"It was good," he countered. "Memorable."
The word only made her feel more unsettled. "Let's keep this professional. Last night was last night. It's business from here on out."
"You've never mixed business and pleasure?" he teased.
"No," she said flatly. "I don't mix the two. And I'm not starting now."
"Maybe later."
She sighed and forced a change in subject. "Tell me more about Claire Donnelly and why she wants to talk to you."
He sat back in his seat, gave her a thoughtful look, and then, thankfully, answered her question.
"She said she might have information about someone who was threatening Samantha. She apparently knew Samantha had wanted to meet with me that day, so she wanted to talk to me and not to the FBI. She may try to bolt once she realizes who you are."
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen. What's her relationship to Samantha?"
"Former college roommate. She moved to New York last year, and they reconnected. They had lunch together last week."
"And she knew you were meeting with Samantha. It's interesting that Samantha would tell her that. Hopefully, she told her more." The server came over to the table, pausing their conversation.
"What can I get you?" the woman asked.
"An iced tea," she said.
"You can get lunch if you want," Max put in.
"Let's see what Claire has to say first."
"I'll take a refill," Max said as the waitress refilled his mug. "You can leave the menus."
The diner's bell chimed, and she turned to see a blonde woman enter the diner wearing casual slacks and a black sweater. She didn't seem nearly as sharp or professional as Samantha.
As the woman looked around the diner, Max got up and went to greet her. She seemed a bit startled when she saw Kara, but Max firmly ushered her to the table, waving her to the bench he'd just been sitting on and then sliding in next to her.
"Claire, this is Kara Reid with the FBI. She very much wants to help find out who hurt Samantha."
"Okay," Claire said. "I really wanted to talk to you on your own, though. I'm not sure…"
"You don't have to worry," Kara cut in, giving Claire a reassuring smile. "We all want the same thing—to find out who hurt Samantha."
"I've been going crazy," Claire said. "I'm not sure that what I saw means anything, and Samantha is so private. She'd be furious with me for sharing her business with the FBI. Plus, I kept thinking that a bomb going off like that couldn't possibly be about her."
"You're here now. Just tell us what you saw," she encouraged.
"Samantha and I were college roommates. We're both really busy, but we try to have lunch every couple of months. Last week we met at Bistro Verde in Tribeca. We'd been there maybe twenty minutes when this man walked up to our table and told Samantha, 'You need to stop.' Samantha stiffened and told him to leave, and she immediately waved to the waiter to come over. The man said, 'You'll regret it if you don't', and then he walked out."
"Can you describe him?" Kara asked.
"He had dark hair with an olive complexion. He was wearing gray pants and a black leather jacket. He was probably in his forties, looked a little overweight with a beer belly. His eyes were cold and mean. I was immediately intimidated, but Samantha didn't seem concerned. She said if she stopped working every time someone told her she'd be sorry, she wouldn't have closed any cases. Despite her words, I thought she was rattled."
"And she didn't tell you what the man was threatening her about?" Max asked.
Claire shook her head. "No. She said she wasn't sure, that her current boyfriend had had some trouble lately, and it might be tied to him. Or it could be one of her cases. I suggested she talk to the police, and she said she was going to meet with a private security guy who worked for her boyfriend about something else, but she'd bring it up with him. After what happened, I thought I'd try to find you."
"Julia, Samantha's sister, gave me your number. I didn't tell her what happened because she was already upset." Claire paused, her gaze searching. "I want to know if what happened in the restaurant is tied to the bombing. I keep thinking it isn't possible because other people were also injured. My husband told me I should stay out of it. If it was about that guy, maybe I could be in danger, and that danger would come to him, to our kids…" Claire gave them a look pleading for understanding, absolution. "I didn't know what to do. But I haven't had a good night's sleep since that bomb went off." Claire blew out a breath. "Anyway, that's what I wanted to say."
"Is there anything else?" Kara asked.
