Chapter Seventy-Four
Quinn holds four pitchers of beer, two handles gripped in each hand, and sets them on the table.
The bar is packed and it took forever to get the drinks.
One of the investigators on the team shouts, “Sláinte,” which must be some Irish-pub thing.
Not to be outdone, Pat raises his glass and everyone follows suit.
Over the loud din, Pat gives a toast in a mock Irish accent: “May your glass be ever full. May the roof over your head be always strong. And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead.”
This elicits cheers and table pounding from the group.
Quinn surveys the bar, looking for Jules.
At the pool table, Lucy is showing Carrie how to play, arm around her guiding the cue.
Pat continues to entertain the investigators from his firm, all of them several drinks past what is socially acceptable.
That’s just a regular Saturday night for Pat, but these guys are all married with kids, so it’s a rare night out on the town.
Not to mention it’s uncommon that a P.I.
firm that specializes in cheating spouses and insurance fraud gets a heroism award.
Quinn moves through the thick crowd and checks the back of the bar, which has a small area off the main room, but he doesn’t see Jules. He checks another spot where patrons are playing darts.
When she’s not there either, he heads over to the pool table to Lucy and Carrie and two guys who eye Quinn like he’s trying to move in on the girls.
“Hey, have you seen Jules?”
Lucy looks up. “I thought she was with the group?”
Quinn shakes his head.
A look of concern spreads over Lucy’s face. She scans the bar, then yanks a BlackBerry from her purse and calls Jules.
When there’s no answer, Carrie says, “I’ll check outside.”
“No,” Lucy says.
“I’ll go,” Quinn says. He hurry-walks, threading through the bodies. Lucy is on his heels and stops to check the bathroom. For good measure, Quinn checks the men’s restroom.
She’s not there either, and Lucy has a panicked look in her eyes. “We need to get Jack,” Lucy says.
“Sure, yeah,” Quinn says. He finally met the famous Jack tonight. “You go find him, and I’ll check outside.” Quinn feels worry niggling the back of his neck.
Outside, the night is quiet. The bar is on a side street with a connected parking lot.
Pacing the lot, he looks for Jules’s car.
It’s not here. But maybe she got a ride with someone.
The area is poorly lit, the moon coming in and out of the clouds.
No sign of her. His pulse accelerates. He rushes to the corner, looks down the street. Nothing.
Back in the bar, he’s met with Lucy who is in full-blown panic, and Carrie who is crying. “I called the hotel,” Lucy says. “She’s not there. And she’s not answering her phone. Jack went to his hotel after the event to change clothes and is almost here.”
Quinn’s boss comes over. “Everything okay?”
“We can’t find Jules.”
Eric shakes his head like he’s not understanding the frenzy. He doesn’t know the full story, the reason for the concern.
Quinn needs to keep his wits about him. Needs to stay calm.
The other investigators are stirring now, realizing something’s up. But they’ve all had too much to drink to be any help.
“What’s goin’ on, Q?” Uncle Pat says. It’s hard to tell if he’s drunk even though Quinn’s sure he’s had more to drink than everyone.
“Our friend—Jules—the woman who hosted the event tonight. She’s missing.”
“The good-looking lady?” Pat says. “I saw her about fifteen minutes ago when I went to drain my lizard. She was out front, talking to somebody.”
“Who?”
“I didn’t get a look at his face. But it was a cop, I think. Wore a brown uniform.”
Quinn’s thoughts are racing, dread landing in his gut.
“What can I do to help?” Uncle Pat asks.
Quinn thinks for a moment. “Stay with them until Jack arrives,” he says, looking at Lucy and Carrie.
“Who’s Jack?”
Quinn doesn’t have time to explain. “Pat, just keep an eye on them until he gets here. Okay?”
“Yeah, sure, kid.”
“And make sure those guys get cabs and don’t drive home,” Quinn says, looking at his colleagues.
Pat scrunches his face like he’s not one to enforce drunk-driving laws, but acquiesces.
Quinn comes over to Lucy and Carrie. Their eyes are filled with tears and panic. He puts a hand on each of their shoulders. “Do not leave until Jack gets here.”
“Where are you going?”
“To your office. Maybe she went back for something.”
“She’s not answering her phone,” Lucy says, more alarm in her voice. “She wouldn’t ignore me. Not today. Not on May first.” Her voice quivers.
“We’re going to find her. I need the office keys.” He holds out his hand and she digs through her purse and shoves them in his palm. She then takes out a large handgun. “Take this.”
“Whoa. Put that away,” Quinn says. She’s on probation and shouldn’t be carrying a gun. “Lucy. Look at me.”
Her red eyes stare into his. “I need you to stay calm. It won’t help Jules if we lose it. Can you do that?”
She holds his gaze, nods.
“Keep calling her mobile phone. I’ll call you when I’m at the office.”
“Should I call her parents?”
“Wait until you hear from me. We don’t want to alarm them unnecessarily.”
Quinn rushes out, forcing himself to follow his own advice and stay calm, but worries their panic may be justified.