The Temporary Detective

Chapter Fourteen

Felice Edwards, it turned out, was just his type. Smart and sexy like Jayla, but not as intense, and nothing perky about her. She was the kind of grounded, earthy woman who knew how to have fun, but relished her independence. And, apparently, her alcohol.

"I really shouldn't," Felice said with a flirty grin, when the waiter came around again. "And I hate to drink alone," she hinted.

James cleared his throat and counted to ten, double-time. "No, thanks."

"Well, what the hell! It's been a wacky week at the office." She turned to the waiter. "Another glass of Merlot, please."

"And I'll have another Coke," added James.

Felice leaned toward him, her blouse slipping alluringly to one side, exposing the top of a juicy-looking breast. "I never drink at lunch, you know. I don't want you to get the wrong idea. But I really need to unwind. I'm telling you—a murder in the office? Not in the job description, you know what I'm sayin'?"

She took a bite of her grilled chicken sandwich, tearing off the extra meat with a fervor that James could have put down to hunger, anger, relief, or a nicely brewing buzz.

"I'm sure it's been a zoo over there," he said.

Felice wasn't in need of much prompting. She had jumped at his invitation to lunch so quickly that he wondered if she'd been expecting his call. He hadn't necessarily intended to meet her today, but she had made that assumption, and he had gone with it. When he stood up to introduce himself in the restaurant, he noticed, with some satisfaction, the telltale shift of light in her eyes that women always thought they were hiding, but never were. Felice found him attractive, and there was no ring on her left hand. That was the real reason she was having a second drink, he thought. She was trying to turn a business lunch into a date.

"The police need to know everything they can about all the employees, so naturally they came to me," she said proudly.

"So, where are they are heading with this?"

Felice shook her head. "They don't give up much, that's for sure. They interviewed me for a long time, then they took my files and that was that."

"I'd like to know everything I can about all the employees, too. I guess that makes me no better than the police."

"Better looking," Felice said sweetly.

James gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Well, thank you. But seriously, I want to know more about the people Isobel is in with. I'm worried about her. And, uh, all the other Temp Zone employees you have."

Felice eyed James. "Isobel's the only one on the books right now."

He cleared his throat. "Well, I'm trying to get a handle on how safe it is for her to be there. As her employer. Given the murder."

Felice sipped her wine. "How safe is it for any of us? Isobel's only temporary."

"But do you think it was somebody in her department? Or somebody who came in from outside? Or maybe from another company in the building?"

"Slow down, buddy!"

James made a mental note to start counting to five between questions.

Felice bit off another chunk of her sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. "The police asked me the same things. I wish I thought it was somebody from outside, but to know Doreen Fink was to want to kill her. So I think whoever did it probably works for us."

"If she was so awful, why didn't you just fire her?" James asked.

Felice shrugged. "Her boss liked her. We got tons of complaints about her, but he wouldn't let her go."