Her brain clicked pieces together. She sucked in a breath and sat up. “Le. Jolly. Clerc! As in the jolly pirate Le Clerc. Midnight, you are truly a bloody brilliant hacker.” She smiled and felt it deep in her bones. “What do you have onthattown?”
“Not much, and ya know what it cost me to admit such, but ’tis a mud puddle town from wot I can find. Boasts a general store, small inn, marina, huntin’ and fishin’ store, and mebbe a bakery but that be in a home. Ya will ’ave the devil of a time tryin’ to approach townies. A stranger will be stickin’ out like a donkey racin’ at the Royal Ascot. Plus, yar man probably isn’t thare if he be an operator.”
And just like that, her new-found hope deflated. Time for Plan B. Hunting for Leclair might cost her too much time.
“My two hours in this room are running out. I have to get rolling.” She stood before the idea of laying down overwhelmed her. “You are my one hope for finding Phoebe. I can’t tell you how much this all means.”
Being redheaded, Midnight was likely blushing. “Be sure to check the vault. This guy be so nondescript lookin’ the images may or may not be o’ much use.”
“I’ll go through those. Thanks again. Text me the second you get anything else, okay?”
“Will do. Be careful, Hellie,” Midnight warned. “Ya almost didn’t escape last time. Ya be needin’ someone to back ya up on this.”
“Maybe I’ll find Leclair. He has a stake of some kind in the Collector.” She’d said that just to put Midnight at ease.
“Auck. I do not feel better to ’ear such, plus we both know I’m the best,” he admitted, no ego, just honesty. “But someone else can find this Leclair if I ’ave.Annnd, if the kidnapper be tryin’ to kill this bloke’s team in Venezuela, then a contract still be on their heads. Ya could run into the enemy unexpectedly.”
He made a sound point, but she would be watching for the unexpected this time. “Gotcha. Thanks again.”
She hung up and something struck her as strange. In the earlier texts to Kovac from the person calling the shots, Kovac had been told to remain quiet and ask no questions during the call. Kovac had complied. Why? She put a call into Kovac’s office. She had his mobile number but would not use it because he had not given it to her voluntarily. She’d keep that little tidbit to herself.
“Kovac!” snapped through the line. He’d grown up in the heartland of the US, but he had the nasty attitude of a powerbroker.
Would it strain him to say hello? She was just as direct. “Have you heard from Phoebe?”
“No. I told you before, she doesn’t return my call for a week or more sometimes. I’m too busy to chase her down.”
Hallene tested him. “Did it even occur to you she might be missing ... as in kidnapped?”
“Where’d you get that stupid idea?”
Got him. He answered too quickly. Hallene explained, “She missed a meeting with Mom. I’m worried and think you would be concerned that youronlychild can’t be found.”
“A kidnapping would mean someone expects a ransom payment. No one has contacted me asking for money. You expect me to call in the authorities and have it all over the news that she’s been kidnapped? Then she shows up two days later and the media will not let it go. I’ll look like an idiot and my clients will not be happy. Phoebe wants to go to art school in the US. If you or Phoebe cause a negative media frenzy, I amnotpaying for that school.”
What a pile of dung. “Clearly worrying about her isn’t keeping you awake at night, Kovac.”
His voice dropped to a mean level she had heard more than once. “I’ve made good on my responsibility to take care of her.”
Hallene broke in. “Says the man who has no idea where his child is at the moment.”
“I can always hire professionals to find her.”
“Ah, a checkbook equates fatherly love,” Hallene shot back.
“You’re wasting my time.” His tone changed to threatening. “I suggestyoufind her. If not, law enforcement will question why you told me to not hire a team to find her.”
As in, he would make it look like Hallene knew about Phoebe missing and never said a word to him. Threats worked so well with her. Not. “Enjoy counting your money today.” She hung up.
What chance did she have to locate Leclair?
Was he even the same guy as her mystery warrior?
Daylight had broken the horizon. This fleabag motel had no business center, but she’d seen a better hotel on her way here. She packed up her duffel, pulled the hoodie over her cap, dismantled her jury-rigged alarm system, and left.
At the far nicer hotel a mile down, she entered looking like a traveling college-age female and walked slowly toward the business center, digging into her pocket, and watching for someone to leave.
Nope, but a man dressed for business passed her and keyed the door.
