Faceless (Sinister Secrets Book 2), Candle Sutton [dar e dil novel online reading txt] 📗

or not he liked Wes, the realization of how close something like this could hit was always harsh.

“Taken by two men.” She injected a heavy dose of sympathy into her voice. “I’m sorry. This must be such a shock.”

The man’s color had dimmed a shade, his skin taking on a slightly yellow hue. “He was here. Yesterday.”

She nodded. “What did everyone think when he didn’t show up today? Was that unusual?”

“Yes.” A heavy breath eked from him. “He is well respected here.”

Something about the way he said it made her pause. “Was he?”

Dark eyes turned on her. “By most.”

And there it was. “But not by you?”

“I chose to treat him with respect. It is our way. To do less would be dishonoring.”

“But it wasn’t reciprocated.”

“No.” The man glanced around as if to make sure no one was close enough to overhear him. “Wes treats people well if he believes it will benefit him. People like me, or the lady in billing, or the janitor…” He lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. “The physicians love him and he is good with our patients. Perhaps it is too much work to treat the rest of us with kindness.”

“It’s not hard to be kind.”

A single, curt nod responded to her statement. “Wes was not known for his kindness to those he deemed beneath him.”

Interesting.

Was Jason Boggess known as a nice guy? Or did he have a reputation for being self-absorbed, too?

She made a mental note to look into it.

Perhaps their kidnappers were targeting people who were dismissive or mean.

If that were true, it would give their victims one more thing in common without really linking them in any way.

It would also open the floodgates to a whole city full of potential victims.

The door behind him opened and a tall woman with military posture stepped out, her attention instantly locking on Kevyn.

A tight smiled curled her lips, but even from here Kevyn could see it was nothing more than a formality. No crinkling around the eyes, no relaxing of the lines on her forehead… this woman was anything but happy to see her.

“Lexi, this is…” the man faltered, a hint of pink creeping into his cheeks.

“Agent Taylor, FBI. Thank you for making time for me.”

The woman gave a taut nod and waved for Kevyn to follow her into the office. Kevyn stepped inside an office containing all the personality of sterilized surgical equipment. No pictures or personal touches of any kind, just a sea of gray, black and white.

The absence of personal items would make it hard to build any kind of rapport.

Her attention lit on a small flag perched in the corner, barely visible due to the massive credenza beside it. A military emblem identified it. The Marines.

The woman settled in a black executive chair and folded her hands on the desk. “How may I assist you, Agent Taylor?”

The tone, while not exactly icy, clearly indicated the woman’s displeasure at having her day interrupted.

Kevyn nodded at the flag. “Thank you for your service. Marines?”

It was chancy, making a leap like that. After all, the flag could have been left over from a previous office manager, or it could be from a family member who served.

“Twenty years.” Lexi’s eyes widened briefly. “Most people don’t even see that there.”

“Most people need to be more aware of their surroundings.” Kevyn smiled to soften the words, which some would perceive as harsh but she suspected would be well-received by this former military woman.

“Isn’t that the truth.” Lexi’s demeanor warmed from tundra to winter’s first snow.

Small improvement, but she’d take it. Kevyn relaxed back in her chair, folding her fingers in her lap in an attempt to mirror Lexi’s body language. “I know you’re busy and don’t want to take any more of your time than necessary, so I’ll get right down to it. Wes Andrews was abducted last night.”

“Really.” A slight narrowing of the eyes was the only indication the news came as a surprise. “And here I thought he’d flaked out on us this morning.”

Interesting. Lexi had assumed that Wes’ absence was flakiness? “Is he usually flaky?”

“Not generally.”

“And that didn’t make you concerned?”

Red crept up Lexi’s neck. “Well, it’s not like I thought something had happened to him. I figured he’d turn up when he was ready. In the meantime, we’ve been busy working his patients into the other providers’ schedules and moving the ones that we can.”

Lexi’s defensiveness wouldn’t serve her purposes.

Kevyn inflected sympathy into her tone. “Of course. It must be so inconvenient.”

Maybe almost as inconvenient as being abducted.

Lexi pulled in a long breath. “Yes, well. It’s part of running a business.”

“Did Wes have any interpersonal problems with anyone here? Or maybe a patient?”

“No. Everyone loved him.”

Clearly not everyone. At least not according to the man out front.

She wouldn’t vocalize that, though. “No patient complaints in the last few months?”

Lexi frowned slightly. “Well, there was that one, but I handled it.”

While Kevyn had serious doubts that a customer complaint had anything to do with Wes Andrews’ disappearance, she couldn’t afford to let it go. “What was that about?”

Eyes narrowing, Lexi harrumphed. “Mother who thought Wes wasn’t doing enough to help her son.”

“Was there any truth to her allegations?”

“No. The son is progressing on schedule.” Lexi’s jaw twitched. “You ask me, she’s mad because Wes didn’t respond to her flirtation. She’s a single mom and must think she’s a real catch.”

Hmm. A rejected woman? “Has this woman been coming here for long?”

“Her son has been our patient for a few months.” Lexi brushed her fingers across her desk as if wiping up dust. “Wes specializes in pediatrics. The son is about four and Wes has slowly been getting the son to