Page 86 of Defending Love
“I’m changing clothes again.” I scanned her curves. “What about you?”
“I suspect the restaurant will want more than these yoga pants. I’ll call Stephen and change.”
As I closed my suit coat over my holster, Dani came into the bedroom. Her long hair was again piled on her head and her casual clothes were replaced by navy-blue slacks and a white blouse. “Stephen said he could meet me at Meridian Restaurant & Bar at five o’clock.”
“I fucking wish there was another way to do this. Maybe you could call Damien.”
Dani’s expression fell. “Eli, I need to know that it’s Stephen who’s lying and not Damien.”
The microphone I attached to Dani’s bra strap was smaller than a penny. We tested it a few times and her voice came through my phone where I would record her conversation. “This has a decent range. If the restaurant is busy, that could make it more difficult to pick up his voice.”
“I’ll sit as close as possible.”
I didn’t like that either.
It didn’t take long on a Sunday evening to reach the restaurant. I pulled the SUV around the log building and parked in the back lot. “Have you figured out what you’re going to say?”
Dani tugged on her lip with her teeth. “I’m going to wing it.”
“I won’t be far away. If you need help, say the word and I’ll be there.”
I saw Stephen Elliott at Derek’s funeral. As soon as we entered the restaurant, I spotted him sitting at a table for two along the wall next to the bar. His mostly gray hair was full and wavy. His expression was stoic until he saw Dani.
“I’ll sit at the bar, where I can keep an eye on you.”
Dani nodded as she walked toward the table. Her voice came through my earbud and was recording on my phone. “Stephen. Thanks for meeting me.”
“Let me flag down our waitress, and I’ll get you a drink. You’re a red wine drinker, right?”
“Good memory,” she said, taking the chair across from him.
“What is it that you want to know about Preston?”
From my angle, I saw him point to a dish in the center of the table.
“I hope you don’t mind. I ordered this charcuterie board. Help yourself.”
Dani shook her head. Placing her arms on the edge of the table, she leaned forward. “No, thank you. I came to find out what deal Dad and Preston had regarding David Carpenter.”
A waitress approached.
“The lady would like your best cabernet,” Stephen ordered.
“Right away,” she said and walked away.
“That wasn’t necessary.”
“I don’t like to drink alone.” He chuckled. “There wasn’t a deal to my knowledge.”
“There was,” Dani said. “And you knew about it. I found proof. Is that deal what got Dad killed?”
“Danielle, I’ve known you all your life. You’re a scientist, not someone prone to dramatic stories.”
“David Carpenter was the son-in-law of Eric Olsen, the dean of the research department when Damien started trying to get his hands on the Propanolol research. Of course, it wasn’t Propanolol yet. Eric Olsen was killed, and eventually Preston Ayers was named dean of research. David Carpenter was ill due to an exposure to what…chemicals, something to do with the research?”
“You really do have a vivid imagination. Here, have some brie cheese. It’s delicious.”
Dani continued, “Somehow, Dad convinced David to work for Sinclair. The research had been shut down by the university. Even though I was told it was intellectual property and not a patent, intellectual property is still protected by law. Sinclair Pharmaceuticals would have needed permission from the research department to allow us to research, develop, and manufacture Propanolol.”
