“Sure, Mike. We’re here to serve.”
Subtext: I still think you’re hiding something.
“Can you tell me the name of the car company my wife used to leave the hotel? You saw the license plate in the video. You could run it for me.”
Ouyang didn’t look ready to jump in and offer her assistance. Michael pressed his case.
“Look, I can pay an internet service to get the info. Or hire a PI. Whatever. One way or another I’m going to get the company name. If you wanted to be helpful you could speed up the process for me.”
Silence.
Ouyang and Kennett seemed to communicate anyway, talking with their eyes.
“We’ll call you, Mike,” Kennett said. “Save your money. We’ll get you that name.”
“Just curious though,” Ouyang said. “What are you going to do with the information?”
“What do you think I’m going to do with it?” Michael answered coolly. “I’m going to use it to find my wife.”
CHAPTER 7
NATALIE
BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED
Natalie and Michael were walking along a gravelly path, hiking a popular trail at Purgatory Falls in New Hampshire. It was a sunny day, but the temps were frigid. There was ice on this trail, and Natalie didn’t have spikes on her hiking boots. Why hadn’t Michael advised her to bring spikes?
High above, Natalie heard the stark caw-caw of a crow flying overhead, giving her something new to worry about. Isn’t that an omen? Natalie wasn’t sure, but she thought crows were once considered messengers of the gods. Or was it harbingers of death? She watched the black bird make ponderous circles, at times skimming the treetops.
Go away, thought Natalie. Go away, you bad luck bird. I’ve enough trouble without you around.
Why am I here? she asked herself, feeling an ache of loneliness. They were the only hikers on this trail; the only people on the whole damn mountain, it seemed.
The cry of the crow bled off into the distance, but when Natalie looked up again, she saw not one bird but two circling now. Michael glanced back, at last taking notice of his wife.
“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it, Nat?” he said, shouting to be heard over a trumpet of wind that bellowed at them from the east.
One of the black crows cawed as if in response. Michael seemed at home in this stark terrain, far more so than Natalie. His rugged good looks appeared carved out of the very rocks on which he stood. He had a nose fit for a Roman emperor, and his penetrating dark eyes suggested a man who always seemed to have something on his mind. Buffeting winds revealed hidden grays that snaked through his mane of curly brown hair.
The warm feelings she still carried for her husband couldn’t fend off the chill from the biting wind. She had on a light jacket and fleece underneath, but it wasn’t nearly enough clothing for these temperatures. They should turn around, get back down, and find a cute little place for some hot chocolate.
Her gaze flickered between Michael’s handsome face and the mountains far off in the distance. She took a step forward with her eyes on Michael, not the ground. In that moment, her boot found a patch of ice covered with pine needles, almost like someone had set a trap. One second Natalie was sure-footed, and the next her leg shot out in front of her as if the limb wasn’t attached. She slid forward, fighting for balance, arms flapping like the crows’ wings.
Her body lurched awkwardly in different directions, hips going to the right, torso to the left. When Natalie realized she was stumbling toward the ravine, that her feet no longer had stable purchase, she tried to force a scream, but nothing came out.
For a moment, she tottered between the trail and the abyss until gravity decided which way she’d go. She fell, arms and legs flailing as if to take flight. Her jacket flapped with the whipping sound of a sail catching a fresh breeze. Down, down she went, the sudden acceleration taking her breath away.
She heard Michael’s terrified voice call out to her from high above.
“Natalie! Natalie!”
The scream stayed stuck in her throat, choking her.
“Natalie.” The voice came again, but this time it was softer and unquestionably female. “Natalie.”
Light flooded Natalie’s eyes as they came open. She took in the multitude of faces staring back at her. For a moment, she felt utterly disoriented, not recognizing any of the people who were gawking at her. Her confusion lasted only seconds, and then everything became clear. The woman staring at her from across the table was her friend, Tina Langley.
Next to Tina sat Dave Edmonds—that Dave, her employee who had made his crush on her painfully obvious—and next to Dave was a copywriter from the creative team, who was working with her on a campaign for—
A sudden realization hit her like a punch. This was the two thirty meeting. She was in a conference room on a conference call with the client.
Holy shit. I just had a nightmare in the middle of a meeting.
Panic and embarrassment enveloped her like a glove. Her face grew hot. Oh my God, did I make a noise? Everyone was looking at her as if she had. The shame was all-consuming. Her eyes burned as she tried to refocus them.
“Natalie, can we commit to a May delivery?”
It was Tina, seated across from her, dressed to the nines as usual in a pin-striped navy wool blazer and matching pants from Ralph Lauren, asking her the question. She sent Nat a look of concern along with a very subtle head nod.
Follow her lead, that’s what she was trying to say.
“Yes,” Natalie answered shakily. “April is fine. We can commit to that. No problem.”
“You mean May,” said Tina, calling her out gently.
“Right. May,” Natalie clarified, shooting Tina an appreciative look.
Five minutes later, after next steps were agreed upon and the meeting adjourned, Natalie joined Tina in her office. Her heart was still thumping from the experience.
Tina got herself settled at her desk and didn’t waste a moment’s time digging in. “Sweetheart, what the hell was that?”
Natalie, who’d seated herself at the small conference table in Tina’s spacious office, couldn’t shake the jolt she’d gotten from the adrenaline rush of all those eyes on her.
“I was out,” she said, in a disbelieving voice. “I had a goddamn nightmare during a meeting. Did I scream?”
Tina returned a weak smile. Sympathy sat prominent in her soft brown eyes.
“No, there wasn’t any screaming. But don’t feel too badly. That was a dreadful meeting. I’m surprised we didn’t all fall asleep. And honestly, I don’t think anyone noticed you had drifted off.”
Natalie returned an incredulous look.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Tina shrugged her slender shoulders.
“Well, if they did, I’m sure they don’t blame you.”