“You have seemed distracted lately.”
He sighed, pulled out a chair, and collapsed into it. “You know my wife left me a few months ago, right?”
I nodded, unsure where this conversation would go. “I did hear that.”
“I’ve been miserable without her.”
“Then why did you ask Sage out?”
His eyebrows shot up. “You knew about that?”
“Sage told me,” I fibbed.
“I should have never done it. I thought maybe if I went on a date with someone that my wife would get jealous and want to get back with me.” He shook his head before letting it hang. “It didn’t work. Not only was Sage not interested, but my wife couldn’t have cared less.”
My heart squeezed for a moment. “I’m sorry.”
He sucked in a long, deep breath before releasing it. “Me, too.”
I remembered him mumbling something about money during our last staff meeting. I wondered if he was desperate enough for money that he would try and get with Sage, just to get a portion of her late husband’s money. If I was going to ask him, now was the time.
I tried to be diplomatic. “Bryan, did you know Sage wasn’t Sage’s real name?”
His eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”
“Sage was really Anise Wentworth.”
“The gold digger?” His mouth gaped open. “No, I watched that trial. They look nothing alike.”
“She changed her appearance and her name. I think it had something to do with that undercover investigation she was doing, the one she wouldn’t talk about with anyone.” I shrugged. “Maybe it had something to do with Paws and Fur Balls.”
He scoffed. “I can’t believe that.”
“Why else would someone who could be a millionaire choose to take on a job like this, one that practically puts its workers at poverty level?”
“Because she loved animals. You can’t argue that.”
No, I couldn’t. Sage did love animals.
“If you’re thinking she was investigating me, you can feel free to check our books. We’re clear. You can check my bank account too, for that matter. If I wanted to make a lot of money, I wouldn’t be working this job. I think we can all agree with that.”
I nodded. I believed Bryan. I did.
So who did that leave on my suspect list?
I hoped that after tomorrow, I would have some more answers.
I’d almost—almost being the key word—spent the night on the couch in the break room at Paws and Fur Balls. It beat going back to my empty apartment where I could only socialize with my thoughts and feel the emptiness of my furry creatures being gone. It would only remind me that Freckles was in the hands of a sociopath who preyed on innocent people and creatures.
But showering and changing clothes at my office space would be difficult given the fact that there was no shower and I had no clean clothes. Therefore, I’d gone home. Just to be safe, I decided to stay in Gabby’s apartment again.
When I got out of the car in the parking lot of my apartment building, I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. Well, I always kind of felt like that, but today the notion was even greater than usual.
I swung by my mailbox, realizing I hadn’t checked my mail in a couple of days. I’d had other things on my mind. I saw a thick envelope mixed in with lots of bills and advertisements. My name was written in a rough scrawl on the yellow paper.
Tension filled me. I instinctively knew this had something to do with the mess that had swept into my life this week with the force of a F5 tornado.
With trembling hands, I opened the package. Inside, I saw a collar.
I gasped. This was Freckle’s collar. I’d know it anywhere. I’d had it especially made for him by one of my friends. It was hand stitched in yellow with the word “FRECKLES” across it in black letters.
A piece of paper dropped to the ground. I grabbed it before the breeze could carry it away.
The words I read there made me go cold.
“Two days. You have two days to get me the information or your little cat will go to animal heaven.” “Heaven” was scratched out and the word “Hell” was written above it. “Consider this your final warning.”
After a restless night, finally the sun came up and I got ready. I’d hardly slept a wink as I thought about Freckles. I had to think of a way to save her. I’d do whatever it took.
My first order of business for the day was paying a visit to Andre. I left a quick message at Paws and Fur Balls, saying that I’d be working at home for a while.
Then I drove to Andre’s house. It was a nice place, all brick and stately looking with an expansive lawn that was well taken care of. There was one car in the driveway, and I hoped that belonged to Andre.
I leaned back into the seat of my car, thinking things through for a moment. What did I have so far?
Andre seemed like my best lead right now. I had pictures of him. Dining with a woman.
I considered the possibility that Sage was trying to blackmail him. Maybe she’d threatened that he had to come clean about some cruel testing he was doing or she’d let the images go public. That seemed like a good reason for murder.
At 8:45, I got out of my car and trudged up the sidewalk. I had the papers I’d found in the litter box in hand—I’d made copies of them first, of course—and I was prepared for a confrontation.
The best I could tell, this was the information my home—and car—invader had requested. I wanted to give it to Andre and know that my cats would be safe. I had a feeling that Andre King was my man, that he had the answers I was looking for.
After he had what he wanted, then maybe I could pick my cats up and maybe—just maybe—Chad and I could have a decent conversation about all of this. I could show him he could be first priority. Maybe he could prove that he wasn’t trying to control me.
I pounded on the door. A moment later, a prickly looking man who wore his glasses at the end of his nose and had dark hair long enough that it flipped up at the ends greeted me. “Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Andre.”
“You’ve found him. Isn’t it a little early to be out selling Girl Scout cookies?”
I bit back a sharp retort and instead raised the folder in my hands. “I have the information you want. Now I want Freckles back and I want you to leave the rest of my cats alone.”
He blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” I held up the file folder again. “I have what you want. So you can leave me alone and stop trying to ruin my life.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He put his hand on his hip and stared at me.
I let out a quick breath to show my disbelief. “Look, I know that Sage was trying to blackmail you. She took pictures of you with a woman. I’m sure you don’t want your wife to see the photos.”
“My wife? I’m not married.”
I shifted, tired of this game. I’d done my practicing, watching and waiting. Now it was time to pounce. “Your girlfriend then.”
“I’m not dating anyone.”
His response silenced me, but just for a moment. “Then why do you care about pictures with some mystery woman?”
“Exactly! Why do I care? What are you talking about?” His eyes were wide and bulging. His movements—and words—were coming faster.
I pulled out a photo. “This! Isn’t this picture what all of this is about? Sage threatened to go public with your sultry behind-the-scenes lifestyle if you didn’t stop doing animal testing?”
He stared at the picture a moment and then snorted. “Lady, you’re off your rocker. That woman in the picture is my boss. We’re having a business meeting. I’m not attracted to the woman but, even if I were, it wouldn’t be a crime because she’s single also. And who is the Sage woman you keep mentioning?”
My theory was falling apart right before my eyes. “She went by Sage Williams. I have evidence to believe she was doing an exposé on you.”
“On me? Why in heaven’s name would she do an exposé on me?”
“Because you’re doing nefarious things to animals in your lab, that’s why!”
“Nefarious? Way to use a new word.”
This man was grating on my nerves on so many different levels that it wasn’t funny.
Just then, a cat rubbed against his leg. He picked the creature up and cradled her. “I would never hurt an animal.”
I flinched. How could someone who treated animals horribly act so loving toward an animal companion they kept at home? People could be such a contradiction at times. “Then what do you do at your lab? These papers here show you’re doing some kind of testing on them.”
“We do independent tests on products. The individual test depends on what we’ve been contracted to do. We test products for the presence of lead, we do chemical analysis, and we also have an allergy lab.”
I blinked, trying to mask my confusion. Allergens? Sage’s sister was allergic to cats. Did this somehow tie in with Thyme? Why exactly was this top secret then? There didn’t seem to be anything sinister about sneezing.
I stuck to my guns, though. “Were you aware that someone was collecting information on you?”
“No, I was not.” He put the cat down and crossed his arms.
My theory continued to race toward the edge of the cliff, toward its death. I didn’t stop it—I just let it run, hoping something, anything, would save it from certain demise. “Maybe the name Anise rings a bell?”
Something glimmered in his eyes. Recognition? “Anise? Well, yes, I do know Anise.”
Bingo! Finally, some of my mojo could safely return home and do a victory dance. Much like a lioness returning to her pride after a successful hunt. I only hoped my hunt didn’t end with anyone—or anything—being dead.
“Did you guys have a disagreement?”
“I don’t know that I’d call it that.” He glanced at his watch. “I really must get to work.”
“Were you mad enough to kill her?” I had to at least ask that question before this conversation ended.
“Kill her? Are you insane? Why would I do something like that?”
“Because your business was at stake.”
He let out a scoffing sigh. “You’re off your rocker. My means of revenge would be a legal one. What can I say? The legal brief is mightier than the sword.” He laughed at his own joke. “Look, I didn’t kill her. I was helping her.”
“Helping her with what?”
“It was twofold. First of all, she was doing an article. If you must know, that picture you have was supposed to run with it.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t nearly as good at this investigating thing as Gabby was. “You knew that the whole time and didn’t tell me?”
He smirked. “Secondly, Anise wanted me to test some cat hair and cat dander samples for her.”
“What?” I was dumbfounded. Truly.
“You’ll have to put the rest of it together, Einstein. I’ve got to run.”
I had a strange feeling he was angry about something. I saw the emotion flash in his eyes. But, before I could ask him, he closed the door.
I wrapped up my little confrontation with Andre just in time to make it to the mall and meet Eileen.
I had mixed feelings on Andre’s involvement in all of this. He was Sage’s little secret project. I had no idea why she would have kept him a secret. The story very well could have been discussed at the office, and we could have brainstormed some ways of nailing down people who were possibly using animals as lab rats.
Only, it didn’t appear Andre was using animals as lab rats.
Nothing was making sense.
I drove down to MacArthur Center, an uppity local mall. After leaving my car in the parking garage, I hurried inside and up an escalator.
I saw a woman sitting by herself in the food court. Every few seconds, her gaze scanned everyone around her. I figured she was my girl.
“Eileen?” I asked as I approached.
Her whole body seemed to tense. “Sierra?”
“That’s me.” I sat across from her.
Eileen was probably in her fifties with frizzy blonde hair, a long face, and a very unflattering fuchsia sweat suit. I hoped I didn’t regret meeting with her and that her involvement with Sage could add something to my investigation.
As I sat down across from her, averting my eyes from her sausage biscuit, I forced a polite smile. The woman looked upset. Her eyes were red and her face blotchy.
She wiped her mouth with a crinkly napkin with the name of a fast food joint across it. “Thank you for meeting with me.”
“It’s no problem.”
She took a bite of her breakfast, and I had to look away. That poor, poor pig that had to suffer, just so that people could eat a lousy sausage biscuit.
I leaned forward, trying to put those thoughts aside. “I’m really sorry about Sage. It sounds like she was working on a big project for you.”
Eileen nodded. “She was. She’d put months into it.”
I shifted, trying to get a better handle on this conversation. “What exactly was she investigating for you?”
“My cat. Her name is Lulu.”
“What’s wrong with Lulu?” Maybe Sage was secretly a pet detective. Wouldn’t that be interesting? I knew a simple answer like “Sage was searching for missing pets” was too easy, though.
Eileen sucked in a deep breath. “I found this man who said he’d developed and bred cats who were hypoallergenic.”
Hypoallergenic? That was not where I expected this conversation to go. Did this tie in with Andre and his testing?
“That’s nearly impossible,” I interrupted, feeling that it was my duty to inform people of their misinformation. “It doesn’t matter what anyone says. You’d have to change a cat’s basic genetic code in order—”
“I know.” She held up her hand, her eyelids droopy as if I’d already exhausted her. “Trust me, do I ever know. But there’s this researcher who claimed to have developed one. No matter how crazy it sounded, he had all of this scientific proof to back it up. Said he’d spent millions of dollars on his research. He had experts who supposedly backed him up. I believed him.”
“I see.” I pushed my glasses up higher.
“Maybe I’m just gullible, but it sounded like a dream come true. I’ve always wanted a cat, but I was never able to have one. I jumped at the opportunity. I emptied my savings in order to buy one of these cats.”
“How much did he charge?”
“Twenty-five grand.”
I nearly choked on the air I was breathing. That was outrageous. Especially when considering there were tons of little kitties in the pound who would love a home.
But I had to focus.
That man had preyed on the needs of cat loving yet sneezing prone people. How despicable.
“What does this have to do with Sage?”
“She called me. Said she was doing an exposé on the company. Apparently, there are other people who have been ripped off by this guy. He has this contract that he makes you sign, and it has a lot of fine print. But after talking to him, you’d think he was a god practically. He was very convincing. I really didn’t think anything of the contract. That’s where he gets people.”
“Did you call him afterward?”
“I talked to him once, expressed my concerns, and he promised to get back with me. He never did. When I tried to call him again, his number was disconnected.”
“Where is the company based out of?”
“Chicago is where their address is. But he travels to deliver the cats personally, so I’ve never seen the supposed headquarters.”
Chicago? That’s where Rupert had a home. He couldn’t be . . . I shook my head. No, he couldn’t be involved in this. He was an animal lover, not a con artist.
I leaned closer, processing all of this. “How did Sage find you?”
“The newspaper in my hometown had done a story on me. They put it online,
and that made me easy to find.”
“What’s this man’s name?”
“Brandon Channel.”
It didn’t ring any bells with me. “So, what exactly was Sage investigating?”
“She thought Brandon was scamming everyone. She wanted to nail him.”
“In other words, your cat still made you sneeze and your eyes water and whatever else happens when your allergies kick in?”
The woman nodded. “That’s correct.”
“Did you meet him yourself? Can you tell me anything else about him?”
She slowly shook her head before shrugging. “I don’t know. He ended up sending an assistant. She was a woman with dark hair, slender, very business-like.”
That didn’t help to narrow down anyone. Not really. “Did this Brandon guy have any degrees? Anything that qualified him for ‘developing’ this cat?”
“He worked in veterinary medicine, but he also had a degree in . . . something else. I can’t remember what it is right now. His bio sounded very impressive. Now I wonder if any of it was real.”
“Did you tell the feds?”
“No. I mean, other people claim that he’s telling the truth. Experts have even backed him up, and a couple of vets endorsed him. I thought, at first, that maybe it was just me. Then Sage came forward and I finally felt justified in my concerns.”
I thought about my options. This had to tie in with everything . . . didn’t it? Otherwise, why had Sage been so secretive about it? “Why don’t you let me look into it?”
“Would you?”
I nodded. Why not add one more thing to my list? Besides, at best, this could possibly tie in with Sage’s death. At worst, I could add it to my list of projects and really impress Rupert.
At this point, it was anyone’s guess what the outcome would be.
Chapter Fourteen
I remembered Eileen’s description of the woman she’d met. A slender woman with dark hair, very business-like. Could that person have been Thyme? Maybe she’d convinced Ernest Wentworth to invest in this BioCare company so she could profit off the scam? I wasn’t really sure at this point. But I wanted to find out. At the very least, maybe Thyme could offer some insight.
The Sierra Files Box Set: Books 1-3: Plus a bonus Christmas novella! Page 10