Before she knew it, she had arrived at Summer Break. There was still a guard outside the house, and he nodded to her when she got off the bike.
“You didn’t bring Watson again, I see.” It was the same guard.
Meg smiled as she took off her helmet and put it in her basket, then fluffed her hair as she walked. “No, sorry. The ride’s a little long with him on the bike. The dog weighs almost thirty pounds. I think my riding freaks him out a little.”
“He doesn’t like the hills, I bet.” The guard walked her toward the house.
Meg nodded, surprised. “He doesn’t. What is it about hills?”
“You go fast, then slow.” He explained his theory about dogs. “Or slow, then fast. Maybe he doesn’t know what’s going on.”
“Or he thinks I’m going to crash.” She pointed to the front door. “Is it okay for me to knock?”
“They’re expecting you.” He held up his phone. “You are the only visitor on today’s list. I’m not sure how much longer they’ll keep me on, but for right now, it’s a great gig. The scenery is amazing here. I’m usually stuck in the middle of a skyscraper in Seattle. I like being outside.”
“Until it rains. Then you’ll wish for the tan walls of a boring corporate office,” Meg pointed out as she headed up the stairs to the front door. Jolene must have been waiting for her, because the door opened before Meg even knocked.
She waved Meg inside, then glanced at the folder and the times written on the front. “You’re doing fast work. Ms. Aster is happy with the quality. So, good job.”
Meg watched as she set the folder on the table and picked another one up. Jolene held it out, but before Meg took it, she said, “I need to talk to Ms. Aster. I saw Meade, her agent, on the ferry. She needs to know what he was saying.”
Jolene frowned but shook the folder. “Take this and stand right here. I’ll go see if she has time for you. She’s very busy.”
After taking the folder, Meg stood right where Jolene had left her. She was worried that the woman would notice if she moved an inch to the left or the right. She opened the folder. This time the note was handwritten.
Meg, I need fifty ways to poison a victim. Please also include a list of side effects of the poison as well as the length of time between ingestion and death. I’m looking for something fairly undetectable, if possible, as well as some time to pass between ingestion and death, so my killer can get away before the person feels the effects. You’re doing great work. So glad to have you as part of the team. Lilly.
Meg couldn’t help it; she felt her lips stretch over her teeth. Lilly had called her by her first nameandsaid she was doing a great job. Of course, Jolene had said the same thing, but it hadn’t made Meg positively giddy when she said it. Maybe something in her life was working out. She was an effective author’s assistant. Or she’d been one for almost two weeks now.
Instead of Jolene coming out of the office, Lilly hurried over to where Meg was standing. She’d hoped to be invited into Lilly’s actual office. The place where the magic happened. It was probably huge, with big windows looking out on the water. And floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lining the walls.
“Meg, I’m sorry. I don’t have much time. I’m expected in town in less than an hour. What do you need to tell me? Jolene said it was about Robert. Please tell me he didn’t give you a hard time that day.” Lilly looked at her with sympathy.
“Oh, no. I wanted to tell you I saw him the week before we met. I was on the ferry, and he was on the phone. I don’t know who he was talking to or about, but he said he was going to shortchange someone with the advance. That she wouldn’t know the real offer.” Meg saw Lilly’s face go white.
“He was skimming. I always thought so, but he must have doctored the contracts before he sent them to me to read. And, of course, I always scanned only the last page when I sent them back.” She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. “I hate to say I hope he was talking about someone else, but I don’t think that’s true. Thank you for telling me. I’ll look into this.”
Meg saw she was being dismissed. “I appreciate the job and working with you. If there’s anything I can do, let me know.”
Lilly nodded. “Thank you, Meg.”
Immediately, Jolene was standing with them, and she opened the door. “We’ll see you on Tuesday unless you text before that. Thank you for the great work.”
Meg walked out and felt the door slam behind her. Hopefully, she hadn’t ruined her job. Some people didn’t like to be told they’d been wronged. Even when they’d kind of known it all along.
She glanced at her watch. Time to grab lunch with Natasha. And after today’s bike ride, she needed the fuel.
CHAPTER6
Dead men tell no tales, but their social media accounts tell plenty.
Natasha let her assistant, Candi, know she was leaving for lunch, then met Meg in the small dining room of her bakery. “I’m dying for some fish and chips. What about you?”
“Dalton and I ate there before the bonfire, but you know me. I could probably eat fish and chips every day. Especially those from James’s shop. Is he still around?” Meg followed her friend out the bakery door.
“He went back to England a few years ago. His son, Tommy, runs the place now. I guess James wanted to retire.” She linked her arm with Meg’s. “Remember how we used to eat there every Friday night, before we’d go into Seattle? It was so much cheaper than the places in the city. And so good.”
“James used to kid us that we were going fishing for husbands when we’d go into town.” Meg remembered the older British man’s teasing fondly. “He said we’d be old married women in less than a year. And look at us now. Do you think he’d be disappointed? In me, I mean?”
