Casey looked at them all with a frown. “Wouldn’t Justin be the one to benefit if...if he were the one who—?”
“Was around if something happened to me and Annette?” Stephanie said. “No, that’s the odd thing. If something happens to both of us and there are only four board members left, it’s an equal split. Elijah just wasn’t close to Justin. When Justin asked for a job, he gave it to him. But he only got a position because he was a Marceau, and Elijah couldn’t let a family member have nothing. So, he worked with Justin, and Justin does have a charming personality. It turned out he wasn’t so bad when it came to marketing, advertising, and especially, personal appearances,” she finished.
“I need to get to the shop,” Casey murmured. “I open today.”
“Okay, we’re out,” Ryder said.
“And we’ll be on it from any angle we can find,” Jackson assured him.
Ryder looked at Casey. “Time to get you to work.”
“You’re coming to work with me?”
He paused to let her see the seriousness of his words. “I’ll be in or near the shop all day.”
Her eyes rounded at his unspoken message. “You think someone might come after me. In a shop in the French Quarter?”
“I think someone will be watching you, and I want to see who. Also, with the meeting tomorrow, we may get something. And we should get some lab results back from the M.E. over in Mississippi. So for now...I’m your constant companion,” Ryder said.
He was curious to see if she would object.
She didn’t. She just glanced at her watch.
“Then we should get going.”
* * * *
It was interesting, Casey thought, bringing Ryder into the shop with her, especially after what had happened the morning before. In the hours since, she had gotten to know him...
And it was strange that in the short time they’d spent together, she somehow felt ridiculously close to him.
Of course, he might end up saving her life. He was security.
But he was also more.
She really hadn’t wanted to like him. But she did. And she sure as hell hadn’t wanted to find him intriguing, compelling, and attractive.
Sexually attractive.
But she did.
She’d had a few weird dreams. They should have been about ghosts…being haunted.
They weren’t. Her dreams hadn’t been horror stories at all. Rather, they were fantasies. There had been something like an old disco ball sending rays of color everywhere, and she and Ryder had been dancing. He had been giving her that strange smile of his as if they shared something unique and special. It was an incredible secret and a bond that went deeper than any other could go. She felt the strength of him in every movement. In their dance, he pulled her close, his eyes both tender and aflame, and she thought they’d come closer and closer until... She had woken up.
Now, she was the first to arrive at the shop. Once she opened, Ryder took a seat in one of the comfortable chairs by the coffee and tea service until Jared and Lauren arrived.
He stood to greet them. “Uh—hi.”
“Hi,” the two said in unison, staring from him to Casey.
“It’s all right,” Casey said quickly. “We had a chance to speak yesterday. Ryder is with the FBI.” She hesitated. “He and Lena Marceau were cousins.”
Jared still looked protective and fierce, as much as someone who was almost a throwback to a love-all hippie could.
Lauren seemed curious and wary.
“And how does that affect you or the shop in any way?” Lauren asked. She looked at Ryder. “I have a cell phone on me, and I can hit emergency call with the twitch of my hand.”
Casey laughed and went over to hug her and then Jared.
“What’s going on? Really?” Jared asked.
“Lena Marceau was in the store several times,” Casey explained. “We...we wound up having some serious conversations. I’m good with kids, so...we talked. She talked about her husband and about it being crazy having so much money. She didn’t believe her husband fell off a building, and she was frightened for herself and Annette. I told her to talk to the police. She told me she had planned to. I was sad when I heard she’d killed herself. You know Jennie was convinced she saw ghosts at the cemetery. Then...I went to see Stephanie Harrow, the baby’s guardian. And Ryder thought that...”
“I thought she was a sham, just tormenting Stephanie. Or worse,” Ryder said. “I thought she might be part of something horribly devious like getting rid of Stephanie and the baby, too.”
“But...” Lauren spoke and then looked confused. “Hey, I’m not FBI or anything—art major here—but even I know you look at the person who would benefit.”
“There are four people who would benefit,” Ryder explained. “But there’s also murder for hire. Whoever is doing all this is in for the long-haul. But we discovered that another person in the higher-up section of the company might not have died of a simple heart attack. And I think someone started watching Casey. So...I’m here for a bit.”
Lauren and Jared looked at each other.
“Well, we’ll be nice and safe,” Lauren said.
“Not that we’ve had trouble,” Jared put in.
“But you never know. New Orleans is not without crime,” Lauren said, but then she frowned. “You can’t just arrest the four people?”
Ryder smiled at her. “Well, there’s the Constitution. Innocent until proven guilty. And proving anyone guilty in this...it hasn’t been easy. Anyway, I’ll be in here for part of the day, and scouring the area the other parts. If I can help anyone in any way, just let me know.”
“Nice. Thank you,” Lauren said.
“I’m going to hang a few large canvases if you want to pitch in,” Jared said.
“Sure.”
A woman came in to browse the tee shirts, souvenirs, and jewelry. Casey spoke to her, showing her which goods were local, and explaining what some of the symbolic jewelry meant. Lauren spoke to another woman about a sketch of Jackson Square.
Ryder worked on the canvases with Jared. The two talked easily. She heard Ryder tell Jared at one point, “Yeah, I have a degree. Criminology. I’m afraid I haven’t an artistic bone in my body, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love art and music.”
“Everyone has music,” Jared assured him. “It’s in the body, the blood, the mind, and the soul.”
Ryder’s phone rang, and he excused himself, walking outside and down the block. Casey watched him go.
Lauren was next to her where she stood behind the counter.
“Okay...nice!”
“Yes. I mean, it turns out he was just really upset. I guess I don’t blame him. I suppose it was just something eating at me. We do have a shop where I do readings, and people often think that means you assume you’re something you can’t be. Anyway, Ryder was protecting his cousin, Stephanie Harrow, Lena Marceau’s sister. And—”
“I’m glad he turned out to be nice. Because he is...well, he’s employed, for one.”
Lauren had been engaged for a while to a man who turned out to be using her for room and board.