“From human scent evidence dog to lap dog,” Marc said dryly. “Rough adaptation, Hero.”
The bloodhound responded by snorting loudly in contentment.
Shannon gave a small smile, distracted, at least for the time being. “He’s beautiful,” she said.
In one fluid motion, Claire came to her feet. She’d already been seated at the table when Casey came in, and Casey had been totally focused on the upcoming client interview. So for the first time, she noticed that Claire was dressed in Lycra capris, a tank top, and a hoodie—her yoga clothes—rather than the business casual she wore to work.
“I’m a yoga fanatic, Shannon,” Claire said, before Casey had time to process things. “That beanbag chair came from my workout room. Would you mind if I grabbed another one and joined you on the floor? I work better when I’m comfortable.” She gave Shannon one of her warm, enveloping smiles.
“That would be cool,” Shannon admitted. “I feel kind of lame being the only one down here—except for Hero, of course.” She stroked Hero’s glossy head.
“Great. I’ll go grab one and be back in a sec.” Claire didn’t make eye contact with anyone else. She just walked out of the room, all grace and serenity.
And visionary instinct.
Smart, Claire, very smart, Casey thought as she gestured for Lisa and Milo to join everyone at the conference table, which they did. The more at ease Shannon is, and the more flashes of insight you can pick up from being beside her, the better.
Casey lowered herself into her chair, positioned just a few feet above Shannon and Hero. She took an extra minute to settle herself, giving Claire more time to return.
“Can we get the three of you anything?” Emma piped up, correctly interpreting the dynamics that were going on. “Coffee? Tea? Water? And we’ve got blueberry and corn muffins, too.”
“Water would be great,” Lisa said.
“Coming right up.” Emma walked over to the credenza and opened the built-in fridge, pulling out three bottles of water. “Here you go.” She handed one each to Lisa, Milo, and Shannon. “We’ll eat the muffins later.” She grinned. “At least I will.”
By that time, Claire had returned and planted a beanbag chair on the other side of Shannon and Hero. She flopped down into it, stroking a hand down Hero’s back. “I’m all set,” she said. “Sorry to hold things up.”
“No problem,” Casey assured her. Keeping her posture relaxed and comfortable, she looked down at Shannon, choosing her words carefully. “Shannon,” she began. “I know that Lisa and Miles explained to you that we’re here to protect the three of you. I hope you feel you can trust us.”
“I’ll try.” Shannon swallowed. “I have nowhere else to turn now that Julie’s dead.”
Casey nodded her understanding. “I can’t even imagine what a shock it was for you to find out that Julie is…gone. What we don’t know is why. We’re going to need you to fill in whatever blanks you can.”
Shannon looked up, her eyes bleak. “It has something to do with the PEDs Jim Robbins was giving me.” A pause. “He’s dead, isn’t he? They killed him?”
“I don’t know,” Casey replied honestly. “He may have been harmed. Or he may have taken off by himself, out of fear. Either way, we can’t wait around for him to turn up with answers. We have to act right away—find out who they are.” She waited while Shannon took a nervous gulp of water.
“After your injury and your realization that Jim’s ‘supplements’ were really PEDs, did you tell anyone other than Julie?”
Shannon shook her head. “Julie told me not to. She wanted me to stay out of it, just to go home, see a therapist, and let her do the digging.” Tears clogged Shannon’s throat, and the pain in her voice was heartbreaking. “She was protecting me. And it got her killed.”
“It’s not your fault, Shannon.” Claire put a soothing hand on Shannon’s arm. “You had no way of knowing this went any deeper than drug distribution, or any further than Jim Robbins and the PEDs he was giving you.”
Shannon shoved a strand of hair behind her ear. “Julie must have found something out. But I don’t know what.” Shannon paused. “I know that Jim worked for someone else—someone bigger. He pretty much admitted that to me when I confronted him in the Apex parking lot. And whoever those someones are, they not only deal drugs but kill people.”
“You’re not going to be next, Shannon.” Casey’s voice was firm. “Neither is Lisa or Miles. We’re going to make sure of that.”
“My guess is that Julie somehow got into Jim Robbins’ office at Apex,” Marc said. “Whatever she found was there. Maybe documents, maybe something on his computer, maybe something else. But that material implicated not only him but higher-ups. And they had to get it before someone could use it against them.”
“Then why didn’t they come after Julie? Or Lisa, if they knew they killed the wrong woman?” Shannon asked.
“Because the papers never reached her.” Patr
ick was thoughtful. “They’re definitely keeping an eye on her—and on Miles. But to kill Lisa randomly, when the Chicago police believe she’s Julie, would be too much of a coincidence to ignore. It would raise eyebrows and cause the cops to more thoroughly investigate the two murders. That’s a big risk for criminals who want to fly under the radar.”
“Jim was giving those PEDs to more athletes than just Shannon,” Claire murmured. “I’m getting flashes of two others. They weren’t at Shannon’s level but close.” Brows drawn in question, she looked at Shannon. “Do you have any idea who those two gymnasts were?”
Shannon’s jaw dropped. “You really are a psychic, aren’t you?”