Page 14 of Lake's Legacy

When Francois leaves, Hex turns to Dixie. “We should talk to Nora when we return to the clubhouse.” Dixie nods.

“Talk to her about what?” Delphine asks.

“We were discussing new business opportunities during Church. We thought we’d see if Nora wanted to partner with us in opening a new restaurant. The club needs more income, and I know a restaurant with her as head chef would do well.”

“That’s a great idea!” Cleo exclaims. “I think she’d jump at the opportunity. It’s something she’s always wanted. Let’s hurry up and eat so we can return to the clubhouse. I can’t wait to work with her! We can look for a good location and then get everything set up. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”

Hex smirks at Cleo when she pulls out her phone and gets busy.

“What are you doing?” Hex asks her.

“I’m contacting my realtor. He needs to find us some properties to look at.”

“Don’t you think we should talk to Nora first?” Delphine asks with a chuckle.

Cleo’s crestfallen expression has Hex sending a dirty look toward his mother.

“It won’t hurt for you to have him get started,” Hex tells Cleo.

“No, Delphine’s right. We need to talk to Nora first. But I’m certain she’ll say yes. I know how much she loves you guys. She’ll be thrilled to know how much confidence you have in her. Besides, we should probably discuss the type of restaurant we want to open before we start looking at locations.’

“You’re opening a restaurant?” Francois asks, coming into the courtyard carrying two plates. Behind him are a series of waitstaff carrying food and drinks. Francois lays one plate in front of Cleo and the other in front of Hex. At the same time, his staff serves everyone else. Once the staff leaves, Cleo explains.

“We’re talking about the Demon Dawgs investing in a restaurant,” Cleo explains. “The club already owns a bar. They think a restaurant would be a good investment.”

Francois nods. “It can be. I'd be interested in selling if you were looking for an established restaurant. Or, if you wanted to invest.”

Cleo looks scandalized. “Why? You’ve owned this restaurant since I was a kid.”

He waves his hands to stop Cleo from asking questions. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it. Now is not the time to discuss business. Now is the time to eat and enjoy your food. We can talk later. Please, enjoy your meal.”

Once Francois leaves, Cleo picks up her fork but only toys with her food.

“Eat,” Hex orders her.

She eats a few bites while we dig into our meal. It’s a delicious pasta dish with chunks of lobster, basil, and sun-dried tomatoes swimming in a rich, cheesy sauce.

“This is excellent,” Hex says, his eyes on Cleo. She nods.

“I’ve always loved Francois’ food. I can’t understand why he’s looking to sell. He can’t be having money troubles.”

“Don’t let it ruin your meal. You can talk to him about it when we’ve finished,” Hex prods. He glances around the table, likely looking for a way to distract Cleo. His eyes land on Pirate.

“I’ve accessed the network,” Pirate says. “Want to see what I found?”

“Yes,” Hex says as Pirate turns his laptop around so we can all see the screen. Olivia sits next to Pirate, so she has the best view. However, I can see enough to know he’s pulled up the video feed for the hospital parking lot. I spot Olivia’s car. I can see the silly cat ornament hanging down.

“Now watch,” Pirate says. He hits the spacebar to start the paused black-and-white video. The lights on Olivia’s car flash just before a man wearing scrubs, a mask, and a surgery cap comes into view. He opens the car door before reaching insideand popping the hood. Opening the hood, he leans inside before slamming the hood shut and walking out of view.

“I tried following him into the hospital but lost him inside.”

Olivia nods. “He used my keys, didn’t he? So, how did he get them? They were in my purse in the women’s locker room.”

“I’ll study the video when we get back to the clubhouse. However, I counted dozens of staff members going in and out of the women’s locker room before they tampered with her car until Olivia left.”

“What about when I went to take my shower?” Olivia asks. “I had my phone with me all day. Someone could have taken it only when I was in the shower.”

“Good thinking. Okay, I see you enter. Let’s see. Yeah, eight people went in and out while you were in there. Do you recognize any of them?”

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