“I don’t normally. Today is a special occasion.” Cameron turned to the rest of us. “This is my friend, DI Costas. He’s a detective down at the police station.” Oh. I wondered if this was the contact Cameron was always getting his information from.

  “Lilah,” Theo said with a quick nod. “It’s good to see you, too. It’s been a while.”

  “Yes, it has,” she replied.

  “You look well.”

  “Thanks.”

  He held her gaze for a moment. It took my brain a second to compute that this bloke was Lilah’s ex. I distinctly remembered her talking about a Theo from her past. This had to be him, especially given the somewhat awkward energy between them. I was pretty sure everybody at the table could feel it.

  Theo cleared his throat, bringing his attention back to Cameron. “Did you hear about Ross Moretti? He’s being charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and several of his restaurants have been shut down.”

  “Poor bastard,” Lilah said.

  Theo shrugged. “If you don’t want to do the time, don’t commit the crime.”

  “Still so black and white,” she challenged.

  “You’ve got to be in this line of work.” Again he held her gaze.

  I was glad when Cameron interjected and broke the tension. “We’re just glad we were of help in the matter.”

  “I always thought you should’ve joined the police,” Theo went on before checking the time on his phone. “It looks like I’m late. I better get going, but enjoy your drinks, folks. Cameron, I’ll see you around.”

  As he left, I studied Lilah. She didn’t look too bothered about running into her ex, but then again, their relationship had been years ago.

  “Who’s Ross Moretti?” Damien questioned.

  “He’s just a guy from a case we were working on a few weeks ago. Cameron and Maisie cracked it right open,” Lilah answered. “They’re a regular Watson and Holmes.”

  “What was the case about?” Damien went on eagerly. Even while I was training him, he’d asked so many questions. It was a relief to know we’d hired someone who was genuinely enthusiastic about the work we did.

  “We can’t really discuss closed cases,” I put in.

  Seeming disappointed, Damien took a sip from his pint. “I guess my plate is full with the current caseload anyway,” he replied with a smile.

  “Hey, let’s not talk about work,” Nadia said. “There’s enough of that at the office. How about we play a little drinking game?”

  Lilah chuckled. “Like what? Never Have I Ever?”

  “Yes! That’s a great one. Let’s play that,” Nadia exclaimed.

  “Have I made a wrong turn and ended up at a teenage house party?” Cameron questioned archly.

  “Oh hush, live a little,” Nadia chided, wearing a wide, infectious grin. “Okay, Damien, since you’re the new guy, you can go first.”

  We all looked at him as he thought about it for a second, then said, “Never have I ever stolen anything.”

  His eyes came to me, but I didn’t drink. Nadia and Lilah both took sips of their wine. I gaped at Lilah. “What did you steal?”

  She shrugged. “All sorts of stuff. I went through a shoplifting phase as a teenager.”

  “And I stole a bar of chocolate from the corner shop when I was four,” Nadia announced proudly. “It was my one and only dalliance with crime. My mum was mortified when the shopkeeper followed us out only to discover a Snickers in my pocket.”

  “I’m not sure that counts,” Lilah argued. “Most four-year-olds don’t really know that stealing is bad.”

  “Well, I definitely learned my lesson after I took that chocolate bar. Mum drilled it into me that it was wrong to take things that didn’t belong to me for weeks afterward. Anyway, is it my turn next? Because I have a good one.”

  Lilah made a gesture with her hand. “Go ahead.”

  Nadia got a cheeky glint in her eye. “Never have I ever had a threesome.”

  There was a bit of an awkward hush around the table before Damien and Lilah both took sips of their drinks. Again, I was surprised by my friend. How did I not know she’d had a threesome? Although we tended not to talk about sexual stuff. I’d always been a little awkward with explicit details, especially if they pertained to me.

  “I can’t believe we’ve been friends for five years and I didn’t know you were both a thief and a sexual deviant,” I teased jokingly.

  “Hey,” she protested. “The threesome was in college. Everybody does that sort of stuff at that age.”

  “Not me. I didn’t have sex with anyone in college,” I blurted. Everyone around the table stared at me in surprise. Well, all except for Cameron, who maintained the unreadable veneer he tended to favour in social situations such as this one.

  “You didn’t have any sex at all?” Nadia questioned. “Didn’t even fool around?”

  I shook my head. “Nope. I was too busy studying or being socially phobic and hiding in the library.”

  Lilah, Nadia, and Damien all shot me looks like they felt sorry for me.

  “If you ask me,” Cameron said, “abstaining from sex during college is a wise idea. All those university campuses are cesspools of venereal disease.”

  I grinned and lifted my glass at him. “Thank you, Cameron. There’s more to life than sex anyway.” At this he raised an eyebrow, which flustered me, so I soldiered on. “Besides, I had a great time in college. Me and my friend Cathy used to get together and have eighties movie marathons every Friday.”

  Nadia chuckled. “Oh my goodness, you should just stop talking. You’re digging a mighty hole for yourself.”

  “Hey, there’s no point pretending you’re something you’re not,” I said and shrugged. “This is who I am.”

  “And it’s why we love you,” Lilah said, smiling at me with a wicked glint in her eye. “Since I drank, I’ll go next. Never have I ever slept with a co-worker.”

  “Oooh, that’s a good one,” Nadia said.

  My mouth opened as I stared at Lilah, wide-eyed. She knew I’d slept with Cameron and this was her not so subtle way of teasing me about it. My cheeks heated as I lifted my glass for the first time in the game and took a tentative sip. So did Nadia and Cameron. I was surprised that he was playing the game honestly. Even Damien drank some of his beer. It seemed having sex with colleagues was much more of a widespread thing than I thought.

  “I can’t believe I’m the only one who hasn’t dipped their wick in the office ink,” Lilah said, eyeing me happily. She was in for it once I got her alone.

  “Well mine was a long time ago,” Nadia said. “At an old job, so at least I don’t have to see them anymore and experience the awkwardness.”

  Cameron and I shared a quick glance before Lilah spoke as she eyed us, “Maisie, you should go next.”

  I looked at Cameron and I wasn’t sure what came over me when I spontaneously blurted, “Never have I ever been in love.”

  Okay, so maybe I was a tad curious to know if Cameron had ever loved someone. When he took a drink, I had my answer, and well, it surprised me how much it stung. Who had he been in love with? How long ago was it? Did he still love this nameless person or was he completely over them now?

  “What about Raymond?” Lilah asked, looking at me. “You two were together for years.”

  “Well yes, but I realised after we broke up that it wasn’t true love. I loved him as a friend, not as a lover.” There was a bit of an awkward pause, and wow, I was really revealing a lot about myself, wasn’t I? Feeling a sudden urge to flee, I stood and announced a little too loudly, “I need to use the bathroom.”

  Hurrying to the back of the pub, I found the bathrooms and shut myself inside a stall. I heard the door open a moment before someone knocked on my stall.

  “Are you in there, Maisie?” Lilah asked.

  “Yep. Just give me a minute. I’m trying to flush my embarrassment down the toilet, but it keeps getting stuck.”

  She gave a light chuckle. “I’m sorry I put you on the spot out there. You know I have a devious streak.”

  I breathed a heavy sigh. “It’s fine.” I left the stall and came out to join her, changing the subject when I said, “So, about that Theo guy…”

  Lilah groaned and leaned back against the wall. “He’s my ex, remember the one I told you about?”

  “The one who worked too much and never had time for you?”

  “Bingo. Seems like he’s the same workaholic he was back then. And he always had to win every argument. It was exhausting.”

  “Well it sounds like you’re better off without him,” I said.

  She nudged me with her elbow. “Come on, we better go back out before they come looking for us.”

  “First, promise you won’t tell anyone about Cameron and me. I know you were only teasing me earlier, but it’s important no one else knows, at least for the time being.”

  She looked a little offended. “I’m your friend. Of course I won’t tell.”

  “I know. I just need to be sure. The last thing I want is more office gossip and rumours after they’ve just started to die down.”

  She levelled me with a sincere expression. “You can trust me. My lips are sealed.”

  I exhaled heavily. “Thank you.”

  As we left the ladies’, we ran into Cameron. He scratched the back of his neck. “Maisie, can I talk to you for a second?”

  I glanced at Lilah.

  “Go on. I won’t tell Damien and Nadia that you’re back here canoodling,” she said before moving by Cameron.

  He shot me a perplexed look. “Canoodling?”

  “I believe it means to caress or lightly fondle,” I said with a grin.

  “I know what the word means. I just didn’t realise people under seventy still used that term.”

  “What would you prefer? Heavy petting? Fooling around? Sucking face?”

  I could see I’d embarrassed him by his brooding expression. A part of me loved how he could get uncomfortable by such silly things. I held his gaze, amused, while he shook his head at me. A moment passed before he spoke, “So, you never mentioned Damien has a thing for you?”

  Now I was the one to get uncomfortable as I clammed up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.

  Cameron shot me a look. “The bloke can’t take his eyes off you. When he suggested you go for drinks after work, I’m fairly certain he meant just the two of you.”

  My cheeks heated, because it appeared my suspicion was true. It just felt weird. There were so many better-looking women working at James & Peterson, not to mention I hadn’t been particularly funny, charming or interesting around him. We got along well enough but hadn’t clicked in any way. Why would Damien have a crush on me? Something was off about the whole thing.

  “How do you know he suggested it?”

  He arched a derisive eyebrow. “Does the pope shit in the woods?”

  I chuckled. “I think you mean bear.” A pause before I continued, “It’s weird, isn’t it?”

  Cameron appeared confused. “What’s weird?”

  “It’s weird that he likes me. I mean, I’m not his type at all.”

  “How do you know what his type is? Besides, you’re everyone’s type.”

  I barked a laugh at that. “Good one.”

  Cameron let out an exasperated breath. “You’re such a smart woman, Maisie, but with certain things, you’re completely oblivious.”

  I stared at him, unsure if I should feel complimented or offended. “You know how Damien and I went to the same college?”

  Cameron nodded.

  “Well, he said he remembers me. He was just starting when I was in my final year.”

  “So, you think he’s liked you since then?”

  “I have no idea, but I don’t remember him at all. Then again, like you said, I can be kind of oblivious sometimes.” I gave a self-deprecating laugh.

  Cameron’s face turned thoughtful.

  When he didn’t speak for a long moment, I cleared my throat. “Anyway, I’ll let you go and, um, use the facilities. I’d better get back to the others.”

  He gently caught my wrist before I could move past him, his eyes meeting mine. “I’m sorry for grilling you. I just…I get a little jealous sometimes.”

  I blinked, swallowing tightly. The thought of Cameron being possessive of me was oddly appealing, perhaps because there was a part of me that was possessive of him, too.

  “It’s okay, I get it,” I whispered and then he let go, seeming relieved that he hadn’t freaked me out. A warm, pleasant sensation took up residence in my chest.

  When I returned to the table Lilah, Nadia, and Damien were discussing the upcoming annual team building event that took place every February. I didn’t really listen because my thoughts turned to Damien and how I should approach his supposed crush. I glanced at him and he caught me looking, sending me a warm smile in return. It wasn’t a friendly smile either. It was a smile that held flirtation, the hope for more than simple friendship.

  Now I needed to figure out a way to let him down gently.

  Thirteen

  The Visitation

  January 24th – 28th

  Surveillance was probably the most boring part of being a PI. The hours and hours of endless watching that often ended up being completely fruitless felt like so much wasted time. This was why I questioned my motivation for spending the last few evenings parked down the street from Trinkets & Treasures. I wasn’t even being paid for this and I’d dedicated hours to watching everyone who came and went from the store.

  So far, absolutely nothing fishy to report.

  I told myself it was good practice, since I’d be doing a whole lot more of this once I completed my training. The truth was, I couldn’t let go of this hunch, even though it was probably nothing.

  I’d been coming here most days after work, waiting to see anything that would confirm I was onto something. This was day four, not counting yesterday since I’d gone for drinks, and I must’ve been extra tired because I nodded off somewhere along the way.

  When I woke up, there was drool running down the side of my chin and I had a horrible crick in my neck. I rotated it from side to side, trying to ease out the stiffness and glanced at the dashboard. It was just after eleven, which meant the store had closed hours ago.

  I was just about to leave when I noticed an expensive-looking black SUV parked right outside the store. Its presence might not mean anything, but I decided to wait a little while longer just in case.

  A half hour later, I was ready to drift off again when several people emerged from the back entrance, Harrington among them. They exchanged a few words, and on instinct, I grabbed my phone to take a picture. It was grainy thanks to it being dark out, but it wasn’t like I could use my flash. I took a few more, trying to zoom in, but it was useless.

  The men climbed into the black car, and Harrington stood outside, watching them go. At first he seemed fine, but after they left, he looked agitated, raking a hand down his face before he turned and went back inside the building.

  I waited a few more minutes then finally drove off, my mind awash with theories on who those men were and what they were doing there so late.

  ***

  The following morning I went straight to Cameron’s office. I was nervous to tell him about my unauthorised sleuthing, but I thought he’d be interested to hear what I’d seen. I even brought him coffee and asked Nick to make it exactly how he liked it. Cameron’s brother had made cheeky little comments the whole time, asking why I was bringing him coffee, if I was trying to get into his good books, if I had a crush on him. The questions were endless, but I finally managed to make it out of there without revealing anything about how I felt for his brother.

  I knocked twice before I entered the office.

  Cameron glanced briefly up from his computer. “Good, you’re here. We have a lot of work to get through today,” he said, all business.

  I placed the coffee cup on his desk, and his eyes moved away from his computer screen again to stare at the beverage. “What’s that for?”

  “Nick said you hadn’t been in for coffee this morning, so I thought I’d bring you one.”

  Cameron’s gaze flicked to me. He appeared oddly lost for words before finally uttering a quiet, “Thank you.”

  He picked up the coffee, and I took a seat in front of his desk. I pulled out my phone, planning to show him the pictures I took last night. But then I hesitated, my nerves getting the best of me.

  “We have a few people to interview today. Then I want to follow Lydia and Quentin Black for a few hours,” Cameron said. “I’ve also asked Damien to scour their social media accounts and online activity. Anthony Silverstein is eager for results, so I want to work fast on this.”

  “Seems like you’ve got it all under control,” I said, worrying the screen of my phone with my thumb. Maybe I shouldn’t tell him about last night. After all, it wasn’t my job to watch Harrington. It wasn’t my job to be looking into him at all, and Cameron hadn’t mentioned him in a while, so I suspected he’d lost interest in our little mystery.

  “What’s going on with you?” Cameron asked, and I startled. I’d been lost in thought, unaware of his attention.

  I tucked some hair behind my ear. “Nothing, why?”

  His gaze lowered to my hand. “You’re gripping that phone so hard I’m worried you’ll crack the screen.”

  “Oh, well, it’s just…”

  “Out with it, Maisie.” His voice was impatient. I knew he hated it when I beat around the bush.

  “I’ve been surveilling Trinkets & Treasures.”

  Cameron’s expression morphed from impatient curiosity to disapproval all in the space of a few seconds. “Please elaborate.”

  I took a deep breath before launching into a hurried explanation. “I’ve been parking down the street from the store every day after work. Usually I only stay until closing time, but yesterday I fell asleep in my car and didn’t wake up until after eleven and—”

  “You fell asleep alone in your car?” He sounded angry.

  “Yes, I was tired. But anyway, it actually ended up working in my favour because—”