Chapter 11
The lights were off in the bedroom as Jed opened the door. He walked quietly to the chair by the bed and sat down to take off his shoes.
"That you?" as Abbey reached for the bedside light.
Jed laughed. "Who else would it be?"
"What time is it?" as she propped herself up on one elbow.
"Eleven."
"Eleven? You didn't leave here until close to ten. That must have been a quick visit. Did you and Leo come to an understanding?"
Jed shook his head as he made his way across the carpet. He sat down on his side of the bed and turned toward Abbey. "No, we didn't."
"Jed…"
"He's missing, Abbey. Leo's missing."
Abbey sat straight up on hearing the news. "What do you mean, he's missing? You mean he took off and didn't tell you?"
"No. I mean, his hotel suite was in complete disarray like somebody was searching for something. And Leo was not there. He's missing."
"Oh God, Jed! Is there anything you're not telling me? I mean, did it look like a struggle?" Abbey couldn't bring herself to ask if there was any blood found in the suite.
"Can't really tell. When my agents opened the door and saw that it had been ransacked they hustled me out of there. So I don't know if he went willingly or …" Jed couldn't finish the sentence.
"Oh." Abbey tried to make some sense of what Jed had just described. "What did the service say? What about his driver?"
"All we know is that Leo dismissed the driver around four. Said he wouldn't be going out again and there was no need for the driver to wait. And the front desk said they had not seen him since he came in after court. He had had only one visitor that anyone knew about."
"Who?"
"Guess. Margaret."
"Margaret?!"
"Yeah. The desk said she only stayed a few minutes. So obviously it happened after she left."
The phone rang and Jed sighed. A crisis was not on his mind at the moment. "Yes?"
"Mr. President?"
"Yes Ron?"
"We now have proof that Mr. McGarry did not go willingly. The surveillance tape in the hallway and in the garage shows him with his hands tied behind his back and being pushed into a car. The four people who have him have dark hoods over their faces so we can't make out any facial features."
Jed's heart stopped momentarily. "Ron, any sign of blood in the suite?"
"Yes, sir, in the living area. I'll keep you informed."
"Thank you Ron. Call me for any significant changes."
"Of course, sir. Good night."
Jed stared at his wife. "Leo's been kidnapped."
