Page 49 of Little Hidden Fears

He shook his head, sighing. “I see no need to continue this conversation any further. I’d like you to leave.”

He lifted a finger, pointing at the door.

Feeling defeated, I was disappointed in myself and how I’d handled things. I should have given more thought to the visit, had better responses to his questions, a backup plan for the backup plan. Now, being left with no choice other than to leave without accomplishing what I’d intended, I decided it best to regroup, come at it again another day with another angle.

I made my way to my car, stopping when I heard the sound of brisk footsteps fast approaching. As I turned, I saw the woman who’d poked her head out of her office door. She had a hand pressed to her chest, panting like she was out of breath.

“I’m Annie,” she said. “Why did you ask to see me?”

And just like that, it seemed Ihadaccomplished something after all.

“I wanted to talk to you about a conversation I believe you may have had with Noelle a few weeks before she died.”

Annie looked around, nervous. “We can talk, but not here.”

“When do you get off work?”

“My shift ended ten minutes ago. I still have a few things to do before I leave for the day.”

I reached into my bag, pulling out a business card. “We can meet at my office when you’re ready.”

Annie accepted the card, nodding as she said, “Give me thirty minutes, and I’ll be there.”

CHAPTER 19

At thirty minutes on the dot, Annie entered my office, her expression one of worry as she made her way toward me. I suggested we take a seat on the sofa, and we did.

“This entire thing is such a mess,” she blurted. “I don’t know what to make of it.”

“You don’t know what to make of what?”

“After you left the tennis club, Clark pulled us all aside. He told us you’d been hired to investigate Noelle’s murder. Then he said he didn’t want us talking to you.”

And yet, she was here, doing what she’d been askednotto do.

“Clark can’t tell any of you who to talk to or not talk to,” I said. “You’re here, and I’m assuming it’s because there’s something you need to get off your chest.”

“I’m here because I don’t have a choice. When you came to my place of work, asking for me by name, I figured if you didn’t talk to me there, you’d find another way to do it.”

“Do you knowwhyI asked to see you?”

Annie leaned back, crossing her arms. “I think so, yes, though if you know what I think you do, it means Noelle spoke of the private conversation we had with someone else. What I told her was in confidence, to a friend I thought I could trust.”

“From everything I’ve learned about Noelle, she was worthy of your trust. I believe she spoke to a friend because she was seeking advice on what to do with the information you gave her.”

“Still, I don’t like it. Things have a way of getting around in this town. What did thisfriendtell you about my conversation with Noelle?”

I thought about whether it would be best to divulge the conversation, as it had been relayed to me, or whether it would be best to feed her bits and pieces first to gauge her response.

“I should start by saying Noelle’s friend is the person who hired me,” I said. “A few weeks before Noelle died, she had lunch with this friend, and she mentioned a woman at Royal Palms had come to her and shared some sensitive information. The woman believed a man working at the club had been committing fraud. I’m going to get right to the point. You suspected someone at Royal Palms was committing fraud, correct?”

Annie pressed her hands together. “Do I have to answer the question?”

“You don’thaveto do anything, though it would make my job a lot easier if you did. You should know, I’m good at my job. The truth will come out, one way or another.”

She huffed an irritated, “Fine. I’ve been carrying the weight of what I suspect is going on at the club for months now. I tried to keep it to myself, and for a while, I did. Then I got to a point where the weight of it was so heavy, I thought if I didn’t talk about it to someone, I’d have a complete meltdown.”

“It makes sense. Keeping a secret like the one you’ve been keeping is never easy. Why did you decide to confide in Noelle?”

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