Chapter 63

“Call him. You met the man. See if Jesse had an appointment or something to see him today.”

Emma dialed the number without protest, not looking away from him as she brought the phone up to her ear. It rang for several seconds before a woman with a pleasant sounding voice picked it up.

“Hello. This is Emma Coolidge. I’m calling to see if Jesse Madding had an appointment to speak to Mr. Brooker today?”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Coolidge. I can’t disclose who Mr. Brooker meets with.”

“I understand. But I just need to know if Jesse Madding was there at some point this morning.”

“I am sorry, but Mr. Brooker’s meetings are kept confidential.”

“So, he was there this morning?”

“I can’t answer that.”

“Is Mr. Brooker there now?”

“He’s left the office on a short business trip. I can schedule a meeting with him, if you like. He’s got a slot open next Wednesday.”

“No. I don’t want a meeting. I just want to know if he met with Jesse Madding this morning.”