After Tami’s pronouncement that Chloe wasn’t at home, Ferrari, Bender, and Josie spread out to search.
She spotted Chloe’s phone in the bathroom attached to her bedroom. “Her cell is on the counter.”
Ferrari motioned for the mother to go look and confirm it was her daughter’s device.
“She’d never go anywhere without her phone,” she murmured.
The four of them searched the entire residence with negative results, then moved out to the two-acre property.
Tami trailed behind them, becoming more and more panicked as the minutes ticked along.
Bender returned from the pool house. “She’s not in there.”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
“Gosh, it was after the pizza guy arrived. Maybe 9:30…10:00?” Her voice trembled.
“Pizza guy?”
“Yeah, it was kind of weird. We hadn’t ordered anything, but Chloe’s best friend Mallory sent a pizza delivery. Chloe told me that earlier in the day, she and Mal had argued about the top pepperoni pizza in town. Her friend sent the delivery trying to prove a point.”
“What’s Mallory’s last name, and do you have her number, or an address?”
“Gosh. I’m not sure if I have her in my contacts or not.” She wrinkled her nose as though she’d smelled something unpleasant. “She lives down in the flats of Chatsworth. It’s not like we socialize with her parents or anything.”
“Can you check?”
“Of course,” she said.
The group walked back toward the mansion.
“Do you think I need to call my husband? He’s so busy with finishing up edits on his new film.”
Ferrari shrugged. “Why don’t we see what we find out from Mallory?”
“Okay. Let me find my phone.” She scurried off ahead of them.
The detective and the two officers sat beside the pool in cushioned, swiveling patio chairs shaded from the sun.
“You should’a seen the inside of that pool house,” Bender said. “The bottom floor has a kitchen, bathroom with a shower, a half-dozen video games, and upstairs a movie theater that would seat at least twenty people.”
The detective looked at them. “This isn’t looking good. The pizza guy story sounds hinky but might be totally legit.” He sighed. “I’m not sure if this is a case of a runaway, or if the girl might be in trouble.”
“Let’s hope the mom has the friend’s info,” Josie said.
Tami joined them on the patio. Tears filled her eyes. “I can’t find Mallory’s information.”
“What about her last name?” Josie asked.
A wild look filled Tami’s face. “I just can’t think of it!”
Ferrari stood and motioned for her to take his seat. “I don’t suppose you know the password to Chloe’s phone, do you?”
“No. Her father and I were giving her more freedom and anonymity.”
“What about other friends? Do you have contact info for any of them? They might be able to get in touch with Mallory.”
“I’m not sure.” She took her phone and began to scroll through her contacts.
“Do you have surveillance cameras?”
“Yes. Yes, we do.” Excitement lit Tami’s eyes. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
He smiled. “Can you show me the recordings?”
She shook her head. “I never learned how, but I’ll call our service and tell them to give you access to whatever you need.”
“Great.” He smiled again. “Let’s go inside. You can contact the security company. Then, while we’re dealing with them, I’d like you to search your contacts and find anyone who might be able to contact Mallory.”