Chapter 3 - THE WOMAN WHO DISAPPEARED
Emergency lighting washed the office in dim red.
Nora immediately pulled Taylor against her chest.
Gavin moved toward the door.
Evelyn caught his arm.
“Don’t.”
He looked at her.
“If this is a fire—”
“It isn’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Because they did the same thing to me four months ago.”
Gavin froze.
“What?”
Evelyn stared at the red emergency light above the office door.
“I was at the Coronado house.”
“I had just found the first bank records.”
“The electricity went out.”
“Then the security system disabled itself.”
“Someone came through the back door.”
Gavin felt anger rise in him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I tried.”
“You could have called the police.”
“I did.”
“And?”
“They found nothing.”
“No fingerprints.”
“No damaged locks.”
“No missing valuables.”
“The responding officer suggested I had imagined it.”
Gavin stared at her.
“And you still didn’t tell me?”
“You weren’t taking my calls.”
The words hit harder than she intended.
Gavin looked away.
Six months.
Six months in which he had treated his mother’s silence as proof that she knew she had gone too far.
Now he was beginning to realize silence had been forced on her.
A knock struck the office door.
Three sharp hits.
“Mr. Roberson?”
Gavin recognized the voice.
Henry Lawson.
His building’s head of security.
“Identify yourself.”
“Henry.”
“Badge number.”
“Seven-one-four.”
Gavin looked at his security application.
Still offline.
He opened the door three inches.
Henry stood outside carrying a flashlight.
Behind him, wealthy guests crowded the hallway.
“What happened?”
“Building power failure.”
“Cause?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“Generators?”
“Not responding.”
Gavin’s eyes narrowed.
A building of this level had redundant backup systems.
Three separate generators.
Independent fire circuitry.
Battery-supported elevators.
For all of them to fail simultaneously required planning.
“Clear the hallway.”
Henry blinked.
“Sir?”
“Get every guest into the ballroom.”
“No one leaves.”
Priscilla appeared behind him.
“Excuse me?”
Gavin looked at her.
“Nobody leaves until I know what happened.”
“You cannot detain thirty people.”
“I’m not detaining anyone.”
“I’m asking them to remain somewhere safe while the elevators are disabled.”
Priscilla’s eyes narrowed.
“You think someone here did this.”
Gavin didn’t answer.
She saw the answer anyway.
Henry began guiding guests back toward the ballroom.
Nora whispered.
“Gavin.”
He turned.
Taylor was pointing toward the black folder.
“Mommy.”
“What?”
“The picture is missing.”
Every adult looked at the desk.
Gavin stepped toward the folder.
The Sacramento hotel photograph was gone.
He had placed it on top of the papers less than five minutes earlier.
Nobody had left the office except Priscilla.
But during the blackout, the room had been completely dark.
Gavin looked toward the doorway.
Priscilla was still standing there.
“Close the door.”
Her face hardened.
“Why?”
“Close it.”
Henry stepped between them.
“Ms. Ashford.”
Priscilla slowly came inside.
The door shut.
Gavin turned on his phone flashlight.
“Empty your pockets.”
Priscilla stared at him.
“You cannot be serious.”
“I’ve never been more serious.”
“You think I stole a photograph?”
“I know a photograph disappeared.”
“Maybe your mother took it.”
Evelyn laughed bitterly.
“Yes.”
“I brought evidence here specifically to reveal it, then decided to steal one piece back in the dark.”
Priscilla crossed her arms.
“I’m not emptying my pockets.”
Gavin looked at Henry.
“Search the hallway.”
“Trash cans.”
“Bathrooms.”
“Anywhere someone could have discarded something.”
Henry nodded and left.
Gavin turned to Nora.
“You and Taylor stay beside my mother.”
Nora stared at him.
“I want to find Marlene.”
“We will.”
“Now.”
“Nora, if the people who made her disappear are inside this building, running outside blindly is exactly what they want.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“She was alone for three years.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
Her voice cracked.
“You don’t know what it feels like to believe somebody abandoned you, then realize they may have been hiding because they were afraid you would be hurt.”
Gavin looked at his mother.
The words struck both of them.
Nora realized it too.
“I’m sorry.”
Gavin shook his head.
“You’re right.”
He called an old number from memory.
Detective Samuel Ortega.
Ortega had worked corporate fraud cases before joining a federal task force.
He and Gavin had met years earlier during an embezzlement investigation involving a subcontractor.
Ortega answered on the fourth ring.
“Roberson?”
“I need help.”
“That sounds expensive.”
“It could be criminal.”
Silence.
“What happened?”
“I have evidence of forged corporate transfers.”
“Possible email interception.”
“A missing former employee’s mother.”
“And a dead engineer whose accident may not have been an accident.”
Ortega became serious.
“Where are you?”
“My penthouse.”
“Stay there.”
“Someone disabled the power.”
“Then get somewhere secure.”
“I am somewhere secure.”
“Not if someone disabled the power.”
Gavin glanced toward the office door.
Fair point.
Ortega continued.
“Send me photos of everything.”
“I can’t risk transmitting it.”
“Then photograph the first few pages and send them to my encrypted number.”
Gavin did.
Ortega was silent for nearly a minute.
Then he said something Gavin did not expect.
“Where did you get the Pacific Meridian paperwork?”
“My mother.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why does she have documents connected to Pacific Meridian?”
“You know the company?”
Another silence.
“Gavin.”
“Answer me.”
“I’ve been looking at Pacific Meridian for eight months.”
Gavin felt his pulse quicken.
“For what?”
“I can’t discuss an active investigation.”
“You called it an active investigation.”
Ortega sighed.
“That was a mistake.”
“No.”
“It was information.”
“What are they involved in?”
“I’ll tell you when I arrive.”
“Tell me now.”
“They’ve been moving money through political consulting contracts.”
“How much?”
“We don’t know.”
“Millions.”
“Possibly tens of millions.”
“Connected to Senator Ashford?”
Ortega did not answer.
He didn’t need to.
Gavin looked toward Priscilla.
She was watching him.
“How long until you get here?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
“Use the service entrance.”
“Why?”
“Because someone may be watching the lobby.”
“Gavin.”
“Yes?”
“Do not confront Marcus Reed.”
Gavin went still.
“I didn’t mention Marcus.”
“No.”
“You didn’t.”
The line ended.
Gavin stared at his phone.
Priscilla was no longer pretending not to listen.
“What did he say?”
“Nothing important.”
“You’re lying.”
He almost smiled.
“Interesting feeling, isn’t it?”
Her face hardened.
Before she could answer, Henry returned.
“Sir.”
“What?”
“We found this.”
He held up a clear evidence bag.
Inside was the missing photograph.
It had been torn into four pieces.
“Where?”
“Women’s restroom.”
Priscilla rolled her eyes.
“How convenient.”
Henry hesitated.
“There’s something else.”
He held up another plastic bag.
Inside was a diamond bracelet.
Nora recognized it instantly.
Priscilla did too.
Gavin looked at her.
“That’s yours.”
Priscilla’s face changed.
The bracelet had been given to her by Gavin six months earlier.
Worth nearly eighty thousand dollars.
Henry nodded.
“We found it in a cleaning supply cabinet.”
Gavin frowned.
“So?”
Henry looked uncomfortable.
“Inside Mrs. Bell’s work bag.”
Nora stared at him.
“What?”
Priscilla’s reaction came instantly.
“Oh my God.”
Nora turned.
“No.”
“I didn’t touch that.”
Priscilla stepped backward.
“I knew something about her felt wrong.”
“Stop.”
Gavin’s voice cut through the room.
Priscilla looked at him.
“Gavin, my bracelet was in her bag.”
“During a blackout that somebody caused intentionally.”
“That doesn’t change where it was found.”
Nora was shaking.
“I swear to you.”
“I never touched it.”
Gavin looked at Henry.
“Who found the bag?”
“I did.”
“Was anyone with you?”
“One of the house staff.”
“Who?”
“Luis.”
“Get him.”
Henry left again.
Priscilla stared at Nora with disgust.
“You brought your daughter into a private engagement party and now jewelry is disappearing.”
Nora stepped toward her.
Evelyn placed herself between them.
“Careful.”
Priscilla looked at Evelyn.
“Excuse me?”
“You’ve made one mistake tonight.”
“What mistake?”
“You’re moving too fast.”
Priscilla’s expression tightened.
Evelyn continued.
“Someone who is genuinely surprised by finding stolen jewelry usually asks how it got there.”
“You immediately decided Nora stole it.”
“Because she did.”
“You don’t know that.”
Priscilla’s eyes flashed.
“You always hated me.”
“No.”
Evelyn’s voice became calm.
“I distrusted you.”
“There is a difference.”
Henry returned with Luis.
The young house attendant looked terrified.
Gavin questioned him.
“Did you see Henry remove the bracelet from Nora’s bag?”
Luis nodded.
“Yes.”
“Did you see him open the bag?”
“No.”
“What did you see?”
Luis swallowed.
“He called me into the supply room.”
“The bracelet was already in his hand.”
Everyone turned toward Henry.
Henry’s expression became still.
Gavin stared at him.
“Is that true?”
Henry looked at Luis.
“You’re confused.”
“No, sir.”
“You were there.”
“You saw me take it out.”
Luis shook his head.
“No.”
“I saw the bag open.”
“That’s all.”
Henry’s hand moved toward his belt.
Gavin noticed immediately.
So did Evelyn.
“Henry.”
Gavin’s voice went cold.
“Take your hand away from your radio.”
Henry stared at him.
Then slowly lifted both hands.
Priscilla spoke.
“This is insane.”
Henry looked at her.
Just once.
A glance lasting less than a second.
But Gavin saw it.
That one glance told him everything he needed to know.
Henry Lawson was not looking at Priscilla for help.
He was looking at her for instruction.
Gavin’s phone vibrated again.
Another unknown text.
This time, only a photograph.
It showed Marlene Bell sitting inside a parked car.
Her hands were bound in front of her.
Behind her was a concrete wall marked with a large white number.
P4.
Parking Level Four.
Underneath the picture was a sentence.
MIDNIGHT IS TOO LATE.
Then another message appeared.
COME ALONE, GAVIN.
Gavin looked at the time.
11:03 p.m.
May you like
And suddenly the penthouse was no longer the dangerous place.
The real trap was waiting four floors underground.
