“Really?” He pointed a thumb at Diesel. “Him?” Cam looked shocked.
Alice nodded solemnly.
“I’ll try not to be insulted by your amazement,” Diesel said to Cam.
“What do you think she did?” Cam asked Alice.
“I can’t prove it, but I heard her threaten to toss a bushel of apples on Our Fearless Leader’s girlfriend’s doorstep to scare her off.”
Diesel and Cam shared another look.
“I know she followed her home the first night she came here, so Adele would know where she lived.”
“Anything else?” Cam asked.
Alice hesitated. “She’s broken into your house, Fearless Leader. I’m sorry not to have come forward sooner with the apple thing, but when I heard her bragging that she broke into your house and could get in there any time she wanted, I realized she’d gone too far with this whole crush thing.”
“What did she break into my home to do?” Diesel didn’t remember noticing anything out of place or missing.
Alice shrugged. “I’m not certain. All I know is that after the first two attempts with the apples didn’t work, she moved on to a plan to break the two of you up. I don’t know the details just that she planned to plant evidence for your girlfriend to find.”
“What evidence did she have to do that?”
“I don’t know, but she seemed rather proud of herself. After the UFO crash in Georgia, she said her plan was working. And she came back with flowers that apparently you sent to your girlfriend on Monday.”
“What?”
“She saw the delivery guy walking to your girlfriend’s door and intercepted him, pretending to be your girlfriend. The guy gave Adele the flowers and the note you sent.”
Diesel shook his head. Juliana hadn’t gotten the flowers and that was likely why she never called to comment on them.
Alice continued, “I don’t know what she planted in your home, but she said that if it didn’t work, she was going to use a still picture she’d swiped of your girlfriend seeing that drunk Moogally resident and send it to someone to make her look so bad that you’d have to remove her from your life. And again, I’m truly sorry I didn’t come forward sooner.”
Diesel tilted his head to one side. “I appreciate you coming forward with this, given that Adele is your cousin, but I’m confused. Adele has never once approached me in any romantic way.”
“Really?” Alice looked surprised. “Didn’t you go out with her once?”
Diesel shook his head. “Nope. Never did.”
“Huh. I got the impression that you had eaten with her at the Cosmos Café once. She used to talk about it all the time.”
Diesel cocked his head, trying to remember any contact with Adele, a person he might not even recognize if he fell over her. Cam spoke up. “You sort of had lunch with Adele.”
“When?”
“About eight months ago or so. I was eating at the Cosmos Café with a couple of my people and you came in and sat with us.”
Diesel scanned his memory. “Oh. Right. Yes. I do vaguely remember that. You had two new employees with you, but I sat across from you and we discussed security of the lower level, as usual. Then I recall you also wanted permission to work on a Defender bomb.”
“Yep. That’s the time. Adele was sitting next to you. I guess you made a bigger impression than either of us was aware of.”
Diesel remembered a girl with dark hair and that was about it. “I never even spoke to her beyond, ‘Hello, nice to meet you,’ though.”
Alice said, “She was in love with you from that moment.”
“She never said anything to me.”
“I think she wantedyouto make the first move,” Alice said. “You were always busy, but you also never seemed to be involved with anyone else. There are rumors it was because of an arranged marriage.
