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“A friend of Michelle Fraser’s. May I ask your name?”
“Idoya Jones. I handle the books and know all the women here.”
So not exactly a manager but an employee with some clout. “Including Michelle?”
Idoya dropped her arms back to her side and went to sit behind the massive desk. “Why do you think Michelle is in danger?”
“We’ve found her abandoned car. How long was she living here?”
“She was here about a year.”
“Were there any altercations with her husband while she was here?”
“Michelle seldom left the premises at first. She was very afraid of her estranged husband and didn’t want to be seen. As she gained confidence, she became an employee and was employedto assist me in bookkeeping. She finished up her college degree while she was here. Once she had that piece of paper, it seemed to give her courage. She decided she could handle Brandon and decided to work on a journalistic piece. Did you find her car in the forest? You said you’re a ranger.”
Annie nodded. “Yes, in the Ottawa National Forest, specifically the Kitchigami Wilderness Tract. The funny thing is, we tracked her to a condo. When we checked it out, it appeared Michelle had never lived there. She’d moved in furniture and had left her car in the parking garage, but she never stayed there. Did she ever mention the condo to you?”
Idoya steepled her fingers together and stared up at Annie for a long moment. “Michelle helped others find new lives. The condo served as a fake address for the women we helped. We used her name on other addresses as well.”
“Did the shelter pay for it or did Michelle?”
“We deposited the funds, and the rent came out of her account.”
That information opened a new avenue of possible danger. “Were all the women fleeing abuse?”
“Of course. That’s what we’re all about.”
“So a disgruntled spouse might have targeted her?”
The older woman inhaled and sat back. “It’s possible. Before she ever started working for us, I warned her it could be dangerous. While she was terrified of Brandon, the other men didn’t faze her. She backed down more than one husband who showed up here demanding to see his wife.”
“Did you know she was leaving before she disappeared?”
“She wanted to be a wildlife journalist. That piece I mentioned she wanted to work on was forNational Geographic.”
“Do you know what it was about?”
Idoya nodded. “She was crazy about mountain lions. She planned to find proof of a habitat up here, then try to tag one and follow it.”
Annie’s pulse blipped. The logical first step would be to plant wildlife cameras. One of those might show evidence of what happened to Michelle. “Any idea where she planned to go in the forest?”
“She planned to stay close, so hearing her car was in the Kitchigami Wilderness Preserve isn’t a surprise. If it were me, I’d start near where her car was found.”
The only problem with that idea was that Annie suspected Michelle didn’t leave the car there. She hadn’t been driving it, and it was last seen in the garage at the condo complex. Why would Michelle suddenly start driving her long-abandoned car?
She handed the older woman her card. “Please call me if you think of anything else. If you could take a look at the irate husbands she dealt with, I’d appreciate it.”
“If you find her, have her call me. She left some of her belongings, and I’d like to know what to do with them.”
“Will do. Do you know who Michelle contacted at the magazine?”
“I don’t think so. Oh wait, she sent the initial query from the office computer. Let me see if it will automatically log her on and show that email.”
“You have access to all her email?”
Idoya nodded. “There were no secrets between us, and she didn’t have many messages. She didn’t use her real name on her email account. Hang on.” She jiggled the mouse and the iMac sprang to life. “Here it is.” She grabbed a sticky note and jotteddown the name and contact information. “The woman said she’d like to see what Michelle came up with. You could check and see when she was last in contact with Michelle.”
Annie glanced at the note. “Thank you. I appreciate your help.”
