Page 30 of Secret Weapon

11

EMMY

“Leona, who’s Ottie?”

Leona gulped in air as she peered into the bathroom again, a pointless exercise if ever there was one.

“My friend.She was staying here, her dog too.They’re both gone.”

“Maybe she took the dog for a walk?”

“No, no, I always walk Gidget.Ottie never goes out,ever.”Leona looked around the room again.“But she’s not here.”

I stepped inside, checked behind the couch and down the far side of the bed because there was room to stash a body there.No Ottie.As well as the double bed at the far end, a folding cot took up most of the remaining floor space.Ottie had been sleeping on it?That meant her presence was a temporary arrangement, not a full-fledged room-share.

“Where did you leave your purse?”

“On the desk.Always on the desk.”

“What colour hair does Ottie have?”

“Dark auburn.Why?Why does that matter?”

Well, shit.

“I might know where Ottie is.”

Leona turned slowly, and when she faced me, I saw her eyes were glistening.“Where is she?”The fear returned, but this time Leona backed away.“Who are you?What have you done to her?”

“We haven’t done anything to her.”

“Get away from me!”

Footsteps approached, the soft squeak of rubber soles on the walkway, and the security guard we’d buzzed past earlier appeared.

“Ms.Curran?Are you okay?”

“Someone broke in, and Ottie and Gidget are gone.Gone!Then these people showed up, and…and…”

Tears came, and I swallowed a sigh.Just for once, couldn’t a witness give a rational account of what happened?The guard turned his suspicions on me, and I threw my hands up, in frustration rather than surrender.

“Don’t look at me.I only found a woman unconscious in the woods with Leona Curran’s credit card.”

The tears got louder.Great.

The guard looked slightly unnerved too.“Maybe I should call someone?”

“Good idea.Call Deputy Mendez—he’s at the hospital with the woman right now.I’m just here for a manicure.”

I moved to walk past with Hallie in tow, but a second guy blocked our way.Tall, dark, and handsome in a polished way—not quite playboy, not quite mafia, but something in the middle—and he’d forgotten to shave this morning.His aftershave was a mix of sandalwood, pheromones, and power.

“What’s going on here?”

The accent hinted at the West Coast, but he couldn’t hide the underlying Russian, so I was going to hazard a guess and say this was Nico Belinsky.

“Your yoga teacher’s roomie’s disappeared.Well, not disappeared—she’s probably in the hospital—but she’s not where she’s meant to be.”

At the second mention of the hospital, Leona let out a wail, as if the news had finally sunk in now.Hallie turned back to assist her.

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