His voice immediately changes to something softer. “Yes. Ms. Saber. Do you know Dr. Wendell Baumann?”
“I do,” I draw out the answer. “Why do you ask?”
“He’s missing.”
I suck in a breath. Rand reaches over and hits the speakerphone button.
“Detective Janecek. This is Rand Kestrel. I’m the Science Director for Saber Security. Can you repeat what you just said?”
“What is your relationship to Carolina?”
“She’s my…”
“He’s my fiancé,” I blurt out, then clamp my hand over my mouth. Shit. If Dr. Baumann is missing, this doesn’t look good.
“Ah,” Detective Janecek’s gruff voice is back. “Well, Dr. Wendell Baumann is missing. And the last time anyone saw him wason a datewith you, Ms. Saber.”
“That was a week ago!”
“Right. Last week you were on a date with Dr. Baumann. Now, you’re somewhere else with your fiancé.”
I look at Rand. He shakes his head. It’s the universal symbol for “don’t tell him shit until we can get Tatiana on the case.”
“It’s a whirlwind engagement,” I begin.
“We met last year, but it wasn’t until I saw her again this week that I knew I was madly in love with her,” Rand grins, then reaches for my hand, intertwining our fingers. “When you know, you know.”
I frown at him.
What the hell is he talking about?
Detective Janecek clears his throat. “Be that as it may, we have some questions for you. Can you meet me in my office this afternoon?”
“No can do, Detective,” I respond. “I’m in the Tampa - St. Petersburg area through the weekend. Time off for a high school reunion and vacation with family.”
He grumbles something that reminds me of a line fromLethal Weapon, then agrees to meet me Monday morning in D.C. Before I can say anything else, he hangs up.
Rand’s eyes meet mine. “Another date missing?”
I nod. “Anotherghost. What the hell is going on here?”
Chapter 27
“I like to live dangerously.”
-Rand
Tatiana Martel never met a piece of technology or section of the internet that she couldn’t hack. When she was in college, she hacked into the university database and changed her Ethics grade. She got caught, but her professor gave her a pass for clearing up a little thing called his FBI file.
It didn’t scare Tatiana straight.
It taught her to be a better hacker.
And this magnificent hacker had a price if you wanted a favor.
“Coffee?” Tatiana sighs over the supersized to-go cup. “You’ve always been my favorite, Kestrel.”
I wink. “You say that to all the men who bring you coffee.”