Chapter 4 Bree
Ten days ago—
“You sure it’s safe to talk in here?” Callie asked, glancing around the break room. “What if there’s a listening device or recorder or something?”
If this wasn’t so serious, I might have laughed at the stricken expression on her face and the way she began opening all the cabinets and checking every inch to be sure we were truly alone. It seemed silly to worry about it, but we couldn’t be too careful.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Elliot doesn’t come in here since it’s a shared space. He keeps all his meetings private in his office.”
She scoffed at that. “Yeah, I know.” Her lower lip trembled, and I reached out a hand, squeezing hers as she took a seat next to me. “If he knew my connection to Sadie, he’d figure out why I applied for this job.”
Callie was a receptionist like me, one of a handful of pretty young women working in the mayor’s office and his staff.
Some people wouldn’t think anything of it, but if you were observant, you’d notice how men held all the positions of power and how the women only occupied secretarial jobs.
We were meant to serve, and that was why I had started collecting evidence of the sexist work environment to pass along to H.R.
“He’s not going to find out, Callie. I promise.”
She blew out a shaky breath, clenching my hand hard before releasing it. “What do we know about his date tonight?”
“You mean the business dinner?” I asked, rolling my eyes.
“Right,” she replied sarcastically. “Is he using the same escort service again?”
“Yeah, and he’s sloppy about it. Doesn’t even hide the information from me. He had me call them and double-check his favorite girl was ready for tonight.” I sighed. “He sent her the same package as Sadie.”
Callie swallowed hard. “Two dozen red roses tied with a black ribbon, a black cocktail dress, and instructions.”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “I saw the receipts today. He didn’t bother hiding them.”
“He thinks he’s untouchable,” she spat.
The night Sadie disappeared, Mayor Elliot Goodman requested her services from one of the more discreet escort companies in the Las Vegas area. The DOLL Agency offered companions to wealthy, high-profile clients.
Nevada was the only U.S. state where prostitution was legally permitted in some form.
Prostitution itself was legal in ten of Nevada’s seventeen counties, but that wasn’t what the escort service offered, meaning soliciting Sadie for her company wouldn’t have been illegal .
. . unless Elliot wanted to exchange money for sex.
We’d been trying to figure out if that was why he began seeing Sadie regularly.
A prominent figure like the mayor would cause a scandal if the public learned of his indiscretions and involvement in the disappearance of young women.
As disgusted as I was with his choice to use taxpayer dollars to fund such an extravagant lifestyle, it was the disappearances that worried me. Sadie was the fifth young woman to make the news in the last four months.
When Callie interviewed for the job, I sensed she had an underlying agenda when applying for a city government position, given that it was only for a part-time secretary. She was overqualified with her business degree and experience.
The mayor hired her immediately and never hid his attraction.
His gaze lingered too long on Callie the entire interview.
That was three and a half months ago, and she’d confided in me after only a few weeks that she was here to find out information on her sister and the mayor’s connection to the disappearance.
“What’s the plan?” she asked, fidgeting in her seat. “It’s taking too long to find Sadie. I’m worried.”
“I know you are, hon. Wait until he’s left the office. I’ll need you to keep an eye out while I search his computer.”
Her eyes widened. “You know his passwords?”
“Of course. He’s not very discreet. It wasn’t hard.”
“Or he’s testing us to see if we’ll spy on him.”
“I don’t think so. He’s far too arrogant for that.”
She snorted. “Yeah. You’re right.”
That had been five hours ago.
Typing away on my keyboard and entering data, I anxiously scanned the spacious office, my gaze flicking between the security camera placed high in the corner, facing the entrance, the closed door to my left, and the hallway leading to more offices where I glimpsed employees working through the clean panes of glass.
I had six more documents to type up and complete, all of them illegal or dishonest practices dictated to me earlier that morning by Mayor Elliot Goodman.
Goodman. With a name like that, you’d think he had to be an ethical, kind, and hardworking man.
He wasn’t. To the public, he appeared benevolent. A patient man concerned about their safety, prosperity, and future. But I knew better.
My experiences with Elliot proved he was cold and calculating, consumed with greed, and a fake.
There wasn’t a single thing he did that came from a place of genuine compassion or selflessness. I’d never met anyone more self-centered. He fit nearly every unpleasant stereotype for a politician I’d ever heard of, and he seemed to enjoy that fact.
Why work for a man like him? I didn’t know it when I hired on. Only after a year of employment did I begin to have access to specific files and documents, revealing his shady business dealings and partnerships with local thugs.
That was when I decided he needed to be exposed for the filthy criminal he’d become.
No actual plan formed until Callie came along.
A few weeks ago, an FBI agent contacted her after he learned about her sister.
It seemed Agent Phillips was handling the missing girls’ cases and building a file on the unsub or unknown subject.
Whoever took these girls worked in a consistent area that included Henderson and Las Vegas.
Agent Phillips was a profiler and hoped we could help provide the intel he needed for a breakthrough in the case.
Fast forward to today, and here I was, waiting for the mayor to leave early so I could have an excuse to be in his office in case I got interrupted.
Sighing, I glanced at my phone, nibbling on my bottom lip. Only an hour left until Elliot planned to leave for a business dinner. I’d cleared his schedule per his request and hoped he would decide to vacate the building ahead of time.
I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn’t hear the soft voice calling my name from the open doorway.
I spent most of my time behind the mahogany receptionist’s desk or next door in the copy room and rarely had visitors unless they were one of the mayor’s scheduled appointments.
My head lifted in surprise when I noticed my partner in crime and her anxious expression. “Hi, Callie.”
“Hey, Bree.” She glanced at the closed door where the mayor was currently handling last-minute preparations before she approached my desk. Her voice lowered as she spoke. “Is he leaving yet?”
“Yes. His business dinner is scheduled for five p.m., but he plans to make a stop with his chauffeur before arriving at the restaurant.” I only knew that information because I overheard Elliot on the phone discussing the flowers he planned to purchase for his business associate.
Never mind the fact that she was loaned from an escort service.
The city would pick up the bill for tonight’s lavish entertainment.
He’d left the door ajar, and I heard his conversation while I typed up the emails he asked me to send, along with a few other documents detailing his notes on a recent meeting regarding gun control in Nevada.
“Text me when you’re ready.”
“I will.”
She darted from the receptionist area as the mayor’s door began to open, disappearing down the hall.
“Brianna, would you be so kind as to show Mr. Baker to the elevators?”
“Sure, Mayor Goodman.”
“Excellent.” He turned to Mr. Baker, extending his hand. “Thank you for meeting with me today. I’ll have my secretary type up the documents you requested and contact you early next week to finalize our agreement.”
Mr. Baker shook Elliot’s hand and released it. “Perfect. Good afternoon, Mayor.”
Elliot turned and shut the door, probably to change and freshen up for his dinner engagement.
I smiled at Mr. Baker, walking around the desk to the door. “If you’ll follow me, I can show you to the elevators.”
“I know where they’re located,” he grumbled, catching me off guard with his surly expression. “He likes to think I’m an imbecile. Asshole.”
I had to hide my snicker, keeping my expression neutral. “Anything else I can do for you?”
“No,” he sighed. “Have a good evening.”
“You as well, Mr. Baker.”
I returned to my desk, finishing the rest of the tasks Elliot had dictated when he opened the door, flashing a smile in one of his expensive tailored suits.
“You should come out with us some time for cocktails, Miss Hart. We always have an enjoyable time.”
Ha. No way. “Thanks for the invite, but I usually have things waiting for me at home. Is there anything else you require this evening, Mayor?”
He gave me a funny look, like he didn’t expect me to turn him down. “No. Feel free to head on out once you’re caught up. Enjoy a nice soak in the tub and a glass of wine.”
He didn’t know a thing about me; he just assumed I liked those things.
“I will. Goodnight, Mayor.”
“I keep telling you it’s fine to call me by my first name. Everyone else in the office does.”
Nope. I didn’t want to be on a first-name basis with a man like him. “Okay. Good night.”
“Goodnight, Brianna.”
He said that intentionally, watching my reaction.
I gave him a small smile and returned to my work on the computer, noting with relief that he didn’t continue the discussion, walking out of the office and toward the elevators.
Pulling out my phone, I texted Callie. “He just left. Make sure he gets in the car with his driver before you return.”
She replied right away. “Will do.”
Five minutes later, she entered the office, closing the door with a soft click. “He’s gone.”
“Okay. Let’s do this.”