Page 36 of The Agent
Shock ran through Natalie. Was it possible Dobs thought Regina had cheated on him and now she was pregnant with another man’s child? That could be why Dobs was so angry he’d threatened her with extreme violence. Regina had never said a word about her condition to Natalie. The young woman hadn’t been showing yet.
Or maybe Dobs was lying about the pregnancy in an effort to pry more information out of Natalie.
She reined in her spiraling thoughts. “I can understand why you would be concerned, but I don’t know what I can do for you. The police are the ones you should be talking to.”
“You’re right.” His tone was listless. “Please let me know if you hear anything from her.”
“Of course I will,” Natalie lied without a qualm. She slid a piece of paper and a pen toward him on the desk. “May I have your phone number?”
He pulled out his cell phone. “If you tell me yours, I’ll send you a text so you’ll have my number.”
His request sent a shudder through her. She didn’t give out her cell number to abusive men. “I’d prefer that you write yours down.”
Another spark of anger came and went in his eyes, but he scrawled a number on the paper.
Natalie stood. “Will you let me know when she returns so I won’t worry about her myself?”
“Ifshe returns.” He pushed himself up from the chair, his shoulders slumped.
He walked beside her to the reception desk with his gaze on the floor and his hands dangling at his sides as though he didn’t know what to do with them. When she pulled the front door open, he seized her free hand between both of his, his grip slightly clammy now. “If you think of anything else ...”
“I promise I’ll call you.” She pulled her hand away, forcing herself not to wipe it on her smock. “Good luck.”
After the door closed behind him, her knees felt shaky. “Bianca, I don’t have an appointment for half an hour, so I’m going back to my office to take care of some paperwork.”
Once she got into her cozy private domain, she sagged into her comfortable chair, letting her head rest against the high back.
Dobs Van Houten seemed pathetic more than anything else but that didn’t make him less dangerous. Often, weak men abused their wives because they had no power anywhere else in their daily lives. She’d seen the flashes of anger in his eyes that lent even more support to Regina’s story. It was anger he couldn’t unleash on the outside world, so he would use his young, lonely wife as his scapegoat.
But he’d gotten too close to the truth about her role in Regina’s escape. She didn’t want her sanctuary exposed, because that would prevent her from helping other women. Even Dobs’s visit might bring too much attention to her salon.
The question was why he’d sought her out. She knew Regina had not considered her a role model. So what connection had Dobs made that brought him to her doorstep? She hoped it was just desperation that drove him to visit anyplace that his wife had frequented.
If Regina was really pregnant, that upped the stakes in the situation. Dobs would have some rights as the father, although maybe not until after the baby was born. But it would certainly make the man pursue his fleeing wife with more determination.
Would it also make him send Natalie threatening messages?
She massaged the back of her neck where the muscles had knotted themselves.
Tea.She got up to turn on the electric kettle she kept on her credenza and plopped a bag of herbal tea in her favorite mug.
Gino stuck his head in the door. “You okay, Nat?”
“I’m fine. Thanks for finishing the blowout.”
He waved away her thanks. “What did the guy want?”
“He’s trying to find his wife.”
Gino knew about Natalie’s secret sanctuary, so he caught on right away. “Shit! So she’s one of your rescues.”
“But he can’t find her, so she didn’t tell him that. He says he’s just talking to everyone she knew.” Which could be the truth.
“Do you think he could be the stalker?” Gino looked worried and angry.
“It’s possible. But I feel like he wouldn’t have come here if he was also sending anonymous messages. They don’t seem to connect. I’m more concerned that he’s going to expose my secret.” She would figure out a way to keep sheltering women, though.
“If he comes here again, you let me handle him,” Gino said, his voice hard.
