She took her laptop out of her bag, along with the steno pad with her notes, and sat at the counter for the next hour, working on transcribing her notes about what she’d observed. She wrote about security, but this was for her eyes only. No way was she going to even hint at this because she could jeopardize many people, plus she honestly didn’t have a clue what kind of security they had—just knew it had to be the most high-tech on the market. She knew Global Goods had offices all over the world, and this wasn’t small stuff. She would tell Mr. G’s story and forget about his security for now. If he wanted her to know, he would tell her.

She’d plugged her phone into the charger before she started typing up her notes. It was now fully charged. She called the house, but no one answered. She looked at the clock. It was 6:00 here, so that meant it was 9:00 at home. Her parents never went out this late unless they were visiting Grandpa. She dialed Razzle Dazzle, just in case they’d stayed late. No answer there, either. She didn’t bother leaving a message on the machine. Concerned that maybe the little kittens were ill, she wondered if she should call the vet. But they didn’t have a veterinarian yet, only Dr. Melloh, who volunteered at the shelter, and the shelter would be closed as well.

Not wanting to, but having no choice since neither parent had a cell phone, she dialed Brent’s number. He answered on the first ring. “Lauren, what’s up? You calling to check on the kitties I delivered?”

“No, but thanks for taking them to the house. Mom and Dad seem to be getting a kick out of them.”

“Oh, they are going to spoil them rotten, no doubt in my mind. Your dad was beside himself.”

“Good, I thought he would be. Brent, did you notice how much better he’s moving around?”

“I did. Your mother told me about the medication and the depression. He’ll get through this. He’s a tough old dude. She also told me about the book you’re working on. That’s a fantastic opportunity for you. Global Goods.”

“I hope it works out, but I need another favor.” She hated to ask but didn’t know what else to do.

“Anything,” he said in that tone he used with her when he told her how he felt about her.

She rolled her eyes, then felt ashamed of herself. Brent was a great friend. And that’s all he would ever be. “I tried calling the house and the store, and I can’t seem to find them. Anything going on that you know of?”

“They’re probably at the tree-lighting ceremony downtown; it started around eight o’clock.”