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northwest end of the city. When the elevator doors whispered open, he stepped out into a reception area with thick carpeting and a curved desk manned by a young woman. Girl, he amended. Probably not more than twenty.
    He introduced himself and asked her to let her boss know he as there.
    “Do you know Cathy Porter?” he asked, after introducing himself and she buzzed Fisher to tell him his visitor had arrived.
      “Oh, yes.” Her face took on a sober expression. “We all love Cathy. She’s just the greatest person. Everyone’s so scared and worried about her.”
    Cale leaned casually on the semi-circular reception desk. “Was she having any problems with anyone here? I mean, that you know of?”
    Her eyes widened so much he was afraid they’d pop out of her head.
    “You don’t think anyone here did something to her, do you? Oh, my God. That would be…” She shook her head, curls bouncing. “No, no, no. We all loved her. She was such a hard worker. Sometimes she’d work real late making sure everything for the clients was being processed properly.”
    “Worked late?” Cale leant a little closer. “Maybe she was working late the night she disappeared. Would you know about that?”
    “She wasn’t here.” The girl said the words emphatically. “She never came to the office that day.” She looked around, suddenly nervous. “Anyway, we’re not supposed to talk about it. All questions have to go through Mr. Fisher. He was very specific about that.”
      That was interesting.
    “Well, then.” He found a smile for her. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.” He took out a business card, wrote his cell number on it and handed it to her. “But if you happen to think of anything, I’d appreciate it if you could give me a call.”
    “Okay, but I don’t really have anything to tell. Mr. Fisher said he’d be a few minutes. Would you like some coffee while you wait?”
    “No, thanks. I’m good.”
    He sat down in one of the plush chairs arranged in a little grouping and spent his time studying the area and the people who moved through it as they went from one office to another. He took note of the fact that everyone seemed slightly on edge. Cale figured it was natural giving the circumstances, but he also wondered if any of them knew something and that knowledge was what was making them so nervous.
    At last Gray Fisher emerged from his office, still in hushed conversation with a tall, lean man. Both men had grim looks on their faces, but when they spotted Cale , the frowns smoothed away to be replaced by professional smiles. The tall man headed for the elevator and Fisher came over to greet Cale .
    “Sorry for the delay,” he told him as he led Cale into his office. “A meeting with the foundation’s attorney ran a little longer than expected.”
    He tried to tell himself not to let his opinion of Fisher be coloured by the fact that he kept Cale waiting for more than half an hour, despite the fact he’d told him he was available. Or by the smooth, well-manicured appearance he presented when he finally stepped out of his office. Or by the unpleasant softness of his handshake when he came over to greet Cale . What was important was to make sure the man had told everything he knew about Cathy’s disappearance.
    “Of course.” He kept his voice neutral, despite disliking the man on sight.
    Gray Fisher sat across from him with an acre of desk between them, as if separating himself from Cale . He wore a concerned look on his face, which Cale would have bet was from his arsenal of professional expressions. He’d met men like Gray Fisher before, impressed with themselves and their positions, carefully creating a persona for the wealthy donors they dealt with. His conciliatory attitude rubbed Cale the wrong way, and he had to mentally bite his tongue to keep from telling the guy what he thought of him. He was Cathy’s boss and they’d get no information if he antagonised him. In the end it turned out