“Then yes.”
Gil wiped his hand on a napkin, swallowed the last bite of his sandwich, took a sip of his drink, and focused on her. “That was Luke. He’s following Percy. He saw him leave the building and observed that Dr. Percy was . . .” He searched for the right word. “Unhappy. Luke surmised that my presence was responsible for Dr. Percy’s discontent. I confirmed this.”
“Luke’s following Ab?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“He’s a suspect. Especially after rolling in here acting like he didn’t know you were injured, like he was surprised to see me, and not mentioning he was at church yesterday where he saw you were injured so he couldn’t have been that surprised to see me today.”
“What?”
“Security footage.” His voice gentled. “A buddy of mine monitors the camera feeds during the services. I called this morning and asked him to take a look. He confirmed Dr. Percy was at church yesterday.” Gil wasn’t gloating, but he didn’t hold back either. “Itwasn’t your imagination, and he doesn’t have a doppelgänger. You did see him. I’m sorry he didn’t speak to you, and I’m sorry he didn’t mention it when he was here.”
Ivy slumped back into her seat. This made no sense. No sense at all.
“I’m not sure what his game is, but you have to understand that until I know, he’s high on my suspect list.”
Ivy stared at the door where she’d last seen Ab. “He would never hurt me.”
She didn’t think it was possible for Gil’s voice to get any softer, but she was wrong. “Buttercup, he just did.”
19
IVY WASN’T PAYING ATTENTION until Gil swiveled their seats so that they faced each other, with his knees brushing hers. “I hope I’m wrong. His record, his accomplishments, his service to our country, the fact that you care about him all combines to make me hope he’s as good of a guy as you believe him to be.”
She nodded but didn’t make eye contact. She was too close to crying. Again.
His fingers brushed across hers. “I have to get back to work. I’ll pick you up tonight.”
She nodded, still not looking at him.
When she refocused on the room, the only trace of Gil’s presence or their lunch was her tea, which now sat on a coaster on her desk.
Her phone buzzed, and the text was from Ab.
Baby, don’t be mad. I didn’t handle that well. I know who he is to you, and I’ve hated the very idea of him for a long time. Can’t say I’m happy he’s sitting in your office in real life. I promiseto be on my best behavior next time. Good luck with your pitch. We’ll talk Thursday.
Ivy dropped the phone onto her desk. She’d give anything to be able to call her dad. To hear his voice. To tell him what had happened, and that she was scared and tired.
“I miss you, Dad.” She whispered the words in the hope that maybe, somehow, he could hear her. Then she dug deep, finding a depth she didn’t even know she possessed, and went back to work.
She shouldn’t have been surprised when her receptionist buzzed her office and said, “Luke Powell to see you.”
She glanced at her watch. 3:00 p.m. Good grief. Had they set up a rotation so she wouldn’t be alone for more than two hours at a time? “Send him in.”
Luke strolled in. “You good?”
“Did you follow Ab?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“He went to his hotel. Then to his room. As far as I know, he’s still there.”
A horrible thought occurred to her. “Are you tracking him?”
