When he got back to the office, Nick called Vernon Armfield. He didn’t know why he still had bad feelings about the man. Armfield seemed to really care for Rebecca, and he hadn’t done anything to draw suspicion. Yet that same gut feeling kept coming back to Nick. Deep down, he knew the man wasn’t who he appeared to be. Nick didn’t think his suspicions were there because Vernon had been lucky enough to marry Rebecca. Still, he couldn’t help the twinges of envy that struck him whenever he thought of them together.
Nick finally decided he wasn’t capable of possessing an unbiased opinion about the man. Maybe he’d arrange to get Armfield and Bernie Wheeler together. Bernie should be able to read the man in one meeting.
“Vernon Armfield,” Rebecca’s husband said over the telephone.
“Mr. Armfield, this is Nick Quimbley.”
“Yes, Mr. Quimbley. I’m glad you called. Did you find anything at Mindy’s condo?”
“A little, but I don’t think it will be of much help.”
“Does my wife know?”
“Yes. She went with us. She wants me to do everything I can to find her sister.”
“Us? Did you not go alone?”
“No. A member of my staff went with me.”
“I see.”
“Mrs. Armfield seems to think her sister might have been abducted, but no one has contacted either one of you about a ransom. Do you think this could be a possibility?”
“With Mindy, anything is possible. She hung out with some strange people.” Vernon’s voice was neither friendly nor unfriendly.
“Do you have any reason to suspect any of those people?”
“I don’t know any of them well enough to suspect them. Most of them are people she hangs out with in bars, or even her neighbors.”
“Do you know your sister-in-law’s neighbors?”
“Not many of them. One does work for me, though. In fact, I asked her if she’d seen Mindy lately. She wasn’t sure when she last saw her. Neither was her husband.”
“Does her husband work for you, too?”
“No. Max Garvey is a house husband.”
Nick detected a sneer in Vernon’s voice, but ignored the inflection. “Where do they live in relation to your sister-in-law’s condo?”
“I’m not sure. I think they live in the back of the complex, near the swimming pool. You can’t see their unit from Mindy’s condo. I know this because Robyn told me they didn’t have a view of Mindy’s place.”
Nick made a mental note that Vernon Armfield had made sure he was aware of the Garveys. “You say their names are Robyn and Max Garvey?”
“That’s right.”
“Do either of them have black hair?”
“They both do.”
“Does either of them have long hair?”
“The last time I saw Max, he had long hair in a ponytail. Robyn’s hair is short. Is that important?”
“I’m not sure,” Nick said. “I don’t know anything else to tell you. I’ll keep you posted.”
“I’d appreciate that. I’d prefer you not talk to my wife about any of this until you discuss it with me. She’s rather delicate, and I don’t want you to cause her any needless worry.”
“I’ll try to get with you first, but if she asks, I won’t lie to her, Mr. Armfield.”
“If she pushes you, then I’m sure you’ll be able to skirt the issue.”
“If there’s any bad news, I’ll contact you first. Is that fair enough?”
“That will suffice.”
Neither man said goodbye before hanging up the phone.