“Zed. I haven’t seen Dani since yesterday. And Lara was at her desk like ten minutes ago. I heard her berating the copy repair guy for stepping too close to our machine without an appointment. I don’t know where either of them could be.”

Zed pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Dani’s phone number. It went straight to voicemail. “She’s not picking up her phone.”

“Okay, well, that’s no reason to panic,” Jillian said, though her tone was becoming more serious. “Maybe she just can’t get it at the bottom of her bag. Or her phone battery died. Or she’s meditating.”

Grumbling, Zed dialed Clarissa’s phone number. She picked up on the first ring. “Hello, my bebe.”

“Have you seen Dani today?” he demanded. “Or Jillian’s uptight assistant?”

“No, and I’m assuming that from the tone you’re using with your maman that this is an emergency of some sort,” Clarissa said.

“I’m sorry, maman. It’s just Dani’s not where she says she would be and she’s not picking up her phone and I’ve been uneasy all day and no one has seen her and—”

“Okay, okay, settle down. Now, I drove past Dani’s place this afternoon and her car wasn’t there. And I’m not even sure what Jillian’s assistant looks like. But I can go check at your place to see if Dani’s there.”

“Thanks, maman.” Zed chewed his lip, panic rising in his chest. Dani wasn’t where she said she would be. She wasn’t with Jillian. She wasn’t at the maison.

“Right.” Zed turned on his heel and ran toward the front door.

“Hold on!” called Jillian. “Where are you running off to? She could be anywhere.”

“Exactly! She could be anywhere!” Zed yanked open the front door and spotted a heavy-set redheaded man walking toward the parking lot. “YOU! GINGER FISH MICROWAVER!”

The man stopped in his tracks and turned his head toward Zed, his expression terrified.

“You work in Building Eleven?”

The man nodded.

“Have you seen Danica Teel? Is she in her office?” Zed asked.

The man shook his head. “I haven’t seen her in days.”