Page 24 of Evidence of Secrets

“Thank you again.” Laura stood on her tiptoes and kissed Hank’s cheek.

“Hmmm. I think we can do better than that.” He took her in his arms and leaned down. The first touch of his lips set Laura’s libido on fire. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. He caressed her mouth with her tongue.

Beep. Beep.What was that?

Hank pulled away from Laura. “Damn. That’s my alarm. I have to get to the office.” He ran his hands down her arms. “Will you be okay here?”

“I’ll be fine. You do what you have to do. I’ll settle in. If I have questions, Manny can answer them, right?”

“Yes. He manages the building.” Hank walked toward the door. “I hate to leave you.”

“Go on. I’m a big girl. I’ll be fine.”

Laura closed the door behind Hank and turned to look at the apartment. It was the nicest she had ever stayed in.

And that balcony… Laura knew exactly what she was going to do. Make herself a cup of coffee, grab a book, and read outside. And try not to worry about tomorrow. She hoped.

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

It was amazing what sleeping in an actual bed could do for your psyche. No aching muscles or lost sleep worrying about someone breaking in. Laura stretched, got out of bed, and walked into the kitchen to make coffee. She looked in the refrigerator and was surprised by the variety of food Manny bought for her. There were bagels, cream cheese, hummus and veggies, milk, bread, condiments, and cold cuts. It was thoughtful, but did he use his own money or management funds? Laura wondered how to pay him back.

While the bagel toasted, Laura opened the sliding doors to the balcony. Enjoying the view was the last thing she remembered before going to bed the previous night.

After smearing the bagel with cream cheese, she took her coffee and bagel and stepped out to the balcony. The day was just beginning, and she heard cars and voices from the various restaurants. It was a peaceful beginning to the day.

Laura looked at her watch.

Crap. She needed to get dressed and head to the bistro to help Levi with lunch. Where had the time gone?

Pushing the bistro’s kitchen door open, Laura walked into a colorful sight. Levi had stacked fresh produce on the stainless prep table and was sorting the bright red tomatoes, green and yellow peppers, stacks of scallions, carrots, and celery.

“Hi, there,” called out Levi. “You’re early.”

“Wow. Did this order just come in?”

Levi nodded. “I’ve already stored the meats in the cooler. We should sit down and go over the menu for the week.” He continued placing the vegetables in open containers. “The onions and potatoes are in the storage room. Let me finish this, and I’ll be ready.”

“Can I help?”

“Nah. This is easy.”

Laura picked up the invoices and busied herself double-checking that everything ordered had arrived. When she finished, Levi was also, so they sat down to review the week’s menu. Satisfied that the week’s menu was both interesting and cost-effective, Laura headed towards her office, leaving Levi to prepare lunch.

Sitting at her desk, she went through the mail. No surprise it was just bills. It was always bills. Then she checked social media, adding some pictures from the fundraiser and dinners they’d served. Next, she checked online reviews. A negative review that wasn’t addressed could ruin a business, so Laura liked to keep on top of that. Seeing none, she decided to check the camera feeds.

Thankfully, Hank was able to fix the problem yesterday. Laura didn’t know how long the camera had been disconnected; she thought that something must have happened when she moved her clothes and sleeping bag into the closet.

Pulling up the feed, she pressed playback and went back a week. Nothing. Everyone was doing their job.

Levi was always in the kitchen early. Rich Dupont, the pastry chef, usually came in early in the morning. She watched him come in and set up, then Levi arrived a short time later. The servers traditionally arrived by ten o’clock to get ready for the day.

But on Monday, Rich came in early. Weird. Why would he be here at all? The bistro was closed. The tape continued playing. Rich was looking around the kitchen. He pulled things from the bar, the cooler, and the refrigerator, stuffed them into a bag, and left. That bastard. Now Laura was grateful Hank had hidden the camera.

Her stomach churned. This was how her employees rewarded her generosity? Laura walked back to the kitchen. “Levi, are we missing anything?”

Levi thought for a minute. “Not again?”

“Hmmm.” Laura covered her face with her hands, and shook her head. Then she looked at Levi. “Let’s check.”

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