“Okay, so then what happened?”Micah asked.
“Today the police showed up at the office around lunch time.There was still no sign of Damien, and my calls still went to his voice mail.”
“Why were the police there?Had someone reported him missing?”
“Yes.Apparently, Richard called them.”She met his gaze, tears brimming in her eyes.“Richard accused me of helping Damien embezzle funds from the company.He demanded to know where Damien was hiding out.I tried to tell him I didn’t know where he was or anything about missing funds, but nobody believed me.Even Gwen eyed me with suspicion.”She used her napkin to wipe her eyes.“The police questioned me for hours.Then when I got home, I smelled something funny and knew someone had been inside my house.I didn’t go all the way in.I stepped back just as the gunman fired.He missed me, and that’s when I ran.”
Micah stared at her in shock.This was far more convoluted than he’d anticipated.“Are you sure Damien didn’t take the money?”
“I don’t know.If he did, I wasn’t involved.I’m innocent, Micah.Of everything except being foolish enough to date my boss.”Her eyes filled with tears again.“I’m sorry, but I didn’t know who else to call.”
“We’ll figure this out.”Micah injected confidence into his tone, but the truth was, he had no idea how they’d manage that.The first item on the agenda would be to try to find Damien.
But deep down, he feared Damien had purposefully set up Bryn to take the fall for his illegal actions.
2
After explaining everything to Micah, Bryn felt as if a massive weight had been lifted off her shoulders.He’d believed her, yet the grim expression on his face indicated he was concerned about her situation.She was too.She wished for the hundredth time that she’d never succumbed to the temptation of dating Damien.She knew it was their relationship that made Richard suspect she was involved.
The fact that Damien hadn’t been too upset after she’d broken things off had lulled her into a false sense of security.She’d been glad Damien wasn’t angry, creating a hostile work environment.She’d worried she would have to find a new job, but she hadn’t.
Now she couldn’t help but wonder if part of the reason Damien hadn’t seemed to care about their relationship was because he was preoccupied with embezzling money from the company.
“Do you have any idea where Damien Rochester is hiding out?”Micah’s question pierced her thoughts.
“No.I checked his condo and so did the police.There was no sign of him.”She sighed.“I handle his correspondence, email, and other communications.I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary over the past few months.”She grimaced.“Not that the police seemed to believe me.”
“Bryn, you need to think about this.”Micah took her hand in his.“There must be someplace Damien liked to go.Maybe a favorite vacation spot.Or a place he went to get away from the stress of the job.”
“He didn’t take many vacations.”She stared into Micah’s blue eyes.“He went to Jamaica once but hadn’t enjoyed it.He skied in Colorado a year ago, but it’s not ski season anymore.I can’t think of a single place he went more than once.”
“Okay, did he make any strange purchases?Something that provides a clue as to where he might have gone?”
“Nothing that I know of.”She battled a wave of annoyance.“If he wanted to hide something, he’d have sent his mysterious purchases to his home.Not to the office.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”Micah offered a crooked smile.“Sorry, I know I’m grasping at straws.”
“Two club sandwiches?”Bryn glanced up as their server set two plates in front of them.“Here’s the ketchup for your fries.Do you need anything else?”
“No, thank you,” Micah said.
“Looks good,” she added weakly.“Thanks.”
Once the server left them alone, she turned toward Micah.“I’d like to say grace.”
He looked surprised but nodded.“Sure.”
She bowed her head.“Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for this food we’re about to eat.Please keep us all safe in Your care.Amen.”
“Amen,” Micah murmured, then he glanced at her again.They were sitting so close she could see the dark pupils in his blue eyes.“I don’t recall Tommy praying before meals.”
She flushed and shrugged.“I started attending church after his funeral.I found some comfort in learning about Jesus and how he died on the cross to give us eternal life.We were raised attending church, so I believe Tommy is in heaven.”
Micah searched her gaze for a moment, then turned his attention to his sandwich.He took a bite, then said, “We need to find a place to lay low until we can figure out where to look for your boss.”
She nibbled on a fry.Despite having no appetite, she forced herself to eat.“Why not leave that up to the police?”
“I would rather find him first,” Micah admitted.“I don’t like how he left you in the lurch.”
