Weapons of Mass Distraction by Camilla Chafer Read Free Book Online

back to me to be sure he had it right.
    “I’ll be there. Thanks, Lexi. This whole business is giving me the creeps. Both Jim and Karen were fit, healthy people, and used to regular exercise. They couldn’t have just dropped dead. And Lorena… I just don’t know. Who would want to hurt her?”
    “You’re not the only one who’s concerned,” I assured him in the most inefficient way. After hanging up, I raised my eyebrows at Solomon, waiting for him to say something. When he didn’t, I said, “Guess someone has to go back to the office.”
    He nodded. “You’re coming too.”
    “I didn’t say I wasn’t.”
    “Just making sure. Don’t want you going into shock all by yourself. Everyone, we’ll meet you at the agency. We have a meeting to make and a potential new client to interview. Lexi, I want you to ride with me.”
    “My car is right outside,” I said, pointing to my VW in the driveway. Although I’d driven it home, with Solomon on my tail the whole way, I barely remembered the journey. Solomon gave me a look. “Fine, you can play chauffeur for the day,” I conceded, secretly touched at his concern.
    We waited as Delgado, Fletcher, and Flaherty exited my house, softly closing the door behind them before taking off in Delgado’s car.
    “How you doin’?” Solomon asked.
    I grinned. “Better since your Joey impression.”
    “Who?”
    “Joey, from only the biggest sitcom ever…” Solomon gave me a blank look. Right. He probably spent that decade killing people in the jungle or something. How could he have found the time to watch television? “Oh, never mind. I’m okay. I was just so shocked when I saw Lorena. It’s so different finding someone you know murdered.”
    “You’ve found people you know dead,” he pointed out, which, unfortunately, was true.
    “This is different. I actually liked Lorena. She was nice and fast becoming a friend.”
    “I’m sorry you had to see her like that.”
    “She was the one who called this morning, you know, and last night. She kept leaving messages, saying she needed to talk, but when I called her after breakfast, she said she couldn’t talk over the phone. She sounded worried about something. Maybe If I hadn’t called Lily or there hadn't been so much traffic, I could have found out what was wrong and she might still be alive.” It was the same argument that kept replaying through my brain. What, if anything, could I have done differently to change the outcome? The rational part of me said nothing. There was no other outcome.
    “Or you could have walked in on her being attacked and be dead now too,” said Solomon, his blunt tone sending a chill through my spine. “So don’t question anything you did or didn’t do. Lorena Vasquez is dead. You can’t change that now.”
    “That’s some straight talking, John.” I rarely called him by his given name and when I did, he smiled, which is what he did now. Being rewarded with a smile like that, no wonder I saved his name only for special occasions.
    “Yes it is, Lexi Graves.”
    “Okay.” I nodded to show I understood, that I wouldn’t continue to second-guess myself. “What next?”
    “Now we go to the agency and see your potential client.”
    “Mine?”
    “You’re my best PI for the job. You know the people, you’re familiar with the locale. You want point on this?”
    I gave a decisive nod. “You bet.”
    ~
    By the time Solomon and I meandered over to the office, Michael had already arrived and was seated in the small boardroom we usually used for internal meetings or the occasional client. Mostly, we saw our clients in a suite of interview rooms a floor down from our offices, but they were currently closed for painting.
    “When did he get here?” Solomon asked, pausing by Fletcher’s desk. Delgado’s was empty and a fresh take-out coffee sat on Flaherty’s, so I guessed he was around somewhere. Lucas’s monitors were blank, but his jacket hung over his desk chair. I looked up