Maybe. But something didn’t sit right.
She flipped over to his employment history. Keene had been a caterer for nearly two decades, with a solid reputation. No arrests, no history of violence, no whispers of shady dealings. Ifhe were in trouble, a ransom would make sense, but why take a risk this big when there were easier ways to make money?
Still, she wasn’t about to dismiss him. She jotted his name down in her notebook and moved on.
Half an hour later, after scanning another dozen names, her vision was starting to blur. She sighed, rolling out her shoulders, and cracked her knuckles before pulling out the last batch of staff members.
And that’s when she found it.
Kara Delaney – Server
No criminal history
Address: Westbridge Apartments, Phoenix Ridge
Emergency contact: Veronica Delaney
Relation: Cousin
Isabel stilled.
The nameVeronica Delaneyhit her like a slap.
She turned to her computer, searching to cross-reference, double-checking. Veronica Delaney—Lily Harper’s ex-girlfriend.
Isabel exhaled slowly, staring at the screen. That breakup had beenugly.Public, messy, the kind of fallout that made for viral news cycles and bitter restraining orders. The two had been inseparable for years, but when things soured, theyreallysoured.
The media had painted Veronica as the scorned woman, desperate to hold on. Allegations of stalking, emotional outbursts, showing up at HarperTech events uninvited. It had all ended with Lily filing for a restraining order and Veronica disappearing from the public eye.
And now hercousinhad been working the gala where Chloe Harper disappeared?
Isabel leaned back, pressing her knuckles against her lips. This changed things. If Kara had helped take Chloe, this wasn’t just about money. It was personal.
She tapped her fingers against the desk, flipping back to the security footage stills. The SUV. The fire drill. The chaos.
Was Kara just a pawn in something bigger? Or was she the key?
Isabel didn’t have the answers yet. But she knew one thing for sure—this case just got a hell of a lot more interesting.
She grabbed her notebook, scribbling down both names before pushing back from her desk.
It was time to see what Victoria thought about all this. Isabel glanced at the time on the corner of her monitor—8:02 AM.
