Page 5 of Tough as Steele

Wendy shook her head hard, her blond hair swinging freely over her shoulder. “I’ve been thinking about it, but I can hardly believe it happened, much less figure out how they took her. Maybe your guard outside her room stepped away, but if he did, he came back before I arrived to take Mimi down to the party.”

Damon would never step away unless Zeke or she directed him to, and neither of them had done so.

“What was she wearing?” Londyn asked.

“A blue satin pantsuit paired with a silk Hermès scarf, gold and blue. And, of course, she was wearing diamond earrings and bracelet. Plus, she still wears her wedding ring, though her husband has been gone for twenty years.”

Londyn noted the details on the pad. “Where does Mimi keep her jewelry? Was that disturbed?”

Wendy’s eyes widened. “She has a wall safe in her office. I didn’t even think to look at it.”

“Do you know the combination to the safe or have the key if it needs one?”

Wendy swiftly shook her head.

Londyn searched for deceit in her gaze but didn’t see any. “Where’s her office?”

Wendy tipped her head to the left. “Next door.”

If time allowed, Londyn would check the safe.“What about any unusual identifying marks or physical anomalies?”

“She wears hearing aids, but if you’re thinking tattoos or weird piercings, no. And no birthmarks that I know of.”

Londyn asked for date of birth, blood type, driver’s license, and social security number. Surprisingly, Wendy located all of this information in a file, and Londyn noted it. She tapped a silver framed photo of Mimi and Clarice on the table by Londyn’s chair. “I’m going to take this picture.”

“I won’t stop you.” Wendy shifted her phone to the other hand and glanced at the screen. The woman surely loved her phone, or maybe she thought Mimi might try to call her.

“If Mimi tries to contact you, let me know right away.”

“Of course.”

Londyn removed the photo from the frame. “Any idea who might’ve wanted to abduct her?”

“As the head of a large corporation, she did make enemies.” Wendy twisted a small gold ring on her right hand. “But I don’t know the details.”

“Was she still running the business?”

“She worked part-time while Charles transitioned into the president’s role. Something Mimi really didn’t like, but she put him in the role for Clarice’s sake. Lately, he’s been handling most of the work, and she only went into the office a couple of days a week. She spent the rest of the time playing golf and hosting friends for lavish teas.”

Londyn jotted a reminder to get a listing of all of the companies under the Vandervoort umbrella and to dig into Charles’s background.

“Do you know the names of any of these enemies?” Londyn asked.

“Sure. A few.”

Londyn slid the notepad and pen to Wendy. “Jot them down and the reason they were angry with Mimi.”

Wendy clung to her phone with one hand and began writing with the other one, her delicate hand shaking. She slid the paper back to Londyn, who glanced at the names and reasons Wendy had listed. All corporate issues, and not likely concerns that might be cause for kidnapping, but something Londyn still needed to look into.

Londyn’s phone dinged, and she glanced at the text from Zeke. He and Damon didn’t find any sign of Mimi in the house. She had indeed been taken.

Londyn swallowed down her renewed angst and looked at Wendy. “Any private or family issues I should know about?” Londyn asked.

Wendy frowned and clutched both hands around her phone. “I’d rather not say.”

“I’m afraid you have no choice.”

She darted her gaze around the room. “Will you keep it confidential?”

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