Time to get back to work and find out what the hell Eli Frederick was involved in … what he was hiding … and what his friends knew about him.
Chapter 6
Shoving his chair back in frustration, Luke stalked into his kitchen, his glower only pacified when he remembered his trip to the grocery store before he came home. Throwing a frozen pizza into the oven, he frowned at the timer on the stove as he watched the minutes slowly click by.
How the hell can anyone disappear? Luke had spent the past four hours attempting to find Charlotte, but could not connect her to anything recent. He knew Hai would be difficult so he saved him for last, but he assumed she would be easy to investigate.
Pulling the hot pizza out, steam rising from the melted cheese, he slid it onto a large plate and moved back to his computers. Plopping down, he stared at the notes he had taken. Charlotte Trivett was the only child of divorced parents. He determined her father left when she was only four and married another woman, having nothing to do with his ex-wife or daughter after that. Her mother worked in a grocery store during the day and as a waitress at night.
Charlotte's academic records revealed what he had already assumed by her admission to MIT. She was brilliant, analytical, and appeared to be a loner. Her high school yearbook yielded no pictures of her, not even in the math or science clubs. She had attended a posh private school on an academic scholarship. With her mom working as a waitress, I'll bet she was shunned by the little princesses there. Her social media footprint was scant at best.
One year younger than Eli, she would have started after Luke graduated, so he knew their paths did not cross. Sighing as he continued to peruse his notes, he continued to find little about her other than school records. Just like high school, she was not in clubs or a sorority. She worked in the Engineering library for work-study to assist with costs. Her mother died during Charlotte's junior year of college, leaving her very much alone. Most of her education was financed with financial need and student loans, which she paid off within two years of graduating.
Where the hell did you get the money to pay back your loans? She would have graduated about the time that Eli began taking private jobs. I wonder? Quickly pulling up a comparison of both Eli and Charlotte's bank accounts, he discovered the connection he had been searching for. Bingo! They both made large deposits about the same time. Not every time, but almost sixty percent were on the same day.
So you were working privately also … and often on the same projects as Eli. Feeling as though he finally made a modicum of progress, he smiled as he leaned back in his seat. His grin left his face as he glanced to the side and viewed his cold pizza. Sighing heavily, he decided to forgo the microwave and chomped down on the congealed cheese sitting on top of the slice.
By midnight, his frustration reached an all-time high once more. Charlotte Trivett disappeared at the same time Eli Frederick went missing. She was gone. Completely and totally off the grid. Her email, social media, and phone had been disconnected and discontinued. Groaning, he began to fear the worst. Did she die too? Is her body going to wash up on a shore?
Deciding to call it a night, he shoved in the last piece of pizza and stood to take the plate back to the kitchen. Before he turned off his computer, it pinged with an incoming message.
Hard at work?
Attempting not to choke as he swallowed a large bite quickly, he sat up straight. Starting a new case. How are you? Do you need my help?
Not yet.
A pause settled in as Luke tried to decide what else to say. Before he had a chance to attempt wittiness, his friend commented.
Be careful what you seek. You may not like the answers.
Once more astonished that this person could tell what he was doing, he typed, Why will I not like the answers?
He waited, his heart pounding faster with each passing second. His gaze never left his screen, as though staring would make the person respond quicker. Finally the ping sounded again.
You want to find someone but to do so may not give you the satisfaction you seek.
Luke's brow furrowed as he realized this person knew he was searching for Eli's friend Charlotte. Unable to decipher their intent he sat for a moment, his fingers twitching over the keys. I really want to meet you. I want to know how you operate.
Then I would lose my edge … it's what I have going for me. I'm like a shadow on the wall.
Grinning, Luke realized this was more than he normally received from his cyber friend. I got a question.
Sure you can ask … I might not answer.