Never Look Back Read Online Free PDF Page B

from model applicants. An hour had gone by as the ring from his cell phone jolted him. “This is Rob.”
    “Mr. Hanson, this is Arnold, the doorman from Ms. Simon's apartment.”
    Rob moved the phone to his left ear. “Yes, I hear you.”
    “I think you need to come over if you can. I told my manager—“
    “I’ll be there in a few.” Rob shut his laptop, put on his jacket, and exited the café. From the corner of his eye, he saw Stacy watch him leave.
    Rob brisk through the crowd and crossed the street. A car honked at him, but he didn’t slow down. He entered the building. Arnold stood beside a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair.
    “Mr. Hanson, I'm glad you came," Arnold said. "I’d like to introduce you to the building manager, Mr. Philip Doyle.”
    “Please to meet you.” Philip extended his hand. “Arnold tells me you’re a good friend of Ms. Simmons.”
    “Yes.” Rob gripped his hand. “Has she returned yet?”
    Philip shook his head. “I’m afraid not, I’ve already spoken to the police about this and they seem to stonewall me. Since Dana has been a long-time resident of the Palisades, I’d be happy to go over the videotapes with you.”
    “Oh, thank God.” Rob boxed his hand in the air.
    Leaving Arnold behind, Philip led Rob to the back room where two TV monitors were displayed. They sat beside each other as Philip rewound the tape to December nineteenth. “Here’s Dana leaving the building. You’ll see moments later she returns with a shopping bag.” He fast-forwarded the tape. “Here’s the man who came in for her.”
    Rob leaned to get a closer look. “The Goodwin guy, right?”
    “Yes, and here’s Dana coming down minutes after he left. You see her chatting with Arnold where he hands her a box. She reads it and looks like she tells him to hang on to it. That’s the last time we saw her. She hasn’t returned ever since. We checked her mail, but it’s mostly junk.”
    Rob folded his arms. “She doesn’t even have a luggage or overnight bag. What time was this?”
    Philip glanced at the screen. “Morning, around a quarter after ten.”
    “And we don’t have footage of the delivery person from Ginny’s Delights.”
    Philip rewound the videos and replayed them. “Nothing.”
    “It’s very unlike Dana to go away like that. She just lost her father to lung cancer and had recently arrived from Alaska. I know she’s grieving but…”
    “And you’ve spoken to the police?” Philip rose from his seat.
    “Yes, but they’re useless,” Rob sighed
    “You can file a missing report. It’s more than forty-eight hours.”
    “You’re right, but lucky if I get somebody to help me during Christmas Eve.”
    "That's all we have to show you."
    ***
    Rob sat across from the desk of the same officer he spoke to last time. “I’m telling you, Officer Jones, my friend doesn’t work that way. I checked the video tapes at the apartment building, and she left on December twenty at a quarter after ten in the morning with no suitcase.”
    Officer Jones crossed his legs. “And why are you doing my job?”
    “Damn it! I came here the other day, and you dismissed my pleas." He contemplated if should tell them about the letter Dana received from her father, but decided against it. "The law says that I can file a missing report if it’s more than−"
    "That's correct." Officer Jones cut him off then eyed the clock.
    Rob banged his hand on the table. “Oh, no, no, no, don’t you look at the clock. I know you’re thinking about getting back to your family for Christmas Eve, but do you realize that Dana could be out there suffering?”
    Officer Jones straightened his shoulders. “All right, fill this out and I will file the report, but you need to cooperate with us and let us do the investigation.” He handed him forms. “A detective will be assigned to this case. He will call you.”
    Rob filled out the forms and placed them on the desk. “I’m not moving until you assure me a detective