As they cruised over the bridge toward the Florida mainland, Maxi cranked up the radio. “Pitbull,” she explained. “I love this song!”
Kate realized it would be the first time she’d left the island since she’d arrived. This time, with all the windows down and the breeze coming off the bay, they didn’t even need air conditioning.
“Are you sure about this?” Kate shouted over the wind. “The plan, I mean.”
“We can wait until we think of something better, or we can go with what we got,” her friend said, slowing the Jeep for traffic. “I say, ‘Go for it!’ What’s the worst that can happen?”
Kate had a mental picture. The two of them sharing a holding cell next to Sam. And Peter, on the other side of the bars, shaking his head sadly. She dismissed it and tried to focus on the bright sunshine and the blue water lapping beneath the bridge.
“You think Justin will be OK in the shop?” Kate asked finally.
“Oh yeah. He’s very responsible. I let him watch the flower shop for me all the time.”
“What about the flower shop? I don’t want to cost you any business.”
“I usually close Sundays and Mondays. Or most Mondays. But I also forwarded the phones to the bakery. That way, Justin is really watching both shops. No sweat! And he’s got my cell number, if he needs us. When you run a store, you can’t worry about every little thing. If you do, the stress will kill you. But first it will make you very unhappy.”
Forty minutes later, they pulled into an office park just outside Bonita Springs. It was a collection of rounded mirrored buildings, some tall, others squat.
“See that one, there?” Maxi said, pointing to the tallest one in the park. “Lord Enterprises is on the top floor.”
“If this doesn’t work, will Peter post my bail, too?”
“Relax,” Maxi said, retrieving the long gold box from the back seat. “Have a little faith in the power of flowers.”
“Shouldn’t we look more like delivery people?” Kate asked as they marched across the parking lot.
“I got news for you, this is what delivery people look like. I make deliveries all the time. This is exactly what I wear. Jeans and a T-shirt. Here, if it makes you feel better, you can hold this,” she said, handing Kate a clipboard with a pen attached. “I deputized you. You are now officially an employee of Flowers Maximus. But don’t let all that power go to your head.”
Kate took a deep breath. Her heart was thumping and her limbs felt like lead.
“You know what to do, right?” Maxi asked as they passed through the front door and headed for a bank of elevators.
“After we locate Lord’s office, you’re going to distract his new secretary,” Kate whispered. “And I’m going to slip into his office and nose around. With my actual nose.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”
“I’ve never done anything like this before—what if I get caught?” Kate asked as they entered the elevator and Maxi pressed “20.”
“You’re not breaking in. They’re inviting us. So what if we wander a little? If someone walks in, just say you got lost. This building is big and round. I bet that happens a lot.”
Kate was dubious.
“OK, there’s one trick you can use, but save it for if you really need it,” Maxi said. “You hop from one foot to the other and say you’re looking for el baño. And you are in a super hurry.”
“Does that work?”
“It’s better if you have a squirmy toddler by the hand, but we have to use what we’ve got.”
When the door opened, they were facing a reception desk. Apparently, the entire floor belonged to Lord Enterprises.
But the desk was empty.
“Lunch break or layoffs?” Kate asked sotto voce.
Maxi shrugged. “C’mon,” she said, fast-walking to the back.
“Where are you going?” Kate called softly as she followed.
“Lord’s office. I make deliveries to places like this all the time. His office is gonna be as far from the reception desk as you can get. And he’s going to have the best view. The biggest glass window.”
When they got to the other end of the office, Kate saw it. Two cherrywood doors. Raised gilt letters spelled out: “Stewart Lord, Esq., Owner and Founder.”
But outside the door was a secretarial gauntlet: a cluster of three desks, all of them occupied.
“Uh-oh,” Kate said quietly.
“Just hand me that clipboard and get ready to do your thing,” Maxi said softly under her breath.
The florist planted herself in front of the first desk in the group—directly opposite Lord’s door.
“Ladies, I have a flower delivery for this office, and I’m hoping you can help me. Your boss, Mr. Lord, ordered a dozen long-stemmed red roses before he died. For one of you. The card is very personal. And it uses a pet name. The teenager who took the order over the phone? Unfortunately, the bobo garbled the real name. When I myself called to talk with Mr. Lord, I heard the awful news. You have my deepest condolences. But Mr. Lord has already paid for these roses. For a lady. So I must find her. And give her his beautiful gift.”
The three women clustered around Maxi and the gold-foiled box, all talking at once. As they did, Kate slipped into Stewart Lord’s office.
The lights were off. But one wall was glass and sunlight flooded the room. Suddenly this seemed like a really crackpot idea. Lord had been dead more than a week. Who knew how many people had been in and out of this office since then?
Kate planted her feet and tried to get her bearings. The word “ostentatious” didn’t quite cover it. It was a virtual apartment. Off to one side Lord (or more likely his flunkies) had set up a conversation nook, complete with a sofa, several overstuffed chairs, a Persian rug, and a marble fireplace. Gas, she guessed.
Lord’s desk and bookshelves sat atop a raised platform in front of the panoramic window, like an altar. On the other side of the room, an alcove off to her left housed a wet bar that looked more like a small kitchen. Next to that, another set of double doors.
Curious, Kate walked over and opened them slowly. The lights popped on, startling her. Motion detectors. She hoped she hadn’t also triggered an alarm.
A bathroom. But calling this a bathroom was like calling Versailles a house.
Every inch of the vast room was covered in marble. Off on one end, a sunken tub. On the other, what appeared to be a walk-in steam shower. In the center, a padded adjustable shaving bench that could double as a massage table. For the egomaniac on the go.
The marble vanity held one oversized golden sink, shaped like a giant clamshell. Gold towel rings on each side offered plush, spa-like white towels. The space was set off by an enormous mirror in a baroque gold-leaf frame.
Kate opened a white door just to the left of the sink. The scent nearly smothered her. Cigarettes, anise, and that cloying cologne.
A selection of half a dozen suits hung neatly in the center. On either side, perfectly square marble cubbyholes held neatly folded dress shirts, socks, and other necessities. On the floor, several pairs of handmade shoes in black, navy, oxblood, brown, and tan—a neutral ombré rainbow. Which ones had he been wearing the night of the break-in?
Because there was no doubt in her mind now. Stewart Lord had been their would-be burglar. So what had he been he looking for at the Cookie House?
The top niche on the right was curious. Puzzling. It held only two items: a tall brown bottle and a silver charm bracelet. She leaned into the closet to get a better look at both. The scent was suffocating.
The glass bottle was Isla Tropical rum. Not a familiar brand. But it must be tasty because there were only a few ounces left.
Odd. She’d never pegged Lord as a rum drinker. According to Harp, the developer preferred expensive scotch. And the crystal decanter on his office bar appeared to hold just that. Was this his secret stash?
Almost instinctively, Kate reached for the bracelet. She turned it over in her hands. The silver links were solid and heavy but graceful at the same time. Most of the charms were delicate. Light and ethereal. But a few were colorful, cheap, and almost juvenile. It was definitely a woman’s. And in this shrine to masculinity, gold, and opulence, it didn’t fit.
She glanced at the front door again. It felt like she’d been in here for hours. Just how long could Maxi hold off the gaggle of secretaries? And while sneaking in was relatively easy, how would she walk out without being seen?
Without thinking, Kate slipped the bracelet into her pocket. She carefully closed the bathroom doors and tiptoed to the front door. She could hear Maxi, holding court outside, punctuated by exclamations from the other women.
She glanced over at Lord’s desk. Dare she risk it? Surely the police would have been through it by now.
But he was the victim, not the killer. And from what she heard through the Coral Cay grapevine, Stewart Lord’s company attorney threw a temper tantrum every time the investigators mentioned wanting anything even connected to company records. So maybe they hadn’t.
She’d been here too long. She had to leave. Now.
Anxiously, she depressed the door lever. In millimeters, so that no one would notice it moving. Then she pulled it open in one fluid movement, pushed herself through, and swung it quietly shut behind her.
For a few seconds, Kate stood there lounging casually in front of the door, as if she’d been there the entire time, while her heart beat a syncopated rhythm in her chest.
“Ladies, once again, I am so very sorry for your loss,” Maxi said. “It sounds like Mr. Lord was a very special man.”
Kate fell in behind Maxi as they motored for the front office and the elevator. Luckily, the elevator car was empty. They rushed in, and Kate poked “G” twice. After an eternity, the doors finally closed.
Only then did Kate realize she’d been holding her breath.