Dead in a Week (Forensic Instincts 7)

The vow tasted bitter on Aidan’s tongue, especially after his conversation with Marc. But he had to shove his fears aside and go with his instincts. And his instincts screamed that his team would rescue Lauren in time.

“Your word is wearing thin,” Vance snapped. “We have less than three days left. Did you see Lauren’s face? How pale and terrified she is? She’s a young girl, Aidan. Her life has barely begun. And here I am, sitting on my hands when I should be doing something to bring her home safely.”

“You are doing something,” Aidan replied. “Lauren’s continued safety relies on her kidnappers’ belief that you’re following their orders and not contacting law enforcement. The Albanian organized crime groups are not known for their tolerance. You’ve had faith in me up until now. Hold on for a little while longer.”

Susan stopped pacing long enough to plant herself in front of Aidan. “Vance sent them a portion of what they want. So why haven’t they contacted him yet? Outlined their next step?”

Aidan responded with composure and logic. “I’m sure they’re having their experts review the drawings to make sure they’re legitimate. That takes time. By tomorrow, you’ll be hearing from them with further instructions. Vance will also have seen and talked to Lauren again. This will all come together—and well before their deadline.”

“You’re that certain?” Vance asked, searching Aidan’s face.

“Yes.” Aidan didn’t blink, having successfully squelched his own fears. “I’m that certain.”

At that moment, Aidan’s cell phone buzzed. He glanced down at it and then rose. “I need to make a quick phone call. I’ll be back shortly.”

Susan jumped all over that: “Is it about Lauren?”

“It’s not from my overseas team members, so no,” Aidan hedged carefully. Now was definitely not the time for full disclosure—even after he’d read Simone’s email. Given the Penningtons’ state of mind, he was determined to keep them on a need-to-know basis. The investigation was too fluid and escalating too rapidly to provide a blow-by-blow update to his emotionally distraught clients.

He was already headed for the door, intending to read and respond to the email alone in his hotel room. “Once I’ve handled this business matter, I’ll be back.”

Simone had used the emergency code; he didn’t have time for niceties or explanations.

* * *

Aidan sat down at the hotel desk and opened Simone’s email. He read the contents and studied the photos before calling her.

“Yes?”

“It’s me,” Aidan said. “Are you able to talk?”

“I’m still at the bar,” Simone answered quietly. “But Zoe just went to the ladies’ room and her friend is outside, presumably smoking, according to what he told her. It looks like they’re wrapping up, so I’ll slip out now and call you in five minutes.”

Simone was true to her word. Aidan’s cell phone rang four-and-a-half minutes later.

“I’m in the car,” she said. “This is an interesting twist, no?”

“More than interesting. Has Terri gotten back to you yet?”

“Only to say that she’s on the verge of hacking into the Franklin Wales servers so she can find the specifics of whatever company agreement Cheng is signing with Zoe. The rest—finding out if Cheng is merely an executive recruiter o

r something more—that will take longer. It’s not like that will be written out anywhere.”

“Yeah, same for determining if Zoe is merely jumping ship or working with Cheng as an inside agent for the Chinese.”

Simone’s pause was thoughtful. “Something about that last part just doesn’t feel right. Zoe might be leaving Nano—and I have a pretty good idea why—but I don’t think she’d be vindictive enough to turn her back on fifteen years of loyal service and participate in something criminal. For what? Money? Intuition tells me that that’s not an incentive for her.”

Aidan hadn’t missed out on Simone’s inference. “Why do you think Zoe is considering leaving Nano?”

“Aside from the fact that she’s an ambitious woman who’s going nowhere in a hurry? Because she’s in love with Robert Maxwell. Because they had an affair that I’m guessing was long-term and serious—at least to Zoe. And because he’s turning his attentions elsewhere these days. Elsewheres—I don’t place much credence in him being a onewoman man.”

These were the areas where Simone’s people-whisperer skills shined through. “I’ll bite,” Aidan said. “Where is he turning his attention, and what makes you think he’s a player?”

“I have no doubt that he’s sleeping with his receptionist, Jen. She’s young, pretty, and positively radiant at the thought of being near him. She has an expensive fresh floral arrangement on her desk as well as that new-lover look—a look she keeps aiming at the door to Robert’s office. As for the others, I noted a few women—Nano’s CFO, June Morris, in particular—who I suspect are Robert Maxwell discards. They’re all at least a decade older than Jen, and they share a few other things in common: rapid succession up the corporate ladder and utter exhaustion from the major struggle they’re enduring to stay on top of their current positions.”

Aidan processed that thoughtfully. “So Maxwell does have a chink in his armor. And I suspect that none of the women in question would consider filing sexual harassment charges.”

“It would come down to a he-said-she-said,” Simone agreed. “A battle that would end up destroying their careers. Maxwell is way too smart to leave breadcrumbs. Whatever promises he made to get them into bed would fall by the wayside because these women are probably still half in love with him. He’s incredibly charismatic. You should have seen the once-over he gave me when we had our first meeting. He’s quite the charmer, wedding band and family photos or not.”