Free Honeytrap: Part 2 by Roberta Kray Page A

tough decision to make. You can either get him or have half the local police force crawling over the bar. Your choice – but I’d make it fast.’
    ‘What’s this got to do with the law?’
    ‘Just get your boss, okay?’
    Eventually the doorman gave in, called over a colleague and asked him to find Guy Wilder. While they waited, Harry pulled Jess to one side and asked her to go through exactly what had happened from the moment she and Sylvie arrived. He listened carefully and when she’d finished he said, ‘So if you were reading, she could have walked straight past and out the door and you wouldn’t have noticed.’
    ‘It’s possible, but I don’t see why she would. Even if she was in a hurry, it would only take two seconds for her to say she was going. And the doorman doesn’t remember her leaving.’
    ‘He might not have noticed if there were guests coming in.’
    ‘People always notice Sylvie.’
    Harry couldn’t dispute that. He breathed in the chilly night air and gazed up and down the road. The station was only round the corner; Sylvie could have picked up a black cab from there or hopped on a train. Although that didn’t explain why she’d made no contact since. He tried her phone but it went straight to voicemail again.
    Eventually Guy Wilder came to the door. He was a tall, handsome blond man, confident and charismatic. Harry had mixed feelings about him. On the surface Wilder was clever, amusing and affable, but from what he’d heard there was a darker side, a more sinister edge to his character.
    ‘Mr Lind. How nice to see you again. Is there a problem?’
    It was Jess who answered the question, as eager as Harry to get on with the search. ‘We just want to have a look round. I was here earlier with a friend, but she seems to have … we only want to see if she’s still inside.’
    ‘A quick look,’ Harry added. ‘It won’t take long.’
    Wilder glanced from one to the other. ‘Well, I can’t see any difficulty with that. But there was a mention of the police? I don’t quite understand.’
    Jess jumped in again. ‘We’ve not been able to contact her and we’re starting to worry.’ She gave a brief description of Sylvie, asking if he’d seen her.
    Wilder shook his head. ‘Sorry, but it’s pretty crowded in there. I’ll ask my manager and the staff. I’m sure if she’s in the bar we’ll find her.’
    ‘Thanks,’ Harry said. ‘There’s probably just been a misunderstanding.’ He saw Jess shoot him an angry glance as if he was implying that she was overreacting, but deliberately avoided her eyes. In truth, he expected Sylvie to ring at any minute – and if she didn’t, to find her inside the bar looking for Jess.
    Wilder stood aside and waved them in. ‘You’ll be discreet, yes? I don’t want the guests being bothered.’
    ‘Of course,’ Harry said. He took hold of Jess’s elbow and propelled her over the threshold before she could say anything to make Wilder change his mind. When Jess got the bit between her teeth, discretion went straight out of the window. ‘You check the Ladies’ again,’ he said. ‘I’ll cover the bar.’
    Harry made his way through the room, looking at every face, every sofa, every place Sylvie could possibly be. He kept his eyes peeled for any blonde wearing a pink dress. He was aware of the images playing on the walls, of the close-ups, of Lauren Bacall gently taunting Bogart in
Key Largo.
He stopped for a second to gaze at the screen; a moment of distraction before he continued with the search.
    By the time Harry joined Jess by the toilets, he was certain Sylvie wasn’t in the bar. ‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘She’s not here.’
    ‘So what now?’
    ‘Have you tried the emergency exit?’
    Jess stared along the passageway. ‘You think she could have gone out that way?’
    ‘Maybe. If she didn’t want to be seen.’ Harry strode forward and pushed against the metal handle of the fire door. It swung open into a shadowy yard filled