Travis shook his head and looked away. He caught sight of Bryce sitting dejected in a corner.
“Been nice talking to you, Detective,” he said and patted the guy on his shoulder, careful to leave one of the few tracking devices that Meems had provided him in the breast pocket. Not that he was holding much hope the police had any clue where Darcy was.
He meandered over to Bryce and slipped into the seat next to him. “Bryce. You’re looking…like shit.” The kid’s hair looked like he hadn’t washed it in days, and his eyes were wide and alert despite the dark circles under them. As if he’d consumed a dozen energy drinks. He had a decent suit on, even if he hadn’t managed to get the tie right, but Travis couldn’t blame him there. He was all thumbs himself with those things.
Bryce jostled his leg nervously, his fingers tapping against a water glass. “I can’t eat or sleep right now, I’ve been so worried about her.”
“Maybe what you need is a few more gallons of that water. You’re going to give yourself a heart attack, you’re so wired. Surprised you’re even here. Doesn’t seem like your kind of scene.”
“Shit, I wouldn’t even be here right now if my dad hadn’t made a big deal of it, being on the planning committee and all. He’s been so bat-shit crazy these past couple days I didn’t want to piss him off even more, or he might take away my car again.”
Travis stilled. “Your dad has been acting crazy? What’s going on?”
“Who knows? He gets so wrapped up in business sometimes it’s like we don’t exist. This week’s been bad. Something about some problems with a recent shipment being delayed.”
“What does your father do again?”
“Food purchasing and supply. Bauer Foods is a big supplier to groceries and restaurants in the state. You’ve probably seen the trucks around.”
Trucks. Shipments. Access to various modes of transportation for deliveries. Hell. He’d met the smooth son of a bitch. How had Peter Bauer pulled the wool over his eyes? Over everyone’s?
“Is your dad here tonight?”
“He was. But he said good-bye a couple minutes ago. Something about checking on the merchandise before delivery.”
So the guy could still be here, somewhere. “I need an address, Bryce. Where’s your dad’s office?”
While Bryce texted him an address, Travis called Meems, not wanting people to question his sanity if he stood there talking to himself. “Meems. Do a check on Peter Bauer, would ya? Need a list of any property he might own in the area. Say…up to an hour radius from here.”
“Already on it,” she said, typing. “And I’ve been checking the cameras. Peter Bauer is walking through the lobby now. Heading to the front door.”
Travis jumped up and walked swiftly through the ballroom, trying not to be too obvious. Then he sped up as he cleared the lobby.
“Holy… You’re not going to like this, Travis,” Meems said.
He was outside now, looking up and down the street.
“Meredith is with him.”
“What?” he nearly shouted.
“His limo was outside, and he got in a second ago. But when they reached the end of the drive to merge into traffic, Meredith waved them down. Climbed inside with him.”
“What direction?”
“Heading south.”
From his vantage point, he looked down the street in time to see a black limo turn right several blocks ahead and disappear from view.
His head was pounding. She hadn’t just put herself in harm’s way without a plan. “Tell me that she put the surveillance equipment back on. That you can track her.”
Silence. Then, “Sorry, Travis.”
Damn it.
She was gone, and he had no idea how the hell to find her. The weight on his chest felt like it might suffocate him.
He had to find her.