Page 10 of Guarding the Billionaire

“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 nevermet 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.

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