Alice gave a short shake of her head, and I saw that despite the friendly smile and the delicious breakfast, this Alice was all business, and she wasn’t messing around. She wasn’t going to tell me a thing until that NDA was signed, and I had no doubt that violating it would cost me more than I could afford to pay.
I eyed the paper in front of me. “I sign this, and then what?”
“You sign, and then you and Eli investigate together,” she said. “Both of you would be doing it anyway.”
True. Plus, I didn’t see how I could walk away. Not now. I couldn’t stop seeing my van explode, couldn’t stop feeling the heat on my face as I watched my home burn. If I were smart, I’d probably run as far from Emily Shaw’s murder as I could. But getting answers was what I did. I couldn’t walk away now that I was a victim too.
“Okay, give me a sec,” I said, pulling the NDA close enough to read. I picked up my cup of coffee, setting it back down when I realized it was empty.
“You read that,” Alice said. “I’ll get you a refill.”
I smiled up at her when she stood, my cup in hand. Normally, I’d get my own coffee, but today I wasn’t above accepting a little help, and I needed that caffeine.
Alice disappeared, and despite the fatigue pullingat me, I forced myself to read every word of the NDA. I knew better than to sign anything before I understood what it said. But this was fairly standard. I had to keep secret anything I learned in the course of investigations connected to Sinclair Security—not just, I noted, the investigation into Emily Shaw’s death, but anything connected to Sinclair. Made sense. If I were in their shoes, it was what I would have asked for. And at the moment, I didn’t have another choice. I was unusually low on resources now that everything I owned fit in my backpack. Still, I sat there, the tip of the pen tapping the signature line, thinking through my options.
Alice swung the door open and slid the steaming mug of coffee in front of me. “Questions?” she asked as she sat.
“Not really,” I admitted. “Just thinking.”
“If it helps, we’re prepared to offer you temporary lodgings in one of our on-site safe houses as compensation for your help in the investigation.”
I sat back, setting the pen down on the unsigned NDA and picking up my coffee, drawing in a long breath. “This coffee smells like heaven,” I said.
“One of my many talents.” Alice smiled again.
I took a sip, knowing I was going to sign that NDA. I’d been on the fence without the offer of the safe house, but somewhere to stay that was safe, where I could really sleep, unlike a hotel, where I’d be easy pickings. That was worth a lot. Because whoever had blown up my van probably wouldn’t struggle to find me in a hotel once they learned I was still alive. I set the cup down and picked up the pen, then paused again.
“Here’s the thing,” I said, meeting Alice’s sharp gaze. “I want to sign this. I wanted to sign it before you offered the safe house. And that definitely seals the deal, consideringat the moment I don’t have anywhere to stay, and anything else I find wouldn’t be secure.”
“Agreed,” Alice said, nodding, watching the tip of my pen as it tapped the signature line.
“But I’m sure you understand the problem this represents,” I said.
“If you sign that NDA, you’re out of a subject for this season,” she said.
I knew she would get it. “Exactly. And if I investigate with Eli, on a case I can’t talk about on the podcast, then I’ll basically be taking an extended and very dangerous vacation for no real reason.”
Alice sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. Her head tilted to the side as her bright eyes studied my face. “That’s all true,” she said. “And from a business perspective, it doesn’t make a lot of sense on your end. But you want to know what happened to Emily Shaw.”
I didn’t bother to argue or pretend she was wrong. If Alice was really a listener, she already knew how much I needed answers. “I do. But here’s what I want. I want to add an option in here that, with the full agreement of Sinclair Security, I have the right to talk publicly about my experience on the investigation, via my podcast. And Sinclair Security has the right to clear the episodes before they’re published.”
Alice picked up the NDA. “I’ll take that to Cooper,” she said. “I feel like I have to point out there’s a high likelihood that the entire case is deemed too sensitive for anything to be cleared, ever.”
She couldn’t have said anything more interesting if she’d tried. “Well, now I want to know what you know,” I said.
She grinned. “Not until you sign this. But again, beingup front, I know very little. I don’t get into the meat and potatoes of the cases. I run the office, handle scheduling, and dip a toe in logistics as needed. I just know the general theme of our business isn’t anything open for public consumption.”
“I got that,” I said. “I understand the risks. And you’re right, I do want to know what happened to Emily Shaw.”
“I’ll be back,” Alice said.
As she left, I thought about what would happen if they never approved the episodes about Emily. That was a risk. People had short memories. If I was gone for too long, I might not have a career when this was all over. On the other hand, what I could learn about investigations from tagging along with Eli, having access to Sinclair Security, was probably, in the long run, worth a hell of a lot more than the income I got from sponsors on the podcast.
This was about more than answers for Emily, though I did want those, now more than ever. Whoever had done this to her had tried to erase me. They’d taken my home, my office. And if not for luck and a craving for a burger and shake, they would have taken me too. I couldn’t walk away from that. I needed answers.
I needed them to pay.
I sipped at the coffee, thinking about the case, about everything I knew and didn’t know about Eli. I had no idea why, but he also wanted the truth about Emily Shaw. I wasn’t sure he’d be keen to have me tagging along, but that didn’t matter. I could put up with him if I had to.
