Page 23 of What a Wolf Wants
“Hello?” Charlene said.
“Hey, I hope I didn’t wake you too early, but I wanted to tell you that Ethan has Adam, Sierra, and me on the job of trying to track down your mystery flower sender.”
“Thanks, Tori. Last night, Ethan told me that you would look into it.”
“Yeah, I was just calling to see if you have any other ideas about who it might be once you had more time to ponder it last night.”
“Other than Renault, or even my ex-boyfriend trying to get in touch with me, I can’t think of anyone else.”
“Did you tell your ex-boyfriend where you were moving to?”
“Actually no, but he did work with Renault in Florida.”
“Your ex-boyfriend is another DEA agent?” Tori asked.
“Yeah, and he could still be in touch with Renault since they’re friends. Actually, Renault might have even told him that he ran into me at the raid on the house I was renting. Renault could have easily learned where I was going to live next and told my ex. Though truly, I don’t know why Noah would care. He and I ended things on a sour note, and we haven’t spoken to each other since.”
“The flowers wouldn’t be from one of the people you purchased any of the homes from, right?”
“I don’t think so. The houses that I’m renting out were owned by two older couples who wanted to move closer to their kids in other parts of the state. The person who ownedthe home I’m living in had a new job and was moving with his family closer to Portland where he would work.”
“Okay, so that sounds like nothing that would hold any real leads. Did you eat in town when you were looking for places to buy? Maybe stay at a hotel overnight?”
“Oh yeah, sure. I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner at different restaurants while I was here overnight. And I did stay at a hotel to really get a look at several different places.”
“Did anyone stand out to you at any of the places?” Tori asked.
Charlene could tell that Tori was good at her job. She was thorough in helping Charlene to recollect what she couldn’t on her own about people she might have met.
“Well, I found the places about two days after I moved to Portland, so it has been nearly a month since then. It has taken that long to buy the properties and renovate them. Which means I did talk to a couple of people about doing the work on all three of the houses to update them and an interior decorator to furnish the rentals. I’ll think on it and get back to you in case anyone comes to mind.”
“Maybe something will jog your memory. Even returning to the places you ate might help. Go with Ethan though, in case the person works at one of the restaurants. Same with the hotel. Take him along so everyone will know you have someone in your life. I know, it’s just for pretend, but it could help stop real trouble before it starts, hopefully.”
“Okay, I’ll do that. Thanks, Tori. I’d considered doing these things, but I just wasn’t sure it was really necessary.”
Once they ended the call, Charlene called Ethan.
“Hey, good morning!” Ethan sounded like he was a real morning person. She usually was too, but not this morning.
“Good morning, Ethan. Tori called. She was trying to jog my memory about who I might have run into here who would have sent the roses, and I mentioned eating at three different restaurants while I was here looking at places. She suggested I return to them to see if I can recall anything. So if you’re at all interested, do you want to eat with me this morning while we check out the restaurant where I had breakfast?”
“Hell, yeah, I’ll be right over to pick you up.”
She chuckled.
“Where are we going?” he asked on Bluetooth.
“The Beach Breeze Café.”
“Oh, great, I had wanted to try that place out while I was here.”
“Well, this will be fun while we’re on a fact-finding mission.” She was used to trying to solve mysteries as a homicide detective. As long as this didn’t turn into a dangerous situation.
It didn’t take long for Ethan to get there.
She opened the door and locked it behind her and climbed into his car before he could get out. “Onward and upward. This is my treat, um, for helping me out so much.”
“You deserve it,” he said.
