I had. I was lucky that Rachel was handling the business end of things, because I had no idea how to make a business plan of my own. All I had wanted to do was to turn my enjoyment about stalking David and Jacquie into a business where I could get paid for stalking other people. Rachel was the one in charge of making that profitable. And given that I trusted her to do it for me, maybe I should stop giving her a hard time about trying to make it happen for Daniel and Kenny, too. She wasn’t stupid, after all. If she thought they could make a go of it, maybe they could.
Edwina chose that moment to trot over to Rachel’s desk and drop her squeaky toy at Rachel’s feet, tail wagging hopefully.
Rachel looked down at the dog. “Trying to make me feel better, are you?”
“She’s good at that.” I managed a smile. “I really am sorry, Rachel. You’re much better at business than I am. If you don’t think it’s a problem, then I should trust you. I trust you to run our business, after all.”
“And I should be less defensive,” Rachel responded, “especially when I know you have a point.”
She picked up the toy and tossed it gently across the room. Edwina took off after it like a bullet. Rachel glanced over at me. “I understand why you’re worried, Gina. There’s precedent for failure, and we both know it. Given Kenny’s past experience, not to mention Daniel’s, it’s almost inevitable. But I need to let them make their own decisions just like you need to let me make mine, even if they turn out to be wrong in the end.”
“I can do that,” I said. Or at least I could try, which is all anyone can do, really.
Rachel gave me a dubious look—I’m sure she could tell the difference—but before either of us could say anything else, the front door opened and Jacquie Demetros slunk across the threshold.
We watched as she glanced around the room, perhaps for Zachary and his no doubt satisfying admiration. When he wasn’t there, her attention settled on me.
“Gina.” Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes as she floated toward the chair in front of Rachel’s desk and put her hand on the back of it. Her nails were at least an inch long and so deep a purple they looked almost black. “I didn’t hear from you yesterday.”
“That’s because nothing happened yesterday,” I said. “Although I was going to call you this morning with an update.”
“I’m here now.” She minced around the chair on four-inch heels and settled her posterior on the seat. She moved like royalty, without once looking at the seat as she folded herself down on it.
I bit back my irritation. It wasn’t her fault that she was fifteen years younger than me and stunning. “Zachary and I have been trading off watching the Body Shop. He spent most of yesterday afternoon there.”
“And?” Jacquie leaned forward and inhaled. Her cleavage was impressive, and what was even more annoying, she probably didn’t even need a bra. On the other side of the desk, Rachel rolled her eyes so hard it must have hurt.
“And so far, nothing.” I kept my tone professional. “Nick and the blonde work together, they talk occasionally, but there’s no evidence of anything inappropriate. No lunch dates, no extended conversations, no touching beyond what you’d expect from coworkers.”
Jacquie’s perfectly shaped eyebrows drew together. “That doesn’t mean nothing’s happening. It just means they’re being careful.”
“That’s possible,” I agreed. “Which is why we’re going to keep watching. Zachary is there again now. I’ll head over later, so we can have two cars at the ready in case they leave separate for lunch or at the end of the day. Would you happen to have Nick’s home address handy?”
She rattled it off without hesitation, and I wrote it down on my legal pad. Nick lived in what Jacquie described as half a duplex in Bellevue. Close enough to the Body Shop for an easy commute, cheap enough for someone on a mechanic’s salary.
“I want to know where he goes,” Jacquie said. “Who he sees. What he does. All of it.”
“That’s what you’re paying me for,” I agreed. “And once he goes somewhere other than the Body Shop, and sees someone other than his coworkers, you’ll be the first to know.”
She nodded, satisfied for now. “Anything else?”
“Nothing on my end,” I said. I thought about telling her that I had actually spoken to Nick yesterday, and that he knew that Jacquie suspected him of carrying on with Megan, but if he hadn’t cared enough to take it up with her privately, maybe I could just let that particular dog sleep for now. “I don’t suppose you know Megan’s last name?”
Jacquie shook her head.
“That’s all right,” I said. “We’ll follow her home and get it.”
Jacquie stood up and smoothed her palms down her thighs. “Call me the minute you know anything.”
I promised I would, and she swept out the way she’d come in, leaving a cloud of Prada Rhubarb in her wake. I waited until the door had closed before I let out a long breath. “That was a bit more intense than I expected.”
“Sounds like the jealousy is getting to her a bit,” Rachel agreed. “Most people don’t need to know everything their boyfriend does in that sort of detail. I would want to get away from her, too, if it were me.”
No kidding. I checked my watch. “Zach should be in place by now. Let’s see if anything is happening.”
I pulled out my phone and dialed. He picked up on the second ring.
“Taco Bell parking lot,” he said brightly. “Zachary speaking. I’m in position.”
