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The pack turned towards them.
“Okay, so, it's all still in the concept phase, but if you all think it's a good idea, then I’ll move forward with a business plan.” Billie took a deep breath. “I want to open a new facility, privately funded by me, so that we don’t have to bow to public opinion on things the way a publicly funded facility would.”
“What kind of facility?” Hana asked.
“Multi-use. Like the one where we met Nicky. We could have another library, a gym where Hana could teach fitness classes, maybe a second location ofGo With The Doughfor Jasper to expand, some freelancer rental spaces, art classes. All kinds of things! Whatever the community needs, we could see about setting it up.”
“That's…surprisingly thoughtful,” said Gabe. “I think it's a great idea if you can get the business side managed. Might help to burn off some of your unlimited energy.”
I dragged my sour thoughts away from Harvey. Billie needed my attention, and that was a decent distraction. “I love the idea of freelancer workspaces. A lot of them are so expensive for anyone starting out, and it would be nice to have something that takes true affordability into account without denying people resources.”
Billie bounced in place. “Yes! And we could have a library of things where people can rent equipment and stuff that's too expensive for them to buy, but they might only need short term.”
“Do you think I could handle two locations?” Jasper asked.
“Two might be a stretch,” I said. “But you’ve said for ages that Yan and Rita are management material. You could always hand over some of the reins to them and set up a second location.”
“That's true,” he said. “They’re a good team. And I’d be able to take Luca on as an apprentice, show them how to build up the business from the ground up.”
“MyLuca?” Nicky asked, perking up.
“Yeah. We briefly talked about it the last time your family was here, and I told him we would pick the topic back up after my heat, when I’ve had time to sort through some things.”
“I love that!” Nicky wiggled happily in my arms. “I was kind of hoping you two would become friends.”
I kissed her cheek. “The Marino clan is integrating.”
There was little that I wanted more than for Nicky to feel like our pack was home. Jasper and Luca becoming friends, and potentially master and apprentice, would go a long way to her feeling like we accepted every part of her and that her family, that was so important to her, was always welcome.
“I should get in touch with the police, and probably the mayor, about the messages Harvey left,” I said. “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” Nicky stood on her toes to kiss my cheek. “I’ve got a million calls and messages to catch up on, so we’ll both be having the time of our lives.”
I retreated to my office, contacting the lawyer first and getting copies of the voicemails onto my computer to send them as part of the investigation. Harvey’s network was wide, and she’d been in politics for the last twenty years, long enough to build herself some allies that could help her skate under the radar or make things very difficult for us.
Once my first task was complete, I placed a call to Mayor Carlisle's office.
“You’ve reached the office of Mayor Carlisle. I’m not available at this time. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. If this is in regards to a matter that is handled by the City Council, please contact us via e—”
I hung up. “Well that's useless.” I called the administration line instead, in case the mayor was just out of her office.
“This is Katrina speaking at City Council offices, how may I direct your call?”
“Hey Katrina, it's Tony Agani. I was trying to get through to Mayor Carlisle. Do you know if she's in the office today?”
“Oh, heavens no, she took a leave of absence a few days ago. Something about a family emergency. I’m not sure when she’ll be back. If it's urgent, Councillor Timmons is covering for her in the meantime.”
“No, that's okay. Thanks for your time. Have a good day.”
That poked some serious holes in my desired theory that the mayor wasn’t involved. It could be coincidence, but the timing was wildly suspicious. I had no way of knowing if the background investigation against Harvey had actually started. Maybe Carlisle had run straight to Harvey after my meeting with her. Or maybe she had kept the knowledge to herself, potentially wanting a rival out of the way. Frustration burned in my gut. I wanted answers, but I had no idea how to get them.
A knock at my door drew my attention from my phone. “Come in.”
Billie's head popped through when it opened. “I heard you get quiet and thought you might be done.”
“For the moment,” I replied. “Did you need something?”
“I wanted to make sure that you’re not super stressed.” Billie scampered across my office and parked their butt on my desk. “Any luck?”
