Brew or Die

by Caroline Fardig

  Shane was set to go to Leonidas Luxury Events at eleven, so I left a little early to run to Maya’s office, pick up her van, and retrieve Pete from work.

  When Pete got into the van he whistled. “Yikes, Jules. No sleep, huh?”

  Pete hadn’t seen me yet this morning. He’d gotten a good night of sleep, so good in fact, he’d slept through his alarm and didn’t have time to stop by Java Jive before work like he normally did.

  I pulled the visor down and studied my sad reflection. “My pasty complexion is bad enough on a good day,” I whined.

  “Aw, cheer up. At least you don’t have to look at yourself.”

  I threw him a glare and pulled away from the sidewalk, heading up Seventeenth toward downtown.

  Thankfully, he changed the subject. Taking a peek in the back of the van, he said, “Do we have some cool spy listening gear back there?”

  “Yeah, Maya even threw in a button camera,” I replied. “We’re supposed to meet Shane a couple of blocks away from Leonidas to give him his unit.”

  Pete chortled. “You said ‘unit.’ ”

  I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help smiling. Pete’s thirteen-year-old sense of humor, while sometimes grating, was a welcome distraction from all the exhausting adulting I’d been doing and would be doing for the foreseeable future.

  We pulled up behind Shane’s car on a side street downtown. He and I both got out of our vehicles and stood at the curb beside Pete’s open passenger window. Shane seemed uneasy and fidgety, but that was to be expected.

  Pete asked, “How are you doing this morning, Shane? I know this has got to be outside your comfort zone, but I feel like it’s going to be worthwhile.”

  Shane blew out a breath. “I’m okay. I’m just worried I’ll say something that will tip someone off to what we’re doing.”

  I said, “Just do what you can this morning. Maybe we can glean something that will point us in the right direction.” I handed him a recording device the size of a pack of cigarettes with a button cam connected to it by a long cord. “Put the recorder in your pocket and replace a button on your shirt with the camera.”

  Pete’s eyes widened. “We’re going to get to watch, too?”

  “No, the camera only records. It doesn’t have a remote transmitter, so we’ll have to watch it later. However…” I handed Shane a tiny, flesh-colored earpiece. “With this you’ll be able to hear instructions from us.” Shane put the earpiece in his ear. I put a neckloop microphone over his head and handed him another small device. “And with this microphone and transmitter, we’ll be able to hear anything that goes on near you.”

  Shane looked down at all the wires and gadgets hanging from him. “I don’t know about this…”

  “It can all be easily concealed. That’s why I told you to wear loose clothing in layers even though it’s ninety degrees today.”

  Shane did as instructed, we did a quick test of the equipment, and then we got back into our vehicles to drive the rest of the way to Leonidas. They actually had a small parking lot for customers, a surprise in downtown, so we pulled in there. Pete and I crawled into the back of the van to be able to sit there unnoticed behind the heavily tinted rear windows. Maya had removed the middle row of seats from her minivan, so it wasn’t too cramped back there. We could stretch out our legs from our back row bench seat.

  Pete put his hands behind his head and leaned back lazily. “This surveillance gig isn’t so bad.”

  “Today shouldn’t be bad at all,” I replied. “Shane won’t be in there for long, so this is cake. If we had to sit in this van for hours on end, bored and in need of a restroom, you wouldn’t be nearly as excited about it, trust me.”

  He frowned. “It’s already starting to get hot in here.”

  “Right. Yet another downside of surveillance. It’s going to get a lot hotter.”

  He wiped his forehead, which was already starting to sweat, and whined, “I don’t know if I like this, Jules.”

  “This was your idea, princess. Sack up.”

  Chapter 9

  Shane’s voice came over the transmitter. “I’m in the elevator. Any last-minute advice?”

  I switched on our microphone so Shane could hear us.

  His head back in the game, Pete said, “Just be yourself. You know what questions you want answered. Don’t leave until you’re satisfied. If all else fails, put your manhood aside and cry a little.”

  I gave him a dubious glance.

  “What? It works,” he replied defensively.

  Still seeming unconvinced, Shane said, “I’ll see what I can do.”

  I switched our mic off again. Shane needed to focus and didn’t need us yammering in his ear. Turning to Pete, I said, “Cry a little, huh? Great advice for a guy who’s probably cried more in the past few days than in his entire lifetime. What if he turns it on and can’t turn it back off?”

  He waved away my concern. “Scoff all you want, Jules. Chicks dig sensitive guys.”

  Over the speaker, Shane’s voice said, “I’m Shane Emerson. I’m here to collect Josie Prescott’s things.” His voice broke a tiny bit as he said her name.

  A female voice cooed, “Hello, Shane. I’m Marissa. Oh, I can’t tell you how sorry I am for your loss. We all absolutely adored Josie. This must be so difficult for you. If there’s anything we can do for you, please know that the Leonidas family is here for you.”

  Pete said, “See? I bet you five bucks that woman is leaning over her desk and flashing him some cleavage as we speak.”

  I said distractedly, “Pete, shut up so we can hear what’s going on.”

  He raised his hands and muttered, “I’m just saying.”

  Shane said, “Thank you.”

  The woman said, “I’ll show you to Josie’s office.” There was only shuffling for several seconds, then she said, “Here we are. I’ll give you some time alone. If you need me, I’ll be at the front desk.”

  A door clicked shut, and Shane said, “Okay, now what?”

  I turned our mic on. “Now’s your chance to look over every inch of her office. The cops have undoubtedly been through it, so it’s not like you’re going to find anything that’s obvious evidence, but you knew Josie better than anyone. Try to look for things that strike you as out of place or out of character for her. Read over any notes you might find. You can even grab company files if you can find any.”

  “Isn’t that stealing?” Shane asked.

  I shot Pete a look. Shane was going to have to be willing to get his hands dirty if he wanted some answers. I replied, “We’ll give them back after we look them over. Just do your thing. Go ask one of her coworkers for an empty box and start a conversation.”

  “Okay.”

  There was white noise for a while as Shane began gathering Josie’s things. I turned the mic off and sank back in my seat. We sat in silence for a while in the hot car while Shane took his dear sweet time.

  Finally, we heard a knocking sound and Shane’s voice say, “Hey, Hadley.”

  “Oh, hey, Shane. You doing okay?” a woman’s voice replied. Shane had told me earlier that Hadley Vega was Josie’s closest friend at work.

  “Not really.”

  “Me, either,” Hadley replied, a somber tone to her voice. “It’s not the same here without her.”

  “Tell me about it,” Shane muttered.

  “I can’t believe she’s gone.”

  There was the sound of a door being closed. “I can’t, either. Hadley, you knew Josie. She didn’t use drugs. What the hell happened?”

  Pete murmured to me, “Nothing like cutting to the chase.”

  Hadley sighed. “This job is stressful, especially with the wedding expo coming up this weekend. Everyone has to help with the stupid thing, even the events side, as I’m sure Josie told you. Mrs. Leonidas has been breathing down our necks for the past few months, and it’s gotten nearly unbearable since the beginning of June. All of us have self-medicated at some point lately. We’re expected to be bri
ght and shiny all the time, which is not always possible. Sometimes you need a nudge to get up and something else to bring you back down. I don’t blame Josie for—”

  “Wait. Are you trying to tell me you’re not surprised that she shot up?” Shane asked, anger evident in his tone.

  “Not really.”

  “What are you basing that on? Have you seen Josie use drugs before?”

  Hadley hesitated. “Well, no…I guess I haven’t actually seen her take any…But knowing her it wouldn’t be something she’d advertise if she were doing it. I assumed she’d been using if she was shooting heroin. It’s not exactly a gateway drug.”

  “Where would she even have gotten the heroin?”

  “We’re in the party business, you know…” she said meaningfully.

  Pete turned on our mic. “Dude, these party people have access to all kinds of drugs.”

  Shane said, “Josie never told me anything about that.”

  Hadley blew out a breath. “She probably wouldn’t have. We have strict confidentiality rules regarding what goes on at our parties.”

  “So you’re saying someone you work with gave her that heroin,” he growled.

  “No…” After hesitating a moment, she said quietly, “Maybe.”

  Shane said, “Tell me who.”

  “I’ve said too much already. I…I don’t know who gave it to her.”

  “You do know. Give me a name!” he thundered.

  I said, “Shane, don’t force it. We can come back to her later.”

  Her voice shaking, Hadley said, “I’ll get fired if say a word.”

  Shane said, “I’ll make sure you get arrested if you don’t.”

  Pete gave me an uneasy glance. “Shane, go easy, man. Keep her on your side. Don’t make her clam up.”

  We heard gasping and hiccupping, then quiet sobs.

  I said into the mic, “Hug her. Cry with her. I know it’s not easy, but play the part.”

  Shane, sounding calmer, said, “I’m sorry, Hadley. I just…I don’t want to believe she did this on purpose, especially after what happened to her brother. I need someone to blame besides her so I can try to get over this.”

  Pete turned the mic off. “Nice. Our boy has it in him after all. You know, we’re not exactly the best people to give advice about undercover work. Sometimes we really suck at it.”

  I chuckled, remembering some of our past escapades. “No freaking joke.”

  He smiled at me. “But we always have fun together, no matter what.”

  I got caught up in Pete’s deep brown eyes for a moment or two, but I remembered we were here to do a job and pried my attention away from him and back to the transmitter.

  Hadley sighed. “Shane, I don’t know who gave Josie the heroin. Honest. I know who to ask if I need a Xanax for a panicky bride or an Adderall to give me a boost to get through a reception that goes ridiculously long. I haven’t come into contact with any worse drugs than that the entire time I’ve worked here. But I’m on the bridal side. I’ve heard rumors about what the events side does, but I try not to think about it. And I know better than to ask questions.”

  “It’s okay, Hadley. Thanks for telling me what you did. I actually came in here to ask you for a box to put Josie’s things in.”

  “I can help you with that,” she said. After a little shuffling, she lowered her voice. “Seriously, Shane. You can’t breathe a word of this. There are backstabbers everywhere in this office who’d tattle on me in a hot minute if they thought it would help them get ahead.”

  “That’s interesting,” I murmured to Pete.

  He nodded. “These luxury party bitches don’t mess around.”

  Shane said to Hadley, “I won’t. For now. But if I ever find out who was responsible for giving Josie that poison, believe me, I’ll make them pay.”

  We heard a door open and close, then another.

  Shane said, “I’m back in Josie’s office. Do you mind if I turn you guys off while I’m going through her personal things?”

  Pete’s face fell. “You need some privacy. Of course we understand. Take all the time you need.”

  Shane’s mic went dead, and I switched our mic off as well.

  Pete leaned back and rubbed his eyes. “Poor guy. I think this was more than he bargained for.”

  I nodded. “Investigating sucks. And it’s so much harder when you’re emotionally involved. I made so many mistakes when you were in jail because I simply couldn’t think straight.”

  He gave me a pat on the back and left his hand there for several moments too long. He must have realized it, too, because he said, “Gross, Jules, the back of your shirt is all wet.”

  To cover my own embarrassment of enjoying his touch, I snapped, “You’re sweating like a pig, too.”

  “Can we crack a window or something? We’re going to stroke out if it stays this hot in here.”

  No kidding.

  —

  Shane had a couple of benign conversations with other employees before he left, but didn’t glean anything from them. So once he was done, we headed back to Java Jive to talk about our next steps. I called Maya on the way to give her the rundown of what happened and asked her to meet us there to give us some advice. With drugs being so heavily involved, I wanted a more professional opinion than my own.

  Once the four of us were in the privacy (and air-conditioning) of the office, I said, “Well, Maya, where can we go from here without getting Hadley into trouble and without pissing off a possible drug dealer?”

  She thought for a moment. “You’re going to have to tread carefully. I don’t think Shane should try to interview any more Leonidas employees. He asks the wrong person the wrong question, and it could spell disaster for you. If it were me, I’d either weasel my way into getting a job there or become a client.”

  Pete frowned. “It would take too much time to go through the interview process and get hired. Plus, none of us have the time to actually work there.”

  Maya replied, “You and Juliet could pretend to be planning your wedding.”

  Pete and I shared an uncomfortable glance. That would be a little too weird.

  I said, “I guess it would cost us a ton of money, even for a consultation, right?”

  “Probably,” Shane said. “I think that wedding expo Leonidas is putting on this weekend is free. You could go to that.”

  Maya nodded. “Good idea, but we’d need them to have access behind the scenes if they’re really going to learn anything.”

  Shane thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. “Josie was in charge of several things for the expo. One of them was getting models to walk around the event wearing the latest wedding gowns and tuxes. She talked me into doing it so we could spend time together this weekend, but obviously I’m not going to go through with it now. Pete, you could take my place.”

  Pete flexed his biceps and pretended to flip imaginary hair over his shoulder. “Yeah, I could do that. Just call me Fabio.”

  “Who?” Shane asked.

  I rolled my eyes. “How can we get me in there as well? Fabio here will need someone to help him fend off the ladies.”

  Pete nodded. “Being this handsome is sometimes a curse.”

  Maya snorted. “My, it’s getting deep in here. Juliet, I’ll see what I can do about getting you a cover.”

  I said, “Great. That’s it, then, right? Over the next couple of days, I’ll do some research on Leonidas Luxury Events and its employees.”

  “What about the video Shane shot today?” Pete asked.

  After listening to Shane’s conversations live, I highly doubted anything could be gained from watching what went on, but we’d be remiss not to take a look. “Pete, maybe you could watch it while I’m researching?”

  His face lit up. “Like, I’d be in charge of that aspect of the investigation?”

  “Sure,” I replied, trying not to crack a smile at his giddiness.

  He saluted me. “I’m on it.”

  —r />
  After our meeting broke up and my partners in crime left, I lay down on the couch, intending to catch a short nap. Nearly three hours later, Stafford was gently shaking me awake.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” he said, giving me a kiss.

  “Is it really almost five?” I asked groggily, hoping I was misreading the clock on the wall.

  “Yeah. Sophie said you’d been in here dead to the world since she got on shift. It’s not like you to sleep the day away at work, so I thought I should wake you.”

  “You’re right. Thanks.”

  Smiling, he sat down next to me. “Plus I was the only one who wasn’t too chicken to do it. None of your staff would dare come in here and bother you.”

  I shook my head. “I raise my voice a couple of times, and everyone is afraid of me.”

  “I’ve heard you can be pretty scary when you want to be.” He pinched my chin. “Although it’s hard to imagine you like that.”

  Ooh. It suddenly hit me how he didn’t know the real me, warts and all. Something Ryder had said flashed through my head—his comment about there being no spark between Stafford and me because we never fought. I hated to admit it, but he wasn’t totally wrong. What we had wasn’t fiery and passionate. It was sweet and comfortable. But there was nothing wrong with that. Sweet and comfortable was good. I tried to put it out of my mind, but then a worse thought crept in—that Stafford had neglected to tell me that Ryder had asked him to get me to safety after he’d abandoned me.

  “Are you still half-asleep? You seem a little out of it,” Stafford said.

  “Yeah.”

  I began squashing my less-than-happy feeling, which I’d found myself doing lately instead of voicing my opinion. I’d told myself my temper had toned down on its own because of his calming influence, but I had to wonder if it was just me swallowing my real feelings because I didn’t want him to see my ugly side. Ugly or not, I decided I wanted an answer to the question that had been bugging me since last night.

  Turning to him, I said, “To be truthful, something is bothering me. You know when that big deal went down a few months ago and you rescued me?”

  He smiled. “Yes.”

  “Um…how did you find out where I was and that I needed help?”