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While they were talking, Spence pulled a tiny box out of his pocket and began scanning her office. Several beeps revealed tiny cameras hidden around the room.
Spence removed them, then tucked them into his pocket. “I’ll send these to Mel in the morning,” he said.
Nico nodded at the other man. “Thanks for stopping her, Flynn. Thank God you were here.”
“Just doing my job,” he answered. He glanced from Julia to Nico, his mouth thinning at their closeness. Then he fixed his gaze on Julia. “Twenty bucks says there’s no ledger in that safe.”
“You’d win that bet,” Julia said. “I keep it at home. Where it’ll be locked up from now on. She must have suspected I kept cash in the safe.”
Officer Houlihan had been watching them as they talked. “Do you really think she stole thousands of dollars from you?” she asked.
Julia nodded slowly, the lump in her stomach squeezing painfully. “I do. The restaurant was doing pretty well, but then it started bleeding money. I couldn’t figure out why, but my margins were getting slimmer and slimmer. It’s been several months.”
“How long was Ms. Hastings the hostess?” Houlihan asked.
Julia frowned, trying to remember. “Seven or eight months,” she finally said. “She was a server, and when the hostess position opened up, she asked if she could take it.” She closed her eyes. Opened them and stared at Houlihan. “I wonder if she’s been stealing from me that whole time?”
“We have forensic accountants who can check that for you,” Nico said. “They’ll get subpoenas to examine Carole, Ruth and Andra’s bank account records. We may not be able to give you an exact number, but our accountants will get pretty close to it.”
“The amount she stole will affect the charges,” Houlihan said. “So if you can get subpoenas to look at their accounts, that would be helpful.” She sighed. “We could do it, too, but going the private route would be quicker.”
Houlihan asked a few more questions, then snapped her notebook closed. “I’ll pass this case to one of our detectives on the morning shift,” she said. “Would ten AM this morning work for you?”
“I’ll make it work,” Julia said. She leaned heavily against Nico, her bones heavy with exhaustion. She forced herself to step away from Nico and face Houlihan. “Thank you for responding so quickly,” she said to the police officer. I’ll be in at ten this morning.”
Houlihan scribbled a name on a piece of paper. “Detective Eva Gorowski will be expecting you.”
“Thanks, Officer.” Julia took a deep breath. Leaned against Nico again as Spence escorted Houlihan to the door and locked it behind her.
When Spence returned, he said to Nico, “I assume you want me to stay here for the rest of the night.”
“Yeah,” Nico said. “God knows how many other keys are floating around out there.”
“I’ll call a locksmith first thing in the morning,” Julia said. She turned to Spence. “You okay with staying here until that’s done?”
“Of course. Once the locks are changed, I’ll go back to your house.”
“That would be great,” Julia said.
Nico steered her out of the office. “Call me if there are any more disturbances,” he said to Spence. “Although I hope we’re done for now.”
Spence nodded. “I don’t think Carole would have given Ruth or Andra a key. She’d want to be in control, and access to the building is control.”
“You’re right about that,” Nico said, his voice grim.
Julia felt Spence’s gaze on them as they stepped out the back door. Moments later, the lock clicked into place.
She took a deep, shuddering breath. Spence would be here, in case anything else happened. She didn’t have to worry about her building tonight.
She shouldn’t be leaning on Nico this way. It felt too much like needing him, something she’d sworn not to do. But for just this moment, right now, she needed his strength. His steadiness. She needed him.
Nothing good would come from the desire she felt for Nico. There’d be no happily ever after for her with a man based in Montana and her in Seattle.
But sometimes, right now would do.
Maybe.
