I shook my head and momentarily closed my eyes. Despite feeling physically better each day, I had blank spots in my memory.
“When was that?” I asked, writing myself a note.
“You asked me to look into it on Wednesday, during our flight from Madison.”
“Fuck, Michael. I’m obviously not back one hundred percent.”
“Mr. Sherman, Albert, Jonathon, and I are here. The new cameras Jonathon put around the perimeter of your property are also working twenty-four seven. The thing is, Mr. Landon said Phillip was staying at the Doubletree in Chicago. He said the bill was paid by an MMT LLC.”
“Yes.” I did remember that. “He had visual confirmation after Julia and I had returned from Chicago.”
Michael nodded. “That’s what he told you. I have the photo you sent me, the one from Mr. Landon. The picture of Mr. Thomas and Mr. Butler.”
Logan Butler.
“Is there something you haven’t told me?”
“Mr. Thomas checked out the day before.”
Taking a breath, I stood. My chair sailed back toward the bookcases. “The day before? The day he was supposed to marry Julia. The day we discovered it was him?”
“Yes, sir.”
“When did you learn this?”
“It was while you were in the hospital. I have a connection with a friend who has access to the Doubletree’s security. After what happened here, I sent him the picture you sent me, the one of your brother and Logan Butler. It wasn’t taken the day Rob told you. Phillip was already checked out. My connection was able to access security footage of the restaurant. That picture was taken the day before. Mr. Thomas, he never returned to the hotel after he disappeared from the McGraths’ home.”
“Are you saying that the text messages coming from Julia’s old phone pinging in Ironwood could have really been coming from Ironwood? Phillip could have been that close, and Rob said he was in Chicago?”
Michael nodded.
Pacing behind my desk, I tried to make sense of what I was hearing.
Fuck.
I’d lost two weeks, two fucking weeks.
What I did remember was more like Swiss cheese, memories with big fucking holes. “Did you give me this information before?”
“No, sir. I’d received the message, but I just recently had the chance to talk to my friend.”
At least this wasn’t something I’d lost. However, there were blanks.
My fingers fisted at my side. “What I’m about to say…it has less to do with your work and Albert’s and more to do with me.”
Michael nodded.
“I’m telling you this because you work for me. Other than Albert, no one else fucking hears this.”
“Sir?”
“I need the last two weeks chronicled and in a report. My memory is shit. I want to blame the fucking medications, but I’ve stopped taking them. I don’t recall our conversation on the plane.”
“Mr. Thomas has been a priority prior to that conversation.”
“I need to know what I should already know.”
Michael nodded. “Give me twenty-four hours. I’ll have it all in writing.”