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Chapter 25
Nico stood close while Julia talked to Detective Gorowski, listening to both sides of the conversation.
“Yes,” Julia said. “She said she’d be at the restaurant at ten-thirty, but she never showed up. She was picking up her daughter at eleven, but she never showed there, either. I’m worried about her.”
“Her paperwork went through, so I know she was released,” Gorowski said. “I’ll check her apartment. I left the new key with her doorman, but I kept a copy, just in case. I’ll call you afterward.”
“Thanks, Detective.”
“Do you have the address where her daughter is staying?” Gorowski asked.
“Yes.” Julia opened her Maps app and recited the address.
“Thanks, Ms. Stewart. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Julia’s fingers whitened around her phone, then she ended the call. Clutched it in her hand as she stared at the screen. Finally, she looked at Nico. “What do you think she’ll find at Carole’s place?”
“Nothing,” Nico said, his voice flat. “If Dawson is behind her disappearance, he wouldn’t do anything in her apartment. He’s too smart for that. It will look exactly as it did when Harper left it.”
“So what do we do?” she asked, edging closer to him.
She moved so close that her hair brushed his arm. Close enough that her breath tickled his chest. He wanted to wrap his arms around Julia. Reassure her. Tell her that Carole had probably fallen asleep, exhausted after her stay in jail. Or that she’d resorted to liquid courage so she could face Julia, drank too much and passed out.
But he didn’t believe either of those scenarios, and he wouldn’t lie to Julia. She’d said Carole was devoted to her daughter. She might blow Julia off, but she would have retrieved Harper.
Julia paced the kitchen, her fingers twisted in the hem of her sleep shirt. Finally she slowed and looked at Nico. “If Dawson’s the one behind all this, do you think he hurt Carole?” Julia swallowed. “Killed her?”
Nico held her gaze, letting her see the truth there. “I don’t think we can rule either of those out,” he finally said. His lips thinned. “We know she was dating Dawson, because Flynn watched her go in and out of his house. Dawson has the technical skills to load the spyware onto your computers. If Dawson put Carole up to stealing from you, she’s a liability. She can identify him as the person behind the scheme. We should find out who paid her bail.”
“Will the police release that information?”
“They might. That’s relevant information for your bodyguard. A request from Blackhawk Security could pry it out of them.” He pulled out his phone and tapped out a quick text to Mel, asking her to contact Detective Gorowski for that information.
“What now?” Julia asked after he slid his phone into his pocket.
“We wait,” Nico said, sorry he couldn’t give her a more satisfying answer. “See if Carole shows up or contacts you again.”
“And if she doesn’t?” Julia curled her arms around herself.
“We let Gorowski handle it.” Nico wrapped his hands around her shoulders and tugged her close. Held her against him. She stood stiffly for a moment, gradually relaxing into him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and clung.
“Why did Carole come back to Madeline’s after I fired her?” Julia whispered into his neck. “If she’d just stayed away, she wouldn’t have been in jail. She could have taken Harper and disappeared.”
“Being in jail might have kept her safe these last few days,” Nico said, tightening his arms around her when she flinched. “No one could get to her. But if Dawson paid her bail, he was probably waiting for her when she walked out of lockup.”
“At the police station?” She shivered against him.
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Nico said, holding her more tightly. “If he’s responsible for all your incidents, the bastard’s getting desperate.”
Julia eased away from him. Scrubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands. “I didn’t want her to die,” she said. “Yeah, I was pissed off that she stole from me. I didn’t want her working here. Didn’t want anything else to do with her. But I never imagined she’d be in danger.”
“Maybe she’s not,” Nico said, wishing he could reassure her. But if Dawson was behind the scheme, and had gotten his hands on Carole, it wouldn’t have ended well for her. “Carole’s a smart woman. She got away with stealing from you for a long time. Maybe she’s in hiding somewhere.”
Julia shook her head slowly. “Not without Harper. She wouldn’t have gone anywhere without her daughter.”
“Maybe she thought Harper was safer at her friend’s house,” Nico said. “Dawson would have no idea where to look for her.”
“I’m going to call Kendall’s mother,” Julia said, pacing the kitchen. “Harper gave me her phone number. I’ll ask her not to let Harper go anywhere after school. Ask her to drive the girls to and from school. Impress upon both Harper and Kendall that Harper could be in danger.”
