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Fourteen
Goingincognito in November was easier than it would have been in the summer. It’d started snowing sometime before dawn, a dry sort of snow that whipped across my skin with an almost brutal wind. In a way, I was thankful for it though. It meant I was able to bundle myself up with a coat, hat, and scarf, and not look out of place at all. It also meant that people weren’t going to be paying much attention to whether or not they were being followed.
The downside, however, was that I knew it would be difficult to recognize my target if she was bundled up like me. If she even left the office today. It would be just my luck if this snow turned into a storm and kept Jessica Lee inside for weeks.
As it grew closer to lunchtime, I decided to take a risk. I bundled back up and got out of my car. The doctor Jessica worked for was a general practitioner, which meant I could probably slip inside unobtrusively and watch when Jessica left. It was risky, but my choices were on the limited side. I had no way of knowing if I’d be able to spot her, which meant I could spend hours in my car or pacing outside, wasting time.
I hadn’t taken that into consideration when I’d decided to take this case. I didn’t really have a problem with infidelity cases but working with Jenna had given me a taste of being part of something bigger, and it was that thought that kept nagging at me.
“Focus,” I muttered as I bent my head against the wind. “Solve the case, move on to the next one.”
When I opened the door, the gust of warm air made me sigh. I always needed a few days to make the adjustment between seasons. By next week, I wouldn’t notice the cold until we were under three feet of snow.
Snow in the mountains. I had to admit, I was looking forward to it. It’d be beautiful.
As I stepped through the second set of doors, I saw Jessica right away. She looked up from where she was working at her computer, and I nodded at her without taking off my hat or scarf.
“Can I help you, hon?” She had a slight Southern accent, making me wonder where she’d moved from.
“Just waiting for someone.” The scarf muffled my voice, but I counted that as a positive thing. I went over to a seat across from her desk and picked up a magazine. I figured I’d have about ten minutes before I started looking suspicious for not taking off my hat and coat.
Fortunately, I’d only been there for six minutes when she stood up and announced that she was taking an early lunch. I waited until she left to get up. I forced myself not to rush as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked at it. The worst thing a person could do when doing something like this was overreact. I needed to pretend that I really had just gotten a message from someone.
By the time I was outside again, I worried that I’d moved too slow, but then I saw a familiar hot pink coat a few feet away. I started after her, my phone still out. If she looked behind her, she’d hopefully just see someone engrossed in her phone.
I kept glancing around as we went, trying to figure out where she was going. We’d bypassed the parking lot to the office, and she didn’t seem to be stopping at any of the cars on the street either. The wind was dying down, but I couldn’t see her wanting to go anywhere that would necessitate a long walk, especially with that teased hairdo.
She paused, and I went a couple more steps before I slowed, frowning at my phone as if I was looking at something important. She looked around, and I sighed. She was attempting to be stealthy and was really bad at it. Which meant she was either about to go on a shopping spree…or she was meeting someone in secret.
When she walked into the Holiday Inn, I knew which it was about to be. My background check on Evan had come back with exactly what he’d said I’d find. Which meant she probably wasn’t cheating on him because he was abusive. I understood how some women couldn’t leave their abusers, but if she just didn’t want to be with him anymore, she should just walk out instead of just sneaking around. But, hey, it was her choice to make.
I followed her into the lobby, lingering by the door and rubbing my hands together to warm them. I kept track of her via her reflection, then made my way up to the counter.
“How can I help you?” The kid behind the desk barely looked old enough to be out of high school.
I pulled off my hat and scarf, giving him a warm smile. “I’d really like to know what room my friend just rented.”
“Your friend?” He sounded skeptical but didn’t threaten to kick me out, so I’d take it.
I let my smile fade and my bottom lip tremble. “I thought she was my friend, but now I think she’s meeting my husband. It’ll just kill me if he’s cheating on me, especially with her.”
He leaned across the counter, a concerned look on his face. “She’s not sleeping with your husband.”
I sniffled. “How do you know?”
“Because she’s meeting a woman.”
Oh.
I hadn’t seen that coming.
Now what?
I made a silent apology to the kid and then scowled at him. Eyes narrowed, I hardened my voice. “How do I know you’re not lying? He could’ve paid you to tell me that. Or she could have.”
He looked a little freaked out. “No one paid me anything, ma’am.”
I pointed at him, honestly a little annoyed at the ma’am. “Then you’re lying to get me out of here. Just let me see for myself, and then I’ll go, I promise. Give me a key, and I’ll pretend that I stole it. I’ll open the door and see for myself, and then I’ll leave. I promise.”
