My Wife Is Missing(64)
Natalie’s strained smile conveyed her gratitude.
“Thank you. I really appreciate your help. I mean, what I’m dealing with is such a small thing in light of what happened to Audrey.”
Natalie watched Sarah’s jaw tighten.
“It’s just awful,” Sarah said. “I didn’t know Audrey personally, but from what I read she was quiet and lived alone. The police don’t even have any suspects.”
Natalie noticed that Tina’s eyes were red and there were crumpled tissues on the table where she’d been sitting.
“I’m so sorry, Tina,” said Natalie, who then gave Tina a long embrace.
“I just can’t believe it,” Tina said, swallowing a sob. “She hadn’t worked here long, but I knew right away she’d be one of the stars in my department.”
Natalie squeezed Tina’s hand gently.
Turning to Sarah, Natalie said, “It’s often a husband or a boyfriend, someone close to the victim. Do you think that’s the case with Audrey?”
“It’s hard to say,” said Sarah. “Could be.”
Natalie caught a look in Sarah’s eyes as if to suggest she already suspected Michael.
“I don’t know if she was seeing someone,” continued Sarah. “If so, it’s not mentioned in any of the news reports that I’ve read.”
Natalie couldn’t resist exchanging a knowing glance with Tina.
“But I guess we’re here to talk about your husband. What makes you so sure he’s having an affair with someone who works for the company?” asked Sarah.
“We know it’s someone who uses the corporate gym,” Tina answered for Natalie. “And that’s really all we know. There’s a chance it’s an outsider, but maybe not.”
“I can run some database queries an outside party wouldn’t be able to do. If there are no hits internally, I guess I’d pass you off to a licensed PI, since it wouldn’t be a company matter after all. Seems harmless enough, and not hard for me to do. I at least can get the ball started.”
Natalie returned a bright smile.
“That’s great. Thank you so much. Let me know what I can do to help.”
“Absolutely,” Sarah said. “I’ll be in touch. I’ll start with some basic keyword searches and go from there. You’d be amazed what people write to each other on our corporate email, which, by the way, is not considered private.”
“Sounds good,” said Natalie. Her good feelings didn’t last, as she was now faced with the inherent dangers of technology when it came to keeping secrets. “What about cell phones?” she asked Sarah, because she’d had her phone with her inside Audrey’s apartment.
“What about them?”
“Can you track a person using a cell phone?”
“Not easily,” Sarah said. “To get those records police need to get a subpoena, and phone companies will fight hard on that.”
“So pings aren’t helpful, no easy workaround.”
Sarah shrugged off that concern.
“A cell phone sends out a radio-frequency signal to the towers within a radius of up to about twenty miles. Routing depends on topography and atmospheric conditions. There are too many variables and too many signals for the police to track anybody that way.”
“Okay, got it. Thanks so much for your willingness to help,” Natalie said. She was trying to rein in her emotions, thinking Sarah might find it odd if she looked as relieved as she felt. “Anything you need from me, please let me know.”
Sarah said she’d be in touch, then gathered her things and departed. Tina and Natalie stayed quiet. They’d debrief later, perhaps over margaritas at La Hacienda. Drinks or no drinks, Natalie could breathe easier for two reasons: the police wouldn’t be able to put her at the scene of the crime, and she’d no doubt that Tina, inadvertently or not, had found the right woman for the job.
CHAPTER 28
NATALIE
Natalie arrived at the Avis rental return in the Columbus, Ohio, airport five hours before sunset. She didn’t like the strategically positioned security cameras recording her every movement as she and the children completed the car return, but there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. Natalie paid her bill using the right credit card this time, so even if Michael had seen the transaction from the Fairfield Inn, he’d see no others.
She would have preferred to leave the car in Indianapolis, as she had told the trooper she would, and let her trail go cold from there. But that was a long drive, and Natalie was worried about getting pulled over again. As fatigued as she was, it simply wasn’t safe for her to be on the road. The safest thing to do after the drop off would be to get a room at the airport hotel, but that would mean more hours in Ohio, and more opportunity for Michael to find her. After ditching one car, she’d get another and hightail it out of here.
As she left the Avis facility, Natalie half expected to hear the employee behind the counter shouting after her, “Wait! Stop! You’re wanted by the police!” To her relief—sort of—the only shouting came from the kids, who were complaining in earnest now about being hungry.
In addition to his grumbling tummy, poor Bryce also bemoaned his missing teddy bear. The replacement offered him little comfort. “I want Teddy and I want Daddy now!” he said, stomping his way out the door en route to the shuttle bus area. Tears filled his downcast eyes. He was running on fumes. They all were. With his head bowed and shoulders stooped, Bryce reluctantly wheeled his luggage to the bus stop. According to the posted schedule, the shuttle that would ferry them to Hertz made a stop here every ten minutes. Airplanes rumbled overhead, streaking through the hints of blue that peeked out from behind a scattering of cloud cover.