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A thought struck her like a lightning bolt. What if Renner planned to use Freddy as leverage to force Patrick’s hand? A wave of nausea washed over her, but Sabrina shoved it down. Speculation wouldn’t help Freddy. She needed facts, and she needed them fast.
Sabrina grabbed her laptop, glad she’d brought it downstairs with her, and snuggle into the corner of the couch. It was nothing like her loveseat where she and Freddy spent so much time gaming together, but it was the closest she had, and she wanted to feel closer to him right then. Even if it didn’t make a fucking lick of logical sense. She was determined to find something, anything, that could lead her to Freddy. She hackedinto Freddy’s email account, searching for any correspondence with Renner that might provide a clue. There was nothing.
Sabrina’s eyes narrowed as she scanned Freddy’s accounts once more. Something wasn’t adding up. She pulled up his recent transactions, focusing on gas purchases. The last fill-up was almost a week ago.
Frowning, she opened a new tab and searched for information on Freddy’s Audi A3. Tank capacity, fuel efficiency - she absorbed the details, her mind racing. With a few quick calculations, she realized Freddy wouldn’t have had enough gas to make it home from the meeting.
She leaned back, rubbing her temples. The cheese shop was in a plaza with a parking garage, but there was a gas station on the corner. Freddy must have planned to stop there, but there was no charge on his card.
Sabrina’s breathing quickened. This could be the lead she needed. She needed to call the cheese shop, but it would have to wait until they opened.
Knowing she wouldn’t sleep, but with nothing else to do, Sabrina closed her computer and returned to her room to curl up under covers and watch a movie. She was stuck until morning.
Unsurprisingly, she dozed fitfully, but didn’t get any real sleep. It didn’t stop Sabrina from starting a pot of coffee the minute the sun peaked over the horizon. Patrick and Holly were up shortly after her, but while she was solely focused on Freddy, their attention was split between worry for him and keeping the business running as usual.
It took forever before the clock finally ticked past nine, but as soon as it did, Sabrina punched the button to call the cheese shop. She drummed her fingers on her thigh as it rang.
“Thank you for calling Cheese to You. How can I help you?” a cheerful voice answered.
“Hi, I’m calling about a customer who visited your shop yesterday,” Sabrina said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Tall guy, shaggy brown hair. Would’ve bought some sheep’s milk cheese.”
“Oh yes, I remember him,” the owner replied. “Friendly fellow. Said it was his girlfriend’s favorite.”
Sabrina’s cheeks flushed, but she pressed on. “Did you happen to see him leave? Or hear anything about his car being left in the parking garage? Do you validate parking?”
The owner chuckled. “Sorry, miss. I did validate his parking, but that’s just a quick stamp. I don’t keep up with anything else related to the parking garage. Too busy with my cheeses, you know?”
Sabrina’s hope deflated, but the owner continued, “If you’re worried about a car being left overnight, you should call the property manager. They handle any towing issues.”
She perked up. “Do you have their number?”
The owner rattled off the digits, which Sabrina quickly jotted down.
“Thank you so much,” she said, already plotting her next move.
As she hung up, Sabrina felt a glimmer of hope. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. She’d find Freddy, no matter what it took.
Sabrina’s hands trembled as she dialed the property manager’s number. Her heart fluttered and skipped a beat, hoping for any information about Freddy’s whereabouts.
“Plaza Management, how can I assist you?” a bored voice answered.
Sabrina swallowed hard. “Hi, I’m calling about a car that might have been left overnight in your parking garage.”
The woman on the other end sighed. “Let me guess, silver Audi?”
Sabrina’s breath caught. “Yes! That’s the one.”
“Yep, we had it towed last night. The owner can retrieve it from City Impound on 5th Street. They’ll need ID and proof of ownership.”
Sabrina scribbled down the details, her mind reeling. “Thank you so much,” she managed before hanging up.
She stared at her notes, a mix of relief and dread washing over her. They had Freddy’s car, but no Freddy. Something was very wrong.
With shaking fingers, Sabrina carried the page with her notes downstairs to Holly, who led her directly into Patrick’s office.
“Any news?” Patrick’s voice was tense, his shoulders rigid.
Sabrina took a deep breath. “I found Freddy’s car. It was towed from the parking garage near the cheese shop last night.”
