On Saturday afternoon, Spence sat in the front row, at the end, where he could watch everyone in the room as Zoe give her presentation. The room was packed, people lining both walls and jammed several people deep along the back of the room. Zoe was right -- they’d put her in one of the largest rooms, but it was still bursting at the seams with people.
From the rapt look on everyone’s faces, Zoe’s presentation was a huge hit. And when she finished her talk, the audience clapped for a very long time. So long that Zoe began to look uncomfortable.
People rushed to the front of the room to ask her questions, and Zoe stepped down from the slightly raised platform on which she’d been standing. Since Spence was in the first row, he was able to maneuver himself to her side. As people crowded around her, he stood close and studied their hands, looking for weapons.
He studied their eyes, looking for the crazy. Looked for sweat on their foreheads. And he studied their body language, looking for tension. Nerves. Strain.
He didn’t see anything in the faces of the people approaching Zoe, other than eagerness to talk to her. To pick her brain. To ask for a job interview.
Anyone asking for an interview got one of her cards. “Give me a call. My secretary will set up a meeting,” she told them.
Finally the last of the crowd was gone. People were already seated for the next presentation, and Spence escorted her out of the room. Once they were in the hall, he said, “Did you miss any meetings?”
“No,” she said. “I knew it would be like this and didn’t schedule anything for immediately after my workshop. But I need to get upstairs. My first meeting starts in five minutes.”
As he walked with her up the stairs, steadying her elbow, Spence said, “How do you do it? Juggle everything at a conference like this?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I’m used to it by now.” She shot him a look, then focused on the stairs. “And having you and Nico has really helped.”
“How so?” he asked.
“I know you’ll keep the crazies away. I know that if anyone seems too… fervent, too eager, you’ll block their access to me.” She smiled. “Maybe I should hire you whenever I have to go to a conference.”
“I’d love to work with…” He caught himself. “I’m sure Mel would send someone to work with you for future conferences,” he said. “In fact, when she debriefs me after this job, I’ll recommend that she assign someone to you for all your public appearances.”
She’d stiffened beside him when he caught himself. Now, without looking at him, she said, “I’m sure that won’t be necessary. Ethan is a special case. And I’m hoping that you catch him soon and he’s in a facility where he can get help.”
Davies was a special situation. He was completely lost in his fantasy world, believing that Zoe was waiting for him to rescue her. Take her away and keep her with him forever. But he didn’t want to discuss Davies with Zoe right now. She’d just had a long session, spoken to a hell of a lot of people, and now she had to take meetings with God only knew how many more people.
“You sure you’re up for this?” he asked. “These meetings?”
She stopped on the landing and turned to face him. “This is part of my job, Spence,” she said. “Making presentations at conferences like this one. Talking to my colleagues and potential job seekers. Talking to my competitors. Melbourne Solutions is a big business. It’s one of the top two or three software security companies in the country. There are always people who want to talk to me at conferences. And there are always people I want to talk to.”
She studied him for a long moment, then set her hand on his arm. “I know this is stressful for you. And I’m sure your head is still really sore. I’m sorry for that. But I know how to handle myself. I know who I need to meet with. Who I need to seek out.” She finally grinned at him. “And I know who to avoid. Jeffrey Stewart was one of the people I always avoided at conferences. He made my skin crawl.”
Her smile widened. “And he’s not an issue anymore.”
As she headed for her first meeting, Spence laid his hand on her arm. The heat of her arm warmed his hand, and he wanted to curl his fingers around hers. Instead, he eased his hand away. “Do me a favor?”
“Of course.” She tilted her head. “What do you need?”
“Two things. I’m going to walk into the room with you. If the person waiting for you isn’t who you expect, or if anything feels off to you, I want you to squeeze my arm, okay? If you do that, I’ll stay in the room with you and pretend to be checking the equipment.”
She glanced at him. “I can do that. What’s the second thing?”
“Is there a bell or a chime that signals when the session is over?” he asked.
She nodded. “A warning five minutes before the end. Then another chime when it’s over.”
“If for some reason you stay longer in the room after that second bell, would you open the door? So I can see that you’re okay?”
She frowned, considering his request. Finally nodded. “I can do that. I’ll tell whoever I’m meeting with that I’m letting the timekeeper know I’ll be out in a moment.”
“Okay. That works, and it’s innocuous. Won’t ruffle any feathers.” He put his hand on her arm as she turned to go into her first meeting. “Will you have time for dinner before your keynote speech?”
“Maybe, but I’d rather not eat.” She sighed. “I speak better on an empty stomach.”
“Okay. After you’re finished, we’ll grab dinner somewhere and take it home.”