Jensen was curled up against him.
“I guess we don’t have to worry about the two of them, huh?” Mark said.
“I’ll get Jensen so you can get out of here,” Megan suggested, reaching for the cat and taking him up into her arms.
Colleen and Mark were finally out the door. She was silent as they approached the car, still ready to throttle her sister for her bizarre—and far too personal—questions.
But Mark didn’t comment other than to say, “You two really manage good omelets.”
“Our mom is a good cook,” Colleen said. “And our dad can cook too. He worked in the kitchen in the navy. Sometimes, I think he thinks he’s still in the navy with some of the things he says and does.”
“Ah, well, once a military man, always a military man,” Mark said.
“What do you think Vince Monroe can tell us?” Colleen asked him.
“Anything he knows about Gary Boynton, for one.”
“I doubt if they even know one another. Then again, maybe they met at some point? We will hopefully find out.”
They arrived at headquarters about fifteen minutes before ten.
They headed into one of the conference rooms with Angela.
Red expected a greeting from Angela, and he got it. She gave him a pat and he sat obediently at Mark’s feet.
“People going into business together doesn’t really mean anything,” Angela said. “Except this is...huge. It would be huge for both men. Rory Ayers runs a lucrative business and has for years, but apparently, Boynton is something of a tech wizard. So, if you put them together on certain projects, you’re talking really big money.”
Colleen shook her head. “Do you think Ayers is afraid that if his daughter isn’t with Gary Boynton the deal will fall apart?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe Boynton has let him know that if he and Dierdre aren’t together, there might be no deal. Or... I don’t know. But it is interesting, and extremely curious, that neither of them mentioned the fact that this business deal was going on.”
“Maybe neither of them thought it pertinent to Dierdre being kidnapped,” Mark said.
“I don’t know. But I was thinking we should be speaking with Mrs. Ayers too,” Angela said.
“Now, there’s something. We’ve only seen her being a doting mother at the hospital. Maybe she doesn’t even realize she knows something. Maybe Dierdre confided in her about other men. Men we don’t know about.”
Angela glanced at her watch and rose.
“Vince Monroe should be arriving. I’ll escort him in,” she said.
Angela disappeared, and they waited until Angela brought him back.
She was sweet and gracious. He’d apparently thought she was the receptionist, which, of course, didn’t bother Angela. It was often better when those being questioned saw her as an office worker.
Monroe had his hair neatly pulled back. He wasn’t in a business suit, but neither had he opted for a rock band T-shirt and jeans. He looked casual and well put-together in a tan jacket, trousers, and light blue tailored shirt, open at the neck, and no tie.
“Hello,” he said, greeting them both. They’d risen when he entered, and they shook hands. He then looked down at the dog.
“Give him a pat. He’ll love it,” Colleen suggested.
She knew Mark was watching Red’s response to Vince Monroe.
The dog wagged his tail.
She automatically had more trust in someone who seemed to like animals, or at least treated them decently.
“This was great of you to come in so quickly,” Mark said, indicating a chair for the man.
He shrugged. “Well, I figure the ex is always under suspicion. But I was working the night Dierdre disappeared, and I was hanging out at the club until about two in the morning.”
“You figured you were under suspicion?” Colleen asked him.
“Even with my alibi verified, you have to be sure, right?” he told them. He leaned forward suddenly. “I can only swear to you I’d never hurt Dierdre. I loved her. I love her... I will probably love her a little bit forever. And I would do anything to help you. I’d never want this to happen to another woman.” He paused, frowning, looking concerned. “You did catch a guy, right?”
“We did,” Mark said.
“And you don’t think—”
“We can’t be sure,” Colleen told him.
He leaned back, sighing deeply. “I’m surprised her dad didn’t have a computer chip inserted under her skin somewhere. The man is a tyrant. And...” He paused, shaking his head. “You have to understand. Dierdre is sweet and innocent. She’s not the kind who makes waves. She’d never hurt anyone. She wants to give money to anyone who is down and out, especially if they have a dog or a kid or someone depending on them. I try to tell her they’re going to take her money to buy alcohol or drugs, and she just tells me that sometimes they’re not. She wanted to work in the church’s soup kitchen, but her dad told her his daughter did not hang out with the riffraff. I don’t know how she’s survived him all these years.”
“So, he’s strict?” Mark said.
“No, it’s more than that. He’s an elitist.”
“Okay,” Colleen said, then smiled. “He’s a well-to-do jerk and you don’t like him. But do you think, despite him, Dierdre might have seen another man? Or seeing as how she might have been afraid of his reaction—spurned another man?”
“I think I’m the only guy she spurned,” he said dryly, grimacing. He frowned. “But she did call me about a week ago.”
“And?” Colleen asked.
“She wanted to know if I was doing okay, if I’d moved on. And to tell me I was a really great guy and whoever I wound up with was going to be very lucky.”
“That’s nice,” Colleen said.
“That’s all?” Mark asked him.