AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 20
After giving Zoe’s doorman their names, Nico and Spence flanked Julia as the doorman led them to an elevator. When the door opened, the three of them stepped inside. Nico steered Julia to the corner, then stood in front of her.
The doorman leaned in to touch a card to a reader on the wall panel. “This elevator opens directly into Ms. Melbourne’s apartment,” he said as he pressed the button for the apartment and stepped out of the elevator. “Enjoy your evening.”
Once the doors closed, Nico stepped away from Julia. He watched Flynn studying the elegant, wood-paneled elevator that featured crystal lamps on the wall. He frowned as he took in those luxurious touches. “Fancy place,” he muttered.
“Zoe works really hard for her money,” Julia said immediately. “She’s earned every bit of fancy she wants.”
Flynn held up his hands. “Just saying.”
Julia narrowed her eyes at him. “There better not be any ‘just saying’ once we’re with Zoe. We’re here because she’s doing us a favor -- giving us information on the man who’s linked to Carole. So you need to tone it down.”
Nico suppressed a smile as he watched Julia defend her friend. She was right -- Zoe and Flynn had gone head to head when they met, and that wasn’t going to be helpful tonight. “You think you can behave, Spence?” he asked.
“What’s with the Spence, Elliot?” Flynn scowled. “What are you, my mother? Of course I can behave.”
“Good to hear,” Nico said, struggling to keep from laughing at the indignation on his co-worker’s face. “Pretend you’re still a SEAL and Zoe has info that’s vital to your mission. Because she probably does. Treat her the way you’d treat anyone helping your team.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Flynn said, scowling at Nico. “I know I was out of line at the restaurant that day. But Zoe Melbourne got on my last nerve.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Reminds me of her sister Mel, without Mel’s smoothed-over edges.”
The elevator slowed, then dinged softly as the doors slid open. Nico waited for Julia to step out, then he and Flynn followed her.
They stood in a living room that featured a wall of windows looking out onto Puget Sound. Lights from Bainbridge Island twinkled in the distance, separated from the mainland by the dark water of the Sound. All three of them stared at the magnificent view until Nico heard the clatter of shoes on wood to their right.
“Hey, Jules,” Zoe said, wrapping Julia in a hug. “How’re you doing?”
“Better,” she said as she leaned away from her friend. “Thanks to your additions to our ordering system, we caught Carole, Ruth and Andra in the act. I fired all of them and got back almost a thousand dollars they’d stolen that night. Carole came back later, and Spence caught her opening my safe. He called the police, and now she’s sitting in jail. So one problem solved, I hope.”
“And Kent Dawson was involved with that little scheme?” Zoe pursed her lips as she studied Julia.
“We don’t know. But Spence followed Carole after she was fired, and instead of going home, she went to a big house in Hillman City. Kent Dawson’s house, apparently, because Spence took pictures of him answering the door. Then letting Carole out a few hours later.”
Zoe raised her eyebrows. “Kent Dawson is in a relationship with a restaurant hostess?”
“They sure kissed like they were in a relationship,” Flynn said.
Julia frowned. “What’s wrong with a restaurant hostess?”
“Absolutely nothing,” Zoe said. She motioned them to a seating area, waited for them to arrange themselves, then dropped into a chair. “I don’t know Dawson well, but the vibe I get from him? He’s all about status and power. Both his, and the people he associates with.”
“So he’s not the type you’d expect to see dating a restaurant hostess,” Julia said slowly.
“Absolutely not.” Zoe shook her head. “Unless she was young, stunningly beautiful and came from a wealthy family.”
“None of which describes Carole,” Julia said. “She’s an attractive woman in her late thirties or early forties. And I don’t think she comes from money.”
Nico leaned toward Zoe. “How do you know Dawson?”
“Our social circles overlap a little,” Zoe said, leaning against the back of the couch and crossing her legs. “Not that it matters, because I don’t socialize very often. But I’ve met him at a few parties.”
Her foot bounced jerkily, and she took a deep breath. “I don’t want this to sound petty or spiteful, because I don’t mean it that way. It’s just intel on Dawson, based on my observations.” She squirmed for a moment, took a deep breath and said, “This is going to sound as if I have a huge ego, but I don’t.”
Julia interrupted. “You’ve got the least ego of anyone I know. Which always surprised me, because you’re so successful.”
Zoe shrugged one shoulder. “You’re only as good as your last product release, or your last big deal. So I don’t think I walk on water. Anyway, the first time I met Dawson, I was introduced as Zoe Melbourne. Not Zoe Melbourne, the owner and CEO of Melbourne Solutions. Just plain old Zoe Melbourne.”
“And?” Julia leaned forward. “I know you don’t brag about your business or your success. You prefer low-key and cool. So what did Dawson do?”
