"She takes very good care of me. Miss Fulham joined our household when I was a boy. I won't say she's been like a mother to me," he said, "she prides herself too much on her professionalism. But she's been closer to me than most of my blood relatives."

Mankowitz consulted his notebook. "So the last time you saw Miss O'Connell was two days ago, when you brought her to work?"

"She mentioned that she'd like to take a few personal days," said Stephen. "I agreed that would be a good idea. It would have hardly been sympathetic to deny her some time off to recover her equilibrium."

"You didn't see her after work?"

"As I said," Stephen said, in a tone of dogged patience, "there was no need. Dominic had completed the repair of her car, and I'm assuming that she drove herself home."

"And you, Mister Genello?"

Dominic shrugged. "Would it help if I said it in Swedish, or something? I drove her and Mister Baxter to work. We all walked into the lobby together, and took the elevator together. She got off on the fifth, we went on up to the executive offices." He smiled, scratching his chin. "I was thinking about going to the employee cafeteria and seeing if I couldn't talk her into going out some time." He winked. "Those quiet ones can be real firecrackers, once you get 'em going."

Vandel gave him a very unimpressed look. "Uh-huh. And she hasn't come in since then?"

"Detective Vandel, I don't know how many times I need to give you the same information before you're satisfied. She hasn't been to work..."

"We aren't just talking about her clocking in for her regular shift," said Mankowitz. "Has she been by the office at all? To pick up something she left at her desk? Pass the time of day with a co-worker?" He smiled. "Flirt with a fellow employee?"

Dominic grinned, but before he could say anything Stephen said stiffly, "Miss O'Connell isn't that sort."

"I thought you didn't know her that well," said Connie innocently.

"I don't, but I have spent a bit of time with her, riding back and forth. A person forms impressions."

"That's all the time you spent with her--the rides?" Connie continued.

"Yes."

"You're sure? You didn't drop by her desk for a chat during the day? Spend some time in the break room?"

"For heaven's sake, it wasn't as if I was cultivating a friendship with the woman. I don't understand this at all. No one has reported her missing save the person who would be most likely to be responsible for her disappearance. Have you tried to get in contact with her?"

"We will, we will. So, you're sure there hasn't been any other contact?"

"No! I..." Baxter's eyes flickered. Both detectives were experienced in interrogation, and to them that said that the man had just realized that there was something that might contradict what he'd been saying. Or, as Mankowitz sometimes said, 'it was KYA time'. "Oh, wait. Now I recall... There was one time--I believe it was the second day that I gave her a ride--we had dinner together."

"You dated her, and you didn't think to include that?"

"It was hardly a date. We were late getting away from work. I was going to eat out anyway, and it would have been a bother to drop her off first. Besides, she's a pleasant enough woman, and I'm not exactly a hermit. She made it clear that she didn't date, so there would be no awkward significance attached to our dining together."

Valden blinked at him. "You discussed her dating habits?"

Stephen stared at her, as did Dominic. Dominic was smiling faintly, but there was a chill in his eyes that hadn't been there before. Stephen said slowly, "I begin to believe that you are deliberately trying to trip me up."

"Why would I do that?"

Mankowitz said soothingly, "Not at all, sir. We're just trying to clarify things. As you can see, we've already uncovered a couple of tidbits that you'd forgotten. Who knows what else you might remember?"

"I've had enough of this. You aren't investigating a crime. From what I can tell, you aren't even investigating a vague suspicion. All you have is a bit of vicious rumor, spread by a disgruntled ex-employee." Stephen stood up. "Please go now, and don't return unless you have something substantial to question me about."

The detectives stood up also. "I don't suppose," said Mankowitz, "that we could talk you into a quick tour of the house?" Stephen glared at him, and Mankowitz had a feeling that Baxter didn't often get irritated enough to show it in public. *Which tends to make me think that the toes I'm stepping on are sore for some reason.* "I guess not." He shut his notebook. "We'll be looking into this. Would you like us to let you know if we contact Miss O'Connell?"

"When you contact her, please tell her to report her plans to personnel. If she doesn't intend a timely return, she'll have to be replaced. Now, if you'll excuse me." He left the room without another word, or backward glance. Dominic followed quickly, giving them an enigmatic glance.

Any idea of poking around on the way out was quashed when Miss Fulham came in to escort them out. Under her eagle eye, they didn't dare veer off.

The gate slid open as they approached, showing the home owner's eagerness to speed their departure. Once on the road, Valden said, "Well?"

"Oh, something smells there, all right," Mankowitz agreed. "But we have to consider how much of it is legitimate cop instinct, and how much of it is the simple fact that none of those people are very likable. Fulham reminds me of Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch, Baxter is a cold fish--a cold, nervous fish--and I'd believe just about anything of Genello. The problem is, what do we do about it? I can't think of a judge in creation who'd give us a search warrant for that house on what we have. Or rather, don't have."

"I'd like a chance to talk to that Turner guy," said Valden.

*He might have believed me more if I'd told him I'd been abducted by aliens,* Axel thought sourly. *Fine. Looks like I'm on my own. Let's see... I can't help but think that this thing with Mina can't be... unique. I wonder if anyone else has gone missing around Baxter?*

Axel didn't have the cash to hire a private detective to dig into things. Besides, anything done ethically would probably be too little, too late. What he really wanted was a chance to poke around himself, and he knew where he wanted to start.

Mina wasn't the only female employee to have stalker-type attention recently. That made Axel think that whatever weird shit Baxter and Genello were up to might very well have been concentrated on previous employees. *What I want to find out is if anyone has left abruptly--no notice, and vague about where they were going next. If I can get a look at the personnel records... Crap. I almost wish I had more computer skills and less good looks. Hacking would be a big help right now. Still, if I can get into the personnel department, I know enough to dig through the records. The hard part is getting in there. My persona can't get much more non grata in the Baxter Building.*

There was no chance of getting in during the day. Maybe he could manage it at night. He knew the security routine on the night shift, and he doubted that they had bothered to change it substantially since he'd left. He was only worried about the new man they'd hired to replace him. He'd be an unknown quantity.

But Axel knew Clarence Borden well. Borden would still be training the new guy, and Axel (having been trained by Borden himself), knew what that would consist of. Borden would have walked him over the usual security route the first couple of shifts--then he'd go back to sitting at the front desk, reading his fishing and hunting magazines while the new guy did the tours. And since security at the Baxter Building emphasized punctuality and routine, as long as nothing delayed the start of rounds, Axel knew to within a minute or two where the rookie would be at any given time.

Axel waited till night had fallen, and the employee parking lot emptied out. When he was sure that the building was as empty as it was going to get, he made his way down the street and took up watch in a sheltered doorway just across the street.

He had a good view of the lobby from where he was. The rookie security guard came out a minute or two after he'd taken his position. He was escorting a woman that Axel recognized as a member of accounting--one he'd escorted himself on numerous occasions. She was laughing at something he said, flipping her hair flirtatiously, and Axel thought sourly of the fickleness of womankind. They lingered by her car, standing close and talking, then she drove away, and he reentered the building.

During this time Borden had been perusing one of his magazines--this one with a cover showing a man in bright orange proudly holding up a string of pheasants, while a bored looking spaniel sat at his feet. The dog looked about as enthusiastic about being out in the field as Axel was sure Mrs. Borden would in the same situation.

For a few moments the rookie leaned against the desk, talking to Borden. He looked far too at home for Axel's satisfaction. He checked his watch once or twice, and finally stood straight, settling his hat a little more firmly as he said something to Borden. Borden didn't even look up, just waving vaguely toward the depths of the building. The other guard nodded, then went to the elevator. He pushed the top floor button, and Axel felt a surge of smug relief. They'd kept the routine--top to bottom. Now, if Borden just stayed true to form..

. Axel watched at Borden tipped a can of Lipton Brisk Iced Tea to his lips and took a long guzzle. *There should be one or two empties in the wastebasket by now. And Borden thinks he isn't a caffeine addict because he doesn't drink coffee or soda.* A couple more sips, and Borden crushed the thin aluminum can and dropped it in the trash. *Any minute now.* Borden folded his magazine and stood up, hitching at his belt. *Oh, yeah!* Clarence stepped out from behind the desk, and took a step toward the front entrance. *No! No, go on, Borden! You don't have time for that. You're going to pee yourself if you walk all the way over there, and besides, it's late--no one is going to wander in off the street.*

Borden studied the door thoughtfully. Then his expression twitched, he grabbed his belt, and turned toward the restroom. *Oh, Borden, that RV better have a good can in it, cause you sure ain't gonna be able to make it between pit stops with your peanut bladder.*

The moment the restroom door began to swing shut, Axel was running. He slowed only long enough to push the entrance doors open without a bang, then speeded up again once he was through. He'd worn his sneakers, and his footsteps were almost silent on the carpet. He wasn't really worried about being heard, though. Borden was the sort of guy who'd ignore anything except screams, gunfire, or a natural disaster while he was attending to nature.

Axel raced through the lobby, past the elevators. He didn't THINK that Borden would notice the lights blinking, and figure out that someone was roaming the building--but you never could tell, and the new guy might. Axel darted into the stairwell and went up around the first landing before he slowed. Once he knew he was hidden from view to anyone in the lobby, he slackened his pace.

*Personnel is on the third floor, and the new guy should still be on the top floor. Unless he's power walking, that should give me at least twenty, twenty-five minutes before he hits my area.*

Just in case, Axel checked to be sure that the second floor hallway was empty. It was, and he raced down to the other end of the floor to get to the next stairwell, mentally cursing the building's designers for not having stairs on both sides. The third floor hallway was clear, also. So far, so good.

The door to Personnel was located in the middle of the hall--and it was locked. Luckily, it wasn't much of a lock. The building was well maintained, but it had been put up in the mid-seventies, and most upgrading had been cosmetic, and kept to the areas that were seen by the public. Axel pulled the flat-head screwdriver out of his pocket and had the door open in less than a minute.

Once inside he checked to be sure that he hadn't damaged the lock, and relocked it in case the guard came around earlier than he expected him. He pulled out a penlight and turned it on, then picked his way through the room, looking for one particular workstation.

He'd escorted Mona Prescott on a regular basis while he was still employed here. Her desk was easy to identify: it was the one with the penguin stuff all over it--coffee mug, figurines, bookmarks, and a snow globe with little black-and-white birds sledding down a hill. He booted up her computer. When it was up and running, he stared at the password box, then smiled, and murmured, "Oh, let me guess." PENGUIN. Access approved.

*Let's say fifteen years. Everything has been going into the computers since then, so that'll give the most complete set of facts. Thank Christ they made this software fit for dummies. I guess buying the first copy costs them a little bit more, but they can save money by hiring people who don't have advanced computer degrees to use it. What's the next filter? Females only... Whoa. They sure don't discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex. Okay--past employees. Hmm. This only goes back ten years. I guess that's how long they're legally obligated to keep the records. Okay, now let's see the reasons for termination.*

*Maternity leave. Maternity leave. Maternity leave. Fertile lil bunnies. Transferred, personal reasons, personal reasons, terminated for absenteeism... About a dozen where they left abruptly, with no notice.* Axel ripped a sheet off a pad of post it notes and started copying information.

It went quicker than he expected. When he shut off the computer, he estimated that the guard was still a floor above him. Axel headed toward the door, then stopped, wincing. Getting Borden out of the lobby for his entrance had been easy enough--but he hadn't considered how he was going to take care of his exit. If he just came strolling out of the stairwell, Borden might not actually tackle him (he wasn't much on the physical side of the job), but he'd damn sure dial 911 and have the cops after his ass.

Axel thought hard. He had to get Borden away from the desk. He didn't think it would be possible to decoy him deeper into the building, then slip past him. *But if I can get him OUT of the building, while Junior is still upstairs... And I know just what would get him away from the desk.*

Luckily this was an older building--it was before they'd started putting in the windows strictly for the view and ambient light. No, you could actually open these--not that anyone ever did. Axel opened one now, and peered out. Just as he'd estimated, he was looking down into the employee parking lot. And there was Borden's SUV, parked right in the first row, as per usual. It wasn't too far off to the side, and with the height to give him distance; he figured he could make it.

Axel looked around for an appropriate missile, and his eyes alighted on Mona's desk. A slow smile curved his lips, and his hand closed over the snow globe. A moment later the glass ball flew out of the window, sketching a graceful arc. It glittered in the lamplight as it descended. It smacked into the very center of the black, polished expanse of the vehicle's hood, punching a deep dent in the metal before it shattered in a blizzard of glass shards, fake snow, and tiny plastic penguin figures.

The booming crunch of impact was clear, even up on the third floor, and the outraged screech of a car alarm was almost simultaneous. Actually, the globe had probably been over kill--a stapler would have done the job. Borden had the loudest, most obnoxious, most sensitive alarm that Axel had ever run across.

Axel quickly closed the window and got out into the hall. He paused only long enough to be sure that the door locked behind him--no point in leaving any more evidence that he'd been there than was necessary. While he did this, he kept his ear cocked for approaching footsteps. There was a chance that if the new guy investigated, he might use the stairs, but Axel felt like he had to take the chance. The elevator would be too slow.

He flew down the stairs, stopping at the ground floor and peering out into the lobby. As he'd thought, the desk was empty, and the entrance door was just swinging shut. Axel pelted across the lobby and out the doors. He cut a hard right, going in the opposite direction from the parking lot. He'd parked his car in the first alley nearby, and he made it into his front seat just as the shrill wail of the car alarm shut off.

As he started his car, Axel muttered, "Sorry, Borden, but at least I didn't aim at your windshield." As he pulled out, he unconsciously patted his pocket, where he'd stored his list of information. Most of them had phone numbers, and he figured he'd start on those right away. Sure, it would piss some of them off, but when was a better time to catch someone at home than in the middle of the night?