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Nine
As I crossed the street,I tried to come up with ways to ask Dad about Juliet without raising suspicion. I could pretend I was curious about getting to know her better, but my sudden interest would be out of character. Plus, I would normally just talk to her about it but that was the last thing I wanted to do. What if that tipped her off? What if she told the AS I was onto her and they lured me somewhere and knocked me out like my dad?
No, I had to be extremely careful.
Dad was in the kitchen looking at his phone when I walked in.
“Hey,” I called to him as I opened the fridge and scanned the contents for dinner ideas.
I removed chicken and asparagus before setting them on the counter. Dad still hadn’t replied, and when I turned around, he was still absorbed by whatever was on the screen.
“Is chicken pesto okay?” I watched for any sign he could hear me, but he didn’t even blink.
I followed the steps Juliet taught me a few weeks ago. She was helping me learn to cook along with Dad, but I was picking up on things much quicker. It came as a surprise to both of us since it was my first time to try. The more recipes I mastered, the more I wanted to learn.
I was sauteing the asparagus while the pasta boiled when Dad finally checked back into the world around him. “Sorry, honey. We’re working through a new acquisition, and it’s not going quite as smoothly as we hoped.”
I nodded as if I had the slightest understanding of what he did and flipped the chicken.
“How was your day?” he asked.
I took in a slow breath, hoping my nerves didn’t show. “It was fine. I practiced the self-defense moves Tessa taught me.”
“Good. Good.” I knew by his tone he wasn’t paying attention. I peeked over my shoulder, and his phone was his focus.
Would now be a good time to ask him questions? If he wasn’t really listening, he might answer without thinking. He might not even remember me asking later on.
“Where did Juliet grow up?”
“Grand Rapids area,” he said as if on autopilot.
“Was she born there?”
“I believe so.”
“Is that where her parents still live?”
“Mm-hmm,” he confirmed with a grunt.
Interesting. At least I could give Daniel a place to focus on. “What are their names?”
“Duane and Angela.” I waited for him to ask why I was so interested, but he was distracted.
“Does she have any siblings?” I continued.
“A brother, Brian.”
“What school did she go to?”
“Michigan State.” He paused and looked up at me. “Sorry, I’ve got to make a call.”
I smiled and turned back to the stove as he disappeared around the corner. Once I heard his office door close, I snatched my phone and called Daniel.
“Hello, Avalon. Is everything okay?” he sounded concerned.
“Yeah, I just had some information I wanted to share.”
He sighed. “Oh?”
