Chapter Four
Graham unlocked the door, walked into his office, and looked around. His heartbeat sped up when he couldn’t see her.
He closed and locked the door. “Faith?”
He heard some fabric rubbing on the carpet behind his desk. Now, why would she be behind there?
Her face was still dirty but also filled with fear.
“What happened?” He helped her up off the floor.
“A few minutes after you left, a man came in and rifled through your desk and then pushed on the walls and looked behind the pictures. I just made it into the bathroom when he opened the door.”
He didn’t doubt her because she had to know there were security cameras everywhere that would show him.
What the fuck? Absolutely everyone knew not to come into his office unless he was in it and gave them permission. And absolutely no one got in his desk. He opened the top drawer and saw how the papers weren’t as neat as he had left them. The fact the guy had a key to his office astounded him. His own brothers and father didn’t have copies of it.
“Can you describe him?”
“Yes, I studied everything about him. If you want, I can draw you a picture of him.”
He didn’t know how to feel about that but decided they had time before he could take her upstairs. “Sure, what will you need?”
“Just printer paper and a few pencils and pens. I doubt you have chalk or colored pencils.”
He grinned. “No, sorry.”
He got her what she needed and watched as she started to draw. He was on one side of the desk, and she sat on the other, working on the corner of his desk. When he reached for the food, she gasped and smacked his hand.
He had no idea who was the most shocked.
“I’m sorry. I forgot to tell you he spit on the food before he left.”
Who in the fuck did this that was allowed into the house and around his family? The guy clearly wanted something from him and resented him for whatever reason.
Graham let her draw while he got some work done. He planned on having the food tested for DNA and was emailing Tony to come to get it.
“Here.” She handed over the piece of paper. “I can do better, but I rushed this one.”
“Jesus,” he said. The thing was detailed enough he saw the cleft chin and the scar on one eyebrow. “Damn, woman. You’re very good.”
He grinned when she blushed.
“Do you think if I get you decent materials, you can start making portraits of all the people you know or have seen? We might be able to use them.”
“I can start right now if we have time,” she said.
“Yes, go ahead. I’m going to have a tray of food sent up to our room.”
“Our?” she asked.
One of his eyebrows lifted. “Yes, our room. Get used to hearing that. Anyway, neither of us has had a lot to eat today.”
“Do you trust whoever will bring it to the room?” she asked.
“Yes, it will always be Clarice. She’s been with the family for a few decades, at least.”
“And you trust your kitchen staff?”
He narrowed his gaze on her. “Why are you so distrustful? Have you always been like that?”
“Yes, I’ve kind of had to have been.”
He waited for more but watched her go back to drawing. She really was an astounding artist, and if she had the right supplies, he imagined she could make fantastic pictures.
He resumed working. The next time he looked up, the sun was down. Glancing over at her, he saw she was drawing a picture of three other women, and one of them was older than the other two.
There was another knock on the door.
“Bathroom.”
She grabbed her things and ran.
He opened the door and waved Tony in. “Hey, this is going to sound weird, but I need the food on this tray tested for DNA.”
Tony’s eyebrows rose.
Graham held his hands up. “I know. I can’t give you an explanation right now, but I will, and please keep this between us.”
“Of course.”
“Was there a stranger in the house today?”
“A few, but I vetted them before they stepped foot through the door and had one of our guys on them the whole time.”
God, he wished he could tell him but not until they had more answers. “How many of them were men?”
“All of them. Should I be looking for something?”