Blind Faith by Christiane Heggan Read Free Book Online Page A

promoting the casino. After that he goes back to his office, catches up with his mail, makes phone calls and meets with Mr. Webber."
    Syd concurred with a short nod.
    "Does he go out to lunch or does he eat in the casino?" Kelly asked.
    "Neither. Mr. Bowman always orders a sandwich from the cafeteria and eats at his desk while he works." She shook her head in disapproval. "I keep telling him that's not healthy, but he won't listen."
    "Do you screen all his calls?"
    "Only if they come through the main switchboard."
    "Why wouldn't they?"
    "Mr. Bowman and the other VPs have private lines. So does Mr. Webber."
    "I see." The phone records could be requisitioned, but only by the police.
    "Does he have a palm pilot?" she asked suddenly. "You know, one of those electronic wonders that keeps track of your appointments?"
    "He keeps one with him at all times, but he backs everything up on his computer so I know where he is if I need to contact him."
    Kelly glanced at Syd , who again bowed his head. "I'll be happy to take you to Jonathan's office. Right now, if you're finished with Martha."
    Kelly rose. She was very anxious to see Jonathan's office. "Right now would be fine, thank you."
    Six.
    Kelly's visit to the Chenonceau had been disappointing. While Syd Webber and Martha Grimwald had seemed eager to help, both had failed to provide a single clue as to Jonathan's disappearance.
    Confirming what Martha had told her, Jonathan's appointments for the week had been entered in his computer and were available at the click of a mouse. With Syd's permission, Kelly had sat in front of the monitor and quickly scrolled up and down the screen. Jonathan's work week was pretty much as his secretary had described. Meticulous to a fault, he had outlined the subject of his various meetings, who he meant to call that day and why. The entry for February 7 showed a meeting with his marketing staff and Phoebe's dance recital, both of which he had missed.
    There was no mention of a trip to
Miami
.
    As Kelly merged onto the Atlantic City Expressway, she thought of some of the more complex stories she had investigated over the years. In many instances, time had been on her side. She didn't have that luxury with Jonathan. As in a kidnapping, each hour that passed made the search more difficult, the trail colder, the hopes more desperate.
    Not to mention that this time she didn't have the cooperation of the police.
    Her thoughts turned to Detective Quinn. Maybe she hadn't played her cards right with him and should try a new approach. A little groveling, perhaps. Such tactics weren't exactly her style, but in apinch , she could grovel with the best of them.
    As her right hand rummaged through her bag in search of the detective's phone number, she kept her eyes on the road, looking for a place to stop. Five minutes later she was pulling into a rest area, Quinn's number in her hand.
    "Let me see if he's in," the desk sergeant said when she identified herself.
    When Quinn came on the line, he sounded just as cranky as he had before.
    "Yes,
Miss.
Robolo ?" He made no effort to disguise the irritation in his voice.
    "Good morning. Detective," she said in her most affable voice. "I was wondering if you could give me an update on the desk clerk's condition."
    "Unchanged."

"What about the identification of the body?"
    "I've requested dental records to be sent from
Philadelphia
. Correct me if I'm wrong," he said before she could fire another question, "but didn't we agree that from now on you'd be directing your questions to the Philadelphia PD?"
    "If you don't mind, I'd rather deal directly with you."
    "Now, I wonder why that is?" She guessed from his sarcastic tone that he had already spoken with someone at the PPD and had been thoroughly briefed on her unpopularity with the city force.
    "Could it be," he continued in that same mocking tone, "that you're persona non grata with your own police department? I believe one person I talked to referred to you as Typhoid