Page 66 of Fate's Unseen Shadow

“They always do. Who were you on the phone with?”

Damon motioned to the apartment.

“Ah,” Xavier said. “Got it.”

Slater pushed back from the table. “That’s all the questions for now, Mrs. Cassin.”

“My turn,” he whispered to Xavier before raising his voice. “I have a question, Mrs. Cassin.” Damon moved into the dining room.

Slater sent him a warning scowl that he ignored.

“When I looked around now, I noticed most of Elizabeth’s belongings were gone.”

Ryker picked his head up from where he typed, and Slater stopped scowling. Everyone watched Julia for her response.

She fiddled again with her bracelet. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Clothes. Makeup. Jewelry. Personal affects are something someone normally has in their bedroom. The initial report said she left without packing. Just walked away from Teddy’s apartment and never returned. I wouldn’t think she’d have time to clean her apartment first. And she certainly didn’t have time or the capacity to pack up every personal item.”

“Oh, that stuff.” Julia chuckled, waving away his concern. “Yes. I did that.” Her eyes welled up as they’d done before. “I moved here after the murder. When Elizabeth disappeared, her bank account was locked. Well, she has authority over the account that pays my rent. I had nowhere else to go. But Elizabeth was messy and unorganized. In my loneliness, I packed up her things and sent them to storage. I’m currently in the guest room. That bedroom was a garish shade of yellow that hurt my eyes. I had it repainted. And I know you’ll agree with me that the carpet needs replacing. I have a delivery set for tomorrow for new mattresses. My back aches every morning. But she’s not here, so there’s no need for this condo to go to waste.”

“And when she returns?” Damon gripped the back of the dining room chair hard enough to nearly snap the wood in half. “I suspect she’ll want her home back.”

“If she returns, I’ll move into my place once I settle Teddy’s estate.” She waved her hand at the window. “I don’t want to stay here. The sun rises in the windows in her bedroom, making it impossible to sleep in the morning. She picked a horrible place to live.”

“I’m so sorry it’s difficult for you to sleep,” he said, grinding out each word.

Xavier patted Damon on the back. “Hey, buddy,” he said, his voice fake and placating. “Come look at this view from the balcony.”

Damon went since he didn’t trust his reaction at this point. The moment the balcony door closed, Xavier held up his hand. “You don’t even have to say it. It pissed off every one of us. I’ll be surprised if Slater can keep cool until we head out of here. Ella has been shit on by that woman and she’s paying us to find her. Really? Why? That’s what I want to know. Would it not be easier to let her leave and take over her sweet condo?” He faced downtown Atlanta. “This is a premium spot. That building over there, that’s Cassin Systems. Elizabeth could wake up every morning, with the sunrise, and have a prime view of what she helped build.”

“I wonder if Julia preyed on Ella’s dad this way. Taking whatever opportunity she could to gain wealth.” Damon leaned on the railing beside Xavier. One day, Ella would be back in that building. But for tonight and until she left, she was his.

“What are you thinking?” Xavier asked.

“Do we know anything about Julia’s settlement when her husband died? Who got what?”

“No. Never thought to ask. She didn’t get a lot if Ella is required to pay her rent.” He faced the glass doors. “But now I’m curious.”

“Me, too.” Damon turned as Julia sweetly accepted a tissue from Slater. Good thing one of them could keep up with the bullshit. Ryker had packed his laptop and stood near the exit.

“I want to know what happens with Teddy’s estate as well. Does she get it all?” Damon asked.

Xavier nodded. “Probably would be good to know that, too. Julia assumes she’s the beneficiary. What if she’s not?”

“There are too many questions. If I’m going to keep Ella safe, I think our focus needs to be on who killed Teddy. Ella needs to come out of hiding and deal with her stepmother before she takes over her life.” Although he already resented the day it would happen. Even if she didn’t want to admit it right now, there would be a moment she would say goodbye.

Xavier crossed his arms and leaned a hip on the railing. “Best place to start with those questions is your girlfriend.”

Damon snorted. “Girlfriend?”

“That’s what they’re called. And I don’t mean a girl who is a friend.”

“I’m not going to call her a girlfriend.”

“A friend with benefits?”

“No,” he snapped.

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