“That would be Jack,” the woman said. “His office is just down that hall.”
They followed Milly down the corridor. Nolan knocked on the door marked “Manager.”
“Come in,” a voice called.
Jack looked up from his desk with surprise as they all filed in. He was a pleasant-looking man in his fifties with graying hair and kind eyes.
“Good morning,” he said, standing. “How can I help you?”
Nolan pulled out his badge and held it up. “I’m Deputy US Marshal Nolan Pierce. We have a situation, and I need your cooperation.”
Jack’s eyes widened. “Of course. What’s happened?”
“Dr. Reynolds. She left the dining room about thirty minutes ago, and we need to see your security footage from this morning.”
“Absolutely,” Jack said, already moving to his computer. He pulled up the footage and clicked through timestamps. “What time did she leave the dining room?”
“Around six forty,” Mia said.
Jack found the footage, and they all gathered around his desk to watch.
The screen showed the lobby. At 6:42 am, Eve came into view, walking quickly through the lobby. She pulled out her phone, looked at it, and then her face went pale. She hurried faster, pushing through the front doors.
The camera angle switched to the parking lot.
Eve went straight to her car, got in, and drove away.
No one was in the vicinity. No one following her. She just got in the car and left.
“Can you rewind that?” Nolan asked. “When she’s looking at her phone?”
Jack rewound. They watched Eve’s face change as she looked at the screen. Fear. Shock. Something that made her move faster.
“She got a message,” Milly said quietly. “Something that made her leave.”
“Do you want me to call the police?” Jack asked, concern evident on his face.
“No,” Nolan told him firmly. “But I do need you to keep an eye on a guest named Calvin. If he leaves, if he does anything suspicious, I need you to call me immediately.” He pulled out a card with his number and handed it to Jack.
“Of course,” Jack said, taking the card. “Whatever you need.”
They left the office, Mia’s mind racing.
“Maybe she went to William’s?” Mia suggested, grasping at any explanation that made sense.
“Call him,” Milly advised.
Mia pulled out her phone and was about to dial when she noticed Lila’s nose buried in her own phone.
“Lila, sweetheart, this isn’t the time to check your socials,” Mia said, her voice sharper than she intended.
“I’m not,” Lila said, not looking up as they headed for Nolan’s car in the parking lot.
Mia climbed into the passenger seat beside Nolan. Milly and Lila slid into the back.
“I’m tracking Aunt Eve,” Lila said calmly, holding up her phone.
All heads turned to her.
