“Or he knows exactly who he’s having lunch with,” Zeke said.
“We need to find out,” Montgomery said.“Start digging.”
Damien knew they were being dismissed and guided Harmony out of the office.Jude fell into step with him, the two of them following Harmony to their desks.
“I should have kept looking,” Jude said when they reached their corner of the office.
Damien clapped his partner on the shoulder.“We had no reason to.But now we do.”
“How good of a look did you get of the guy?”Jude asked.
Damien shook his head.“I didn’t see him at all.Harmony did.”
Jude’s brows popped up for a second before settling back to their normal position.He focused on Harmony.“You saw him?”
Harmony nodded.“I did.I noticed them walking out of the restaurant, and he was vaguely familiar, but I didn’t place him right away.When I saw Mr.Pickens, it felt like I was slapped with the truth.”
“What made you think they’re related?”
“The way they moved.There were enough similarities in their features that I would guess they’re related, but they moved the same.The way they carried themselves, and the familiarity they seemed to have with each other.”
“You noticed all that in a few seconds?”
Damien growled softly under his breath.
“It’s okay,” Harmony said, putting her hand on Damien’s arm.“I get it.It seems crazy that I would pick up on any of that.And maybe I’m wrong.I can’t promise you what I saw is true, but…” She hesitated, looking up at Damien before continuing.“I’ve spent most of my life on my own.My dad died years ago, and I don’t have any other family or close friends.I’m alone a lot.In the background.People don’t notice me, but I notice things.”
“What do you mean?”Jude asked.
Harmony held his gaze.“There are nine pairs of desks in this area, but only five people are here.Two offices are both occupied, and two conference rooms are empty.There are two women in this office, Berkeley up front and the Black woman behind me.The pair closest to the door have been working together the longest of anyone who’s here right now, and they have a good relationship.The two behind me haven’t figured out how to work together well.There’s tension there.You two have been together long enough that you don’t need words to communicate, but you also don’t blindly follow what the other says.You trust but verify, as one might say.”
Jude lifted his gaze to Damien’s.Damien smirked and shrugged.
“Okay, you’ve proven your point.”Jude chuckled.“You’re pretty dead-on with everyone, which is a little scary.”
“I observe a lot.”
“She’s good for you,” Jude said, sliding a look toward Damien.
“I agree,” Damien said.
“I don’t buy that it’s a coincidence,” Jude said.“I also don’t think Grant Pickens is completely innocent.”
“He’s not,” Harmony said with full conviction.
“What makes you say that?”Damien asked.
Harmony shrugged.“He’s… When I met with him, he was creepy.More than just an eccentric rich guy.I got the feeling he was trying to get me to confess something.Like he thought I knew something I wasn’t saying.”
“Like what?”Jude asked.
“I don’t know.He said I was playing innocent, but he knew I wasn’t.When I said I didn’t know what he was talking about, he said he thought we were going to have a… a productive meeting and he was disappointed.”
“What else did he say?”Damien snarled.
Harmony shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself.She adjusted her glasses.Her gaze stuck to the floor, not lifting to look at Damien.“The next minute we were on camera and…”
“And what?”Jude asked with more calmness than Damien felt.
