Faceless (Sinister Secrets Book 2), page 4
To do that, he’d have to locate her father.
Now there was a mystery.
He’d presented Agent Lakes with photographs of every Mitch or Mitchell Taylor in the Seattle area with no luck. He’d even expanded that search to statewide, but Lakes said none of the men looked anything like the guy he’d encountered on Agent Taylor’s doorstep.
Vehicle registration records didn’t turn up a red Porsche registered to a Mitch Taylor anywhere in the state.
His gut told him Mitch Taylor was one shady dude. Just like it told him that Kevyn Taylor wasn’t as innocent as she claimed to be.
In his thirty years with the bureau, his instincts had rarely steered him wrong.
They wouldn’t this time, either. He was sure of it.
All he had to do was find the evidence that would rid the FBI of a bad apple like Taylor.
He wouldn’t rest until he found it.
₪ ₪ ₪
The mirrored glass front of the Seattle Pacific Hearing and Speech Services office tossed Kevyn’s reflection back at her.
Ugh. That restless night sure hadn’t done her any favors.
Her face looked old and drawn and the bags under her eyes would put any raccoon to shame.
She needed a vacation. Away from OPR and absentee fathers and missing politicians’ sons.
Not happening. At least not for the foreseeable future.
Pulling open the door, she stepped inside and away from the visual reminder of how stressful life had become in the last twenty-four hours.
An Asian man with well-gelled hair looked up from behind the reception plexiglass as she entered, a pleasant smile lightening his face. He waited for her to approach before greeting her.
“Welcome to Seattle Pacific. With whom is your appointment?” Each word, carefully pronounced and enunciated, made her think this man, who couldn’t be any older than twenty-five, had learned English as a second language.
“Actually, I’d like to speak with your office manager.” She displayed her badge.
His thick-lashed eyes studied it for a second before returning to her. “That would be Lexi. Allow me to see if she is available. Excuse me.”
He pushed back from the desk and rose lithely, his movements fluid and graceful.
While she waited, she surveyed the reception area.
Two patients sat at opposite ends of the room. One flipped mindlessly through a magazine, whipping pages too quickly to really be taking anything in. The other scrolled through something on her phone.
The television mounted on the wall opposite the reception area was tuned to a national news program, the closed captioning scrolling across the bottom as the anchors discussed the latest political scandal.
She turned back to the reception desk in time to see the Asian man exit an office and approach.
“Lexi will be with you momentarily.” The man drifted back into his chair, although his attention never left her. “You are welcome to have a seat while you wait. It should not be longer than a few minutes.”
“Thank you.” She made no move to take a seat, though.
The receptionist might be a good source of information. What was the best way to engage him in conversation?
An insignia on his ring caught her attention. “What a great ring. Is that a family crest?”
His black eyebrows jumped. “You are observant. Yes, this is my family Kamon.”
“That’s rockin’.”
She listened as he explained some symbols, highlighting accomplishments by a few of his ancestors. When he finished, pride radiated from his smile.
“What a great legacy.” She dipped her head slightly. “You honor them by remembering.”
He puffed out his lean chest. “I will bring them greater honor with my training. I am attending UW to be a doctor. I want to return to Japan to help remote villages. My family immigrated here when I was a teen, but my heart longs for my homeland.”
“I’m sure you’ll do amazing things.” She made a show of looking around the office. “Are you studying speech or hearing? Or is this just a place to work while you get your degree?”
“I am studying infectious diseases.” He assessed the office around them as though seeing it for the first time. “This is a good job and gives me practical experience in the medical field, even if it is not my specialty.”
He glanced behind him at the still-closed office door. “I am sorry. I do not know what is taking so long.”
Kevyn shrugged as though she didn’t have two missing persons relying upon her and her team to find them. “It’s okay. Actually, maybe you can help me. Do you know Wes Andrews?”
“Of course. We are a large practice, but I know all our providers.”
The phone rang, interrupting the conversation.
Now that she’d gotten him talking, how did she want to proceed? Tell him about Andrews’ abduction? Or try to get information without revealing why she was asking?
After scheduling an appointment, he hung up the phone and returned his attention to her. “What did you need to know about Wes?”
He didn’t ask if Wes had done something wrong. Interesting. Often when she asked someone about a victim or suspect, one of the first questions was what that person had done or if the person was in trouble.
Could mean that Wes was a stand-up kind of guy. Or it could mean that this guy believed the best about people, including Wes.
Either way, the genuine question deserved an honest answer. “He was abducted late yesterday.”
She let the words settle without further explanation.
The man stared at her. Blinked.
“Abducted?” The question came out slowly, as if he were uncertain of the meaning of the word.
She got it. This guy had seen Wes yesterday, probably told him he’d see him tomorrow, and was now being told he might not ever see him again. Regardless of whether or not he liked Wes, the realization of how close something like this could hit was always harsh.
“Taken by two men.” She injected a heavy dose of sympathy into her voice. “I’m sorry. This must be such a shock.”
The man’s color had dimmed a shade, his skin taking on a slightly yellow hue. “He was here. Yesterday.”
She nodded. “What did everyone think when he didn’t show up today? Was that unusual?”
“Yes.” A heavy breath eked from him. “He is well respected here.”
Something about the way he said it made her pause. “Was he?”
Dark eyes turned on her. “By most.”
And there it was. “But not by you?”
“I chose to treat him with respect. It is our way. To do less would be dishonoring.”
“But it wasn’t reciprocated.”
“No.” The man glanced around as if to make sure no one was close enough to overhear him. “Wes treats people well if he believes it will benefit him. People like me, or the lady in billing, or the janitor…” He lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. “The physicians love him and he is good with our patients. Perhaps it is too much work to treat the rest of us with kindness.”
“It’s not hard to be kind.”
A single, curt nod responded to her statement. “Wes was not known for his kindness to those he deemed beneath him.”
Interesting.
Was Jason Boggess known as a nice guy? Or did he have a reputation for being self-absorbed, too?
She made a mental note to look into it.
Perhaps their kidnappers were targeting people who were dismissive or mean.
If that were true, it would give their victims one more thing in common without really linking them in any way.
It would also open the floodgates to a whole city full of potential victims.
The door behind him opened and a tall woman with military posture stepped out, her attention instantly locking on Kevyn.
A tight smiled curled her lips, but even from here Kevyn could see it was nothing more than a formality. No crinkling around the eyes, no relaxing of the lines on her forehead… this woman was anything but happy to see her.
“Lexi, this is…” the man faltered, a hint of pink creeping into his cheeks.
“Agent Taylor, FBI. Thank you for making time for me.”
The woman gave a taut nod and waved for Kevyn to follow her into the office. Kevyn stepped inside an office containing all the personality of sterilized surgical equipment. No pictures or personal touches of any kind, just a sea of gray, black and white.
The absence of personal items would make it hard to build any kind of rapport.
Her attention lit on a small flag perched in the corner, barely visible due to the massive credenza beside it. A military emblem identified it. The Marines.
The woman settled in a black executive chair and folded her hands on the desk. “How may I assist you, Agent Taylor?”
The tone, while not exactly icy, clearly indicated the woman’s displeasure at having her day interrupted.
Kevyn nodded at the flag. “Thank you for your service. Marines?”
It was chancy, making a leap like that. After all, the flag could have been left over from a previous office manager, or it could be from a family member who served.
“Twenty years.” Lexi’s eyes widened briefly. “Most people don’t even see that there.”
“Most people need to be more aware of their surroundings.” Kevyn smiled to soften the words, which some would perceive as harsh but she suspected would be well-received by this former military woman.
“Isn’t that the truth.” Lexi’s demeanor warmed from tundra to winter’s first snow.
Small improvement, but she’d take it. Kevyn relaxed back in her chair, folding her fingers in her lap in an attempt to mirror Lexi’s body language. “I know you’re busy and don’t want to take any more of your time than necessary, so I’ll get right down to it. Wes Andrews was abducted last night.”
“Really.” A slight narrowing of the eyes was the only indication the news came as a surprise. “And here I thought he’d flaked out on us this morning.”
Interesting. Lexi had assumed that Wes’ absence was flakiness? “Is he usually flaky?”
“Not generally.”
“And that didn’t make you concerned?”
Red crept up Lexi’s neck. “Well, it’s not like I thought something had happened to him. I figured he’d turn up when he was ready. In the meantime, we’ve been busy working his patients into the other providers’ schedules and moving the ones that we can.”
Lexi’s defensiveness wouldn’t serve her purposes.
Kevyn inflected sympathy into her tone. “Of course. It must be so inconvenient.”
Maybe almost as inconvenient as being abducted.
Lexi pulled in a long breath. “Yes, well. It’s part of running a business.”
“Did Wes have any interpersonal problems with anyone here? Or maybe a patient?”
“No. Everyone loved him.”
Clearly not everyone. At least not according to the man out front.
She wouldn’t vocalize that, though. “No patient complaints in the last few months?”
Lexi frowned slightly. “Well, there was that one, but I handled it.”
While Kevyn had serious doubts that a customer complaint had anything to do with Wes Andrews’ disappearance, she couldn’t afford to let it go. “What was that about?”
Eyes narrowing, Lexi harrumphed. “Mother who thought Wes wasn’t doing enough to help her son.”
“Was there any truth to her allegations?”
“No. The son is progressing on schedule.” Lexi’s jaw twitched. “You ask me, she’s mad because Wes didn’t respond to her flirtation. She’s a single mom and must think she’s a real catch.”
Hmm. A rejected woman? “Has this woman been coming here for long?”
“Her son has been our patient for a few months.” Lexi brushed her fingers across her desk as if wiping up dust. “Wes specializes in pediatrics. The son is about four and Wes has slowly been getting the son to speak clearly. From the first visit, the mother has been increasingly pushy with Wes, but Wes isn’t about to risk his job and professional reputation getting involved with a patient’s parent.”
“Has the woman continued to bring her son to see Wes?”
“No. We discharged him. Experience has taught me that this kind of thing will only get worse. We don’t need that kind of drama around here.”
Well, it seemed highly unlikely that the woman would be angry – or desperate – enough to kidnap Wes, much less Jason Boggess.
Still, she’d need to follow up on it. “I’ll need her name.”
Lexi pressed her lips together. “We take patient confidentiality quite seriously here. I can’t release any information without a court order.”
“I understand.” The response was not unexpected. She would have been more surprised if Lexi had willingly handed it over. “Nothing else stands out as being strange? No loiterers? Or weird phone calls?”
“No. Business has proceeded smoothly.”
“What are the chances I could see Wes’ schedule for the last week?” Kevyn already knew the answer to that question.
“Without a court order?” Lexi hiked an eyebrow and let the question hang.
Yeah, that’s what she’d thought. “I’ll get that subpoena.”
A solid nod responded. “Do that. Then we’ll gladly help your investigation.”
As she left, Kevyn couldn’t help feeling that not even the subpoena would help the investigation. Something told her this place was a dead end.
Four
Dak sighed and picked up the phone. Another call. Probably another waste of time.
His team had worked through all of the mayor’s staff already. Now they were wrapping up the volunteers who were assisting with the mayor’s reelection campaign this fall.
And there were a lot of volunteers.
The phone rang three times before being answered by a young-sounding guy with a thinly-veiled accent.
After identifying himself, Dak added, “I’m calling about Jason Boggess.”
“Man. That’s a bad deal, huh?”
Yeah. Bad deal. “Did you happen to speak to him the day he disappeared?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
Really? That was a different response than he’d gotten from pretty much every other volunteer. “Was that unusual?”
“Not for me. But he and I work well together and end up partnering on projects.”
“Walk me through that day. What’d you do?”
As the man launched into a sleep-inducing discourse of the day, Dak jotted down a few high points.
A public speaking engagement. They’d already looked into that of course, but another look might reveal a new lead.
A few feel-good appearances that would earn the mayor points publicly.
A little time spent at the campaign office organizing and inspiring the volunteers.
Nothing too monumental.
“You know the bummer of this whole thing? Jason had a hot date that night. Was super stoked about it.”
A date? How was he just now hearing about this? “With whom?”
“Don’t know her name, man, but she’s a looker. And a nurse, too. Works for the blood bank. Jason gave blood all the time and had asked her out a few times, but she always turned him down. That day she said yes.”
Coincidence? Maybe, but it was worth looking into. “I’ll take whatever information you can give me.”
By the time he hung up, he had a pretty detailed description of the woman who he suspected was a phlebotomist, not a nurse.
The idea of a phlebotomist being part of a string of kidnappings made him want to laugh, but stranger things had happened.
Given that Jason Boggess had been abducted leaving the gym at six-thirty, he obviously never made that date, but maybe the woman would have some insight nonetheless.
He snagged his badge off the desk with one hand and his keys with the other. If he headed out now, he could probably catch her before lunch.
₪ ₪ ₪
His phone dinged.
Tio looked at the notification.
The latest deposit had hit. And it was a good one.
Three hundred thousand.
Taking that Boggess kid had been a risky move, but well worth it.
Now that one was done. Time to look for the next payday.
He pulled up the newest wish list and scanned through it.
Easy. Easy. Moderately easy. Several of these could be fulfilled from his latest shipment.
His gaze stopped partway down the page. Now that one would be a little more difficult. Which meant he could charge more.
He jotted down the specifics.
This one was definitely worth pursuing.
Several more made his list.
Now to send the updated list to his inside source. That particular recruitment was one of the best business decisions he’d ever made.
A knock sounded from the door. He looked up as Zane stepped inside.
“Anything?”
Zane gave his head a single shake. “But he knows I’m watching. Pull back the detail. See what he does.”
Tio leaned back in his chair and thought about the suggestion. They had electronic surveillance measures in place.
What was the worst that could happen?
Mitch could go to the FBI before they could stop him. That’s what could happen.
But doing so would implicate Mitch in their other illegal activities. Would Mitch really risk his freedom?
One thing he could count on was Mitch watching out for himself.
Maybe Mitch thought he could cut some kind of deal and get off scot-free.
Zane didn’t move. Nor did he say anything. The man’s stillness was uncanny, always had been.
He couldn’t keep doing this. It was spreading his security team too thin. He needed them to focus on other things, not his supposed business partner.
Determining Mitch’s loyalty was now one of his top priorities.
“Pull back. Not too far, but far enough for Mitch to let his guard down.”
Zane stared at him for a moment, saying nothing.
But clearly had something on his mind. “What?”
