by K E O'Connor
“It falls under any other duties,” I said. “I don’t mind. Alex is a nice guy. I get the impression he’s a bit lost since his best friend died.”
“This is the ghost you’ve met?”
“That’s right. Greg. I think he was shot.”
“Someone killed him?”
“That’s what Greg believes,” I said. “This might be hard to imagine, but he thinks he was shot by an armed drone. Someone chased him down with it and killed him.”
“Is that even possible?” Zach sounded skeptical.
“I don’t see why not,” I said. “Maybe Gunner knows something about how it would work. Do the police use armed drones?”
“Not that I know of. Hang on a second; let me ask him. I’m putting the phone on speaker.” There was the sound of fumbling as Zach adjusted the mobile. “Gunner get over here. Lorna wants to ask you something.”
“How’s it going, Lorna?” asked Gunner a few seconds later.
“Everything is great,” I said. “Have you ever heard of an armed drone?”
“Sure. They’re used in the military,” said Gunner. “Why do you want to know?”
“I think a friend of my boss was killed with an armed drone,” I said.
Gunner was silent for a second. “No kidding.”
“Are they easy to get hold of?”
“I doubt it,” said Gunner. “It’s specialist equipment. They’re used in battle situations, where it’s too dangerous to have soldiers. Sometimes, they’re used to scout new locations. You can’t buy something like that off the Internet.”
“Can you make one?”
“If you have the right skills, I guess so,” said Gunner. “You do find yourself in some interesting situations.”
“It’s never my fault,” I said. “Ask Zach.”
Zach snorted a laugh. “I’m not getting into this. I’d be happy if you stayed home and never worked.”
“No you wouldn’t,” I said. “Because that would make me unhappy. I know you wouldn’t like that.”
Zach sighed. “You’re right.”
“Maybe we can come down? I can investigate this mysterious armed drone murder,” said Gunner.
“Isn’t this area out of your jurisdiction?”
“It wouldn’t be anything official,” said Gunner. “I can ask around, make a few discreet inquiries. I know a guy who joined the Kent police force a few years back. He might help.”
“You’ll need to be careful,” I said. “A suspect has an uncle who’s a sergeant in the local force. I don’t want to tip him off that we’re on to him.”
“I don’t deal with sergeants,” said Gunner. “I’ll go over his head. He won’t know a thing.”
“Is that the real reason you want to go to Kent?” Zach’s tone was teasing.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Gunner.
I grinned. “If it’s any consolation, I’m sure Helen is missing you too.”
“I know,” said Gunner. “We message each other all the time.”
“Is that you admitting you’re missing Helen bossing you about?” asked Zach.
“I never said that,” grumbled Gunner. “It’s kind of nice to leave the dishes in the sink and my socks on the floor.”
“I’ll make sure not to tell Helen any of that,” I said. “If she finds out that’s what you’re doing, she’ll race back and tell you off.”
“I like it when she tells me off,” said Gunner.
Zach laughed. “You know, a visit might be nice.”
“I am craving some of Helen’s triple chocolate brownies,” said Gunner.
“We’ve got a few things to talk about, as well.” Zach’s tone was now serious.
He was right there. The mysterious Amelia was still very much on my mind. “Why not come down this weekend? We’ve not looked around much. We can show you the sights, and Gunner can do some discreet investigating.”
“That sounds good,” said Zach.
Lucy snorted and rolled off the bed with a thud and a squeal.
“Was that Flipper?” asked Zach.
“Erm, no.” I watched Lucy as she sniffed the air. “Actually, Flipper’s made friends with a pig.”
“A pig! Jessie’s not going to be happy about that,” said Zach. “Flipper is her guy.”
“I thought we’d keep quiet about it.”
Lucy trotted to the door and shoved it with her snout. It looked like someone needed a toilet break.
“So long as you don’t bring her home with you, Jessie will never know.”
“I need to go.” I clambered out of bed. “Lucy needs to be let out. I don’t want any accidents in the bedroom.”
“Hold on a second; you have a pig in your bedroom?” asked Gunner.
I pulled on some clothes and opened the door. “I didn’t have much choice. She was here when I came to bed last night. Flipper doesn’t mind her being around. She’s no trouble. Pigs can be house-trained, just the same as dogs and cats.”
“That makes everything all right then,” said Gunner. “Zach, I hope you’re not thinking of introducing a pig into our household.”
“I don’t know,” said Zach. “If the dogs get along with a pig, it could be fun.”
“You’ll be looking for a new housemate if we get pigs,” growled Gunner.
“Don’t worry. Helen’s not all that into pigs either. I promise, no pigs will come live with us.” I ran down the stairs, following Lucy, Flipper right behind me, and opened the front door to let her out. “So, is that a definite yes to coming this weekend?”
“It is,” said Zach. “We’ll be there mid-morning.”
We said our goodbyes. I felt better having talked to Zach. We both realized we needed to get Amelia dealt with. We could do that together.
I walked around the side of the house to check on Priscilla. As I unlocked the door to the outbuilding, it was shoved from the other side by an eager snout.
Priscilla trotted out, blinking in the daylight. She snorted at me before hurrying to the back door of the main house.
“I’m not sure you can be inside,” I said. “Are you house-trained?”
She snorted before vanishing behind a bush.
A pig who liked her privacy when it came to toilet duties!
Priscilla returned a moment later and looked at the door again.
“Well, I guess you can’t do too much damage on the tiled floor.” I opened the back door and let her in.
Her tail wagged as she trotted in, sat on the door mat, and scratched her rump on the bristles.
I heard the sound of footsteps crunching across gravel. I turned and spotted Harriet skulking around the side of the house. She was doing the walk of shame in yesterday’s clothing. Her purse and jacket were clutched to her chest as she made her way toward a white soft top car.
“Flipper, keep an eye on Priscilla. If she causes trouble, just bark.”
He cocked his head and then joined Priscilla on the mat.
I hurried toward Harriet, keeping half an eye on both Lucy and Priscilla. “Harriet! You’re about early.” I suppressed a smile as I saw her bed messy hair and the mascara smudged underneath her eyes.
Harriet turned. Her eyes widened as she saw me. “Oh, you know, I’m always up early.” She wrapped her arms around her middle. “I have such a headache.”
“Maybe you need a coffee?” This could be the perfect opportunity to make nice with Harriet and see what she let slip.
“I can’t stand the stuff.” She rubbed her forehead. “What are you doing out here?”
“I’m on pig duty.” I gestured over my shoulder to where Lucy was snuffling under a tree.
Harriet’s nose wrinkled. She dropped her purse, phone, and jacket on the ground and sat on a wall. “I don’t know why Alex keeps her in the house. I sometimes think he loves her more than me.”
“She is a cute pig.”
Harriet’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t go making nice to that pig just to get on Alex’s good side.�
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“I wouldn’t do that,” I said. This wasn’t going quite how I’d hoped it would go. “I just like animals.”
Her expression turned sour. “As if you could like that thing. All she does is eat, defecate, and make disgusting noises with her snout.”
“She’s a pig,” I said. “What do you expect her to do?”
“I’ve suggested Alex dress her in cute little outfits,” said Harriet. “That would be so much fun, seeing her running around in a tutu with sparkles on her skin.”
“Probably not too nice for Lucy, though,” I said, as Lucy wandered closer. “Pigs aren’t used to sparkles and tutus.”
“She would be if she were my pig,” said Harriet. “When I get to move in, that’s exactly what I’ll do. Any animal of mine needs to be pretty.”
Lucy snuffled around my feet making cute little snorting noises before sitting by the wall and looking up at us with interest.
“I didn’t know you were moving in.” I hoped it wasn’t happening soon.
“It won’t be long now.” Harriet shifted away from Lucy and glanced back at the house. “Alex is dragging his heels. You know how boys are. They need someone to help them make up their minds. I’ve already moved some of my clothes in and most of my toiletries. He’ll get the hint soon enough.”
It sounded like Alex was giving his own hints, and they were in the opposite direction.
“It’s serious between you and Alex?”
“Of course,” said Harriet. “We’re together. Why? Don’t tell me you’re interested in him.”
“As an employee of his, I’m interested in Alex,” I said. “I need to make sure his life and business run smoothly.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Sure you do. I saw how cozy the two of you were on the couch the other day.”
“We were playing a game.”
“You’re too old to enjoy computer games. I doubt they were even invented when you were born.”
Her charm was as lovely as Piers’s. I could see why they got along. “I think they were.”
“It doesn’t matter. A word of advice, keep your hands off Alex. He’s mine.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Alex is my boss, nothing more.”
“Don’t forget that. He’s also young enough to be your son,” said Harriet. “I have a feeling you’re smarter than you look. I bet you’ve seen how much money Alex has, and you want some of it.”
Smarter than I looked? Was she suggesting I looked like an idiot? “Alex pays me a decent wage. I’m not going to steal from him. I’m also not going to attempt to seduce him in the hope of getting money out of him.” I gave Harriet a pointed look. “That never ends well.”
Harriet stood and took a step toward me. “You seem to have forgotten yourself. You’re an employee here.”
“I haven’t forgotten that.” I could smell Harriet’s cloying vanilla perfume.
“Which means I’m practically your boss,” said Harriet. “You do what I tell you to.”
“You’re not my boss!” I forced my tone to remain level. “You have nothing to do with Alex’s business.”
“I will soon enough,” said Harriet. “It’s only a matter of time before he pays me to be here.”
“You want your boyfriend to pay you to stay with him?” Did she have any idea what she’d made herself sound like?
Harriet huffed. “I mean, he will have me around a lot more. I’m going to help out with the business. You need to watch yourself. I might be after your position. You might find you’re surplus to requirements.”
“I’m not sure you’re qualified to do what I do.”
“I’m more qualified than you think,” snapped Harriet. “I could do your job in my sleep.”
“You have experience filing end-of-year business accounts, balancing books, transcribing confidential board meeting notes, and arranging multi-destination travel?”
“It all sounds easy enough,” said Harriet. “I know how to look after Alex. I know what’s best for him.”
If she thought that was true, then she was doing a terrible job. Alex was withdrawn, lonely, and isolated.
“In fact, when I come back here later, I’m going to suggest Alex gets rid of you. He didn’t want you here in the first place. A bit of nudging from me, and you’ll soon be out.”
I took a deep breath and let it out calmly. I would not lose this job because of a jealous girlfriend. “If you do that, I might have to mention that I saw you kissing Piers last night.”
Harriet’s jaw dropped. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You need to be more discreet if you’re going to carry on an affair with Alex’s best friend. You really shouldn’t stand in his hallway and make out with Piers.”
Harriet sputtered a few nonsense words. “You’ve got no proof. If you tell Alex this nonsense, it will be more ammunition for me. It shows you’re jealous and want me out of the way, so you can have Alex all to yourself.”
“Maybe so, but it will make Alex suspicious. It would mean you and Piers would have to stop seeing each other until Alex believed you. Can you handle that?”
Harriet’s lips pinched together. “Don’t you dare say anything to him.”
“I won’t say anything if you don’t try getting me fired.”
Harriet rolled her eyes. “Fine. You can stay here for now.”
“How kind of you.”
She jabbed a finger at me. “Not a word to Alex about any of this. None of it’s my fault, anyway.”
“How do you figure that?”
Harriet sighed. “It’s Piers. He’s so good-looking. He’s impossible to resist.” She giggled and tossed her hair over her shoulder.
“I can see how that would be hard to resist.” I shook my head, angry at how fickle she was. “I suppose the fact his family is wealthy has nothing to do with your interest in him.”
Harriet jammed her hands on her hips. “Have you ever tried dating poor?”
“Not really, but I don’t chase guys because of the amount of money they have in their pockets.”
“You should. Date a guy with money, and everything changes,” said Harriet. “Once you get used to a luxury lifestyle, you can never go back. Piers is always generous. Far more than Alex. He spends too much money investing in his business and his stupid games and not enough on me. Piers offered me an opportunity, and I took it. Any smart girl would.”
“What about Greg?”
Harriet’s brows lowered. “What do you mean? You never met Greg. He’s dead.”
“I mean, how did you take the fact he rejected your advances?”
Again, her mouth fell open. “How do you know about that?”
“It’s a guess,” I said, way past caring about trying to be nice to Harriet. “Greg was a seriously rich guy. You must have been tempted to see if he’d invest his assets in you. If you did, he’d have turned you down. He sounds like he was a decent guy. The kind of guy who would never go after his best friend’s girl.”
“As if any of that is your business.” Harriet scowled. “You know nothing about Greg. You also know nothing about Piers and me. If Alex questions me about it, I’ll know where the information came from. I will make your life a misery if you cross me.”
“Providing you stick to your side of the bargain and don’t get me fired, I’ll do the same,” I said.
“Make sure you do.” Harriet grabbed her things and stamped away, pulling her jacket on as she did so.
Lucy stood and nudged my leg with her snout. It looked like she was in need of some breakfast, as was I. Arguing with this airhead had made me hungry.
As she wandered away, I saw something glint on the ground. I bent and picked it up, a smile crossing my face as I realized what I’d discovered. Harriet had left her phone behind.
Chapter 13
Hurrying back inside the house, keeping Harriet’s phone out of view in case anyone saw me, I dashed into the kitchen, Lucy, Priscilla, and Flipper hot on my heels.
Harriet�
�s phone could be full of all sorts of secrets. I needed to take a look before she realized she’d left it behind.
I grabbed leftover food from the fridge and set it on the floor for Lucy, Priscilla, and Flipper to enjoy, before sitting at the kitchen table.
Predictably, the phone was locked with a combination code. I tried turning it off and on again to see if that would help, but it did nothing. The locked screen stared at me.
The kitchen door opened. Alex wandered through, his hair looking as messy as Harriet’s. He wore a pair of checked pajama bottoms and a T-shirt with an indie band’s name scrawled across it. He smiled when he saw me. “You’re up early.”
“So are you,” I said. “I had Lucy keep me company last night. She needed to go out for a comfort break.”
Alex smiled affectionately at Lucy as she finished her food. “I heard from Piers you were looking after Priscilla. I’m glad you’re all getting along.”
“They’re good company. Maybe Priscilla can stay here in the long term. She likes Lucy.”
“I don’t see why not. There’s plenty of room. I never thought Piers was into his pig. Maybe he thinks she needs a new owner. He knows you’re an animal lover, since you already have a dog.”
“That could be it.” I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from telling Alex the truth. “Since you’re up early, does that mean we can get started on work before the afternoon?”
He shook his head and grinned at me. “Not a chance. Harriet woke me up banging around in the bedroom. I decided to grab some food and get started on a game.”
“At least give me something to do while you’re busy playing,” I said.
“What do you fancy doing?”
“You’re my boss. You tell me!”
“You can take the day off and start tonight.”
I hated that idea. “I’m not much of a night owl. I do my best work first thing in the morning.”
Alex pulled out two boxes of cereal and studied the pictures. “It looks like we will be working different hours.”
“Will that be a problem?”
“I don’t mind when you work.” Alex looked at the phone I had my hand over. “That looks like the latest model.”
I tightened my fingers on the phone. “I think it is. But the code is locked.”