Davis almost dropped his fork.
"Is this official police business?" Thomas asked.
"No, it isn't," Davis said while skewering another mouthful of food.
Thomas looked at Sheriff Alison. She nodded.
"Yes, it is. But we don't have to talk shop while you're here Thomas," Alison said.
"What's wrong?" Thomas said.
Sheriff Alison looked around. "We cannot talk out here in the open. There could be people listening."
Thomas scanned around. The waitress was back behind the counter talking to the cook through the opening where the food came out.
"Can you tell me?" Thomas said.
"Only a little bit," Sheriff Alison said and then added. "After Davis stops stuffing his face."
"Ok," Davis said,, "I'm almost done."

***

Thomas looked at a picture of Davis's wife. She was also blond and buxom. Sheriff Alison sat next to him and Davis sat behind a desk. They were inside Davis's office in the back of the hotel. They all had beverages in hand: Thomas had a soda, Alison and Davis a cup of coffee.
Thomas said, "Is it ok that I'm in here?"
Davis looked at Sheriff Alison and she nodded to them.
She said, "It is only a missing person's case. We had a lot of them since I came here. Too many in fact."
Thomas said, "Why the secrecy? Why do you think people would listen to our conversation?"
Sheriff Alison sighed. She looked at Thomas as if he was weighing something.
She said, "There are things happening in this city that you just don't understand."
Thomas nodded. "Ok, I get that. I should go. It's getting late and I should arrived at the Willem's mansions an hour ago."
Davis said, "We should get together soon. Here's my number."
They all exchanged their phone numbers. Thomas hugged them and walked out of the room.

***

Sheriff Alison watched as Thomas walked out of Davis's office. She wanted to tell Thomas to leave the city of Willem and never come back. Thomas's took him away from this city and his grandfather for some reason.
"You should had told Thomas about your suspicions," Davis said.
"I don't know anything. I just hunches," she said.
"But he should know. What if he ends up missing as well," Davis said. 
"No, I don't think so," she said. But I think Thomas could be the key to all of this. He can go where we cannot go."
Davis said, "I hope Thomas is confident about being here. I remember him as a shy and always talking about being rich."
"Yes, I remember," she said.
Sheriff Alison took out of her shirt a notepad.
She said, "Ok, tell me about the missing person.
Davis nodded and opened a drawer. He took a couple of papers out. It was an itemized bill of a guest.
He said, "His name is Arthur Kent. He was on a business trip. He told the front desk clerk."
Alison wrote down the name. Davis gave her a copy of the bill. The room was prepaid and Arthur Kent's address and phone number.
She said, "Has anybody called for him? Like his wife?"
"No, he didn't get any calls."
"Did he leave anything?"
"Yes. We didn't touch the room. When he didn't check out on his schedule time, I knocked and then checked his room. His luggage and stuff is still in there," Davis said.
"Good. I'll get my deputy to catalog everything," she said. "So, when do you go inside the room?"
"Today, then I called you," Davis said. "So, how many is this now?"
Sheriff Alison said, "I cannot tell you everything."
Davis shook his head. "It's more than five under the same circumstances by my count. I read the newspapers."
"I cannot say or deny." Alison nodded as she said this. She couldn't tell her good friend everything.
She said, "Can I see the room?"

***

Sheriff Alison took two latex gloves out of her pocket. Davis opened the door and let her inside. She placed the gloves on both of her hands. Waking inside the hotel room, she moved down a small hallway. The bathroom was on the left side. She sensed something. It was a gut reaction but she quickly moved toward the bed.
Arthur Kent's luggage was propped open on a small table next to the bed. All of the hotel rooms were the same. The rooms had one bathroom near the front, one or two beds, and a small table with one chair. She recognized this room was facing the parking lot. But what got her attention was near the bottom of the luggage. She saw a small scrap of paper. She opened it and it had an imprint of the Willem logo on top. It was an invitation to go to the Willem estate for a business retreat.
She wanted to crumple the paper but she quickly moved out of the room. Sheriff Allison was more concerned with somebody else.
"What's wrong?" Davis said.
Sheriff Alison took out her phone and dialed Thomas's number. The phone rang but he didn't pick up. She was frustrated and wanted to call her deputy to find him but she didn't have any reason for calling out a police bulletin on a hunch. She shook her head.
She said, "Thomas is not picking up his phone."
"Why?"
She held the paper out to him. Davis didn't touch the paper but read the short letter.
"Oh no," Davis said. "I wished Thomas stayed."
Sheriff Alison nodded her head. This was the first clue she had.
"I hope we see him again," Sheriff Alison said.