Page 5 of Preying Game

Jonah nodded.

“You also have to strengthen your connection with her and get clues to her location.” Frank paused. “Perhaps you can even go there—in your mind.”

Jonah blinked. “How would I do that?”

“Grant did it with Jenny Seaver when she was taken captive. As you know, he was eventually able to project himself into the room where she was being held.”

“But he’d already established a relationship with her.” In fact, the two of them were now married.

“Then your job will be harder. But you’re not working blind. You know what Grant did is possible.” Frank looked thoughtful. “I’ll assign you to guard duty at the medical facility. Grant’s working there, and you’ll be able to get his advice.”

Jonah nodded. “I guess I should do a little research before I talk to him.”

“Yes”

Jonah left, glad that he had two attack approaches—talking to Grant and looking for evidence of Alice’s abduction.

He left the office feeling more positive. As he combed through computer databases, it took a couple of hours for the hopeful feeling to evaporate. He could find no reports of a woman named Alice Davenport disappearing in Western Maryland—or anywhere else.

Well, actually, there was something he found in a decades-old newspaper article. But that was the only reference that came close. Plus he found no one named Alice Davenport who had recently been living in Maryland.

With a sigh, he pushed away from the computer and called Grant Bradley.

“Jonah,” the other Decorah agent answered. “Frank said you might want to talk to me.”

“Is this a good time?”

“Yes, I’m about to go to lunch. We could discuss the case while we eat. How about that Mexican place on Route 1?”

“Sure.”

“Twenty minutes?”

“That works.”

The two men arrived at the same time and asked for a quiet booth in the back. After ordering, Grant gave him a speculative look.

“What’s up?”

“Frank didn’t tell you anything about the situation?”

“No. I guess he wanted me to hear it all from you.”

Jonah nodded, then filled Grant in on what had happened with Alice Davenport. He finished with, “But I can’t find any record of a woman by that name disappearing.”

Their food came, and both men turned to their meal.

Jonah swallowed a bite of fish taco before asking, “Do you think she contacted me to yank my chain?”

“Did she sound like she was in trouble?”

“Yes. But why doesn’t anyone besides me know what happened to her?”

Grant used the side of his fork to cut off a piece of burrito. “Suppose she’s like Jen? I mean afraid to give you her real name because that will lead to consequences she doesn’t want.”

“I guess that could be true,” Jonah admitted.

“The abduction could even have happened in another state, and she pulled Western Maryland out of the air.”

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