Half an hour later, he was sitting in Nate’s office at Ugly Trout. Logan had called a couple minutes ago and said that they’d struck out at Craig’s house. Kyle’s jaw ached from clenching his teeth. The only thing keeping panic in check was a lifetime of repressing his emotions.
Before him on the desk was Craig’s personnel file. He typed the guy’s address into his phone, and then scanned through the paperwork for an emergency contact. Craig had listed his mother in California. Kyle dialed the number, unsure what he planned to say.
Hello, Mrs. Jameson. Do you happen to know where your son might have taken the woman I love?
When a woman answered, Kyle began the conversation with more tact. “Mrs. Jameson, my name is Kyle Tailor. I work with Nate Tucker at Ugly Trout Records where your son is employed and I was wondering if you’ve heard from Craig lately.”
“Not since last week. Is something wrong? Has he been hurt?”
Not yet.
“Nothing like that. He isn’t at work today and we had some questions for him. He’s not answering his cell phone. He mentioned spending some time with a friend. Any idea where they might have gone.”
“I don’t know how I can help you. I haven’t heard from him. Have you tried him at home?”
“Yes, it doesn’t appear as if he’s been there for a couple days. I believe he was in LA to see a concert last night and he was supposed to come back to Las Vegas sometime today.” Kyle left out the part where he’d been caught on the gas station security footage in Barstow. “What I’m wondering is if he hasn’t been home, maybe you know someplace else he might have gone.”
“I can’t imagine. Sometimes he likes to gamble at the casinos. Not that he’s a big gambler or anything. Maybe that’s where he is and he’s turned off his cell phone.”
“I guess if that’s what he’s done, then we’re out of luck. Would you happen to know a favorite hotel he likes to gamble at?” It was a long shot, but it was possible that Craig had taken Melody to a hotel.
“No. I’m sorry. Oh, wait. My ex-husband’s sister has a vacation home in Vegas. Craig looks after the place when they aren’t using it. Waters the plants, makes sure the air-conditioning is working, that sort of thing.”
“Would you happen to have the address?”
“No. I’m not on good terms with my ex’s family. But I can’t imagine Craig being there. Why would he when he has a perfectly nice home of his own?”
Why indeed. An empty house would be the perfect place to stash the woman you kidnapped.
“Maybe I can look up her address. What is her name?”
“Minerva Brooks. But I’m pretty sure she’s not listed.”
“I guess it never hurts to check.” And Kyle had access to the sort of people who knew how to get information. “Thank you for your help.”
As soon as Kyle hung up with Craig’s mother, he called Logan. “I have the name of Craig’s aunt. Minerva Brooks. She has a house in Las Vegas that he has access to.”
Kyle heard the keys click while Logan input the name on his computer. “That’s interesting. She has a house in the same gated community that Trent lives in.”
Understanding lanced through Kyle. The mysterious gifts. The nanny cam with the short range. Melody had thought she was safe in the gated community, but her stalker had full access. Kyle cursed.
“That has to be where he has her.”
“You sit tight.” Logan’s deep voice was edged with warning. “I’ll send my guys over there.”
“Sure.”
But this time, Kyle didn’t have to sit back and wait for Logan’s men to make their move. He had a location, maybe not an exact address. The neighborhood wasn’t all that extensive. How hard was it going to be to spot a couple black SUVs and a security team?
Fourteen
Like a caged tiger, Melody paced the bedroom Craig had locked her in. The afternoon had faded into evening, taking daylight with it. She stared out the window at the surrounding homes, so near and yet, thanks to the large lot sizes in the gated community, so far. As the western horizon had gone dark and lights began to appear behind the curtains of the nearby houses, she’d barely resisted the urge to throw open the window and start screaming for help.
She’d been afraid to draw Craig’s attention. From the look of the padlock he’d affixed to her door, he had no intention of letting her escape. But he hadn’t thought of everything. The bedroom was on the second floor and the drop to the ground was daunting, but she’d already decided she was less afraid of the height than staying in this house much longer.
But she had to wait. She didn’t dare risk trying to escape while he was still in the house. He’d already demonstrated his willingness to punish her once. She was scared how far he’d take things if she tried and failed to escape a second time.
Her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten anything since they’d stopped in Barstow, over fifteen hours earlier. He’d said there was no food in the house so he had to go shopping at some point. He claimed he wanted to take care of her, so he wasn’t going to let her starve. The problem with where the bedroom was situated in the house was that she couldn’t see the driveway and determine if his car was still parked there. She’d spent some time with her ear pressed to the door, but couldn’t hear anything.