SEAL's RESOLVE - Rebecca Deel Page 0,89
this elevator?”
“I can answer that question,” came a deep voice from the doorway. A salt-and-pepper haired man with a barrel chest wearing the standard Ward Security uniform walked into the office. He scowled at Richard and the rest of them. “I’m Hank Hardy, chief of security. You’re contaminating a potential crime scene. Get out.”
“Answer my question,” Rafe snapped.
“The answer is no. Mr. Stewart didn’t want to be tracked that closely. It’s usually not an issue since he uses the front door like everyone else most of the time.”
Rafe scowled. “A serious flaw in your system. The security system should log in every card use for each worker, including Stewart.”
“That’s not what he wanted.”
“It’s your job to advise him on the safest policy. Based on what I’m seeing here, someone attacked Stewart and took him out of the building through the executive elevator.”
A frown. “That’s impossible. No unauthorized person can access this floor, especially after hours.”
“Look for yourself. There’s blood on the floor here and inside Stewart’s private elevator. How do you explain that?”
The man’s jaw tightened. “I can’t.”
“Call the cops. Your boss’s life is on the line.”
“Who are you?”
“Rafe, Kristi’s boyfriend.”
“What makes you an expert?”
“I work for Fortress Security, and I’m a former FBI agent. You’re wasting time. Call the cops.”
“As soon as you leave the office. You better not have touched anything.”
“Do your job, Mr. Hardy,” Kristi said. “We’ll get out of your way.”
“The police will want to talk to you.”
“We came up with Richard and discovered this mess together. He can provide the same information to the police.” Rafe pulled a card from his pocket with the name of one of the detectives who talked to him and Kristi at the hospital. “Call the detective and report this. He and his partner are investigating a bombing at one of the company warehouses.”
A scowl. “What do you know about that?”
“Not much. Make the call. If the detectives want to talk to us, they have our numbers.” He threaded his fingers through Kristi’s.
“Ms. Stewart, you need to stay,” Hardy insisted.
“I need to find my father.” She, Rafe, and Jackson left the office with Richard trailing behind them.
“I don’t understand what’s going on around here,” the guard said as they rode the elevator to the lobby.
“How long have you worked here, Richard?” Rafe asked.
“Two weeks.”
“Noticed anything odd?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Explain.”
“I worked with another security company before WS. I’ve never known of other security employees showing up on my shift when they’re not scheduled to work at this location.”
“Did you catch their names?”
He grimaced. “No.”
Jackson’s eyebrows rose. “What night did they show up?”
“Every night since I started work.” He frowned. “What good will knowing that do you?”
“You’d be surprised what we learn by asking the right questions.”
Kristi smiled. A great answer that told Richard nothing. When they exited the elevator and the guard walked them to the door, Kristi said, “Thanks for your assistance, Richard. I’ll be sure to mention your help to my father.” If they found him.
Once they were inside Rafe’s SUV, she asked, “How will we find my father, Rafe? You said his phone was turned off. What’s left?”
“Call Ward. See if your father showed up for his dinner meeting. If he can leave the headquarters building without security knowing, he can get inside undetected, too. Once you talk to Ward, we’ll access the security cameras at your father’s office building.”
Kristi grabbed her phone and called Hugh. When he answered, she said, “Did Dad meet you for dinner tonight?”
A snort from the man. “No. He didn’t even call to cancel the appointment.”
“Dad’s missing.”
“What?”
“His office is a mess, and there’s blood on the floor in there as well as his private elevator.”
“I’m sorry. How can I help?”
“Call me if you hear from him or from someone who’s seen him tonight.”
“Of course. Call me when you find him.”
“Sure.” She ended the call. “Dad never showed up,” Kristi told the operatives.
“I’ll contact Fortress,” Jackson said.
Rafe glanced at his teammate in the rearview mirror. “Call Jon. He’s faster than anyone on staff except Zane. We’ll go back to Kristi’s until we have a place to start tracking Stewart.”
“The police won’t be able to do anything, will they?” Kristi turned to look at Rafe.
“They’ll do what they can. Since we don’t worry about red tape or mind computer hacking, we can follow the trail faster.”
From what she’d seen, Jon was skilled on the computer. But would he be able to locate her father or give Wolf Pack a starting point in time to save