Chương 5
Instead he folded his napkin once and pushed his plate away.
"So you went to get records."
"Yes."
"Did you get them?"
"No."
"Why?"
"The storage room had been cleared."
"Completely?"
"Not completely."
She took a breath.
"Only one filing cabinet."
"The one you needed."
"Yes."
"And then you came here."
"I didn't know where else to go."
That was the first thing she'd said that sounded less like a CEO giving information and more like a woman admitting something she disliked admitting.
Gideon nodded toward her phone.
"And somebody found you anyway."
"Daniel has access to my company vehicle location."
"You drove a company car?"
"I wasn't planning a covert operation."
"Maybe next time."
"There won't be a next time."
"People say that right before there is."
Her burger arrived.
She thanked the server, then stared at the plate without touching it.
Gideon glanced at his phone.
7:19.
June could handle Maisie, but he disliked using that as permission to remain indefinitely.
Evelyn picked up one fry.
"Why did you stand up?"
Gideon looked at her.
"When Briggs took the keys."
"Because he took them."
"Everyone saw that."
"Yeah."
"Everyone else stayed seated."
He rubbed his thumb across a faint grease stain near his knuckle that three hand washings had failed to remove.
"I've stayed seated before."
Her expression changed.
He regretted the sentence.
Not because it was false.
Because it invited a door he had no intention of opening.
"When?"
"Different life."
"Military?"
He gave her a flat look.
"The officer guessed too."
"You move like one."
"I move like a mechanic who's getting older."
"That isn't what I saw."
Gideon checked the windows.
"You saw a large man trip twice."
Evelyn let the evasion stand.
That earned her something.
Then her phone rang again.
She looked at the screen.
This time the caller was not Daniel.
The name read MILES KENT.
Evelyn went still.
She answered.
"Miles."
The voice on the other end was loud enough that Gideon could hear urgency but not words.
Evelyn listened.
Her face lost color.
"When?"
Another burst of speech.
"No, don't touch anything."
She stood.
"I'm serious, Miles."
She grabbed her bag.
"Call security and keep everyone out."
She ended the call.
Gideon was already on his feet.
"What happened?"
Evelyn looked toward the officers near the door, then back at him.
"The storage facility."
"What about it?"
"Someone broke in."
"The cabinet?"
"No."
Her voice tightened.
"The entire records room is on fire."
Evelyn was already moving toward the officers before Gideon finished pushing his chair in.
The first officer looked up when he saw her expression.
"What happened?"
"Fire at Mercer Storage on East County Road."
"How big?"
"I don't know."
Her breathing had shortened, but her voice stayed level.
"There are company records inside."
The officer took out his radio.
"Anyone supposed to be there?"
"One facilities supervisor."
"Name?"
"Miles Kent."
Evelyn glanced at her phone.
"He called me from outside."
The officer relayed the address and requested fire response confirmation.
A reply crackled back almost immediately.
Units were already en route.
Smoke visible from the highway.
Gideon looked toward the windows.
East County Road was nine minutes away if traffic cooperated.
Possibly seven if it didn't.
That line of thinking irritated him.
He had no business calculating routes.
Evelyn turned to him.
"You should go get your daughter."
"June has her."
"I mean you should leave this."
"I know what you mean."
"This isn't your problem."
"That's twice tonight someone has said that."
Her jaw tightened.
"I'm serious."
"So was he."
The officer looked between them.
"Nobody's going to the fire scene except authorized personnel."
Evelyn's attention snapped back to him.
"I own the facility."
"Fire won't care."
"I need to see what's happening."
"You need to stay out of the way until the fire department says otherwise."
For a moment, Gideon thought she might argue.
Instead she pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose.
"Fine."
The officer's tone softened.
"Do you have security cameras there?"
"Yes."
"Remote access?"
"Some."
"Who controls it?"
"Our corporate security vendor and internal IT."
"Call both."
Evelyn was already tapping her screen.
The officer turned to Gideon.
"You going with her?"
"No."
Evelyn looked at him.
Gideon added, "Not to the fire scene."
That earned him an exhausted look.
The officer pointed at both of them.
"Nobody plays detective."
"Wasn't planning to."
The officer looked unconvinced.
Gideon couldn't blame him.
Five minutes later, Evelyn stood in the parking lot under the alternating wash of patrol lights, speaking to someone in clipped phrases.
Gideon stayed several yards away.
The air smelled of exhaust, fried onions from the restaurant vent, and rain that hadn't arrived yet.
A line of clouds had darkened the western horizon.
His phone buzzed again.
This time Maisie had borrowed June's phone.
DAD WHERE ARE YOU.
The capitals were hers.
Gideon typed back.
Leaving soon.
Three dots appeared.
Then vanished.
Then appeared again.
DID YOU FORGET ME.
His stomach tightened in a way Briggs Harland had failed to accomplish.
No.
Got delayed.
June picked you up.
Another pause.
I KNOW THAT.
He almost smiled.
He called.
Maisie answered on the first ring.
"You forgot me."
"I didn't."
"You were not physically there."
"That's not the same thing."
"It feels extremely similar."
Behind her, June said, "Don't litigate him, kid."
Maisie ignored her.
"Are you at work?"
"No."
That was apparently the wrong answer.
"Then where are you?"
Gideon looked across the parking lot at Evelyn.
"Restaurant."
There was silence.
"You chose ribs over me?"
"No."
"Wow."
"Maisie."
"Grand betrayal."
"You're being dramatic."
"I learned from television."
June laughed in the background.
Gideon rubbed his forehead.
"Did something happen?"
He heard the shift in her voice.
Children could move from performance to fear without warning.
"Everybody's okay."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Maisie exhaled.
"Fine."
Then, after a beat, "Can we get frozen yogurt?"
"June already told you to ask that."
"No."
May you like
"You're a terrible liar."
"I'm nine."
