And here I am, missing her.
Last time I saw her, she was heading to the hospital in an ambulance with her father.
I glance at my watch.
She’ll definitely be at work.
I type a quick e-mail.
From: Christian Grey
Subject: Missing You
Date: September 13 2011 13:58
To: Anastasia Grey
Mrs. Grey
I’ve been back in the office for only three hours, and I’m missing you already.
Hope Ray has settled into his new room okay. Mom is going to see him this afternoon and check up on him.
I’ll collect you around six this evening, and we can go see him before heading home.
Sound good?
Your loving husband
Christian Grey
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.
I press send, then open the report on my desk and start to read. But almost immediately the ping of a new e-mail distracts me. Ana?
No. It’s from Barney.
From: Barney Sullivan
Subject: Jack Hyde
Date: September 13 2011 14:09
To: Christian Grey
CCTV around Seattle tracks the white van from South Irving Street. Before that I can find no trace, so Hyde must have been based in that area.
As Welch has told you, the unsub car was rented with a false license by an unknown female, though nothing that ties it to the South Irving Street area.
Details of known GEH and SIP employees who live in the area are in the attached file, which I have forwarded to Welch, too.
There was nothing on Hyde’s SIP computer about his former PAs.
As a reminder, here is a list of what was retrieved from Hyde’s SIP computer.
Greys’ Home Addresses:
Five properties in Seattle
Two properties in Detroit
Detailed Résumés for:
Carrick Grey
Elliot Grey
Christian Grey
Dr. Grace Trevelyan
Anastasia Steele
Mia Grey
Newspaper and online articles relating to:
Dr. Grace Trevelyan
Carrick Grey
Christian Grey
Elliot Grey
Photographs:
Carrick Grey
Dr. Grace Trevelyan
Christian Grey
Elliot Grey
Mia Grey
I’ll continue my investigation, see what else I can find.
B Sullivan
Head of IT, GEH
I gaze at the contents of his e-mail and wonder when Hyde started scouring the internet for information on my family. Was it before Ana started working with him? Or was it after he’d met me? I’m about to pen a response to Barney when Ana’s reply to my earlier e-mail pops into my inbox.
From: Anastasia Grey
Subject: Missing You
Date: September 13 2011 14:10
To: Christian Grey
Sure.
x
Anastasia Grey
Editor, SIP
Oh. Feeling a tad deflated, I glance at the enigmatic, smiling goddess on the wall. I thought we might indulge in some e-mail banter.
She’s normally so good at that.
This is not like her.
From: Christian Grey
Subject: Missing You
Date: September 13 2011 14:14
To: Anastasia Grey
Are you okay?
Christian Grey
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.
While I wait for her reply, I sift through the address file that Barney has attached to his e-mail. A couple of GEH employee names, and one from SIP, jump out at me: the highest-profile name is Elizabeth Morgan, the HR director at SIP. Her name stirs something in the back of my brain, but whatever it is, it remains elusive. I’ll ask Welch to follow up on her when we next speak, but it’s hard to conceive that any of these people could be involved with Hyde.
I dismiss that train of thought and wonder what’s up with Ana. I’m tempted to pick up the phone and call her, but as I reach for it, another e-mail arrives from her.
From: Anastasia Grey
Subject: Missing You
Date: September 13 2011 14:17
To: Christian Grey
Fine. Just busy.
See you at six.
x
Anastasia Grey
Editor, SIP
Of course she’s busy. She’s missed a few days of work, and my girl is nothing but conscientious.
Grey, keep it together.
I go back to Barney’s e-mail and read through his list one more time. It doesn’t yield any further insights, but maybe he can answer a question for me.
From: Christian Grey
Subject: Jack Hyde
Date: September 13 2011 14:23
To: Barney Sullivan
Barney
Thanks for the e-mail. Can you track when Hyde began these internet searches?
Christian Grey
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.
I check the time; I have a catch-up with Ros.
Taylor and I wait for Ana outside SIP. I glance anxiously toward the entrance, hoping that she’ll be out at any moment. An e-mail alert appears on my phone.
From: Barney Sullivan
Subject: Jack Hyde
Date: September 13 2011 17:35
To: Christian Grey
Internet searches on the topics in Hyde’s e-mail happened between 19:32 Monday, June 13, 2011, and 17:14 Wednesday, June 15, 2011.
B Sullivan
Head of IT, GEH
Hmm… Interesting. I remember I’d met him the Friday before, at the bar when I’d arranged to meet Ana. He was a loudmouthed asshole then. I wonder if he was looking for anything specific on my family, and if he found it. I glance out of the window, and finally Ana appears. She dashes toward the car, dodging the rain, Sawyer at her heels. I smile as I watch her, but my heart sinks when she glances into the car.
Her face is a stark alabaster in the gray rain.
Shit!
Sawyer opens her door, and she slides in beside me.
“Hi.” The inflection in my voice is tentative. What is it, Ana?
“Hi.” Her eyes flick to my face, briefly—too briefly, and all I see is her turmoil flashing back at me.