Run Girl: Ingrid Skyberg FBI Thrillers Prequel Novella by Eva Hudson Read Free Book Online Page A

parents—is doing all it can to track her down.”
    “But these students might actually know her name. If her online pal has spoken to his friends about her.”
    “Not her real name—the story would be all over social media by now if anyone was aware of her true identity.”
    They reached the lecture hall and slipped in quietly just as the lecturer was giving the students their assignment for the holidays. As far as Ingrid could tell, it was an impenetrable algebraic formula that Einstein himself would have struggled with. She’d majored in languages. Applied math was definitely not her strong point.
    Angelis strode toward the lectern, had a very brief and quiet word with the lecturer, then leaned close to the microphone. His voice boomed through the hall as soon as he started speaking. He quickly pulled back from the mic. Before he had a chance to resume, the students started to get to their feet. “Sit down!” he bellowed. Immediately the entire audience dropped back into their seats. “Thank you. I promise to keep you just a few moments.” He surveyed the hall, smiling all the time. “My colleague and I are very interested in speaking to anyone who knows a Mr Adam Oxley. Please make your way in an orderly fashion to the front of the room.” He stood back and waited as the majority of the students shuffled right out of the lecture theater.
    After a little while the hall was empty, save for only a handful of students dotted around in far flung seats. It didn’t seem the young student was exactly popular among his peers.
    Angelis clapped his hands together. “Come on, then. Don’t be shy. Come down to the front row, would you? This is a private conversation, after all. I wouldn’t want to broadcast it.”
    Reluctantly, all five students—three boys and two girls—slouched toward the front and slumped into seats that still allowed for some distance between them.
    “You can do better than that. You two move in.”
    Ingrid patiently waited for Angelis to rearrange the small group, conscious time was slipping away.
    “What’s this about?” one of the male students asked Angelis. “What’s Adam supposed to have done?”
    “Whoa! Back up. You’re getting way ahead of yourself. As far as we’re aware, Mr Oxley has done nothing wrong. We’re just interested in having a little chat with him.”
    “And you are?”
    Ingrid stepped forward. She held up her badge and explained who she was and where she was from.
    “The American embassy? What’s that got to do with Adam?” The vocal student’s friend nudged him in the ribs.
    “We haven’t seen Adam for a couple of days,” the rib-nudger said.
    Angelis turned his attention to him. “Do you know where he might have taken himself off to?”
    “Have you tried his parents’ house?” the student suggested.
    “He’s not at home with them.”
    “Maybe he’s having an early Christmas break somewhere.”
    “You still haven’t explained why the American embassy is involved,” the first student said.
    Ingrid and Angelis exchanged a glance.
    “We’ll get on to that,” Angelis said. “How did Adam seem, the last time you saw him?”
    “Seem?”
    “Happy, sad, distracted, excited. I’m looking for an appropriate adjective.”
    “He just seemed like Adam. A bit miserable, but basically OK.”
    Ingrid noticed the two female students had said nothing. They were sitting next to one another, but the one on the left was leaning away slightly from the girl next to her. She seemed keen to keep her distance.
    Angelis pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket. He carefully unfolded it and smoothed it out on his thigh. He showed it to the male students. “We believe Adam may know where this young woman is. We need to speak to him urgently to find out.”
    “Who is she?” The vocal male student plucked the color copy of a head and shoulders shot of Rachel Whitticker from Angelis’ grasp.
    “We believe she’s a very close friend of Adam’s,” Angelis