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Another scowl. “Wait here.” The guard went to the front desk. After checking to be sure the three of them remained in place, he tapped a few keys on the computer’s keyboard. “According to the records, he left the building at 7:00 p.m. and hasn’t returned.”
Kristi sucked in a breath. “He had a conference call scheduled at 9:00.”
“I can only tell you what I see in the computer.”
“I want to check for myself.”
“I can’t let you go up by yourselves at night. Company policy.”
“Come with us.” She glanced at his name tag. Without giving Richard an opportunity to argue, Kristi headed for the elevator.
“Is it possible to alter the log?” Jackson asked.
Richard stiffened. “Are you accusing me of tampering with the system?”
“I’m asking a question. You work with this security system. That makes you the expert. Is it possible to alter the log?”
“Yes, but that requires authorization higher than mine.” The guard punched the button for the executive floor. The elevator doors slid shut with a soft whoosh, and the car rose to the top floor.
When they stepped into the reception area, Kristi headed for her father’s office. When she reached for the knob, Rafe caught her hand with his.
“Let one of us go in first, just in case there’s a problem.”
“I’ll go in,” Richard said. He knocked on the door. “Mr. Stewart? It’s Richard with security. Your daughter’s here, sir.”
No response.
He knocked again. “Mr. Stewart, I’m opening the door, sir.” Richard twisted the knob and shoved open the door. He froze, then cursed.
“What’s wrong?” Kristi asked. She started to push past the guard, but Rafe held her in place with an arm around her waist.
“Someone trashed the office. I gotta call my supervisor.” Richard pivoted on his heel. “Don’t touch anything,” he ordered as he strode into the hall outside the office suite.
Heart pounding against her rib cage, Kristi hurried into her father’s office and stopped just inside the doorway. Her father’s ruthlessly organized office was a shambles. Two short filing cabinets were overturned, the drawers upended with files tossed everywhere. The desk chair lay on its side. The phone was on the floor with the cord ripped from the wall.
Rafe and Jackson eased past Kristi. The medic whistled as he moved further into the office. His attention was captured by something on the floor. “Rafe,” he murmured, indicating a spot on the other side of the desk.
Kristi followed Rafe and gasped at the sight of the pool of blood on the floor. “We have to find my father. He’s hurt.”
Rafe wrapped his arm around her as he studied the office. “Jackson, check his computer screen. Let’s see if he was working on something when he was interrupted.”
The medic tugged a pair of thin rubber gloves onto his hands and wiggled the mouse. He studied the screen. “The East Coast Shipping file is open. Looks like a proposed contract.” Jackson straightened and circled to the front of the desk. “Mean anything to you, Kristi?”
“East Coast Shipping is one of Stewart Group’s largest customers. Dad doesn’t leave his computer folders open when he leaves the office. He must have been working on it when someone attacked him. If he left at 7:00, the guard on duty would have noticed if Dad looked as though he’d been in a fight.”
Rafe glanced around the office again. “Is is possible to leave this office without going through the lobby?”
She pointed to the paneled door behind her father’s desk. “Dad has a private elevator.”
“Where does it go?”
“To an underground garage. Dad usually parks in front of the building. He says the workers appreciate knowing that he works longer hours than they do. If he’s here late, though, he parks in the garage.”
“Can you access the elevator?”
She nodded. Kristi waved her VIP card in front of the scanner. The door slid open. More blood stained the elevator floor.
“Looks like Stewart left the building by this elevator.” He frowned. “Wouldn’t the system log him accessing the elevator?”
