Chapter 49 CHAPTER 049
"Amelia, Hernandez. Hernandez, Amelia." Linc introduces me to the austere looking man sitting straight backed on the high backed chair in his study. It is past 8p.m but the room is brightly lit. I changed into a casual top and pants before coming back down just as he was getting cleared to drive in at the gate. I still feel full from dinner but my nerves are making light work of that.
"Hi." I say, taking his hand. He gives me a firm handshake, his face remains expressionless.
"Miss Tanner." He says. His voice is neither high or low. Though deep. The perfect pitch. Professional.
I didn't get what job he does or in what capacity he would be acting for our situation but looking at his serious face with that thick questionable scar on his brow, I don't want to know.
"Okay, Hernandez. She would give you a better brief of the situation. But keep in mind what we discussed already, I believe I gave you an overview." Linc says, sitting beside me on the couch. I kind of want him to hold my hands and gently soothe my nerves but he doesn't. I turn to look at his face and he is even more serious looking than Mr. Hernandez.
"Yes. You did, Sir. I will just ask her a few questions so I can get started. In cases like this, it is vital to start immediately and I understand that we have lost two days already." They both turn to look at me and I feel like shrinking into the soft expensive leather of the couch. The dread of recounting the event of that afternoon two days ago with Tyler creeps up on me and I feel the air leave the room.
"Well, you can ask what you need." I clear my throat. Fighting the urge to look at Linc's handsome serious face beside me. I can't believe it is the same man that promised to fuck me silly a few minutes ago. I understand he is taking this seriously because it is actually serious, Tyler was fucking deranged, but a little more warmth would really help me right now.
"Okay. First things first. Do you know where he lives? His contact? Email? Social media? Whatever can be used to contact him or at least get an idea of what his character is so we have a wider scope of his tendencies." Hernandez speaks too fast and I don't want to ask him to repeat himself so I just nod along like I am following his words when in reality I only get bits of each sentence.
"Uh, no. I don't know where he lives here in New York. I think he stays in the dorms back in Boston. Uh, I don't know his social media also. I could get his number from our class group chat." I bite down on my lips as Hernandez writes something down on his note pad. He is dressed in black leather pants and a black top. Is he like a private security agent or something? I itch to ask but this is hardly the right place or time.
"I tried to get across to Marcus," Linc cuts in, "the guy he is related to at work, but he said that when he checked at the apartment he thought he was living in, they told him that Tyler moved out about two weeks ago. That is like a week after he started interning at my firm." Linc says.
"Okay. So we don't know where he is right now. We will get back to that." Hernandez says then he turns to me, "Do you think Tyler could be into drugs?"
The question catches me off guard.
"Uh, I don't know. We were not close enough for me to know that." I turn to look at Linc who is watching me quietly. There is no judgement or anything on his face and that calms me down a little.
"I know that. I just want to know if it is something that could be a motive. According to what I have been able to pull about Tyler, he doesn't seem like the kind of person to be desperate about money. He has a decent background. He even seems popular. Likable."
Of course, Tyler is fucking popular. He switches his masks so efficiently, nobody would believe me if I tell them how cold and scary he looked when he was harassing me in that parking lot. Maybe I should cut Ashley some slack for not believing me immediately after all.
"Well, he mentioned wanting a permanent position at the firm. Tyler is very ambitious, career wise. He is always going on and on about wanting to be a top architect with great projects to his name." I say. I take a sip of the cold water on the desk in front of me. Linc had placed it there for me. He is so thoughtful and that only weakens my knees for him. Dangerous.
"Okay. So drugs and money are out of the question then. We are either dealing with a psychopath or a kid playing around taking chances." Hernandez scratches something into his pad again, his brows arched. I didn't like the way he phrased his last sentence, it drove a chill down my spine.
I don't want to, but I believe the former is correct. Tyler didn't look like he was playing around. It didn't seem like a prank or a joke going too far. He was cold and even became violent at a point.
I take a big gulp of my water. This is becoming real. What is going to happen if we do find Tyler? I want to hurt him as much as he hurt me that day, I want to make him feel as humiliated and scared as he made me feel. Vulnerable.
But, I can now see that that is not going to be my call to make. Not with the way Linc and Hernandez are looking at eachother and then me, like there is some parts of this conversation they have already had and don't want to include me. Like they already know how this is going to end and I might not like it. I might not be able to take it.
God, what was I really thinking being that reckless with Linc that day?
"Do you have any reasons to believe that Tyler might be acting from a place of jealousy?"
I freeze at the question.