the blond refer to Lance Raupp as a jerk, a determination Shawn couldn’t argue with. The stockier guy seemed to prefer to gossip about a coworker’s extramarital affair.
The blond guy left to use the washroom, and Shawn turned to Jorge. “You guys work at Spectrum?”
Jorge cut his eyes toward Shawn, a wary look creasing his brow. “Yeah.”
“I couldn’t help but overhear. Man, I applied for a delivery job weeks ago, but I haven’t heard nothin’.”
Jorge cocked his head to the side and angled his body so he faced Shawn. “Yeah, it can be hard to get in the door.”
“Even harder if you have a record. Did a year and a half for selling dope, only to get out and find out they made the stuff legal?” Shawn twisted his lip into a disgusted sneer that was only partially practiced. It really was messed up how many Black and brown people languished in jail for doing what legislatures in an increasing number of states now made millions of dollars in tax revenue on.
“Yeah, ain’t that a trip. I got a cousin in prison right now for selling the same stuff the gringos in Massachusetts are making bank on.” Jorge tipped his beer at Shawn. “Different rules for them.”
Shawn signaled the bartender for another beer and leaned toward Jorge as if he was about to reveal the secrets of the universe. “The job I applied for, it’s loading boxes onto delivery trucks. I’ve worked for big-time companies like Spectrum before. Not all the guys on the loading docks show up in the company books. You know what I mean?”
The leather-faced bartender slid an open bottle in front of Shawn without stopping, moving to the other end of the bar.
Jorge eyed Shawn, assessing.
Shawn held the man’s gaze, waiting for Jorge to decide whether to trust Shawn.
The blond guy returned before Jorge rendered his final
judgment.
“Hey, you ready for round two?” The blond clapped a hand on Jorge’s shoulder.
“This is Shawn,” Jorge said, pointing. “Shawn. Granger. He works with me at Spectrum. Shawn was just asking about working at Spectrum. You know, the kind of work Alvin does sometimes.”
Jorge slid a look at Granger.
Granger’s bushy blond brows lowered. “We don’t know nothing about that. Try human resources.”
“No problem.” Shawn raised his hands. “If you say Spectrum is a hundred percent legit, it’s a hundred percent legit.”
Jorge snorted. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“Jorge.”
Jorge waved his friend off. “Spectrum sometimes hires off the books. I’d usually throw the work my cousin’s way.” Jorge shrugged. “I can’t promise anything, but I can let you know if I hear anything.”
The blond man scowled and took his beer to the other end of the bar.
“Can’t ask for more than that.” Shawn jotted his phone number on a napkin and passed it to Jorge.
He shot the breeze with Jorge for a while longer before leaving the bar.
He knew putting off talking to Suri Bedingfield until morning had disappointed Addy, but at least his trip to the bar had been fruitful. If Spectrum used off-the-books labor, they’d most likely use it to move their fraudulent chips. Hopefully, Jorge would call tomorrow with an illicit job offer Shawn would be more than happy to accept.
He stopped off at the diner and picked up a piece of apple pie as a peace offering to Addy before heading to the hotel.
His phone rang as he exited the Yukon and headed inside. He pressed the button on the speaker hooked around his ear.
“Hey, Ryan. I’m making progress on the case.” He spoke before his brother could.
He filled Ryan in on finding the chip with the Intellus logo in Ben’s office and the conversation he’d had with Jorge.
“That chip is a good find, but it won’t be enough by itself.” Ryan voiced Shawn’s earlier conclusion.
Missing at Christmas Page 9
