She pushed her door open. Emmet reached into the back for her crutches, and she hauled herself to her feet as he jogged around the car and closed the door for her.
They approached Owen and Adam on the sidewalk, and Emmet could tell from the tone of Reese’s voice that something was very wrong.
“Ma’am, are you sure she didn’t have someone waiting for her?” Owen was asking.
“I don’t know.” Reese sounded stressed. “She told me she was running errands. I figured she was alone.”
Nicole crutched over. “Hi, Reese. How’s it going?”
She turned around and seemed confused to see two more cops approaching her.
“Sounds like Cassandra stopped by to retrieve some things from her locker,” Owen said. “But now she’s not here, and her car’s parked in back.”
“Her car is here, but she isn’t?” Nicole asked, clearly alarmed.
“Apparently.”
Emmet turned to Reese. “What was she getting from her locker?”
“I’m not sure.” Reese shook her head. “She said something about doing laundry?”
“Did you actually see her open the locker?”
“No.”
“And she was alone when you saw her here?” Nicole asked.
“Yes.” She darted a panicked look at Owen. “And now she’s gone, but she left her car. I don’t understand. What is this about?”
Emmet ignored her question. “Ma’am, do you know whether there are any security cameras on the premises?”
Her eyes widened and she shook her head.
“No, you don’t know, or no, there aren’t any—”
“I have no idea,” she said. “You’d have to ask Paula. She and Danielle are the owners.”
“How do we reach Paula?” Owen asked.
Reese took out her phone, and Emmet motioned for Nicole to step aside for a private conversation.
“We need to call Brady,” Emmet said.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
He nodded.
Nicole turned to Reese, who was scrolling through her contacts for Owen. “Do you know which locker is Cassandra’s?”
Reese glanced up. “I’m not sure of the number. But it’s the top one on the end, all the way down on the left.
Emmet and Nicole moved for the front door of the studio. It was unlocked, but all the classrooms were dark. The only lights on were in the locker room and the main hallway. Emmet stepped into the locker room, checked the ones on the end, and quickly stepped out again.
“Locked, I assume?” she asked.
“Yep.”
He strode down the hallway, and the clack of Nicole’s crutches echoed through the long corridor.