9. Teresa

Teresa

T he pain in Flora’s eyes made my chest hurt, which was really weird because clients telling me terrible stories didn’t usually affect me.

It’s because she’s your mate, the voice inside me pointed out. I ignored it.

“So the police said it was an accident, you think it wasn’t…”

“I know it wasn’t,” Flora interjected.

I nodded. “What’s happened since then?”

“After my parents died, the board of directors named me the CEO of Meyer Beauty. There was some grumbling of course, but I’ve worked at the company since I was a kid. I’ve worked in every department in the company, and eventually I worked my way up to chief operating officer, the position I held before my father died.”

Flora paused before adding, “There’s no doubt that I benefitted from this being my family’s company, but I also worked very hard to get where I am, at the expense of a lot of other things in my life.”

I liked this version of Flora, strong and sure of herself. It was different from the way she’d been acting when I first got here. Then I remembered the shelves of make-up and skincare products in her ‘dressing room’ and felt a little less impressed.

“Tell me about the grumbling.”

“It was the usual stuff. I’m a nepo baby. I didn’t earn my position. I didn’t take any of it seriously. The fact that I own eighty-five percent of the company isn’t enough. I was grieving the loss of my family and trying to learn a new job. But then the letters started.”

“What kind of letters.”

“Like something out of a detective show. Step down now or you’ll be sorry or Quit now , that kind of thing.”

“I thought you didn’t watch TV,” I said, recalling what she’d said in the bedroom.

Flora frowned like she didn’t appreciate my questioning her.

“I said I don’t watch much TV, not that I’ve never watched TV,” she corrected. “Anyway, I thought they were just harmless attempts to scare me until the car accident. I was driving home, and my brakes went out while I was going downhill. I managed to avoid other cars and steer my way into a park, where I drove into some bushes to stop the car. Later I found out my brake lines were cut.”

“When did this happen?” I asked.

“Thursday. That’s when my lawyer suggested extra security.”

“And you trust this lawyer?” I asked.

Flora nodded. “He’s my father’s oldest friend. And my godfather. I’d trust him with my life. And before you ask, he’s as rich as I am. There’s no reason for him to off me.”

“Then the question is, who does have a reason to off you?” I replied. “Who benefits if you are out of the picture?”

Flora raised her eyes upwards, like she was accessing information from her brain. It was kind of adorable.

“The current CFO wanted my job,” she said, counting suspects off on her fingers. “There’s the guy who owns ten percent of the stock, an old partner of my father’s who had a falling out with him but kept his partial ownership of the company. I’ve never met him, but my father always talked about how pissed he was at my parents. I guess also my aunt and my cousins.”

“The shifters?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“What kind of shifters are they?”

“They’re some kind of foxes, I think. I’ve only met them a couple of times.”

That immediately put them up higher on my suspect list. Not to stereotype, but those foxes tended to be shady.

“Anyone else you can think of?” I asked.

“No. My circle is pretty small.”

“We need to think of a better plan than the personal trainer story to explain my presence,” I said. “I know your godfather suggested that to my boss, but it makes no sense for you to have a trainer in your office. I need to be able to follow you around at work, and also to have a reason to nose around looking for clues. Any ideas?”

Flora looked upwards again, something I was fast learning meant she was thinking.

“Oh, you know what? I only have a temporary assistant right now. The lady who worked for my father retired when I took over and I haven’t had time to find a permanent person.”

“In a year?” I asked incredulously.

“I’ve had a lot going on,” she said defensively. “I can tell the agency to end the person’s service.”

“Or you can say you need a second assistant,” I suggested. “That way that person can continue to keep your calendar and answer the phone, but I can come with you to meetings, and act like I’m taking notes.”

Flora shrugged. “Prepare to be bored.”

After the bears finished their sweep of Flora’s gigantic mansion, I sent them on their way with a promise to call them if we needed any more help. I had a bad feeling that we’d need help sooner or later, but maybe I’d catch a break and this case would be easy to solve. While I was working the personal protection, my colleagues at Sapphic Security would be monitoring security cameras both here and at the office as well as researching everyone who came into contact with Flora. By the time they were done, we’d have a file on everyone from the guy who picked up the trash to whoever did her hair.

“What do you usually do on Sunday afternoons?” I asked.

To my surprise, Flora’s face turned red and she avoided my gaze.

“What?”

“I, um, order Thai food.”

“Every Sunday?” I asked.

She nodded. “I love Thai food.”

“Your face is red, and I can hear your heartbeat speeding up, are you… embarrassed?” I guessed.

“You can hear my heartbeat?” Flora asked incredulously.

I tapped my ear. “Supes have better hearing than humans. I don’t understand, why are you embarrassed about ordering Thai food?”

“I’m not embarrassed about the Thai food,” Flora said slowly. “It’s what I do after I order the Thai food.”

My mind was immediately flooded with inappropriate thoughts that stuttered to a halt when she added, “I watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ”

“ Buffy the Vampire Slayer ?” I asked. “What’s that?”

“It’s a TV show that was super popular in the late nineties and early two thousands.”

I must have given her a blank look because she added, “It’s about this teenage girl who’s a vampire slayer. She was chosen by fate and there’s only one slayer. Well, most of the time there’s only one slayer, and she alone stands against the vampires. And demons and other creepy characters. She keeps pretty busy since she’s the only slayer in the world and her high school is on top of a hellmouth. I can’t believe you never watched it.”

“Do you really think someone like me would watch something about a vampire slayer?”

“There are some good vampires in it too,” she rushed to add. “Well, two good vampires.”

“And what do the good vampires do?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“They kill other vampires and some of the demons too,” Flora replied.

“Well, this I’ve got to see.”