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“Cindy, directly opposite the master bedroom is a guest suite my sister uses as a dressing room and second closet,” Nick declared. “Most of the clothes will be in plastic from the cleaners, or even still in garment bags from the stores where she bought them. You should be able to find whatever you need. There’s a suitcase there as well. Pack enough for at least a week.”
“Are you sure your sister will be okay with this?” Bianca interjected. “I wouldn’t like someone borrowing my clothes without asking.”
“I called her hotel, but they told me she’s unreachable. She and her husband go off on overnight campouts in the middle of nowhere, but I’m not worried,” Nick said confidently. “She’s always asking if she can help me with a case. She’ll be thrilled when I tell her about this.”
“When she gets back, maybe you should bring her into the office for a day or two,” Cindy suggested, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “You know I need the help.”
“Sorry, that’s not going to happen. The first thing she’d want to do is redecorate.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” Cindy said with a grin, “but back to business. There’s food and supplies for about three days on the front seat of my car, and your equipment is in the trunk. I’ll make a start on the clothes. Bianca, come and find me when you’re ready for your makeover.”
“I can’t imagine what I’ll look like as a blonde,” Bianca said skeptically, “especially with short hair.”
“With your amazing bone structure you’ll look fabulous,” Cindy exclaimed. “Nick, I forgot to tell you, I managed to pick up a pair of brown contact lenses like you asked.”
“Great, can you wear contacts, Bianca?”
“Sure, I used them before I had Lasik surgery.”
“Okay, I’m off,” Cindy declared, and picking up her bag, she strode from the room.
Sitting back down, Nick picked up his coffee, took a sip, then leaned back in his chair.
“I’ll be leaving shortly, and you can join Cindy,” he began, “but I just had a thought. Is there somewhere or something uniquely special to you and your parents? It could be anything. A book, maybe a favorite food or restaurant? I can use a burner phone to send them a text. It might be a way to let them know you’re okay.”
“I’m not sure, I’ll think about it, but we don’t spend much time together. Mom is busy with all sorts of charities and her friends, and Dad, well, he’s running his empire,” she said with a sigh. “I just had a thought too. With this drastic change in my appearance, maybe we can figure out a way I can go home. I’m sure Dad would put a twenty-four-hour guard around me until he finds out who’s behind all this.”
“One step at a time. Remember, we’ll be listening to Matteus. We’ll probably learn a great deal very quickly, and information is crucial. We can decide what to do based on what we find out.”
“That makes sense,” she agreed as a frown crossed her forehead, “and Dad has so many people working for him, there’s no way to know if one of them is involved. He could put someone in charge of protecting me and I could end up the way you found me.”
“Great minds,” Nick remarked. “I was about to point that out, but Bianca, before I leave, is there anything else going on with your family or friends? Are you having arguments with anyone?”
“Oh, lord,” she said with a groan.
“You just thought of something?”
“No—yes—I can’t imagine it has anything to do with this.”
“Let me be the judge of that. What is it?”
“I’m in an endless debate with Dad about—do you really need to hear this?”
“Yes, I do.”
“It’s annoying and messy,” she declared angrily.
“Messes can spin out of control.”
“I don’t even know where to start.”
“Just tell me why you’re arguing.”
“He wants me to go out with one of his executives, Brian Mancini. Brian’s attractive enough—if you like that type—which I don’t,” she added vehemently, “but he’s so smarmy.”
“Ah, I see. Tell me about him.”
“He went to Harvard business school, comes from a great family, blah, blah, blah, but he’s boring and pompous. Even though I’ve made it clear over and over again the guy is not for me, Dad will not stop pushing.”
