Magnets

Chapter 5

Panic had quickly spread to terror as Kate raced down the stairs to the guest bedroom. Clutching her phone in one hand and the note in the other she opened the door to find Stacy and Ellen still asleep, "wake up," she yelled.

Groggily Stacy said, "what's wrong?"

"It's Bryce. Look at this note," Kate shoved the note in her hands.

"What? What's he talking about? What does this mean?"

"I don't know and his phone isn't turned on."

"Calm down," Ellen, always the reasonable one and last to panic, took the note and read it. "You haven't heard anything from him?"

"Not since yesterday morning. He didn't even answer my dirty text from last night, but he must have been here. He wrote the note." Her words were punctuated by the sounds of the doorbell. Kate ran to it, still dressed in last nights dress. She quickly checked the mirror in the foyer. Her mascara was everywhere, but she didn't have it in her to care. Opening the front door she was greeted by two people she could only assume to be cops.

"Good morning," the tall female one said. "I'm agent Sparrow and this is my partner, agent Green. We're with the FBI. Sorry for the intrusion but is Bryce Davidson you're husband."

"Yes, I'm Kate Davidson, what's this about?" Kate asked, the panic in her voice clear.

"We have a warrant to search your house and seize all electronic equipment," this time it was Green who did the talking, the shorter, older, male agent.

"Where is my husband," Kate asked heatedly.

"We don't know ma'am. That's why were here," agent Sparrow answered.

"But is he okay?"

"We believe he is unharmed."

"I'm calling my lawyer."

"That's probably for the best." Kate examined the warrant and let the two agents in. They were accompanied by no less than ten other agents. Stacy and Ellen appeared in the living room looking perplexed.

Kate held her finger up to them as she spoke into the phone, "Andrew, it's Kate. Is Bryce with you? The FBI is here. They have a warrant. What is going on?" Kate listened to his response and hung up. "Andrew is on his way," she said to her friends. "He says he doesn't know where Bryce is or what this is about."

"Come with me," Stacy said, dragging the two of them into the kitchen. She turned on the coffee pot and turned to Kate, "do you really have no idea what this is about?"

"None. Not a clue. Bryce closed a deal yesterday and was supposed to be back this morning, more the middle of the night really. He and Andrew always fly back together." The women watched as the FBI searched through Kate's home. They took two old cell phones, the desktop and hard drive, Kate's iPad, Bryce's Samsung tablet and old laptop.

Agent Green interrupted her panicked thoughts, "is there a safe in the house ma'am?"

"No, we don't need one."

"Any firearms?"

"A shotgun, in the bedroom under the bed. Bryce didn't like me home alone without one." Kate's thoughts quickly turned to how they would need a gun safe when they had a baby. She smiled briefly thinking about a little boy with Bryce's dark skin and hair. Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of Andrew.

He walked up to her quickly with a caution, "only whisper, and I might not be able to answer everything at this moment."

"Okay," Kate replied warily. "What time did you get home?"