Chapter Thirty-four

“Hey Pate?” Sidney called, entering the studio.  He stopped short as he saw Brooks lying in the floor. The pup was breathing hard and managed a whimper.  In a second, Sidney was down on his knees beside him, stroking his fur.  He checked his mouth to ensure he hadn’t swallowed anything and felt his chest. 

“Payton!” Sidney yelled.  “Payton, where are you?” 

Panic began to steal over him and he raced his way through the studio calling for her repeatedly.  He quickly dialed Tony on his cell and returned to his pets side. Brooks was doing his best to get to his feet.  Sidney stopped him and made him lie down again. 

“Tony, where is Payton?” Sidney asked the panic leaking into his voice.

“What?  She’s at the studio as of 20 minutes ago.”

“She is not. She is not here,” Sid cried frustrated.

“Let me check with Paul, just a minute.”

Tony was gone from the phone a couple of minutes and Sid could hear a muffled sound on the other end.

“Sidney, Paul said she returned from her appointment approximately 20 minutes ago, unloaded her car and went inside the studio. She has not left since then.”

“Well, she is not here now, Tony!  And my dog is nearly passed out on the floor!”

“What?”

“It’s like he was knocked out or something. He’s just now trying to get up.”

Tony was absent from the phone for a minute again. 

“I’m on my way over, Sidney. Paul is coming from up the street. I’ll just be a few minutes.”

“Should I call the police, Tony,” Sid asked quietly with trepidation.

“I’ll be there soon. Just wait for me.”

Tony scanned the room quickly and found faint signs of struggle. He checked the back door in the kitchen and found it unlocked. The look on his face confirmed what Sidney already knew. She was gone.

“Okay, let’s go over this again, Paul,” he said to his subordinate.

“She went to her photo shoot with the family of three. She returned here at 15oo hours. She was inside the studio by 1510. She did not leave by way of the front door.  Mr. Crosby’s agent, Mr. Brisson stopped by shortly after she returned--”

“Pat?” Sid asked. “What was he doing here? I was just at his office an hour ago.”

“What?” Tony asked, becoming suspicious. “You just left him? No reason for him to come over here?”

“No, but Pat. That’s ridiculous. Pat would never hurt Payton.”

“Paul, Brisson was the only person to come by?”

“Yes, sir.  But I thought Brisson was a friend. Did I make a mistake?”

“I think we all made a mistake,” Tony reasoned. “I think it’s time to call the police.”