Читать книгу Colorado Bodyguard - Cindi Myers - Страница 9

Chapter Two

Sophie tried to read the look that passed between the officers. The business card definitely interested them. “Do you know Richard Prentice?” she asked. “Have you asked him if he knows anything about my sister’s disappearance?”

“You don’t know Prentice?” Rand Knightbridge asked. “Your sister didn’t mention him?”

“She never said anything about him. And I’m not from here, so I don’t keep up with local people and events. I looked him up on the internet, but all I learned is that he’s a very rich businessman and he has an estate near the park. That seems significant, don’t you think? Maybe she came here to see him.”

“Where are you from?” Captain Ellison asked.

“Madison, Wisconsin. Tell me about Richard Prentice.”

“Like you said, he’s a rich guy who owns a mansion near here,” Officer Woolridge said, his sour expression making clear his opinion of Prentice.

“We should talk to him,” Sophie said. “Maybe he knows why Lauren was here. Maybe she interviewed him for a story.”

Again, Rand and the captain exchanged looks. “What is it?” she demanded. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Prentice is an agitator,” Woolridge said. “He likes to make a lot of noise in the press and try to provoke a reaction from people he’s trying to manipulate.”

“What kind of reaction?”

“He wants money,” Rand said. “His specialty is buying historically or environmentally sensitive property at rock-bottom prices, then threatening to destroy the property or to use it in some offensive way if the government, or sometimes a private conservation group, doesn’t step in and pay the high price he demands.”

“That’s extortion,” she said.

“And perfectly legal,” the captain said. “If he owns the property, he’s free to do almost anything he wants with it.”

“That sounds like a story Lauren would want to cover,” she said. “Maybe she came here from Denver to interview him.”

“Or maybe he contacted her,” Carmen Redhorse said. “He likes to use the press to communicate his demands.”

“We need to talk to him,” Sophie said again, her agitation rising. They all looked so calm and unconcerned. Couldn’t they see how important this was?

“That’s not so easy to do,” Rand said. “Prentice has a team of lawyers running interference between him and anyone he doesn’t want to talk to—in particular, members of this task force. Unless we charge him with a crime, which we have no evidence he’s committed, or subpoena him as a witness, the chances of him answering any questions we have for him are slim to none.”

More looks passed between them, but these were easier to read. “You may not believe this is worth pursuing, but I do,” she said. “My sister did not commit suicide. She wasn’t crazy. And if you won’t help me find her, I’ll find someone who will.”

She shoved back from the table and started toward the door. Randall intercepted her. “Don’t go,” he said. “We’ll do what we can to help.” He looked at the captain. “Won’t we?”

Captain Ellison nodded. “Start by retracing Ms. Starling’s steps here in the county,” he said. “Do you know where she was staying?”

“I don’t,” Sophie admitted.

“Canvass the local motels,” the captain said. “Rand, you start there.”

Sophie had hoped he would assign the woman, Carmen Redhorse, to the case. A woman would be more sensitive, and easier to work with, she thought. Officer Knightbridge, with his frightening dog and gruff manner, was just as likely to scare people away as to persuade them to help. But he wouldn’t frighten her. “I want to go with you to talk to them,” she said.

“That isn’t possible,” Rand said. “I can’t take a civilian to question potential witnesses.”

“Fine. Then I’ll start contacting hotels and motels on my own. If I find anything, I’ll let you know.” It’s what she should have done in the first place, as soon as she saw what a low priority the Denver police gave the case.

Once again, Rand stopped her before she reached the door, his tall, muscular frame blocking her path. She tried to duck around him, but he took hold of her arm, his grasp gentle, but firm. “We can charge you with interfering with a police investigation,” he said.

“There wouldn’t be an investigation if I hadn’t come to you,” she said, shaking him off. “Can you blame me if I have my doubts about how much trouble you’ll go to to find Lauren? Whereas I know I won’t stop until I learn the truth.”

“Take her with you to the hotels and motels,” Captain Ellison said. “The locals may open up to her. But, Ms. Montgomery?”

“Yes?” She turned to face him.

“Officer Knightbridge is in charge. Do what he tells you or we’ll have you on a plane back to Wisconsin before you can blink twice.”

She glanced at Rand, whose face remained impassive. “All right,” she said. She’d play along, but she wouldn’t let him stop her from doing what she thought was best for her sister. “When do we start?”

“How about now?” He opened the door and motioned for her to go ahead of him. “The sooner we get this over with, the better.”

* * *

RAND’S ANNOYANCE WITH Sophie Montgomery was tempered by the undeniably distracting sway of her hips as she crossed the parking lot in front of him. No doubt her nose would be even further out of joint if she knew he was ogling her. Well, she didn’t have anything to worry about. She was pretty, but far too prickly. And she was wasting his time. Her sister’s connection to Richard Prentice was intriguing, but he doubted it would lead anywhere. Anyone could have a business card—maybe Prentice had sent it with one of his press releases touting his next attention-getting stunt. Lauren might even have had it for years. If it was important, why had she left it back in Denver?

“My vehicle is the FJ Cruiser with the grill between the back and the passenger compartment.” He pointed out the black-and-white SUV. “You can wait for me there while I get my gear.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I should follow you in my car.”

“No, you shouldn’t. We’ll waste too much time trying to keep track of each other. I’ll bring you back here when we’re done.”

She pressed her lips together in a disapproving line, but didn’t argue. Even that didn’t lessen her attractiveness. She wasn’t actress-and-model gorgeous, like her famous sister, but she had a deeper beauty that went beyond the surface, enduring and natural, like the beauty of a wild animal.

And what was he doing wasting time musing on the attractiveness of this woman who clearly found little to like in him? He returned to the headquarters building and retrieved Lotte from the back room, where she’d been napping. As always, the Belgian Malinois greeted him enthusiastically, whipping her tail back and forth and grinning at him. At least here was a female who appreciated him. “Are you ready to go, girl?” he asked.

She responded with a sharp, happy bark. He rubbed her ears and clipped on the leash. Not that she needed it, but since Sophie was clearly skittish around dogs, he’d do what he could to keep her calm.

When Sophie saw them approaching, she turned the color of milk and plastered herself against the vehicle. “What are you doing with that dog?” she asked.

“Lotte is coming with us.” He walked the dog past her to the rear of the vehicle.

“Oh, no. I can’t ride in a car with a dog.”

“She’ll be in the back. And she is coming with us. That’s not negotiable. Lotte is as much a part of my gear as my weapon or my radio.”

“I told you, I’m afraid of dogs.”

She looked miserable, but he wasn’t going to back down on this; he and Lotte were a team. “I promise I won’t let her hurt you. And she’ll be in the back of the cruiser, with a grate between us. You can pretend she isn’t there.”

She looked from the dog to him and back, then took a deep breath. “All right.”

Good girl. But he only thought it—she might be insulted if he praised her the same way he did Lotte.

With Lotte safely secured in the back of the vehicle, he climbed into the driver’s seat and Sophie buckled into the passenger seat. “Is this your first visit to the Black Canyon?” he asked as they passed the first of the park’s eighteen overlooks into the canyon.

“Yes. I’ve been to Denver a couple of times to see Lauren, but we never left the city.” She gazed out at a trio of RVs in the overlook parking lot. “I’m not much of an outdoor person.”

“I’ll admit the area around the canyon can look a little desolate at first, but there’s really a lot of beauty here, once you get to know it,” he said. Just like some people. “Not just the canyon itself, but the wilderness area around it. The wildflowers are just beginning to bloom, and the sunsets are spectacular.”

“If you say so.” She angled her body toward him. “No offense, officer, but I’m not here to sightsee. I came here to find my sister.”

Right. And clearly she had no intention of getting friendly with the officer involved in the investigation into her sister’s disappearance. Message received. “What will you do when you find her?”

“As soon as I’m sure she’s safe, I’ll go back home to Madison.”

“What’s in Madison?”

“What do you mean, what’s in Madison? My life is in Madison.”

“I just meant, what do you do there?”

“I’m an assistant to the city manager.”

It sounded like a dull job to him, but he wasn’t about to say so. “How long have you lived there?” he asked.

“Five years.”

“Are you married? Any children?”

“That is none of your business.”

Of course not. He was just trying to make conversation. He focused on driving, both hands gripping the steering wheel. The silence stretched between them.

“I’m not married, and I don’t have children. I’m not even dating anyone in particular,” she said after a long moment.

“You were right,” he said. “It’s none of my business.”

“What about you, Officer Knightbridge? Are you married?”

Was she asking because she was truly interested, or merely to even the score? “The only woman in my life right now is Lotte.” It was a line he’d used before; if the woman he said it to smiled, he figured they might hit it off.

Sophie didn’t smile. Instead, she glanced back at the dog, who sat in her usual position, facing forward, ears up, expression eager and alert. He understood that Lotte could be a little intimidating, if you didn’t know her. After all, part of her job was to intimidate, even subdue, criminals. “She’s really a sweetheart,” he said. “And she’s had years of training. She’d only hurt someone to protect me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” But her grim expression didn’t ease.

“Why are you afraid of dogs?” he asked. He knew such people existed, but he didn’t understand their fear. He liked all dogs. And Lotte was his best friend, not merely his working partner.

“I was bitten as a child. I had to have plastic surgery.” She indicated a faint scar on the side of her face, barely visible alongside her mouth.

He winced. “I can see how that would be traumatic, but I promise, Lotte won’t hurt you. Think of her as an overly hairy officer with a tail.”

As he’d hoped, the absurd description made her mouth quirk up almost in a smile. “What kind of dog is she?” she asked.

“A Belgian Malinois. A herding dog, like a German shepherd, but smaller. She only weighs sixty pounds.”

“She looks huge to me.”

“By police-dog standards, she’s on the small side, but she’s an expert tracker.”

“Too bad she can’t track down my sister.”

“She might be able to, if we knew the right place to look.”

She stared out the window at the passing landscape of open rangeland and scrubby trees. “Where do we start?”

“Like the captain said, we’ll ask around at the local motels and hotels, see if anyone remembers her.”

“Why didn’t you do that before?”

A reasonable question from someone to whom the missing person was one of the most important people on earth. “I don’t want to sound callous,” he said, “but with no sign of foul play and no one pressing us on the matter, your sister’s whereabouts weren’t a high priority. We’ve had murders and drug cases and even suspected terrorism to deal with. We only have so many people and so many hours in the day.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I came down here,” she said.

“Don’t think no one cares about your sister,” he said. “Remember, that reporter has been trying to find out what happened to her. But she hasn’t come up with any new information, either.”

“How do you know she hasn’t come up with any new information? Maybe she didn’t bother telling you because she thought you wouldn’t pay attention.”

“Oh, she knows we’d pay attention. She’s engaged to the captain. If she found out anything important, she wouldn’t give him any peace until he followed up on it.” He glanced at her. “So you see, we’re on the same side here. And maybe we’ll find out something useful today—provided your sister wasn’t staying with a friend, or camping out.”

“Lauren definitely isn’t the camping type, and I couldn’t find that she knew anyone here in town— except Mr. Prentice.”

“We’ve been watching his place pretty closely and we haven’t seen any sign of your sister there.”

She tensed, and leaned toward him. “Why are you watching Mr. Prentice? Is it because he’s...what was the word the other officer used—an agitator?”

Prentice liked to agitate all right, but Rand didn’t care so much about that. Part of wearing a uniform was knowing some people didn’t like you on principle. “Mr. Prentice’s estate is an inholding, completely surrounded by public land. It makes sense for us to keep an eye on his place.” He hoped that was enough to satisfy Sophie’s curiosity. He couldn’t tell her they suspected the billionaire was using his wealth for more than investing in real estate and businesses. Their investigations had linked him, albeit tenuously, to everything from drug runners to foreign terrorists. Sooner or later, the Rangers were going to find the evidence they needed to make him pay for his crimes.

“How many motels and hotels are there in the area?” Sophie’s question pulled Rand’s attention back to her, and today’s search for her missing sister.

“A bunch,” he said. “But we can narrow the field by focusing on the most likely places for your sister to stay. She strikes me as a classy woman, so we can move the obvious roach motels to the bottom of the list. Where do you think she’d be?”

She considered the question for a moment, brow furrowed and lips pursed. “She’d probably pick the first nice-looking place she came to when she drove into town. She wasn’t the type to spend a lot of time driving around, looking.”

“That would be either the Country Inn or the Mountain View.”

“No chains?” she asked.

“Would your sister prefer a chain? There’s a Holiday Inn and a Ramada closer to the center of town.”

“No, she wouldn’t care about that, as long as the place looked clean.”

He drove to the Country Inn first. Red geraniums bloomed in window boxes against rows of white-framed windows trimmed in white shutters. A water wheel turned in a flower-lined pond near the entrance, splashing water that sparkled in the sun. “Lauren would have liked this,” Sophie said.

Rand parked, but left the car running, with the air-conditioning on, to avoid overheating the dog. “Lotte, wait here,” he said. “We’ll be back in a minute.”

“You talk to her as if she understands you,” Sophie said as they crossed the parking lot.

“Of course she understands me. Do you have a picture of your sister with you?”

“Yes.” She took her phone from her purse and flipped to a shot of Lauren Starling seated in a restaurant booth, smiling at the camera and holding up a colorful cocktail. “I took this when she visited Wisconsin for my birthday last year.”

He didn’t miss the sadness in her voice. “It’s a great picture,” he said. “We’ll need it to show to the clerk.”

The lobby of the motel was busy, with a couple flipping through brochures at one end of the counter, a pair of tweens choosing sodas from a machine and a businessman checking in. The clerk behind the counter was probably a college student from the local university, Rand decided. She had long blond hair, dyed bright pink at the ends, and half a dozen earrings in each ear. When she was done with the businessmen, she smiled at them. “May I help you?”

He showed his badge and the clerk’s eyes widened. “We’re looking for a missing woman,” he said. “Lauren Starling. She may have stayed here about a month ago.” He nodded to Sophie and she held out the phone to show Lauren’s picture.

“I’m her sister,” Sophie said. “This is Lauren.”

The clerk’s eyes widened. “You say she’s missing?”

“Yes. Do you remember her, or could you check your records?”

“I don’t have to check the records. She was here. I remember.”

* * *

SOPHIE FUMBLED WITH the phone, almost dropping it. “Lauren was here? Are you sure?” Her voice shook. Rand put his hand on her shoulder, steadying her.

The clerk nodded. “I recognized her from the TV, but she was obviously trying to hide her identity. I mean, she registered as Jane Smith or something like that, and paid cash for the room.”

“You didn’t think that was suspicious?” Rand asked.

“Well, yeah, but people do weird things all the time, and you learn not to ask questions.” She tucked a strand of cotton-candy-colored hair behind one ear. “Then she met up with a guy, and I figured they were having an affair.” She shrugged. “It happens.”

“A guy?” Sophie leaned across the counter. “Who was the guy? What did he look like?”

Rand squeezed her shoulder to quiet her. She was going to scare off the clerk, who looked alarmed. He double-checked the girl’s name badge. “I promise you won’t get into any trouble, Marlee. Just tell us what you remember.”

She shrugged again. “He was just a real ordinary-looking guy—early forties, maybe. Light brown hair cut short, not too tall, not too big.”

“Did he register also?”

She shook her head. “And that’s really the only reason I remember him. I was getting off my shift and I saw him standing with Jane Smith outside her room. Then he took a suitcase—one of those little overnight bags—from his car and went inside with her. That’s against the rules—to have someone staying in the room who isn’t registered, but it was no skin off my nose, you know? I was in a hurry to get home and I wasn’t going to take the trouble to go back inside and report her. Like I said, it happens.”

“Why didn’t you say anything to the police?” Sophie asked. “Didn’t you see the story about Lauren being missing?”

“I knew she wasn’t doing the news lately, but they said something about her being on vacation, and then I just kind of forgot. I don’t watch a lot of TV and I mean, I wasn’t a hundred percent certain it was her, and I didn’t want to look stupid—and you’re the first people to come around asking questions.”

Rand didn’t have to look at Sophie to know she was glaring at him. Maybe she was right. Maybe they should have taken her sister’s disappearance more seriously and made it a point to ask questions before now, but there was nothing he could do to change the past. All he could do was try to do a better job going forward.

“Had you ever seen the man before?” he asked. “Or have you seen him since?”

Marlee shook her head so hard her earrings jangled. “I don’t think so. But like I said, he was nothing special.”

“Was it this guy?” He pulled up a website on his phone that featured an article about Richard Prentice and turned the phone so that she could see it.

She squinted at the photo of a man in his late forties, with thick dark hair, graying at the temples. “The guy I saw was younger, with lighter hair. That’s not him.”

“Thanks.” He pocketed the phone once more. “You’ve been a big help. We might have more questions for you later. In the meantime, could you tell us when Ms. Starling checked out?”

She went to the computer and began typing. “The reservation was prepaid and she did express checkout,” she said. “The next morning. So she was only here for the one night.”

“Express checkout meaning she left the key in the room and you never saw her?” Rand asked.

“That’s right. I wasn’t on duty the next morning, but the record shows express checkout.”

“We’ll want to talk to whoever was on duty that morning.”

“That would be Candy. She comes on at three today if you want to come back.”

“Someone will stop by. Thanks.”

He could tell Sophie wanted to say more, but he ushered her back to the car. “Maybe they have surveillance pictures,” she said. “We could ask to see them.”

“We could—and we will. But chances are they’re on a tape loop that gets wiped every twenty-four to seventy-two hours. Otherwise the databank fills up with hours and hours of images of empty parking lots.” He started the car. “Does the man she described sound like anyone you know? A boyfriend of your sister’s? Her ex-husband?”

“Her ex was a big blond, and she wasn’t dating anyone. She would have told me if she was.”

“Maybe not if he was married, or she had some other reason to keep the relationship secret.”

“She would have told me.”

She sounded so certain. But how could she know another person so well? Then again, he was an only child. Maybe some siblings were closer. “Everybody has secrets,” he said.

“Lauren and I don’t have secrets from each other. We’re the only family we have left, and we’ve stayed close.”

The fervor in her voice struck a faint, almost forgotten longing within him. Growing up as an only child to older parents, he’d often wished for a brother or sister—someone who would share his background and upbringing, and always be there. “I hope if anything ever happens to me, I have someone like you fighting for me.” He meant the words. As much as he still thought they were wasting time searching for her sister, who was probably off in Cancún with her boyfriend, he admired Sophie’s determination to find and help Lauren.

The soft strains of classical music rose from the floorboard near her feet. “That’s my phone,” she said, reaching for her purse. She fished out a pink iPhone and glanced at the screen. “I need to get this.”

“Go right ahead.” He focused on driving the cruiser through heavy traffic near a school zone, but he couldn’t help overhearing her side of the conversation.

“Hello?...Yes, this is she...Oh! Thank you for returning my call...Yes...Yes...Well, as I tried to explain in my message...All right...Yes...That would be fine...Yes...Goodbye.”

She ended the call and rested the phone in her lap, her expression troubled. “Everything okay?” he asked.

“I think so.” She turned to him, her determined expression once more in place. “That was Richard Prentice. He wants to meet with me to talk about Lauren.”