When she disconnected, she turned to Nico. “Exactly the right thing to say. He can’t wait to hear why I have a bodyguard and need to talk about the case.” Typing the address into the Maps app on her phone, she said, “You’re going to make a left turn in a half-mile.”
* * *
Julia rubbed her hands down the thighs of her jeans as she stepped out of the car at the police station. At least it wasn’t the same one she’d visited after her family was killed. It would have been much harder to maintain her composure if she had to re-live those awful days and weeks after her parents and brother had died.
As Nico came around the car, his head constantly moving as he surveyed everything around them, Julia drew in a deep breath. Straightened her spine. She wasn’t a grieving, frightened sixteen-year-old. She was an adult who had legitimate questions about the accident that had killed her family. There was no reason to dread this visit.
Nico touched her arm. “You okay?”
She sighed. “Lots of memories. None of them good ones.”
“I know,” he said quietly, reaching for her hand. His fingers were warm against hers. Gentle. She gripped his hand for a long moment, then squeezed it and let him go as they reached the door. She wouldn’t walk in holding her bodyguard’s hand. It would make her look weak, and Nico unprofessional.
Julia gave her name to the desk sergeant and said Detective Petersen was expecting her. The sergeant nodded and waved her through, but narrowed his eyes at Nico. “Do you have a weapon?” the sergeant asked sharply.
Nico opened his jacket to show the officer the gun in its holster beneath his arm. “Yes.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Removed some cards and slid them across the desk. “Driver’s license. FOID card. Concealed carry permit. And my Blackhawk Security ID. I’m Ms. Stewart’s bodyguard, and I’m required to carry a gun at all times.”
The sergeant studied each card, as if expecting to find evidence they’d been forged. Then he picked up the phone and made a call. “Dave, I have a Julia Stewart and a Nico Elliott here. He’s carrying a weapon. Has all the right permits, but I thought I’d check with you before letting him through.”
The sergeant listened, then pressed his lips together. Nodded. “Got it, sir.” He hung up the phone and jerked his head toward the staircase. “Second floor. Petersen’s desk is on the left. Third one down.”
“Thank you, Sergeant,” Nico said, tucking his ID cards back into his wallet, then nodded at the man. “Good catch noticing the weapon.”
He felt the sergeant’s eyes on his back as he escorted Julia up the stairs. Nico didn’t expect any trouble at a police station, but he studied everything. Stayed alert as he and Julia walked to Detective Petersen’s desk.
A tall man with a shock of white hair stood up when he spotted them. “Julia,” he said, shaking Julia’s hand. “You’re looking good. I hear you own a hot new restaurant in Ballard.”
Julia’s shoulders relaxed. “It’s good to see you, Detective. And yes, I own a restaurant. Madeline’s. I’d love to have you and your wife stop by so I can buy you dinner as a small thank you for all you did for me when my family was killed.”
“We’ll come by for dinner, but department regs wouldn’t allow me to accept a freebie.” He gestured to the two chairs on the other side of the desk. “Have a seat.”
Before she sat down, Julia said, “Detective, this is Nico Elliott. He works for a company called Blackhawk Security, and I hired him to protect me.”
Petersen froze half-way into his chair. “Protect you from what?” he asked.
Julia described the things that had been going on, from the spyware on her computer to being pushed in front of a bus. Then she told him about Carole, Ruth and Andra and the scheme they’d used to steal money from the restaurant. “The same spyware was installed on both my home and work computers. Nico is trying to figure out who’s responsible, and if it could possibly be connected to the explosion that killed my family.”
Petersen’s gaze switched from Julia to Nico, and Nico saw defensiveness in his expression. “You really think this has something to do with the explosion?”
Nico took a deep breath. “I have no idea, Detective,” he said. “But that explosion completely changed the course of Julia’s life. Took everything away from her. My job is to look at everything to determine where the threat is coming from. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t look into that event and make sure that it’s not connected to the problems she’s having now.”
Petersen glanced at Julia, then stared at Nico for a long moment. Finally nodded. “What would you like to know?”
“Julia told me there was a witness to the explosion. Do you have his contact information?”