Page 46 of Healer's Call

“This is a great restaurant. My wife and I just talked about coming here last week, didn’t we Love?” Mike asks with a smile.

Something unlocks inside of me, I smile and nod, feeling at ease. “Yes. I’m glad it worked out for us to meet.” I turn to the men “Speaking of meeting, Tom, you’re the owner, correct?”

“I am,” he says, sitting a little taller.

“Thank you so much for being willing to meet in person. I realize this is not the usual protocol, but we’ve had a few...” I look at Mike, like we’re communicating. “Problems with the last company we worked with. And with us being such a large account, we figured it would be good to meet first in person so we could ask questions.”

Tom leans forward. “We would love the opportunity to work with you. I think you will find our company is perfectly suited for your needs.”

The waiter comes to our table, and our conversation pauses as we order drinks. “You’re doing great,” Stu’s voice says in my ear. “When you get a chance, go ahead and hit the button on your glasses so we can get a visual.” I reach up and run a hand through my hair and activate the camera on the glasses at the same time. Then I reach out and take a drink of my water. “Good. It’s nice and clear. Slowly pan the group,” he says in my ear. “Perfect. I got all the faces.”

I take a steady breath and then jump in with the questions I was prepped for this afternoon. “How long has your company been in business?”

“Seven years,” Ryan says.

“And how many employees do you have now?”

“We have thirty-three full-time employees.” It’s Tom that answers that one.

“That’s great. It sounds like business is going really well for you. Do you have a lot of smaller businesses you service or mostly larger ones?” I ask. When our meals come, it gets easier to relax and work my way through the questions. Mike helps me out a time or two, but I feel really good about all the information we’re getting.

“You’re doing great,” Stu says in my ear. “You’re almost done.”

Feeling confident, I take another bite of my food and answer a few questions about our business. I even managed to answer a few questions about how Mike and I met. I only have a few questions left, but they’re the really important ones. I'm just getting ready to ask one when Ryan, the guy at the end looks toward the front door. He stares for a moment and then picks up his phone. I watch but continue pretending to listen to Mike as he answers a question about our business. But then Tom picks up his phone and after a moment puts it facedown next to his cup. The look he gives me is much different than how he’s been the rest of the evening. The look chills me, and I feel my stomach tighten in response. I don’t know what just happened, but I know somehow we’ve been discovered.

Chapter 23

Rose

Mike must feel the same way because he wipes his mouth. “This has been a great night. It's been really good getting to know you. I think we feel confident about our decision. You can expect a call from us in a day or two.”

“What are you doing?” Stu asks in my ear. “We need those last few questions.”

Tom leans forward. “But it was just starting to get interesting. Surely, you don’t want to leave before dessert.”

“Thank you, but I think my wife and I are ready to call this a night,” Mike says. I can feel this meeting getting away from us. I panic because I know this is the only lead we have on who’s poisoning the Orlando Pack. I know how much we need these answers. “You ready?” Mike asks me, giving me a look.

I take a sip of water, trying to steady myself. “I am. Thank you so much for dinner. This has been great.” I stand to my feet and place my napkin next to my plate. “Oh, I did have one last question.” I don’t look at Mike. I lock eyes with Tom. “Do you know anything about strychnine?”

I can hear the audible response of Stu in my ear, and let’s just say it’s not favorable. A new voice enters my ear. “Healer, what are you doing?” I recognize Maverick’s voice. “Get out of there now.”

I ignore him and focus on the men in front of me. I let the camera in my glasses keep recording even as I feel Mike step closer. Tom stares at me, his face betraying nothing. “I’ve heardof it before. Isn’t that what they use to kill wild animals that come too close to urban areas?”

“Have you ever heard of it being found in a water source?”

He doesn’t flinch. “No. That would be hazardous.”

“And deadly,” I add. I hear somebody talking in my ear, but I ignore it. I deliberately turn my head to look at the two other men and catch Ryan on his phone.

“I think it’s time to go,” Mike says, stepping close and putting a hand on my elbow.

I look back at Tom. “I would hate to think what the local authorities would do if they heard about something like that. Let alone how other people would respond. You know the kind of people that sometimes act like wolves,” I say, giving a fake laugh. His entire body tenses, and I don’t look away, knowing I’ve finally got him. “If a company was caught using something like strychnine, it would be...disastrous for the company. They'd never do another ounce of business again.”

Mike puts pressure on my elbow and physically pulls me away from the table. “Let’s go. Now.”

There’s distant shouting; I think it’s coming from my earpiece, but I can’t tell. “Stay calm,” Stu says in my ear. “Mike’s going to get you out of there.”

“Stay in front of me,” Mike says in a low voice as we walk towards the front door.

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