THIRTY-FOUR
Isabel had vanished.
Michael searched the building looking for her, then went outside and circled the area, thinking she might have wanted to stretch her legs and get some fresh air. No, he knew she wouldn’t have done that. Still, he had to look.
They had made a pact. She had promised him that she wouldn’t go anywhere without him. She gave him her word, and she wouldn’t break it. So, what happened to her?
He was not going to panic. He had to stay calm and clearheaded so he could find her. She hadn’t been gone long. He had seen her just a few minutes ago. She was in the lobby talking to Nessie. And now? Gone?
Someone had taken her. It was the only possible explanation.
Michael wouldn’t allow himself to think she might be hurt. He had never been this scared before. If anything happened to her, if he lost her forever...
When he walked back into the office, Gladstone was on the phone trying to find Nessie. He thought she might know where Isabel was. He tried her cell phone first, but it immediately went to voicemail. He called her home phone next. Her husband, William, told him that Nessie had planned to stop at the local bakery to pick up some sweet cakes. Gladstone caught her there just as she was leaving.
Nessie was rattled. “Did something happen? Did I forget to do something? Do you need me to come back in? What’s wrong?”
When Gladstone could get a word in, he said, “We can’t find Isabel.”
“What? What did you do with her?”
“No, no, we can’t find her,” he repeated. “We hoped she might be with you.”
“No,” Nessie answered. She sounded calmer now. “Isabel helped me carry some boxes to my car, and she stood outside the door as I drove off. I waved to her.” She added the insignificant fact before continuing. “I did notice a car parked on the side of the building when I made a U-turn to get out of the lot. I don’t know who the car belonged to.”
“What kind of car was it?”
“A sedan, a dark blue sedan. I don’t know the make.”
Michael had already called Isabel’s cell phone. No answer, but it didn’t immediately go to voicemail. He called Inspector Sinclair next for help. The second he answered, Michael asked, “Did you arrest Graeme Gibson? Do you have him in custody?”
Sinclair could hear the urgency in Michael’s voice and knew something was wrong. “No,” he answered. “I’ve got officers out looking for him. One of his neighbors said she saw him throw a bag in his SUV and take off. She said he was in quite a hurry. I think he must have heard we were coming for him.”
Graeme Gibson was Clive Harcus’s partner in crime. Michael remembered what Gibson had shouted at Isabel: “I’m going to make sure you can’t cause trouble.”
“Isabel is missing,” Michael said. “I think Gibson has her.”
Saying the words out loud sent a chill down his back. The hatred Michael had seen in the man’s eyes should have been warning enough that he would do something.
Where would he take her? It would have to be someplace private where no one would see or hear. The Highlands were perfect for him, with the mountains and the rugged, unexplored terrain. There were a hundred places he could hide her and not be seen.
Sinclair pulled him back from his dark thoughts. “Meet me at the Rosemore Police Station. We’ll hear calls coming in. I’m going to put a bulletin out on Isabel right now. And Michael...”
“Yes?”
“We’re going to find her.”