"Do you remember anything about who else was in the lift? Was she in there when you got in?" Michael asked, after a moment. He spread the photos across the table. "Any of these people in there with you?"
Mel scanned her eyes across the photos. "That's the girl." She pointed at the angel girl in the white shirt. "She was in the lift when I got in, as was..." she pointed at the sporty woman, "...this woman. And this one..." This time, her finger touched Laura's face. She nodded at the photo of the woman in blue. "She entered the lift with me, on the same floor."
Michael gathered up the photos Mel hadn't touched, leaving the other four on the table. "Do you know any of these people?"
Mel leaned over to look more closely at the pictures, shaking her head slowly. "Not the girl, or the squash player, or the little one with the dark hair. This one, I do." Her nail touched the blue shirt, curved over the woman's breasts. Mel looked up at Michael, expectantly. Then she burst out laughing. "I hope you don't think she's a terrorist!"
"Should I?" Michael responded automatically.
Mel laughed harder. "Vanessa Wood-Jones, a terrorist? She's a rock lobster fisher, fishing the coast runs in her blood. You must be joking..."
The woman with the big boobs is a fisherman? Now I've heard everything. "She's a fisherman?" Michael asked doubtfully.
Mel calmed herself enough to respond. "No, a fisher. Vanessa's definitely not a man. She has a lovely boat for fishing offshore - one of the best-kept I've seen. She's probably offshore now."
He hesitated, but he knew he'd have to ask. "Can you give me her details so that I can contact her?"
It was Mel's turn to hesitate. "I'm sure you understand, but the details of our licence holders are confidential. You'd have to produce a warrant in order to access that information. The Hell Corporation takes confidentiality very seriously."
Michael floundered. He didn't have a warrant and he didn't want to tell her. He had nowhere near enough information to get a warrant for anyone but Laura and Laura was dead.
Mel offered him a conspiratorial smile. "I'll tell you what. I'll speak to our field operatives and see if they can raise her on one of the marine radio frequencies. Someone will know how to contact her. If we do, what would you like us to tell her?"
Michael's mouth was dry, for he was staring at Mel's. He wondered what she'd taste like if he kissed her. "I...I'd like to speak to her?" he managed to say.
Mel's smile widened. "Just for you, Michael, I'll tell her. Can you leave me a spare business card, so I know how to get in contact with you?"
Michael reached into his (suddenly uncomfortably tight) pocket and pulled out several business cards, offering them to Mel with a shaky hand. "It has my office phone and my email and my mobile number - I keep the mobile on me at all times, even at home, so if you need me...I'll answer it."
"Pleased to hear it," Mel replied with a polite smile. She stood up and escorted him back to the reception desk.
The door had clapped closed behind her and he was unclipping his visitor badge before he realised he hadn't asked her for her phone number or a lunch date. He looked woefully at the receptionist.
She smiled. "Mel tends to have that effect on people. I'm Gabi - if you need her, just call me here at reception and I'll put you through."
Michael thanked her and stumbled out of the Hell Corporation office.
Shit. This investigation is going downhill fast. Where to next?
YOU ARE READING
Going Down (Nightmares Prequel)
Mystery / Thriller“Find Al Himar. That’s one terrorist who’s going down!” After a dead terror suspect’s body is found, anti-terrorist operatives search her house. The only clue she left was a handwritten diary. Cryptic references to Al Himar and six people are all th...
