Читать книгу The Legacy Enslaved - William Speir - Страница 14

Jamie arrived at SignalCorps headquarters the next morning and saw her mother parking in the front row reserved for senior executives of the company. Even though Emily worked part-time, she was a member of the Board of Directors and oversaw all upgrades to the surveillance system that she had designed years earlier.

Emily’s arrangement with SignalCorps allowed her to spend most of her time with her family. Every year, she cut back on her hours a little more. Jamie knew that her mother planned to be fully retired from all of her day-to-day responsibilities by the end of the year, but she’d be remaining on the Board for another five years.

Jamie walked over to Emily’s car. “What are you doing here on a Friday?” Jamie asked pleasantly as her mother grabbed her briefcase from the back seat.

“Hi, Sweetie!” Emily gave her daughter a hug. “I’m reviewing the latest test results on the new cameras this morning. If they’re as good as I hope, we’ll be able to release the cameras this summer, which means a huge marketing campaign has to be ready in a short timeframe.”

“Are you here all day?” Jamie asked as they walked toward the main entrance.

“I should be done by noon. Want to get lunch?”

“Sure! Stop by when you’re ready.”

Emily nodded. “Will do.”

Beth, Susan’s roommate, looked inside Susan’s bedroom at 8:30 that morning. The bed hadn’t been slept in, and there was no sign that she had come home the night before. It’s not unusual for her to stay out all night when she goes clubbing, but she usually sends me a text to let me know that she’s all right.

She checked her phone again. No texts from Susan. She sent a quick text, but Susan didn’t reply.

An hour later, Susan still hadn’t replied. Beth called Susan’s phone, but it went straight to voicemail.

Where is she?

When Emily entered Jamie’s cubicle, Jamie was just finishing her proposal for SignalCorps’ participation in that summer’s annual Tower Conference and Expo, the premier military and law enforcement event that SignalCorps had attended ever since the first release of Emily’s surveillance system.

Jamie knew the story about what had happened with her parents and the Order at the first Tower Conference that SignalCorps attended; her grandfather had told her about it when she was younger, as had her parents when she joined the Order. Jamie thought it was funny that, twenty-six years later, she was the one responsible for the company’s booth set-up and marketing program at that year’s conference.

“Is that the Tower proposal?” Emily asked, leaning against Jamie’s desk.

Jamie nodded and emailed the proposal to her boss. “Just finished. Ready for lunch?”

“You bet. Okay if we eat here? I’m going over to your Aunt Sophie’s house this afternoon.”

Jamie stood and reached for her purse. “Sure.” SignalCorps’ headquarters had one of the best company cafeterias in the state, and the chef always provided great menus for any taste and dietary need. Most employees ate on campus every day.

“So what’s new?” Emily asked when she and Jamie had gotten their food and sat at a table near the windows.

“Nothing much,” Jamie replied. “What’s happening with Aunt Sophie?”

“Don’t change the subject,” Emily said softly. “There’s something up with you, and I want to know what it is.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jamie took a bite of her salad.

“First, you don’t seem upset that Steve is getting married, and then you look happier than I’ve seen you since you first met Steve. You’ve met someone, haven’t you?”

Jamie took a sip of her water, unsure about how to answer. When she opened her mouth, Emily interrupted. “And don’t lie to me or try to evade the question. A mother knows.”

Jamie stared at her mother. “And what if I am seeing someone?”

“Then I’d be happy for you,” Emily replied. “But I’d also be concerned because of the… family business.”

“And what if he’s already part of the family business?” Jamie knew that her mother was referring to the Order.

Emily’s eyes opened wide. “If that’s the case, then why haven’t you said anything?”

“Perhaps I don’t want you to think that I’m on the rebound and making impulsive choices. And perhaps I want to see how things go before throwing him into the middle of our family.”

‘We’ve never kept secrets from each other before,” Emily pointed out.

“And I’ve never lived on my own before,” Jamie countered. “And I’ve never had a career before. I’m not trying to keep secrets from you. I just want to be sure there’s something to tell you before I say anything. If it doesn’t lead anywhere, then why say anything at all? Hypothetically speaking, of course.”

“Of course,” Emily said. “And what do you mean by ‘throwing him into the middle of our family’?”

“Oh, come on, Mom. If this person is in the family business, exposing him to the head of the family business and several of its most famous officers is a bit overwhelming, don’t you think? Remember how you felt when you first met Granddad?” Jamie’s grandfather was the founder and first Grand Master of the Order, and it came as quite a shock when Emily discovered that Tom was his son.

Emily nodded and took a bite of her food. “I guess that makes sense. But you could’ve at least told me that you’re seeing someone, and you’ll let me know more if it goes anywhere.”

“You’re right, and I’m sorry. But you’ve trusted me my whole life, and I’m asking you to trust me again now. Don’t push me to tell you anything more, and don’t say anything to Dad until I decide that there’s something to say, okay?”

Emily smiled and nodded. “Okay. I do trust you, and I think I know you well enough to know that you’d never go looking for someone to help you rebound from a breakup like the one you had with Steve.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

The next morning, Jamie met her parents at the dojo for their usual Saturday morning workout. Jamie sparred with seven of the instructors at the same time, which required three additional instructors to serve as referees. As usual, Jamie defeated her opponents, although one of the Tae Kwon Do masters did manage to slip past her defenses and send her flying across the mats with a heel kick to her chest. But before he could press the advantage, Jamie leaped up and attacked him, forcing the master back across the mats until the referee finally declared Jamie the winner.

Jamie went upstairs to join her parents and the dojo owner. After the class was over, Jamie chatted with her father, who never gave any indication that he knew what Jamie and Emily had talked about the day before.

They were about to leave the dojo and get some lunch when Jamie’s phone rang. She saw that it was Lori and answered the call.

“What’s up, Lori?”

Lori sounded panicked. “Beth just called. Susan never came home Thursday night, and she’s still gone. Her phone goes straight to voicemail, she’s not returning texts, and no one has seen or heard from her since she left us at the restaurant. I don’t know what to do!”

Jamie was alarmed. Susan was a free spirit who liked to be with men, but she was always careful to make sure that Beth knew when she was going to be out all night, and she always kept her phone on so it could be located if she didn’t report in. “Did Beth use her phone locator app to see where Susan’s phone is?”

“Yes, but the phone’s off, and it’s been off since about thirty minutes after she left us.”

“Have Beth file a Missing Persons report with the police,” Jamie suggested after a moment. “I can’t think of anything else that can be done.”

“Why didn’t I think of that? I’ll go with her. She’s too worked up to drive right now.”

“Call me when you get back, and let me know what the police said.”

“Will do. Thanks, Jamie!”

Jamie ended the call. This isn’t like Susan. I wonder what happened.

Lori called Jamie a couple of hours later. “We’re back from the police station.”

“What did they say?” Jamie asked.

“That they’d open an investigation and let us know if they discover anything.” Lori sounded irritated.

“Did Susan say where she was going when she left the restaurant?” Jamie asked.

“Something about a new club,” Lori said vaguely.

“Do you remember the name?”

“No,” Lori replied.

“Well, if it comes to you, let me know.”

Late Monday afternoon, Jamie sat at her desk, making a few needed changes to her Tower Conference proposal to include the release of the new cameras. Her mother had signed off on the test results, and the cameras were ready for marketing and general release to SignalCorps’ customers.

Her phone rang, and the caller ID showed Lori’s number. “Hi, Lori. Did the police find Susan?”

Lori sounded frantic. “No, and now Lynn’s missing, too. She’s been missing since Friday night.”

“What?!”

“I tried to call her Saturday afternoon to tell her about Susan, but I couldn’t reach her. Finally, I called Bob, but he hasn’t seen her, either. He went over to her apartment, and all of her stuff is still there, so she hasn’t moved out yet. I called her work, but they haven’t seen her since last week. I tracked down one of the guys she’s supposed to be moving in with, but they don’t know where she is.”

“Have you or Bob notified the police yet?”

“Bob said he’d do that in the morning.”

“Can you get the key to her place from Bob?” Jamie asked after a pause.

Lori hesitated. “I suppose so. Why?”

“Because I want to look around and see if she left something that says where she was going on Friday.”

“Shouldn’t the police do that?” Lori asked, sounding confused.

“Yes, but two of our friends are missing, and I’m curious. What if it’s not a coincidence?”

There was a long silence. “Jamie, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”

“Okay, fine. Forget I asked. Let me know when you hear from Bob.”

“I will.”

Later that night, Jamie, dressed all in black, climbed onto the balcony of Lynn’s second-floor apartment.

Jamie crouched down and carefully checked to make sure that no one was watching her. She saw no movement and didn’t hear a sound.

She crept over to the bedroom window, slipped a thin metal tool into the gap between the upper and lower window panes, and slid it sideways until she caught the latch. A moment later, the window was unlocked. She opened the window and put the tool into the pocket of her hoodie. I’ll have to remember to give this tool back to Uncle Ralph one of these days.

She entered the apartment, looking for anything that might show where Lynn had gone. Jamie saw Lynn’s tablet on the dresser and reached for it. The tablet was off, so Jamie turned it on. When the screen lit up, Jamie found the calendar app and opened it.

She scrolled back to Friday night, and saw, “Club Mingles, 8PM.”

Club Mingles. Why does that sound familiar? Jamie searched for a few minutes longer, but there was nothing else in the apartment to indicate where Lynn had gone. She shut down the tablet, put it back on the dresser, and exited through the window.