A Huntington Pharmaceuticals sign hung above a corner booth. Easels with different animals ranging from dogs to cows were on display along with a list of products the company manufactured. Lacey Huntington, the CEO, was in the back of the booth eating a salad and studying her phone.
“Want me to come with you?” Todd asked.
“No.” Janet let out a breath. “She’s more likely to speak with me if I’m alone.”
“I’ll stick close. Whistle if you need me.”
She nodded and straightened her shoulders. It was risky talking to Valerie’s stepdaughter in such a public place, but Janet wasn’t sure who to trust. Showing up at the corporate offices could’ve tipped off the attacker. Janet hoped the sheer number of people at the expo would help shield the interaction as merely business.
She darted around a couple of Huntington employees and beelined straight for Lacey. The other woman glanced up from her phone, the fork hovering halfway to her mouth, and frowned. She scanned Janet’s blouse, probably looking for a name tag.
“Hi. I’m sorry.” Lacey lifted the phone. “I’m in the middle of preparing for our company’s presentation at the main stage, but I’m sure one of my other employees can help you.”
“No, they can’t.” Janet reached into her purse and pulled out a printout of the sketch. “I need to talk to you about your stepmother, Valerie. Is this her?”
Lacey glanced down at the drawing and her perfectly arched brows lifted. “Where did you get this?”
Janet took a fortifying breath. Please, Lord, help me find the words. Quickly, and in a low whisper, she told Lacey about the attack.
“Is this some kind of sick joke?” Lacey’s cheeks grew pink and she half rose from the stool. “Because if it is—”
“It’s not a joke. Please, you need to listen to me. You can call the Sweetgrass Police Department and verify my story. I filed a police report detailing the entire incident, although I didn’t know the woman’s name. Look at the drawing. It has the officer’s name and the date.”
Lacey scanned the drawing again and sank back down to the stool. “I don’t understand.”
Janet glanced around to ensure no one was paying attention to them. Todd stood within shouting distance, scanning the crowd. His beat-up leather jacket and steel-toed work boots were out of place in the sea of business attire. Seeing him there, standing guard, bolstered her courage.
She turned her attention back to the other woman and whispered, “I think your stepmother is in trouble.”
“That’s impossible.” Lacey shoved her half-eaten salad to the side. “Valerie is traveling in Europe.”
Janet’s stomach churned. Did they have the wrong woman? It seemed hard to believe. Even Lacey thought the drawing was of Valerie.
“When did she leave?”
“Two weeks ago. My father…” She bit her lip and blinked rapidly. “My father died six months ago, and Valerie took it hard.”
Marcus Huntington had passed away from a sudden heart attack. The announcement had been in one of the articles the private investigator had forwarded on. The company he’d built from the ground up went to his daughters, Lacey and her younger sister Katherine, in equal share.
“I’m sorry.”
Lacey cleared her throat. “Thank you. Anyway, Valerie needed a change of scenery, and she’s taking a three-month trip around Europe. I’ve been in contact with her since she left via email and text.”
She pulled up an app on her phone and did a search. Correspondence between her and Valerie flashed across the screen. The last one was sent yesterday. They gave Janet pause, but email and text were easy to fake.
“What about by phone?”
“We don’t normally speak. We’re both busy, and with the time difference…” She fiddled with a sapphire ring on her finger. “Why am I even explaining this to you—?”
“Your stepmother—your family—is worth a lot of money.” Janet kept her gaze locked on the other woman’s face. “If someone has kidnapped her, and she momentarily escaped, it would explain how she ended up on the road that night. Have you received any demands for ransom?”
Something flickered in Lacey’s expression. A slight twist of her mouth so fleeting, Janet would have missed it if she hadn’t been looking for it.
Bingo.
“No one has contacted me.” Lacey’s chin tilted up. “My stepmother is fine and this conversation is over.”
Janet placed a hand on the other woman’s arm. The muscles underneath the silk fabric were rigid. With fear? Or with something else?
Janet pitched her voice low. “You need to go to the police. If she’s being held in Sweetgrass, then it gives us a starting point to find her.”
Lacey shook off her hand. “I’ll say it again, Valerie is fine and—”
“Sis?”
Both women jumped at the interruption. Katherine Huntington stood off to the side, her full lips pulled into a frown. The cerulean-colored pantsuit matched her eyes and, when she brushed a strand of blonde hair off her face, the diamond ring on her wedding finger shimmered.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but Lee has arrived and we need to head over to the stage for our presentation.” Her gaze flickered to Janet and her brow creased. “Have we met?”
Janet opened her mouth, but Lacey cut her off with a glare.
“No, Ms. West just had a few questions about our products. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to help her.” Her mouth tightened. “Now, if you’ll excuse us.”
She scooped up her phone and steered her sister away. Katherine passed a glance over her shoulder toward Janet as the two women crossed to a man standing near a large easel. Something about him looked familiar…
He turned to brush a kiss across Katherine’s cheek. Janet gasped.
It was Lee Maxwell, Officer Winston Maxwell’s brother.
Katherine said something, and Lee cast
