Page 15 of Liberating Mia
“Ms. Smith? Was that the name she registered with?” Finn asked, not letting on to the inner turmoil he was experiencing in that moment.
“Yes, sir. Carol Smith, if I remember correctly. She said she needed to leave because her mother had taken ill. Oh, and when they left? He grabbed her arm so tight I’m sure she’ll have bruises on her arm from it.” She was silent for a moment before she said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if the mark on her cheek wasn’t from him too. He came across as that kind of man.”
Fear for the mystery woman’s safety now real and no longer pretend, Finn asked Charles, “Is that area of the reception under surveillance?”
“It is, yes. The entire reception area is visible to the security cameras.”
“Would it be possible to view the footage, to confirm that it is, indeed, our suspect and possible victim?”
“Of course. I’ll organize it with our head of security. You’re welcome to wait in reception, and he can collect you from there?”
“Thank you both very much. You’ve been most helpful.” Pulling a business card out of his pocket, he scribbled his cell number on it. “If you can think of anything else, please give me a call. And Lidia? The man you described sounds like one of my main suspects, and if it’s him, you were right to be leery of him. He isnotthe kind of man you want to engage with.”
A sick feeling weighing like a lump of lead in his gut, Finn followed Lidia back to reception to await the head of security.
Chapter Eleven
“Boss, we have a situation.”
“Talk to me.”
“A bit of a long story, but the short version is another woman appears to have fallen prey to Hunt. She was grabbed from our hotel.”
Finn heard rustling. “Where are you?”
“In the security offices at the hotel, sir.”
“Message how to get there, and I’ll meet you in five.”
“Yes, sir.” The phone went dead in Finn’s ear.
“Deputy Director Keon will be here in five. I’d appreciate it if you could show him the footage you showed me.”
The head of security nodded. “No problem, Agent Finn.”
True to his word, Larry hurried into the security offices barely five minutes later.
Introductions were made, and they rewatched the footage, Finn scanning it for any clues he might have missed the first time. When they were done, Larry asked if a copy could be sent to him to screen at the team briefing the next day. With a promise to forward it immediately, they thanked the man and left.
Waiting for the elevator to return them to their rooms, Larry asked, “So how did you find out the girl was missing?”
Finn took a moment to formulate a response. His private life was exactly that, but his boss expected a reply. Clearing his throat, feeling and probably looking sheepish, he avoided Larry’s shrewd gaze. “We met in the bar one evening, here at the hotel, Boss.”
“Ah,” was the only response he got.
They stood silently until the elevator arrived and until it landed on the older man’s floor first. As he got out, he held a hand to prevent the door from closing. “I suggest you try and get a decent night’s sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day, and now we need to figure out how we’re going to get your young lady back too. See you at oh-eight-hundred.”
Removing his hand, the door began to close.
“She isn’t my young lady, sir,” Finn replied.
All Finn heard was a deep chuckle as the doors sealed and he continued to his own floor.
When his room door shut behind him, the restlessness he’d been feeling lately returned. He hated the sense, like a weird kind of itch lurking beneath the skin, never going away. Maybe a good night’s rest would make him feel better.
But by the time his alarm went off the next morning, the good night’s rest hadn’t materialized. And the crappy night simply added to his overall feeling of being out of sorts with not just himself, but the rest of the world too.
Standing under the punishing cascade of steaming water, Finn groaned out loud at how good it felt hammering down on the tight muscles of his back. Feeling almost human again, he dried himself, got dressed, and head out for the breakfast meeting with Larry before they had to brief the team. Almost as soon as he walked in, he spotted his boss sitting at a corner table, his back to the wall.
