Page 79 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
And judging by the way Anderson was studying her, the agent shared Rowan’s reservations.
“No, ma’am,” Anderson said coolly. “Not as an adult. But we did get a school photo.”
Rowan popped the photo onto the movie screen, and a little girl with reddish brown hair and a toothless smile stared back at them. She looked to be around six, with freckles dusting her chubby cheeks and nose.
Taylor sneered at the photo as her cell went off. “She’s not very cute,” she said as she checked her messages. “Ben, we’ve got the Fire Marshal meeting in five. They’re buzzing to confirm you’ll be there.”
“Damn.” Ben pushed to his feet. “Let’s go.”
Ben and Taylor left in a hurry. The Fire Marshal meeting wasn’t going to bring good news. They had been willing to cover for them once, but the charade couldn’t last forever. Ben was already planning to return to the office, even if it put him at risk, but he refused to bring back the staff. With so many Fairweather employees working remotely and Thanksgiving looming, they could use the holidays as an excuse to push a full staff recall until the New Year.
But there was no guarantee Sinclair would be captured by then.
Samuel would likely never return, not with Zanmi still being active. Rowan would even go so far as to say his friend would leave his job altogether if necessary. Taking things to the extreme was the Fairweather way, and Samuel wasn’t playing any games with his family.
“Carter will be here in the next day or so?” Liam asked Agent Anderson, who nodded in confirmation. “If the plan to return to the Fairweather offices is solid, I’d like him placed with Samuel so I can bring Holden here.”
“Yeah, no one’s better at logistics than Holden,” Izzy agreed, sitting across the table in front of her own laptop. “But can Carter handle Samuel and his…um... personality?”
“You mean his shitty attitude?” Abe’s lips twisted so he wouldn’t smile. “It’s okay. You can say it.”
“Carter can handle him,” Liam replied. “That’s why I had you swing me by their place this morning. I walked Samuel through the changeover.”
“Then I’m glad I stayed behind,” Jamison said, settling into a chair beside Annabeth. “That must’ve been fun.”
Combing through the remaining information from his scan on Brandy Carroll and the fresh details Anderson and his team provided, Rowan tried not to wince. He’d already received a text from Samuel wanting a breakdown of Carter Anderson’s credentials. Samuel trusted Liam completely, but he was the type of man who needed to see everything for himself.
“It was not,” Liam assured her. “Got anything else for us on Carroll?”
“Not yet,” Anderson said. “We’re raiding every known residence, every family member’s known residence, and we’re already getting answers.”
Rowan shifted Brandy Carroll’s picture off-screen and brought up Parker Monroe’s driver’s license photo. With dark blonde hair, blue eyes, and a chiseled jaw, Parker looked like one of those frat boys Rowan hated in college. Women could always spot them a mile away and were careful never to leave their drinks unattended when those assholes were nearby.
“Mother is Abigail. Father is John. Mom is a housewife, while Dad owns a construction company down in Dania Beach.”
“Dania Beach?” Annabeth squinted at the map presented. “Oh, I see. Fort Lauderdale.”
“Parker started at NSU, then transferred to the University of Miami,” Anderson added. “Same time CeCe was there.”
“Oh, CeCe,” Simone whispered. “What did you do, baby?”
Ben had left the door open when he departed, and his snappish orders carried in from across the hall. He didn’t like what the Fire Marshal was telling him, and the conversation lulled as they listened to the head of Fairweather Holdings express his displeasure. Loudly.
Simone rose from her seat with a weary sigh. “I’m going to lie down. Y’all can fill me in later.”
“Have you eaten today?” Abe grabbed his mother’s arm when she passed him. “And coffee doesn’t count.”
“Not yet.”
“Let me cook you something.” Abe rolled behind her. “I make a killer omelet.”
Simone didn’t reply, and the two of them left the room with Annabeth shaking her head. “He’s taking this cooking thing to the next level,” she whispered. “I think I should go supervise.”
Rowan nodded absently as she hurried out, trying to listen while Liam and Will continued to run down the specs on Parker. He’d already reviewed the information, but the two of them interpreting the details would be where they discovered what the rest of them couldn’t see.
“Rowan, can you print the file on Parker with your notes?” Bernie asked him quietly so as not to interrupt. “I want to see everything in hard copy.”
“Sure thing.” He sent the information she wanted to the printer and handed it to her, trying to keep his attention on the conversation happening at the board.
