Page 14 of Liberating Mia
“Good evening, sir. How may I assist you?”
So consumed by his thoughts, Finn hadn’t even noticed the couple ahead of him leaving.
“Hi. I’m trying to track down a guest in the hotel. She was confirmed to be here a few days ago. I was given a room number, no name. But we haven’t had confirmation of her whereabouts since then”
“I’m sorry, sir. We’re not allowed to divulge such information, I’m afraid. It’s company policy.”
Thinking quickly, he pulled his credentials out, placing it on the counter. “Sorry, I should probably have led with this. The lady in question could possibly be vital to our investigation. Any assistance you can offer would be greatly appreciated.”
The receptionist studied the badge intently before she said, “Excuse me a moment. I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later, she returned with an older gentleman. “Good evening, sir. Lidia tells me you’re in need of assistance. My name is Charles, and I’m the hotel manager. Would you like to come through to my office?”
Damn it. Who would have thought trying to find this woman would be so much hassle?
Tucking his badge back in his pocket, Finn came around the counter and followed the man down a short passage and into a small office. “Please, take a seat. Now, how can I help?”
Once again producing his badge, he said, “I have reason to believe you have a guest staying in the hotel that might be of interest in an investigation, and I’d really like to talk to her.”
“I see. And are you able to tell me anything about this investigation, sir?”
“All I can say is that I’m part of an international task force investigating the disappearance of women and young girls, and I really need to find this woman. More than that, I can’t divulge.”
“Let me make a quick call, and we’ll see what we can do.” The manager left the room.
What the hell am I doing? All this crap for a woman? Wouldn’t the guys have a good laugh at my expense if they could see me now.
Finn’s phone beeped an incoming message. As he slid the phone back into his pocket after hastily scanning the contents, the manager returned with the young woman from the reception desk. “Lidia here has some information you might find of interest, Mr.–?”
Getting to his feet, he replied, “Finn. Special Agent Kaden Finn, Washington office of the FBI.”
“Go ahead, Lidia. Tell Agent Finn what you told me.”
“Yes, sir.” Turning to Finn, she said, “I remember the lady in question. That was during my nightshift rotation. She booked out in the early hours of the morning. But the reason I remember her is because she seemed frightened.”
“You say she booked out?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You remember what time approximately?”
“Sometime past two – the exact time will be on the system where I processed her check-out.”
“What made you think she was frightened?” Finn’s gut twisted. He’d known something wasn’t right with her.
“Doing this job, you learn to read people. She was pale, except for what appeared to be a hand mark on her cheek. Her hand shook when she signed the paperwork. Her movements were jerky, and she kept looking over her shoulder at the two gentlemen standing off to the side, waiting for her. As if she were scared of them. But then she left with them.”
Fuck. Serves me right for thinking with my dick. I should have left well enough alone. There’s no time to go off on a wild goose chase over a woman I don’t know when I’ve already got enough on my plate.
But he was in it now, so he’d have to make it look good.
“Can you describe either of the men?”
“One man was tall – I’d say around six-foot-five or so. Big. All round, like he does body building or weightlifting. Close-cropped blond hair. I couldn’t see the color of his eyes though. The other man …” She shuddered. “He was just plain creepy. Good looking, but gave a seriously off kind of vibe, you know? Like you wouldn’t be surprised to hear he’s a serial killer or something.”
Alarm bells had begun ringing, loudly, in Finn’s head. “The good-looking guy, can you give me more detail? Dark hair, light? Tall, short?”
“Oh, yes. Of course. Sorry, I got caught up in the sinister vibes he gave me. Well, he had dark hair. I don’t think it was quite black, and he had that whole salt-and-pepper look going on. He was about average height, five-nine, five-ten, I’d say. But it was his eyes that unsettled me. He had these weird, icy-blue eyes that seemed to look right through you.” Another shiver wracked her frame. “And he appeared impatient, like Ms. Smith and I were taking too long to complete her check out.”
