I call Montgomery instead. “Is she still online?”
“She’s got the page open, and her device is connected to the internet. Apart from that, I can’t tell.”
I bite back frustration and try to think positively. “Can you put something on her laptop?”
“You know, most people would just call their girlfriend. Not implant malicious code.”
“Most people haven’t fucked things up as seriously as I have.”
“We need to have another discussion,” he says instead, pivoting. “If Crimson has a good enough memory to type out an address she saw once, then I need to know what else she’s been privy to.”
“She’s not an enemy.”
He pauses for a moment, then points out the obvious. “From what you’ve said, she’s not necessarily a friend, either.”
“If I just knew what she was looking at on her computer, I’d be in a better position to judge the situation.”
“Go and see her.”
I long to. I also know if I play it wrong it might be the last time I do.
“I’m not sure that’s the best plan.”
Montgomery sighs for so long it’s like he’s trying to set a new world record. “Send your mate down to visit with her, then.”
“He’s back at his dad’s place, getting ready for his engagement party.” Teodor is going ahead with his commitment to Andrej’s daughter, something he only proposed to gain intel when our friend Baxter needed it. I’d call him out on the arranged marriage except I don’t have any credibility left on that front.
“Well? Girls love a party. Invite her to that.”
I consider it. With other people pulling at our attention, there won’t be the pressure to get everything right. We can relax and talk, maybe have a drink, or dance, or whatever else it is people do at parties. For the last few years, every single one I’ve attended has held an ulterior motive so I’m not sure my perception is accurate.
Of course, if I invited her to Teodor and Amala’s engagement, it would also be for ulterior motives. Just not business related for once.
“As your head of security, I’m advising you to visit Crimson. I don’t care how or where you do it but get her alone in a room somewhere and gain clarity on exactly where your relationship stands. If you’re not getting back together, then I’ll need a list of everything she might have witnessed during her time in your apartment.”
“I’m not going to visit her just to satisfy your safety protocols.”
“Mm-hm.”
“I might pop by just to see how she’s doing.”
“And maybe apologise.”
He wasn’t even at the aborted wedding. There’s no way he should know what occurred. “Has Warren been talking to you?”
“Warren always talks to me. That’s part of his job.”
I hang up the phone, feeling frustrated. It’s a common emotion for me in the five days since Crimson left. Given enough time, I might get a handle on how to weather it, but I can’t help but hope it disappears before that happens.
Instead of tucking my phone away and moping, I click into the browser and bring up the tracking system, typing in Crimson’s locator code and waiting for the system to update with her details. A tiny red dot shouldn’t make me feel so happy, but it does. I watch as it saunters along Queen Street and ducks into one of the old-fashioned arcades.
Then it stops.
I wait for five minutes, staring at the screen and pressing the refresh button a few times just in case. When it still hasn’t moved, I go into my office and boot up the desktop, checking the location on maps to see where she’s stopped.
It’s a second-hand shop. One of those charity things that supports Women’s Refuge. I wonder what she can donate, given she’s hardly had the chance to collect anything of value, then decide I can just as easily see for myself if I pay the store a visit.
After all, I live in this city, too. It’s completely expected that I could be out shopping, and my mother does have a birthday coming up soon.
