Declan stood in front of Grace throughout the cell-phone conversation. When she hung up, he took the phone from her and captured her hand in his. He was surprised at how much he liked the feel of her long, slender fingers. “We’ll find her.”
She stared down at where their hands interlocked. “I don’t know how you can say that with such assurance when even the police can’t find her.” Her chin lifted and she stared into his eyes. “Riley’s all I have. She’s more than a friend. She’s like family.”
“All the more reason for us to get on this right away.” He pulled her hand through the crook of his elbow and walked with her toward the exit. “Do you have a vehicle, or are we going to take the train?”
“I have an SUV, but where are we going?” Grace’s hand curled around Declan’s elbow and she skipped to keep up with his pace.
“To Riley’s workplace.” Declan had to get a feel for the street and the path to the train station to better understand how Riley could have disappeared.
“They’re a secure facility,” Grace said. “They won’t just let us walk in without an appointment.”
“Do you know Riley’s supervisor?” He stopped at the curb and looked around.
“I know his name.” Grace pointed toward the parking lot. “I’m parked over there. The charcoal SUV.”
He held out his hand. “Mind if I drive?”
She frowned. “And if I do?”
Declan shrugged. “It might be hard for you to drive and call Riley’s supervisor at the same time.”
“I’m calling her supervisor?” Grace dug in her purse for her keys.
“Yes, you are. On the way to her workplace, call him and see if he will let us in to talk to him about Riley.”
Grace handed him the keys. “I tried calling him earlier, but he was out of the office or hadn’t come to work yet. The call went straight to his voice mail.”
“Try again.” He stepped off the curb and strode toward the parking lot.
Grace steered him toward her vehicle.
Before they reached it, Declan clicked the remote to pop the locks open. He held the passenger door for Grace and waited while she settled in the seat. Then he closed the door and rounded the front of the SUV. It was smaller than the vehicle he’d sold before his last deployment, but it was roomy enough to accommodate his six-foot-three frame without bumping his head.
He slid into the driver’s seat, adjusted it for his height and started the engine. Before he shifted into gear, he turned to Grace. “GPS directions?”
She tapped the screen on her cell phone.
With the cell-phone voice calling out the route, Declan backed out of the parking space and shifted into Drive.
Grace called Riley’s supervisor and waited while the line rang. She shifted the call from her phone to the car speaker so that Declan could hear the conversation.
“Quest Aerospace Alliance. Alan Moretti speaking.”
“Mr. Moretti? This is Grace Lawrence, Riley’s roommate.”
Declan turned onto the road leading to one of the main arteries through town.
A long pause greeted Grace’s announcement.
“Miss Lawrence, I’ll tell you what I told the police. Miss Lansing never showed up for work yesterday. I don’t know where she is.”
Declan touched Grace’s arm and whispered, “Appointment.”
“I have nothing more to add to my statement,” Moretti said. “I’m sorry your friend is missing, but I had nothing to do with it.”
“I understand, Mr. Moretti. But could you spare a few minutes to meet me in person? I have a few questions I’d like to ask for myself.”
“I’m sorry, but no,” he said. “I repeat, I have nothing to add.” A click ended the call.
Grace stared down at the phone. “Now what?”
“We go to Quest Aerospace Alliance and figure this out.” Declan frowned. He hadn’t liked Mr. Moretti’s answers. “You say Riley texted you from work yesterday?”
“That’s right,” Grace said. She touched the screen on her cell phone and brought up her text messages. “She specifically said she was leaving work on time that night.”
Declan glanced at the cell-phone display screen as he paused at a red traffic light. Grace had repeated Riley’s message verbatim.
“Why would she say she was leaving work on time if she was somewhere else?” Grace asked.
“Would she ever have played hooky from work?” Declan asked.
“No. She’s a very conscientious person. She wouldn’t lie, and she’s a rule follower.”
“Was she involved in a relationship with someone?” Declan asked.
Grace shook her head. “No. She said she didn’t have time. She lived her job.”
“How long has she been your roommate?”
“This time or in college?” she asked as they crossed the Potomac and drove into Arlington, Virginia.
“Anytime. Tell me everything. You never know what little bit of information is important. What is your relationship with Riley? What does she do at Quest Aerospace?”
Grace drew in a deep breath. “Riley and I were roommates in college. We were assigned the same dorm room as freshmen and stayed friends throughout. While I went into political science, she studied engineering.” Grace smiled. “She was much better at math than I was.” She glanced his way. “Then we went in different directions after college. I worked on Capitol Hill for the previous administration, met a guy and got married. My career went on hold for him. He wanted a trophy wife, someone to stay home, cook, clean and entertain for him.” She shook her head. “Archaic, right?”
Declan’s chest tightened and he shot a glance at Grace’s bare ring finger. “You’re not wearing a ring now.”
Grace snorted softly. “Yeah, I wasn’t very good at being a second-class citizen, and my brain was getting mushy from too many sitcoms on television.”
Declan knew there was little chance Grace’s marriage had anything to do with Riley’s disappearance, but he couldn’t help asking, “So, you left your husband?”
Grace nodded. “I consider my marriage as one of my greatest failures and learning experiences. Failure in my ability to recognize a person’s true character, and learning how to rebuild my life.” She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’d kept up with Riley all through the past few years, calling every three or four months to see how she was doing in her career. I envied her ability to focus and go for what she wanted. Since my parents are gone, she was the first person I called when my divorce was final. She insisted I move in with her until I get on my feet. I put it off for a couple of years and finally gave in a few months ago.”
“Is that why you were interviewing for the job with Mrs. Halverson? Are you new in the area?”
With a smile, Grace shook her head. “No, I took other odd jobs, working for a temp agency, but I wanted something more full-time and as permanent as can be expected in this day and age.”
Declan twisted his lips. “Something along the lines of your political science major?”
“I really don’t know what I want. To feel needed, perhaps. As a personal assistant to a high-powered woman, I was sure to be needed.” She cringed. “Sounds pathetic, but there you have it.”
“And Riley? Was she ever married?”
“No.” Grace stared straight ahead. “At least she got that right. She focused on her career.”
“Did she date? Have a boyfriend?”
“She did see a guy for a while after she graduated college, but he was heading for the military. She wasn’t ready to follow him to parts unknown and give up her opportunity to gain experience in her own field of aerospace engineering.”
“Any harsh feelings between them at their parting?” Declan asked.
“From what Riley told me back then, they left on mutual agreement and good terms.”
“No brokenhearted, lovesick ex who could have come back to claim what he thought was his?”
“No.” Grace twisted her hands in her lap. “That’s what has me worried. As far as I know, she didn’t have an enemy in this world.”
Declan glanced toward her briefly. Grace seemed to be a person who would trust a friend completely. “Are you sure you know all there is to know about your friend Riley?”
“She worked. Sometimes to excess, and that left her with little time for a life outside of the office. Some nights she’d go for a beer at a local pub. I went with her on occasion. She always wanted to stay longer than I did. But she always came home.”
“A lone woman in this city? Isn’t that dangerous?” Declan asked.
“Lots of women get around this city all by themselves.” Grace drew in a deep breath and let it out. “She knows how to defend herself. She showed me some of her moves. Riley is quite capable of fighting off an attacker.”
“If she was, she might not be missing.”
Grace’s brow dipped low. “Unless it was someone she knew.”
“Since she worked so much, most of the people she knew—”
“—were the people she worked with.” Grace stared across the console at Declan. “We need to get inside Quest and ask some questions.”
In Crystal City, Declan pulled into a parking lot across from the high-rise building that was Quest Aerospace Alliance and parked in a slot facing the building.
“Why did you stop here? Shouldn’t we try to get inside?” Grace asked.
“We need to study the building and look for weaknesses. Since we can’t get in without an appointment, we need to find another way to gain access. When I was with the Marine Force Recon teams, we did a lot of reconnaissance missions prior to conducting an operation. It gave us the intel we needed to make the effort go smoothly.”
“Force Recon? What’s that?”
“We’re part of the Marine Special Operations Command.”
“Are you like the army’s Special Forces and the Navy SEALs?”
“Yes. Only Force Reconnaissance teams focus on marine expeditionary and amphibious operations.”
“Reconnaissance, huh?”
“And direct-action operations, usually based on the reconnaissance and intel gathered.”
Grace’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you military types threw in hand grenades and lobbed mortars prior to going in. You know, the whole shock-and-awe thing.”
Declan’s lips twitched upward. “We have a little more finesse most of the time. But we do have occasions when we use the noise and big bangs.”
Grace nodded, mockingly. “Teach me, oh wise one. Frankly, I don’t care if you were a member of the Navy SEALs, Army Rangers or the local VFW, as long as we find Riley.”
His lips twitched again. “The fact Quest is claiming she never showed up for work makes me suspicious. I think it merits getting inside and snooping around.”
“If they’re lying about Riley never showing up—” Grace tapped a finger to her chin “—it makes me wonder what they’re trying to hide. Riley wouldn’t have lied to me about leaving the office if she hadn’t been there at all.”
“How long have you been roommates this time with Riley?” Declan asked.
“Four months.”
“And how long had you been living apart?”
Grace tipped her head to the side and used her fingers to count silently. “Seven years.”
Declan glanced her way. “A lot could change in seven years.”
“I know, but Riley is still the same Riley. She’s smart.”
“How long has she been with Quest?”
“Two years. She took a demotion to go to work for Quest. She said she wanted to get back into more project design and Quest was doing some innovative things.”
“Like?”
“I’m not quite sure. Riley couldn’t talk about it. She said it was all hush-hush to keep others from stealing their ideas and data.”
“Which would be a good reason to restrict entry into the facility,” Declan said. “How did Riley get in?”
“She had a badge she used to get in and out of the building. I had to take it to her once when she forgot it.”
Grace rested her fingers on the door handle. “Now that we’re here, what’s next?”
Declan reached across and rested his hand on hers. “We watch the people coming and going from the building.”
Grace’s eyebrows lowered. “How is that going to help us find Riley?”
“Be patient,” he said. “You’ll see. It’ll be lunchtime soon.” He watched the gate. Several delivery trucks arrived and were allowed to enter the gate after the guard checked his computer tablet and shined a light into the rear of the truck. If he could get into the back of one of the delivery vehicles, he might make it past the guard and onto the compound.
People parked in the lot beside the building, and they entered and exited the gate on foot. As the hour approached noon, a rush of people left the building and walked a couple blocks to a row of food trucks and cafés.
“How are you at flirting?” Declan asked as he pushed the door open on the SUV.
“Flirting?” Grace stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“You know, batting your eyes and saying things you know will make a guy want to talk to you.” He winked. The woman was beautiful. She’d have no trouble getting attention. “Really all you have to do is smile and you’ll have a guy’s complete attention.”
Her cheeks blossomed with color.
Declan couldn’t help but think Grace’s husband must have been a jerk. This woman was beautiful and cared about the people she loved. All she needed was a little attention and she seemed to come alive.
Declan rounded the vehicle and held the door for Grace. She dropped to the ground and placed a hand on his arm to steady herself. “Who do I need to flirt with, and what am I trying to gain by it?”
“We can gain information, maybe even borrow an employee badge.”
“Borrow?” She shook her head. “I told you I didn’t want to do anything illegal.”
“I said borrow. We’ll give it back, or leave it at the front desk.”
Grace chewed on her bottom lip, the movement distracting Declan more than he cared to admit. “I’ve never deceived anyone in order to break into a place.”
“Neither have I.” He took her hand and turned her to face him. “Do you want to get inside Quest and find out the truth about your friend Riley?”
Grace’s eyes narrowed. “I do.” She squared her shoulders and met his gaze. “Whatever it takes...short of committing a major crime, of course.”
His lips twitched. “A minor crime is okay then?”
“We’ll borrow the badge, with the full intention of returning it once we’re done with it.” She squeezed his hand and let go. “We’d better hurry before lunch is over.”
As they neared the first café, Declan studied the people sitting at different bistro tables on the sidewalk. “It might be better to split up. Are you okay working on your own? I’ll be nearby if you need me.”
Grace nodded, her gaze on the people settling in to enjoy their meals. “I’ll be okay.”
Declan slowed to look at a menu affixed to a stand out front of one of the cafés. He wasn’t hungry, but he pretended to peruse the menu while Grace searched for a spot in the open seating area outside the packed restaurant. The crowd worked in her favor. She was able to find a place at a table with a man who sat alone. A man who had a Quest badge clipped to his pocket.
Fighting the urge to smile, Declan weaved through the tables and stopped at the one behind Grace. Two middle-aged women occupied the table with a couple of spare seats. “Do you mind if I share your table?” he asked.
The two women smiled up at him.
One with auburn hair said, “We’d love the company.”
The other with faded blond hair nodded. “What woman wouldn’t want a handsome guy to share her table?”
“Thank you.” Declan held out his hand. “I’m Dan.”
The auburn-haired woman held out her hand. “Rachel and this is Joanne.”
“Nice to meet you.” He tipped his head toward the high-rise building. “Do you two ladies work at Quest?”
“We do. How about you?” Rachel stared across the table at Declan. “Do you work at Quest?”
“No, but I’ve thought about applying.” He looked at the menu. “I hear it’s a good place to work.”
“It’s work.” Rachel grimaced. “But some days I find myself counting the days to retirement.”
He glanced up. “Is it that hard?”
Rachel shrugged. “Not so much hard.”
“It’s just some managers are better than others,” Joanne said.
“You get that just about anywhere you work,” Declan commented.
Rachel sighed. “I know. I’ve outlasted three managers over the fifteen years I’ve worked at Quest. Some were good. One was bad. I’ve learned to keep my head down and my mouth shut, and eventually the bad manager will move on.”
“Some take longer to move on than others,” Joanne muttered and stuffed a bite of her salad into her mouth.
Rachel reached out to pat her friend’s hand. “Just do like I said and keep a low profile. You’ll be there fifteen years before you realize they’ve passed.”
Joanne snorted. “Or disappear into oblivion.”
Declan’s attention zeroed in on Joanne’s last comment. “Disappear?”
“Yeah, disappear.” Joanne leaned forward. “I heard one of the engineers in special projects didn’t show up for work this morning. People are speculating that she was let go.” Joanne shook her head. “They don’t—” she made quote marks with her fingers “—let go of people out of the special projects area. They know too much.”
Declan leaned forward, his brows dipping, giving Joanne his full attention. “What do you mean? They don’t let people leave their jobs?”
The dingy blonde’s eyes narrowed and her voice dropped to just above a whisper. “It’s like a mob. Once you’re in the secret circle, you can never get out.”
“Joanne, you don’t know that.” Declan raised his eyebrows, feigning shock. “That woman could have been canned for sharing those deep, dark secrets to someone outside the company. If the project died, they could have laid her off.”
Joanne stared into Declan’s gaze. “Whatever. She hasn’t come back to work and the police have been asking about her. Everyone’s talking about it.”
Rachel touched Joanne’s arm. “Shh. You’re going to scare Dan.”
He laughed. “Don’t worry about me. It takes a lot to scare me. Besides, it’s a great story.”
Rachel’s brow furrowed. “Are you a reporter?”
Declan held up a hand. “Good Lord, no.” He spied a delivery truck that was parked along the street. A man in a dark uniform stepped out. “I’m a delivery-truck driver,” he said. And if he wasn’t mistaken, that delivery truck could be heading in the direction of the Quest building. He leaned forward and smiled at the women. “I just remembered something I forgot to deliver.” He stood. “Please excuse me. I hope I didn’t disrupt your meal too much.”
“Oh, please.” Rachel’s lips twisted into a wry grin. “Having you at our table was a delight. Maybe you can come by at lunch every day.”
“Thank you for sharing your table.” Declan leaned forward and held out his hand to Rachel. As he did, he swept his other hand over her employee badge lying on top of her wallet. He did this, blocking Joanne’s view of what he was doing. Then he closed this hand completely around the badge and shook Joanne’s hand. “You two ladies made my day. It would be an honor to have lunch with you again.” He winked and walked by Grace’s table, pretending to accidentally bump into her. When he did, he dropped the badge into her open purse and walked away.
Once he was away from the café, he ducked between two buildings and circled around to emerge in the parking lot, where he’d seen the delivery van. The driver was stepping out of the van, carrying a large package.
When he entered a building, Declan slipped into the side door of the delivery van. A quick scan of the packages on the metal shelves indicated that many of them were destined for Quest. The back of the van contained larger packages that appeared to have been picked up along the man’s delivery route.
Declan dropped low behind several larger boxes and stacked one of them even higher to keep the driver from spotting him.
Next to him, hanging from a metal shelf, were a couple of uniforms like the one the driver wore. On the lapel was a name tag with Rodney written in bold black letters.
The delivery van dipped slightly as the driver stepped aboard, engaged the engine and took off down the street.
While the vehicle was in motion, Declan texted Grace.
Found a ride in the back of a delivery van headed for Quest. Dropped ID badge in your purse. Get to Quest before the ladies I sat with leave the café. I’ll find you inside.