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“You notice everything,” Chloe muttered under her breath.
His partner was right, he noticed everything, even the smallest of details. It was definitely an asset in his job as an FBI agent, although he wasn't as good at using the skill in his personal life. He’d missed major signals when he and Hannah had been married the first time, and it had led to them getting divorced. He was just lucky he had been given a second chance, and this time, he wasn't going to blow it. Now he had even more to lose. He and Hannah had a two-year-old daughter Noelle, and Hannah was four months pregnant with their second child. His family was his life, and he would never again let anything ruin his relationships with the people that were the most precious tohim.
“Okay, you’re right, I think this is the same café, but I don’t see her. Anywhere,” Chloe said, looking up and down the busy street.
“I don’t either, but she might not have been gone long. Let’s go in, take the photo, see if any of the staff recognize her. If we’re lucky, she might be a regular, they might even know her name, and if we’re really lucky, her car.” Last time the stalker had followed his victims to their car and then struck in the relative safety of the parking garage. This was a different strip mall, but there was a parking garage down one end. If they were lucky, he would follow the same MO as last time.
They both climbed out of the car into the snowy morning. It was freezing, and Tom pulled his coat tighter around him while Chloe wrapped a scarf around her neck and shoved her hands into a pair of mittens. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes when he saw that they had a Christmas scene embroidered on the backs of them. Chloe and her crazy Christmas clothes, usually she didn't wear them to work, but they were only three days away from Christmas, and she probably hadn't been able to resist.
It was a relief to step in out of the swirling snowflakes and wind and into the warmth and quiet of the café. It was busy, there was only one empty table, the one where the woman they were looking for had been sitting. Hopefully, that was a good thing and it meant that she had only just left.
“Excuse me,” Tom said as he approached the counter. “I’m Special Agent Drake, and this is my partner, Special Agent Patrick. We’re looking for this woman. Have you seen her?” He held out the photo so she could see it clearly.
“Did she do something wrong?” the young woman who looked no older than late teens asked, barely glancing at the photo.
He didn't have time to explain the entire situation, so he held the picture closer and said, “No, we believe she might be indanger. Have you seen her?”
The woman took the photo and gave it one quick look before she nodded. “I know her, she comes in all the time, pretty much every day.”
Tom exchanged a quick glance with his partner, that was exactly what they wanted to hear. When Michael had called them to tell them about the message, they’d had copies of the picture made and sent to dozens of patrol cars that were sent to comb all the shopping malls in the area.
“Do you happen to know her name?” Chloe asked.
“I don’t,” the woman shook her head but then pointed to one of her colleagues, “but I think Missy might. Hey, Miss,” she called to a slightly older woman who looked in her mid-twenties.
“Yeah?” The woman set a tray full of dirty cups down on the counter and came to join them.
“What’s her name?” the girl asked as she passed the picture over. “She comes in all the time, and I’ve seen you talk to her.”
“Her name is Maeve. Maeve Franklin. Who are you?” Missy asked them.
“Special Agent Drake and Special Agent Patrick,” Tom replied.
“Like FBI Agents?” When they nodded, Missy asked, “Is Maeve in some sort of trouble?”
“We think that she might be in danger. She was in here earlier. Do you remember when she left?” Chloe asked.
Missy glanced at the clock on the wall. “Maybe, ten minutes ago.”
“Do you remember anyone watching her? Anyone who left when she did? Anyone hanging around outside the café who seemed out of place?” Tom asked.
Both young women exchanged glances. “I didn't notice anything,” the first woman said.
“Me either. As you can see, we’re pretty busy, just keepingup with the orders is hard enough let alone paying attention to anything else,” Missy added.
It was a long shot, but he had to ask. “You wouldn’t happen to know what kind of car she drives, would you? Or where she might have parked it?”
“Actually, I do.” The teenager nodded, her brown eyes sparkling with excitement. “Just a couple of days ago she left her phone behind on the table. I looked out the window and saw her getting into a car parked just across the street. I ran her phone out to her. She drives an SUV, it’s green, bright green, it has a logo of the florist she works for on the side.”
“Does she usually park in the street or in the parking garage down the end of the strip mall?” Chloe asked.
“The street,” Missy said. “I often see the SUV out there. I didn't know it was Maeve’s, but I see it all the time.”
That was even better than he could ever have asked for.
“Thank you,” Tom said, already turning to head back outside. They only had ten minutes left to find Maeve Franklin alive before the stalker followed through on his threat to kill her.
“We need to put out an APB on a green SUV with a florist logo on the side,” Chloe said as they hurried back to the car.
