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“And just how many clandestine meetings have you participated in,” she teases.
I grin, despite the tension hanging in the air. "A few," I reply, leaving it at that. I see her eyebrows raise slightly but she doesn't push further. That's one of the things I like about Paige - she respects boundaries, doesn't pry unnecessarily. She's tough but understanding, a rare combination. Not that I was a secret spy or anything.
“It was when I was trying to secure funding for my charter business,” I tell her, even though she didn’t ask. “I had a couple different investors interested. I didn’t want them to know I was comparing offers.”
“Smart,” she smiles. “You should have called me.”
“Called you?”
“I’m an attorney that is very, very good at contract law,” she grins.
“If I would have known you, I probably would have, but I think I did okay for myself.”
“If you need any help navigating a new contract or if you run into trouble with the FAA or anything like that, I would be happy to help.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. I appreciate it. Depending on what the investigation turns up, I just might need you.”
“Once we get to the bottom of this mess, we can tell the insurance people and the investigators what really happens,” she says. “It’s my fault. I feel so bad. If I would have known I had a target on my back, I would have never put anyone else’s life in danger.”
“I know,” I nod. “So, I’ll clean up. You check your email. Then, we come up with a plan.”
“This is all so Bond-like,” she giggles as she gets up to get her laptop.
I didn’t like it. I didn’t want her to be anywhere near the man that might be responsible for trying to kill her. She wasn’t Superman. She couldn’t dodge a bullet.
As she pulls out her laptop, I lean against the kitchen counter, arms crossed over my chest and a growing sense of dread coiling in my gut. There's no telling who this whistleblower is or what he wants. But whatever it is, it got people trying to kill Paige.
“He replied,” she says with an eagerness I didn’t share.
“And?”
“He wants to meet at a place out in North Bend,” she says.
“No.”
“What?”
“No. That’s too far out of the way. You need to be in public. Name a restaurant in the city.”
“I’m supposed to be dead,” she reminds me. “People know who I am.”
“Good point.” I thought about it for a second. “I know a diner up in Marysville. It’s public, but I’m guessing people don’t know you up there. They’re not exactly the kind of people that follow Seattle lawyers. Unless you’re famous?”
“I’m not famous,” she laughs. “Not outside the legal world.”
“When does he want to meet?”
“Today.”
I look at my watch. “Tell him one,” I say. “Lunch rush should still be going. We want lots of people around. If he tries something, he’s not going to get far. I’ll sit at one of the tables, so I can keep an eye on things.”
“What if he recognizes you?”
“Why would he?”
“Because I would imagine he or whoever was trying to kill me would know you were on that plane as well.”
“I’ll wear a hat,” I shrug. “I’m not letting you go in there without me. Period.”
