Page 43 of Only the Devil
He lowers the grill cover and holds his beer out, brows drawn together. “How’d you guess that?”
“At lunch, they were talking about them expanding security.” Still, that’s quick. “What did they do? Call you?”
“After I dropped you off this morning, Sterling and Weaver fell in line behind me at the coffee shop. It was really Weaver who drove the conversation. Did you mention to her that I'm former military?”
“I did. But I didn’t go into detail.”
“Well, I emailed her my resume. It’s one the Navy spiffed up for me so it doesn’t show KOAN because that was before they hired me. Weaver called within the hour. Had an afternoon interview and received a job offer on the spot. Wham bam, thank you, ma’am.”
He looks inordinately pleased with himself. But… “You know, you don’t have to take the job just to be inside the office. That’s completely unnecessary.”
“Hey now,” he backs up against the balcony with a wide grin, “I’m getting two salaries. Don’t go killing my gig.”
I lean forward on my chair to clink beer necks again, returning his grin. Two salaries—that is a sweet gig. I should know, it’s my current situation.
“And Phillip Sterling was so impressed with my resume he wants me on his personal detail. So, I may actually be in a position to learn more about what he’s really up to than you are.”
I haven’t seen Jake’s resume, but given he was Special Ops, a SEAL no less, I imagine Phillip Sterling was salivating over his good luck.
“I bet you were by far the best candidate they’ve seen.”
He grins, quite proud of himself.
“So that’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Not your job,” I clarify, “but that they’re increasing security. That says to me Phillip’s scared. Do you think maybe he knows Jocelyn died in her office, but he doesn’t know how? Or maybe he suspects how, and he thinks he might be next?”
“Hard to say.” The steak sizzles and his attention falls to the grill. “But yeah, typically people who hire security fear someone. Now, most of the time, that’s a nameless someone, but not always.”
“When I went into the office this morning, I’d been certain he was the guilty party. Not necessarily the one who killed and moved the body, but who had it done. I mean, the man’s in his sixties and looks like he outsources everything in his life, from yard work to picking up his dry cleaning. But now, I’m not so sure. Still, Sterling Financial has had a lot of bad press. An employee who committed suicide, plus a fund that collapsed with victims calling for an investigation. If the employee who runs all of his financial reports dies…”
“At the very least, he’d be a person of interest. Police would ask what he did last weekend.”
“But beefing up security—that says to me he’s nervous someone might be coming after him.”
“Maybe Jocelyn was in on it and he knows who went after her and suspects he’s next,” Jake says, stating out loud a thought I’d already had—it’s The Terminal List theory. “Well, my start date is Thursday. He’s ordering suits for me. Guess he didn’t like the idea of me showing up at the office in my khakis.”
“You don’t own any black suits?” I ask, taking in the hairy, muscular calves that extend below his cargo shorts and his bare feet. He looks like the kind of guy that would have a surfboard rack on his SUV. I’d bet he hates suits and ties with the same vehemence I hold for five-inch pointy cram-your-toes stilettos.
“One suit,” he answers, closing the lid on the grill. “My funeral suit. But it’s in storage.”
“I thought you military guys wore your uniform to funerals.”
“I was raised in Georgia and my momma taught me every man needs a proper suit he can wear to a funeral.”
“So how old is that ‘proper’ suit?”
He waves the grill fork at me. “Watch it.” He sniffs and takes a swallow of his beer.
This feels dangerously normal. The casual domesticity of it—him cooking, me relaxing with a beer, the warm evening air and comfortable conversation. It’s exactly the kind of scene I avoid because it makes me want normal and normal’s overrated.
He sets his beer down. “Based on what he had me order, he wants his team to be all matchy-matchy.”
“So it’s you plus others?”
“Yes, ma’am. I asked. They said that they were increasing security presence at the recommendation of their legal team and insurance provider. I asked if that meant they’d received threats, and was told no, but that they have chosen to follow the advice of counsel.”
“Do you believe them?”
“I believe that if they’ve received any threats, they don’t want to share them with someone they’re interviewing for a job. I also believe if they understand the role of a protective service, if they’ve received any threats, they’ll share them with their protective detail once they’re under contract.”
