When I burst through the door of the IT office, Eric was alone. He glanced up from the laptop and blinked like an owl.
“What have you got?”
He waved me over. “Pull up a chair.”
I sat next to him and he shifted the laptop toward me so I could see it better. “What am I looking at?”
“A spreadsheet. Although the information was encrypted, first I had—”
I completely tuned him out as I stared at a spreadsheet of one hundred twenty-seven names in alphabetical order. There were numbers and dates next to each. “Oh my God, Eric, do you know what this is?”
He frowned. “I told you. It’s a spreadsheet. Don’t you want to know how I broke the encryption?”
“No.” I looked at him, my eyes wide. “This is a list of some of the most prominent people in Huntingford. The mayor, the chief of police… Holy freaking cow.”
Chapter 13
Eric leaned over and stared at the screen. “Oh.”
“What do we think the numbers mean? Forty-five thousand, eighty-three thousand. Packard Graystone’s name is on this list and his numbers add up to one hundred ninety-six thousand.”
“I have no idea.”
“How does this tie in with Axton?” I asked, staring at the computer.
“I really don’t know.”
I rubbed my hands over my eyes. How did NorthStar Inc. come into play? Or did it? And where did BJ fit in?
Eric reached out and patted my back. “Hey, you okay?”
I shook my head. From the corner of my eye, I saw the door open. Steve popped his head into the office, his gaze darted from Eric to me.
“Hey, Rose, what are you doing here? Is everything all right?”
“I finally broke the code,” Eric said.
“That’s great. So what was it?” He pulled a chair over to Eric’s desk and sat next to me.
“It’s a list of prominent Huntingford citizens with numbers and dates next to their names,” I said.
He looked at the screen. “Hmm. Money?”
I shrugged. “Could be. These are wealthy people. Could be donations for all we know.”
Minutes lapsed as we contemplated the list. With a sigh, I finally stood. “Eric, would you make a copy of this for me?”
“Sure.” He punched a couple of keys and the printer next to him spit out a copy of the list.
I folded the paper and tucked it in my purse. “Thanks. And thanks for breaking the code.”
“Anytime, kid.”
“Oh, there’s one other thing.” I told them both about BJ’s latest nocturnal visit. “And I’m about to meet with Sheila Graystone. Hopefully she’ll have information that will help.”
Steve had been pretty quiet until now. “Whatever you’re doing, it’s dangerous if it’s getting the attention of this BJ character.”
Eric nodded in agreement. “He’s right. You have to let the police handle this.”
“I can’t. The police think Ax is just some stoner who’s run off and I don’t have any real evidence — about anything. I need to find Ax and I can’t count on anybody else to do it for me.”
Eric scrubbed at the stubble on his cheeks and sighed. “I’m worried about him, too. And I’ve been covering for him with the administration, but I don’t know how much longer I can keep it up. Since he got busted last year, he’s skating on thin ice.”
“I’m going to find him.” I wondered if my expression was a fierce as my voice.
Eric nodded. “All right, kid, but let me help.”
“You just told me how dangerous it was to keep looking.”
“Yeah, well, I kind of miss him. But if you repeat that, I’ll deny it.”
I smiled. “I need to find out everything I can about NorthStar Inc. Not just a list of the businesses, but the owner. And how BJ fits in to all this.”
“Okay, I’ll get to work,” Eric said.
Steve stood. “I’ll walk you out.”
“Thanks, but I’m fine.”
He ignored me and placed his hand on my arm. “I’d like to talk to you for a minute.”
We walked up the stairs and out of the building. The day was warm, the afternoon sun blazing low in the sky.
With his hand still on my arm, he turned to me. “I’ll do anything I can to help you find Ax. But please, don’t let this guy into your apartment again.” His eyes, the color of dark chocolate, were filled with concern.
“You’re really sweet, Steve. And I don’t plan on letting him in again.”
“Good. Look I know you’re worried about Axton, but you have to eat. There’s this Thai place off the Boulevard—”
“Maybe once I get Axton back?” I had too many men to deal with right now. I waved over my shoulder and jogged to my car.
When I walked into Starbucks, the sharp smell of coffee hit me. I loved that smell — comforting and mouthwatering at the same time. Sheila sat at a two-person table in the corner and waved when she saw me.
“Aren’t you going to get some coffee?” she asked.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the Frappuccino I so richly deserved. I pulled out a chair and sat across from her. “No, I’m good.”
“Thanks for meeting me.”
“Has Packard heard from Axton again?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” I blinked at her. “If you don’t have information on Ax, why did you call?”
She looked down at the table. “This is hard,” she said, more to herself than to me. She glanced back up. “Pack has been acting strange since Axton’s disappearance.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, really. He’s been on edge, secretive.”
“Secretive?”
She gestured with one hand. “He’ll get phone calls and walk out of the room to take them. Even in the middle of dinner. He won’t talk in front of me. I know my husband and something is wrong.”
The thought crossed my mind that maybe Packard was having an affair. Call me Captain Obvious.
“Have you checked his phone history?”
“I don’t feel right doing that.”
“And you’re sure it’s about Axton? It’s not work or…” I left the words hanging in the air.
She got what I was implying and sat up straighter, a haughty look on her face. “My husband is a good man. An honest man. He would never do anything to hurt me.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“I just think Packard’s weird behavior has something to do with Axton, that’s all.”
“Did the police ever talk to Pack?” According to Dane they had, but I wanted to hear it from Sheila.
“An officer called him and asked a few questions. That was about it.”
I sighed and looked out the window. “So, you think these phone calls have something to do with Ax?” I turned back to face her.
“I think so.”
“Why don’t you look at Packard’s phone and get me a list of the incoming numbers?”
She nibbled her lip and ran her thumb over the rim of her cup lid. “I don’t know.”
If she didn’t want to help me, why did she call this little meeting? “Look, Sheila, Axton is missing. The police don’t care and your husband has been acting strange. You said yourself he’s been on edge since Axton’s disappearance.” I looked directly into her brown eyes. “Please?”
She was silent for a few minutes. “My husband is ambitious. He wants to run for mayor. He sees it as a stepping stone for bigger things.” She clutched her coffee cup. “He’s probably just under a lot of stress at work.”
I reached out and touched her wrist. “I don’t care about your husband. I don’t want to hurt him, I really don’t. I don’t care what Packard’s done, as long as it doesn’t involve Axton. Every time I’ve needed him, he’s been there for me. He may be flaky in some areas, but as a friend, he’s as steady as they come. I need to find him.”