Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

can get dicey.’
    ‘That’s why Ford went. So that Kimberly wouldn’t be out alone after dark.’
    ‘I take it that you haven’t heard from him.’
    ‘No, but I did just get a call from Andrew, the other student intern who Ford was supposed to drive to work this morning. Andrew called Kimberly’s dorm and she’s not there either. Her roommate said she never came back last night.’
    Some people might think it odd that a CEO would take such an interest in the business of a college intern. Those people hadn’t met his dad. Carter Industries was a giant in the manufacturing world, but Jack Carter was a scientist at heart and research was his life’s blood. Interns generated a lot of new ideas and his father made it a point to listen to each one. That he’d know Ford Elkhart by name was to be expected.
    That he’d care so much about the kid’s safety . . . well, that was his dad. That there was a family connection hadn’t hurt. Joseph’s adopted brother Grayson was Daphne’s boss and her friend. That made Daphne and her son like family.
    That Ford shared Jack’s interest in research had sealed the deal. Jack loved his four children unconditionally, but none of them had any interest in the family business.
    Joseph’s oldest sister, Lisa, ran a catering company with her husband. His middle sister, Zoe, was a police psychologist, and his youngest sister Holly . . . well, Holly worked for Lisa. An adult with Down syndrome, Holly grew more independent with every year that passed, but she would never take the reins of Carter Industries.
    Joseph was probably his father’s biggest disappointment. He’d actually earned a degree in electrical engineering, only to join the FBI. His passion had never been wires and widgets. But Ford’s was, and his dad had become fond of the kid.
    ‘They probably checked into a hotel,’ Joseph said. ‘They’re twenty-year-olds and he’s rich. Maybe the movie gave them ideas they wanted privacy to try.’
    ‘No, Ford’s been signed up to use one of the new robotic devices and this morning was his turn in the lab. It’s all he could talk about. Something’s not right here. I feel it.’
    Joseph felt it too, that buzzing on the back of his neck that signaled trouble. ‘Has anyone contacted the parents of either kid? Maybe they went home.’
    ‘I’ve tried to call Daphne, but it goes to her voicemail. I don’t have numbers for Kim’s parents, but Andrew said they lived near Philly.’
    ‘I’ll contact the university for the girl’s parents’ info. Ford’s mother is with the State’s Attorney’s office, right?’ Joseph asked, as if he didn’t know exactly where she worked.
    His father took a moment before answering. ‘Yes, Joseph,’ he said in a way that let Joseph know his coy move hadn’t fooled the old man. I never could .
    ‘I’ll call Grayson.’ It was through one of his brother’s court cases that Joseph had met Daphne in the first place. ‘He’ll track her down.’
    ‘I already called Grayson, and got his voicemail, too. Seems they’re both in court. It’s that big trial that’s been in the news.’
    ‘The Millhouse boy,’ Joseph said flatly. He’d been following the case, Daphne’s first big solo trial since she’d been promoted to Grayson’s old job. Reggie Millhouse, a high school senior, was accused of murdering a middle-aged married couple whose Mercedes had broken down on the side of a lonely road.
    The case was top of the news because the married couple was black – and Reggie had ties to a local white supremacist group.
    ‘The news said that the jury’s reached a verdict,’ his father said. ‘City’s gonna pop.’
    Because the evidence was mostly circumstantial and tempers raged on both sides. Whichever way the jury decided, there would be an outcry. Outside the courthouse was not the safest place to be today. Inevitably, that’s where the protesters would gather.
    If Daphne’s son had disappeared on the eve of an important verdict . . .
    ‘You’re quiet,’ his father murmured. ‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’
    ‘It could be coincidence.’ Joseph prayed it was. ‘I’ll head over there, wait for his mother and Grayson to come out of court.’ He started walking to his Escalade. ‘Let’s not borrow trouble until we know for sure that the kids are really missing.’
    ‘That’s wise. I have Kim’s car’s make and license plate. She visited Ford here at the office for lunch a few times, so