Page 85 of A Breath of Life
Tallus moved into the room and picked it up, examining it before setting it down on the desk. “Are you taking your phone apart?”
“No.”
He tipped his head to the side and eyed me skeptically.
“Yes. Trying to.”
“Why?”
I didn’t have an answer and stared dumbly.
“Might I suggest YouTube? It has all the answers. I’m surprised you didn’t think of that. Half my training came from YouTube.”
I frowned. “It did not. Are you done returning calls and emails?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah. I’m meeting Hill this afternoon to go over things. Two more job inquiries came through the website. Suspected infidelity is a hot topic in the PI business, huh?”
“Cheating spouses pay the bills. What do you mean you’re meeting him this afternoon?”
“He asked me to come by the office so we could chat.”
An immediate protest burned my tongue, but Tallus’s challenging glare stopped me from voicing it. “I sent intake forms to the new clients. I’ll set up consultations once I get them back.”
“Good.” My mind raced, seeking an excuse to join Tallus later when he insisted on leaving.
Tallus pulled up a chair and sat, examining me in that analytical way that made me squirm. “Are we looking into Clarence today?”
“Yeah. Um… Do you want to locate his wife?”
“Sure. Are you hacking his bank account?”
I’d forgotten about the bank account. My brain was fried, too concerned about screwing the men at the top before they could screw me. Too worried about Tallus and Nana’s safety.
“Yeah. I’ll go through his bank stuff. I have passwords and email accounts to check, too.”
Tallus stood to leave, and I blurted, “Why don’t you work in here. Um… since we’re on the same case.”
“Sure. Let me grab my stuff.”
Tallus brought his laptop, notebook, and a box of Ritz peanut butter snack crackers into the office, making himself a little workstation on the other side of the desk. He nibbled crackers, clacked his tongue, and made obscure faces as he performed searches. On occasion, he jotted notes.
His immersion in the task was such that I figured he wouldn’t notice if I resumed virtually walking the streets of Old Toronto viaGoogle satellite in my endless search for an intricately carved wooden door. Chances were, the door would be in the rear of the building, and I’d never find it. In fact, it was far more likely, considering my kidnappers wouldn’t have dragged me outside and left me in plain view of a main road.
What a waste of time. Fuck my life.
But I couldn’t stop.
I kept my screen angled so Tallus wouldn’t see what I was doing. Clarence’s notebook of passwords hid my personal notebook, where I’d jotted a list of everything I remembered from my capture, including names and a visual description of the room and people involved, along with as much detail about the location as my foggy mind would give me.
I slid Clarence’s notebook up a titch and added Jeffery’s name to the bottom of the list. He was involved somehow.
When Tallus shifted or moved suddenly, I slid Clarence’s notebook back in place and darted my attention across the desk. His entire focus was on the laptop screen.
“Huh,” he exclaimed at random. “This is interesting.”
“What’s that?”
“Janessa Audraine is dead.”
