Save Your Breath (Morgan Dane #6)(58)

Morgan leaned closer to look at the pictures. In one, Kim stood in front of a lake with two elderly people who looked like older versions of her. The man held a large fish by the gills.

“Your parents?” Morgan pointed to the photo.

Kim smiled. “Yes. That was a few years ago, when my dad could still fish. He had a stroke.”

“I’m sorry.” Morgan scanned the other pictures. In most of them, the person with Kim was holding a plaque. She squinted to read the print. “Your clients have won quite a few publishing awards.”

Kim nodded. “I’ve been very lucky. The industry has been good to me.”

“You’re being modest,” Morgan said. “You must have an eye for spotting talent.”

“I love good books,” Kim said simply. “I knew Olivia was special when I read the first page of her manuscript.”

“Thank you for seeing us, Ms. Holgersen.” Morgan perched in one of the chairs.

“Please, call me Kim.” She chose the love seat opposite Morgan. “I apologize for not getting back to you right away. I was under the weather and mostly asleep for the past couple of days.”

Lance eased onto the chair next to Morgan, as if unsure whether the delicate structure would hold his weight. “We have three kids. I couldn’t imagine living in an apartment, although this one is bigger than I expected.”

Kim clasped her hands together. Her nails had been chewed ragged. “I grew up in the country, but I fell in love with the city.” Leaning forward, she rested her forearms on her knees. “I had no idea Olivia was missing, or I would have returned your call immediately. Since you’re here, I assume there’s been no sign of her?”

“None,” Morgan said. “We’re very concerned.”

The crow’s-feet around Kim’s eyes creased. “Her parents must be frantic.”

“You spoke to Olivia earlier in the week?” Morgan prompted.

“Yes.” Kim nodded. “I called her.”

“Can you tell us what you discussed?” Lance leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs.

“I don’t know.” Kim hesitated. “I shouldn’t discuss Olivia’s business without her permission.”

“We would love to have Olivia’s permission too,” Morgan agreed. “But she’s been missing for more than two days now. She didn’t show up to take her mother to the doctor on Friday.”

Kim’s eyes widened, and she sat back. “That’s not like Olivia.”

“Her family is worried,” Morgan pressed.

Kim nodded. “I’ll tell you in general terms, which is all I know anyway. We talked about her next book—more specifically, her next book proposal. Her editor wanted it weeks ago.”

“But you don’t know what she’s going to write about?” Lance’s clasped hands fell between his knees.

“No.” The agent hesitated again. “Other than she was focusing on several crimes committed in upstate New York, she wouldn’t give me any specifics about which cases she was considering. And believe me, I pressed. Her editor has been calling me daily.”

“Her editor was pressuring her?” Morgan asked.

“Yes. The publisher bought her first manuscript at auction. They paid a lot for it. They want to get her next title into their lineup for the following year, but in order to do that, they need a proposal from Olivia. Ideally, they’d have her second book available for preorder when her first is released.” The agent exhaled hard. “I’m afraid I’ve been applying pressure too. A film studio has expressed interest in her first book. They talked about a movie or a true crime miniseries, something along the lines of Making a Murderer. I want to get Olivia a film deal and a nice fat advance on a second book while the market is still hot for her. It’s possible her first book won’t even be a bestseller. It won’t release for another eighteen months. A lot can happen between now and then. The market changes every day.”

“You think she was stressed?” Lance asked.

“I do,” Kim said. “She even told me she’d stopped responding to her editor’s emails. She couldn’t deal with him anymore. I told him to give her some space, but he refused. I know she’s thorough with her work. Olivia doesn’t half ass anything. It can be frustrating because I’m trying to do right by her career, but at the same time, I have to respect her professionalism, which is exactly what I told Jake Riley.”

“Do you know why she wouldn’t share her research with you or her editor?”

“No, but she promised I’d have a proposal next week.”

“Her calendar says you’re meeting tomorrow at a restaurant in Redhaven,” Morgan said. “That’s a long drive for you just to have lunch.”

Kim smiled. “My parents still live in Redhaven. I usually stop and see them before I meet with Olivia.”

“Do you see them often?” Morgan asked.

Kim frowned. “I drive up at least every other week. I tried to move them closer to me after Dad’s stroke. I got them into a senior community, but my father will not leave Redhaven. Olivia has the same issues with her parents. She stressed about her mother’s blood pressure. Her mom was very upset over Olivia’s sister’s separation. I understood because my mother freaked out about mine. We’ve been separated for two months, and when I talk to her, that’s all I hear.” She paused, picking at her cuticle. “Olivia would never have missed that appointment.”