by Kim Alexis
She didn’t have much time, so she worked as quickly as possible, going through one box at a time by putting its contents onto the table then examining each item as she loaded it back in. At first she did so while standing at the tall table, her back to the hallway, but eventually moved around to the other side and perched on a small barstool instead.
As she worked, she wasn’t necessarily being all that quiet, but no one seemed to notice her anyway, not even when they walked right past. After a while she began to feel like an auditory voyeur. There was a water cooler just outside and to the left of the door, and twice she overheard private conversations that took place right there, the first involving gossipy complaints about a coworker, and the other going into great detail about somebody’s hot date the night before.
At least with every box she examined, Juliette found herself growing more certain that there were no counterfeits here. Still she persisted. She was on the fifth box when she overheard a new conversation—only this time it wasn’t in the employee hallway in front of her but instead somewhere on the other side of the wall, behind her.
Trying to ignore the low rumble of voices, she continued on with the fifth box. She was moving to the sixth when the voices began to grow so loud and clear that they were impossible to ignore. Juliette decided that the gist of their argument had to do with someone having found out something they weren’t supposed to know. The man’s voice was too muffled to make out more than the occasional word, but she couldn’t help but hear the woman, who kept saying things like, “She knew!” and “How did she find out?” and “What do we do?”
Juliette wondered if perhaps the couple had been involved in a secret affair and his wife had learned about it. As the fight continued and she heard phrases like “damage control” and “cost-risk ratio,” however, she decided that it sounded less like a matter of the heart and more like something to do with money or business. Eventually the voices grew so loud that Juliette couldn’t help but hear almost every word.
“But why now?” the woman demanded furiously. “She never did before.”
“Keep your voice down,” the man hissed, but she went on as if she hadn’t heard him, her next words even louder.
“News flash: It’s not January and it’s not July! It’s May! So why now? I’ll tell you why now.”
“I’m not going to say this again: Keep your voice down!”
After a long silence, they began speaking again, but back at a lower volume where Juliette couldn’t quite make out the words. Soon the sound began to fade away entirely, and by the time she had finished with the eighth box and moved on to the ninth and final one, she could no longer hear the voices at all.
It wasn’t until she was sliding the last box back into place, zero counterfeits having surfaced, that she gasped, eyes wide, as a part of this puzzle clicked together in her mind. According to Iliana, Raven had come here to the spa twice a year for twenty years.
Every January. Every July.
The argument had been about Raven.
Chapter Eighteen
ONCE JULIETTE REALIZED THE argument she’d overheard had something to do with Raven, she wished she’d paid more attention to it when it was happening! With no instant replay, no tape to rewind and listen to again, the most she could do for now was figure out where it had taken place. Hopefully on the other side of that wall was someone’s office, which should reveal the identity of at least one of the arguers.
She finished neatening up the workstation then headed out of the employees-only area into the spa’s main hallway. Trying to act like she belonged there, Juliette made her way around the maze of side hallways and treatment areas, passing the occasional employee or customer, none of whom paid any attention to what she was doing or where she was going. Finally she came to what she felt sure was the room in question.
The door was open and the light was off inside, so she chanced a peek—and was disappointed to realize that it wasn’t an office at all, but just a treatment room.
Hoping she’d judged the spacing wrong, she checked several rooms to each side as well, but the whole row was nothing but treatment rooms. At least she understood why someone would have chosen to have a sensitive conversation in one of them. This particular section of the spa was tucked down a side hall of a side hall and felt very secluded. More importantly, at the moment, every single one of the rooms here was empty.
Now what did she do with the information she had gleaned from what she’d overheard? She decided to get Didi’s opinion. After winding her way back out, Juliette finally exited the rear door of the spa and began to move down the walkway toward the conference center.
As she went, she must’ve hit a cellular hot spot, because suddenly the phone in her pocket began to vibrate and ding. She pulled it out and waited until it seemed that all messages had been received. She’d probably been out of range for nearly an hour, and in that time she’d gotten six texts and two voicemails. A nervous flutter in her stomach, she went through each one—some from Didi and some from Elsa—and realized they all said about the same thing: Call the home office immediately. Juliette did as instructed and soon was on with Elsa.
“Sorry to freak out and send so many messages, but I could not reach you and it was important.”
“That’s okay. What’s up?” Juliette started when a squirrel scampered across the path in front of her.
“We’re going to have some visitors here today that I thought you might need to know about.”
“Oh?” Juliette continued walking toward the conference center as she waited for Elsa to elaborate.
“Somebody from the FBI called, about half an hour ago. They’re coming here in about an hour. They need to ask us some questions.”
Juliette blinked, wondering if she was hearing correctly. The FBI? “Questions about what?”
“They said it has to do with the counterfeiting issue. I explained that both you and Didi were out of town, but they insisted on coming anyway. I mean, I can handle it, but I thought perhaps you two might want to be on speakerphone at the time.”
“Yes, of course.” Juliette pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking. Given that the retreat’s opening session was to start at two o’clock, the timing couldn’t be worse. Depending on how long the FBI stuck around, she and Didi might not be able to participate in the entire conversation.
Nevertheless, they worked out the details of how they would handle the phone call, and by the time Juliette hung up, she was almost to the conference center. Didi must’ve spotted her through the big front windows, because she came outside before she even got there. She stood waiting on the sidewalk, hands clasped, teeth gritted.
Juliette came to a stop. “I just talked to Elsa. We’ll need to shift things around a bit if we want to be a part of that meeting.”
Didi nodded, her eyes narrowing. “No problem. There’s something else, though. We need to talk, somewhere private. It’s important.”
MARCUS WAS AT THE desk in his room and absently glanced toward the window when he spotted the tall blonde striding along in the distance. Jumping up from his chair, he moved to the glass and peered out, his heart skipping a beat.
Juliette Taylor.
There she was, live and in person.
Juliette. His Juliette.
Holding his breath, Marcus watched as she came to a stop just outside the conference center, where she was met by a short, heavy woman with dark hair. The two of them stood talking for a moment and then they turned and began to walk along the sidewalk that ran in front of the building.
Now that he had her in his sights, it was time to act—especially because once the conference began she’d be too busy. Heart pounding, he gave one last quick mirror check. His mom napped in her room, and as Marcus came out, he was relieved to see that her door was still closed. He paused just long enough to make sure the Peppermint Pattie was still in his pocket, and then he headed out.
Heart pounding in his ears, Marcus emerged into the sunshine and walked in th
e direction the two women had gone. He soon spotted them, up ahead and to the left. They had settled on a bench a short distance down a winding pathway beside the lake.
Not wanting them to notice him, he chose a different bench, one closer to the conference center and somewhat obscured by a tree, where he would wait until they came back this way. As soon as Juliette was close, he decided, he was going to step up, tell her hello, and hand her the Peppermint Pattie.
It was the longest wait of his life. As he sat there, his resolve and confidence began to waver. What if she didn’t get it? What if he came across like some sort of stalker? What if she knew exactly who he was but didn’t want to see him? He should have planned better, come out a day earlier, approached Juliette in a proper manner, and without an audience.
Mind swirling, he thought about getting up to leave, just go back to his room for now and figure out some other way to have this initial encounter later. He always planned everything, leaving as little as possible to chance. But Juliette was a variable he could not control.
He took a deep breath, blew it out, then forced himself to relax and look around. The scenery here really was breathtaking. If this first encounter went well, and despite the primary reason he was here, he could imagine coming back at some point with her and sitting on this same bench, side by side, catching up on their lives.
Marcus leaned forward and peeked around the tree. She and her friend were still deep in conversation. Suddenly he realized that these eleventh-hour nerves weren’t about planning or preparation. This was about trust.
In God. In himself.
All along he’d felt God’s leading in this, so why was he ignoring Him now? He closed his eyes, focusing on that small, still voice, then settled back against the bench. This was right where he needed to be.
And so he would wait. And gaze at the beautiful lake—and watch for the beautiful woman he had come to see, the one he’d come to protect.
DIDI WOULDN'T TELL JULIETTE what was wrong until they were off by themselves on a bench beside the lake. Even once they sat down, she seemed hesitant, so Juliette finished telling about her tour with Ty and the argument she’d overheard from the closet. When she was done, she settled back against the seat and looked out at the sparkling water in front of them.
“All right, Didi, your turn. Spill. You had something to tell me?”
Didi took in a deep breath then turned to face her friend.
“Two things, actually, two new developments I just heard about fifteen minutes ago.”
Juliette swallowed hard, waiting for Didi to continue.
“For starters, the toxin that killed Raven was definitely in the mud. The JT Lady chai soy mud.”
Juliette closed her eyes. She wasn’t surprised to hear that, but that still didn’t make it easy to take.
“The good news is that it wasn’t some random chemical from a bad batch. And, hallelujah, it was not from a counterfeit product. So at least we know we won’t have any liability here.”
Juliette exhaled in relief. No counterfeit involved. Thank You, Lord.
“The bad news is on a more personal level. Well . . . I guess the easiest way to do this is to just say it all at once.” She paused to reach out and take Juliette’s hand. “Raven was murdered, hon. Poisoned. The toxin that killed her was added to the mud intentionally.”
Juliette shook her head, trying to understand. “How do they know that?”
Didi shrugged, giving her hand one final squeeze and then letting it go. “Because of the substance that was used. It was a drug of some kind, one that could only have ended up in the jar if someone had intentionally put it there. From what I understand, this drug is pretty common—and safe at a normal dosage. The problem is that by adding so much of it into the mud, she was basically given a fatal drug overdose. Through the skin, no less.”
Juliette was finding it hard to breathe. “And Brooke?”
“She got overdosed too. The only reason she’s still alive is because it only got on her hands. Poor Raven had it slathered all over her whole body.”
Juliette turned away, trying to take this in. Finally she told Didi she’d like a few minutes to herself. “I’ll be fine, I promise, I just need to be alone for a bit. Please go.”
Didi rose, her voice reluctant. “Okay, but watch the time. Don’t forget about our conference call.”
Juliette nodded, her eyes focused on the distant mountains, her heart aching from the grief.
MARCUS CAME ALERT WHEN he saw Juliette’s friend walking up the path alone. Juliette was still on the bench by herself.
Could he ask for a more perfect opportunity than this?
As the friend walked past, they gave each other a nod. Then he rose and started toward Juliette. Now or never.
The distance to where she sat was only about a hundred feet, but it felt like miles. He would go and sit next to her on the bench then say hello and give her the candy. What a perfect spot for their reunion, a peaceful spot by a pristine lake in a lush setting.
Just as he was getting close, Juliette stood and began walking up the path toward him, her head down.
Well, this changes things.
His usual strength at being able to alter plans in an instant when dealing with a crisis left him, and he felt like an awkward schoolboy. Before he could come up with a new plan, he and Juliette Taylor were crossing paths. He stepped forward and spoke.
“Hello, stranger.” With that he looked into her face and handed her the Peppermint Pattie.
A MAN SPOKE TO Juliette as she was walking up the path, but her head was pounding so loudly, her mind swirling with such confusion, that she couldn’t even make out his words. It didn’t matter. She simply nodded and tried to continue on, stopping short only when he thrust out his hand. She glanced down to see a quick flash of a silver wrapper. Candy? This man was offering her candy?
Her temples throbbing, Juliette chose the quickest way out of this unwelcome encounter—she took the candy, shoved it into her pocket, and mumbled a quick, “Thank you, but excuse me,” and kept going.
She picked up her pace as she continued onward, veering left on the walkway that would bring her to her room. There wasn’t much time to spare, but she needed to be alone for at least a few minutes. She needed to think. Soon she realized that she was barely breathing. Murdered! Raven had been murdered.
Juliette fumbled to unlock the door then walked in, shut it, and leaned back against it, trying to catch her breath. Once she had calmed down a bit, she began to pace back and forth across the cold marble floor. The pacing only made her feel more agitated, so finally, she sat, closed her eyes, and began to pray.
Why murder, God? Why her?
Juliette knew she was overreacting to Didi’s news, but she just felt so out of control. She couldn’t even wrap her head around the idea that someone had murdered Raven, much less that they’d used one of Juliette’s products to do so. Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.
MARCUS STOOD FROZEN ON the path for several minutes after Juliette was gone. Her reaction to him had been all wrong. In fact, she barely noticed him at all. In the many scenarios he’d played out in his head, he never imagined this one, that she just wouldn’t care.
What an absolute fool he had been. Their encounter all those years ago had meant nothing to her. He was carrying a torch that had never been lit.
Even the Peppermint Pattie had been a complete flop! For all he knew, she was laughing at him right now, mocking him as just one more pathetic man throwing himself at a supermodel. He trudged back to his room, hoping his mother was still asleep. By the time he got there and went inside, his face still burned.
Feeling an absolute fool, he went into his room, closed the door, and just sat there for a while. He felt like a tire with a slow leak. Finally he forced himself to look at the situation objectively. The best thing to do at this point would be simply to avoid her as much as possible. But that was not an option. Their own personal issues aside, he had come here to help protect
her and that’s what he was going to do. What other choice did he have?
What was he going to do now?
He pulled out his cell to see if Nate had called him back yet, but he had not.
Obviously Marcus only had one option. He needed to forget everything about his past personal relationship with Juliette and focus solely on the danger she was in. Surely if he tried again and kept things much more casual this time, she might at least give him five seconds and a proper hello.
Man, this was tough.
Needing to work off this nervous energy, Marcus decided to go for a run. He’d seen a jogging trail on the resort map, so he would go there now, get in a good workout, and try to clear his head.
After a quick change into shorts and a T-shirt, he left a note for his mom, headed outside, and aimed for the nearby path, starting out slow until his muscles warmed up.
The dream he had carried for so many years, the one he had nurtured and finally allowed to blossom, had now been plucked and squashed. That dream was a lie he had told himself—a mirage he’d gazed at for years, deceiving himself into believing it was. How could he have been so foolish?
You’d think life would make you smarter about things like this. You’d think after all the heartbreak he’d endured—not just on the job in the aftermath of great disaster but at home as well—something like this would be a piece of cake. But pain was pain, and just admitting he should’ve known better still didn’t make it go away.
Marcus found the jogging loop and was glad to see that it wasn’t paved but was instead a dusty gravel path that began at a break in some trees, wound past a great big boulder a little further out, and then basically formed a long, wide curve that ran along the outer fringes of the resort’s property. The rest of the resort was hidden from view by trees, and after the first twenty feet, he felt like he was out in the middle of the desert, it was that dry, that deserted.