Roberta blinked. Everyone queued up in line, including the lady in the loud floral print, pointed toward the back of the store and said in unison, “Manager’s office at the back of the store, next to the bathrooms.” He nodded his thanks and grabbed Lucy’s forearm, pulling her away from Roberta.
He saw the sign for the bathrooms and followed that to a door labeled, “Manager.”
Raphael didn’t knock, just walked right in, Lucy on his heels. A short guy with an almost mustache and long wavy hair parted on the side stood in front of a paper-littered desk. A female employee sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk.
“I’m looking for Mr. Petey, the assistant manager,” Raphael said.
“I beg your pardon,” the man said, brows furrowing.
“Are you Mr. Petey?” Lucy asked, coming around to stand beside Raphael.
“Who’s asking?”
“I’m Francine’s sister, Lucy.” She pointed to Raphael. “This is her fiancé, Raphael. We want to talk to you about the text she sent you.”
Mr. Petey’s frown deepened. “Francine’s text?”
The female employee stood up and skirted around Lucy, calling out over one shoulder, “I’ll get back to work and let y’all talk.” Mr. Petey went from annoyed to fuming.
“Now wait just a minute. You can’t barge in here and interrupt an important employee meeting.”
Raphael took a long step toward Petey. “We already did. Now tell us about the text from Francine.”
“Why should I?”
“She’s missing.” Raphael towered over the assistant manager. “You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you, Petey? Perhaps we need to call the sheriff to bring you to the station and help you cooperate.”
“Missing?” Mr. Petey went from puzzled and uncooperative to frightened in a heartbeat. “Of course I don’t have anything to do with that!” He grabbed his phone from a back pocket and began punching and swiping at the screen as fast as his thin fingers could work. He turned the screen toward them. “Here.Thisis the text she sent me after being on a ten-day vacation. I think it’s rude that she didn’t give two weeks’ notice and I told her so in the return text, which she didn’t bother to respond to, by the way.”
Raphael read Francine’s text. “Mr. Petey, I’m not coming back to work at the Supernova Supermarket. I’ve found someone to take care of me.”What? Is she talking about me?Francine had never said anything about quitting her job. At least not to him. The night before, she’d even mentioned checking her work schedule.
She also never said anything about wanting to be taken care of. Raphael scanned the return message Mr. Petey sent. “This is a surprise, Francine. I’m assuming you know that Supernova Supermarket policy requires a two-week notice to resign your employment here. I find it rather rude after you were gone for such a long vacation to quit without notice.”
“This doesn’t sound like Francine.” Lucy said out loud what Raphael had been thinking.
“I agree. Something sounds off about this message.”
Raphael looked at Mr. Petey, who only shrugged. “I didn’t know her that well. She’s only worked here for a few months.”
He handed Mr. Petey his phone, but held on to the edge as the assistant manager tried to tug it from his fingers. “I’d like to have you take my number and call me if you hear from her again, okay?”
It wasn’t a question, and Mr. Petey seemed to understand that. “Sure. Why not? I doubt she’ll call me, though.”
Raphael recited his number and watched as Mr. Petey entered it into his contacts. Lucy also insisted on giving Mr. Petey her number. They left, walking slowly out to Lucy’s vehicle.
“Where to next?” she asked.
“Honestly, I’m not certain. My next stop would be your place.”
Lucy nodded. “Let’s go to my place. Maybe she’s waiting for me there.” Raphael got inside her SUV. He had hope, but didn’t really think Francine would be there.
He was getting a really bad feeling in his gut. He should have taken her home last night instead of talking to the Grey brothers. Raphael spent the drive to Axel and Lucy’s home thinking about the last time he’d seen Francine’s cinnamon hair bobbing along in the horde of passengers disembarking from the transport. She turned left toward the outer civilian exit hallway.
Meaning she could be anywhere.
With anyone.
Where are you, Francine?
