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Jana shook her head. “Alton denied it. He assured me that the competitor had been trying to find out about our internal affairs.” She took a breath. “At that time, we were one of the top suppliers of ski equipment.”
“And your partner was interacting with that competitor?”
“Yes…no…not really.” Jana put up her hand. “Let me start over. Alton assured me that he didn’t want me to have to deal with the communications. He was trying to make it easier for me. He told me that he’d cut the guy off, so I didn’t need to worry.”
Thaddeus rubbed his thumb over the rim of his cup. “And maybe he did cut off the email interchange. But what if he continued the business connection?”
Jana expelled a breath. “If what you’re saying is true, then Alton might be conducting affairs behind my back.”
“He knows about your invention. Could he have made a deal with a competitor? Do you think that’s possible?”
Jana dug her hand in her hair. “I just…” She paused. “I suppose it’s possible that Alton could do that. I hate to believe that. I think…” She frowned. “To be honest, I don’t know what I think anymore.”
“Someone is trying to kill you,” Thaddeus said. “We can’t rule anyone out until we know for sure. I’ll take a closer look at your partner. He does have motive. The money would help with the medical bills he’s burdened with.”
“But…murder? Alton would kill me to gain control of the business, to have the right to sell the invention?”
“It does seem far-fetched,” Thaddeus said. “And I hope, for your sake, that it’s not true. But I’m going to keep that open as a possibility.” He knew from experience that danger often came from unexpected quarters. Casting a blind eye or justifying odd behavior could have disastrous consequences.
“I don’t know,” Jana said. “This situation is making me suspicious of everyone.”
“Danger has a way of doing that. It’s natural to react that way, when you aren’t sure where the attacks are coming from or when the next one will hit.” That was the part that Thaddeus didn’t like. Protecting was in his blood. But he preferred to know who the enemy was, and face him head-on, not wonder what was next.
