Marine's Mission - Rebecca Deel Page 0,22
remove the flash drive and possibly compromise Owen’s case, Gigi stood with the album in her hands and went to find him. She followed soft sounds coming from the office.
Owen glanced up when she walked into the room, his gaze dropping to the photo album in her hands. “What did you find?”
“A flash drive hidden between the end paper and the cover. I was afraid to remove it.”
“Show me.” When she did, he grabbed his phone and took several pictures before motioning for Gigi to remove the flash drive. When she handed it to Owen, he dropped the object into a small plastic bag and slipped the drive into his pocket. “Excellent find, G.”
“It may be nothing.”
“Do you hide flash drives that don’t mean anything to you?”
She gave a soft laugh. “I have to attach mine to my keyring so I don’t lose them. Will you plug the drive into Ellis’s computer to see what’s on it?”
He snorted. “What computer?”
Startled, Gigi looked at the desk. He was right. No computer. As a programmer, Ellis would want a computer close at hand, perhaps more than one. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Agreed. Even if Ellis’ computer was in the apartment, I don’t want to spend more time here than we have to.”
“Why not?”
“We have another stop to make before we return to Archer.”
“Huntington Technology?”
He nodded and nudged her toward the hallway. “I also don’t want to overtax you.”
Finding a flat surface to stretch out on was moving higher on her priority list, but Gigi didn’t plan to tell Owen, or he’d insist on taking her home now and returning by himself. Hopefully, she’d get a second wind as they drove to Ellis’s company. Urgency nagged at her. They needed to find Toni and Ellis before it was too late.
CHAPTER NINE
At the security checkpoint on the Huntington Technology campus, Owen handed over his credential wallet to the security guard eyeing him suspiciously. After examining the badge and the identification photo carefully, the guard asked, “Who are you here to see?”
“Ellis Matthews’s supervisor.”
“You have an appointment?”
Owen raised an eyebrow. “I have a badge. I don’t need an appointment to conduct interviews.”
Gate Guard flushed. “I’ll need permission to allow you on company grounds.”
“Make the call,” Owen snapped.
With a scowl Gate Guard backed away from the SUV without taking his gaze from Owen. When he was far enough away for his conversation to remain private, Gate Guard pressed his phone to his ear. After a quick conversation, he returned and handed Owen the cred wallet. “Park in Lot D. Go to the main entrance of the building.” With that unspoken warning not to wander around the campus grounds, he opened the gate.
“I thought he’d frisk us before he let us through,” Gigi said. “Is that why you used your law enforcement ID instead of the Fortress one?”
“The badge opens doors.”
“What happens when the badge doesn’t work?”
He flashed her a smiled. “That’s when I pull out my less-than-legal specialty skills and pick the lock.”
After stashing his weapons and flash drive in the lockbox in the floorboard, Owen circled the hood and opened Gigi’s door. He helped her to the asphalt and threaded his fingers through hers as they walked toward the building’s front entrance.
“Why did you hide your guns?”
“If we’re allowed access to the floor where Ellis works, we’ll walk through a metal detector. While I don’t like being unarmed, I hate having my weapons confiscated even more.” He could defend himself and Gigi without a weapon.
“They’d have to give them back when we left, right?”
He nodded. “One of the security people could mess with my weapons. I prefer not to take that chance.”
At the front entrance, Owen opened the door for Gigi and escorted her to the receptionist’s desk.
“May I help you?” a life-sized Barbie asked.
Owen flipped open his cred wallet.
Her eyes widened. “What can we do for you Officer Montgomery?”
“Deputy Montgomery. I’m investigating the disappearance of a woman from Archer.”
“What’s her name?”
“Toni Webster.”
Barbie frowned. “I don’t recognize her name. Is she a new employee?”
“She doesn’t work here.”
“I don’t see how we can help you with your investigation.”
“She’s dating one of your employees who has also disappeared.”
“Ellis Matthews,” she murmured. “We’ve been so worried. He’s a nice man.”
“I need to interview Ellis’s coworkers.”
“I’ll ask his supervisor to come to the lobby. Several divisions work on classified projects. We don’t normally allow visitors in those areas.”
“Tell Ellis’s supervisor that this is a matter of life and death for both Ellis and Ms. Webster.” He’d be civil. If civil