Free A Tiger's Tale (A Call of the Wilde Mystery) by Laura Morrigan Page B

Ligner? I’m Grace Wilde. I work with Brooke,” I lied as I offered my hand. He gave me a perplexed smile before taking it.
    “She’s looking for Brooke.”
    “Have either of you spoken to her in the last few days?”
    Mrs. Ligner shook her head, then looked to her husband as if he held all the answers.
    He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Honey, why don’t you go finish getting ready.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze and she turned and walked away without another word. Her husband watched her go with a small shake of his head.
    “Come in, please. I’m sorry about Anne. Everything with Brooke . . . it’s just gotten to be too much,” he said, pulling the door wide.
    I followed him into a foyer that opened onto a spacious living room. The decor was modern—angular, sleek, and white. The wall leading to the backyard was made of solid glass. Sunlight streamed into the room, reflecting off an abundance of stainless steel. I had to squint in the glare.
    “I didn’t mean to upset anyone,” I said when Ligner turned to me. “But I’m concerned about Brooke.”
    He blew out a hard sigh. “If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard those words.”
    “You’re aware that she hasn’t come to work since Wednesday?”
    He nodded. “I talked to Mrs. Mallory. She’s being patient with Brooke, and I appreciate that. I haven’t had the heart to tell Anne that Brooke has missed work.”
    “Why not?”
    “Last week, Brooke and her mother had a fight. I don’t know what it was about. Brooke left. We assumed she’d run off again and was staying with a friend. I’d hoped she’d keep up with the job. It’s really her last chance.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “She has to stick with her job as part of her probation.”
    “When was the fight?”
    “Tuesday night, I think.”
    The day before Brooke was taken. “I told your wife—I think you should file a missing person report.”
    “Missing person?” He shook his head “No. Brooke’s not missing. She’ll call eventually. When she runs out of money or, heaven forbid, needs to be bailed out of jail again.”
    His jaded attitude wasn’t surprising, but it was sad. “You’re not worried at all?”
    “Of course, we’re worried, but I’ll be honest with you, Miss Wilde, there’s just so much worrying you can do before you drive yourself crazy. Eventually, you have to say enough is enough.”
    “I understand.” I also knew my chance of talking him into reporting Brooke missing was dwindling with every defeated answer he gave me. “It’s just that I have a feeling there’s more going on with Brooke.”
    “What makes you think that?”
    “It’s hard to explain.” And I wasn’t about to try. I was pretty sure Mr. Ligner wasn’t the type of guy who would buy the truth—that I’d gotten the info from a Siberian tiger. “It’s just a feeling, really. Brooke was doing so well with the cats, it’s hard to believe she just ran off.”
    Ligner let out a long breath. “I know what you’re thinking—Brooke is smart and funny and charming. You meet her and think maybe she’s learning responsibility. Maybe she’s cleaned up her act. Well, she hasn’t. Just when you think she’s on the right track, she’ll let you down. I look at Brooke and still see a sweet little girl. But that’s not who she is anymore.”
    This guy was killing my sugar buzz. It was hard to tell if he was sincere or just a good actor. I just never knew with people.
    The thought prompted my gaze to wander around the room in search of dog toys or other signs of animal habitation. Where was a good, faithful mutt when you needed one to interrogate?
    I cast my mental feelers out as far as I could and felt a low buzz to my right. Too far to tell what it was or if it was even inside the house.
    “Miss Wilde?” Ligner had picked up on my not-so-covert perusal of the area.
    “Um . . . do you mind if I use your bathroom?” I offered him a sheepish smile. “Too much coffee.”
    He