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No concrete reason she can think of, but her gut says don’t do it. She decides to table this logical next step and think it over. She can do that while she makes a trip to Jet Mart and talks to the clerk who waited on Bonnie.
Her phone rings as she’s leaving. She thinks it will be either Penny, asking for another update, or possibly Tom Higgins calling from Las Vegas, assuming that’s where he is. But it’s Jerome, and he sounds excited.
“You think someone grabbed her in that van, Holly. Don’t you?”
“I think it’s possible. Can you tell me anything about it?”
“I’ve looked at a lot of car sites, and it might be a Toyota Sienna. Might be. The lens of that surveillance camera was mighty dirty—”
“I know.”
“—and you can only see the bottom half. But it’s not a Chevy Express. Take that to the bank. Could be a Ford, but if it was Final Jeopardy, I’d say it was a Sienna.”
“Okay, thanks.” Not that it’s much help.
“There was something funny about it.”
“Really? What?”
“I don’t know. I’ve looked at it a dozen times and I still don’t know.”
“The stripe? The blue one down low?”
“No, not that, lots of vans have stripes. Something else.”
“Well, if you figure it out, let me know.”
“Wish we had a license plate.”
“Yes,” Holly says. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”
“Holly?”
“I’m still here.” Now heading for the elevator.
“I think it’s a serial. I really do.”
6
She’s pulling out of the parking garage when her phone rings again. The screen says UNKNOWN NUMBER. She puts her car in park and takes the call. She’s pretty sure Mr. Unknown Number is Tom Terrific.
“Hello, this is Holly Gibney, how can I help?”
“Tom Higgins.” In the background she can hear electronic boops, electronic beeps, and jangling bells. Casino sounds. Any doubt that Tom Higgins isn’t in Las Vegas departs. “You can help by telling me what you mean about Bonnie being missing.”
“Wait one. Let me park.” Holly pulls into a vacant space. She never talks on her phone while she’s driving unless she has absolutely no choice and thinks people who behave otherwise are idiots. It’s not just against the law, it’s dangerous.
“Where did she go?”
Holly thinks of asking him what part of missing he doesn’t understand. Instead, she tells him that Bonnie’s mother hired her, and what she’s found out so far. Which isn’t much. When she finishes there’s a long moment of silence. She doesn’t bother to ask if he’s still there; the boops and beeps continue.
At last he says, “Huh.”
Is that all you’ve got? Holly thinks.
“Do you have any idea where she might have gone, Mr. Higgins?”
“Nope. I dumped her last winter. She was asking—without asking, you know how some women are—for a long-term commitment, and I was already planning this trip.”
