“Not a murderer?”
She clears her throat. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the murder of my husband, Phillip Bostwick.”
Aha. No wonder her last name sounded familiar. The murder of Phillip Bostwick is major news. The man was a billionaire business owner, although I’m not sure what businesses he owned. It’s all way above my paygrade.
“I didn’t know you’d been accused of his murder.”
“I haven’t been. Not yet anyway. It’s only a matter of time.”
My phone pings and I look down to see a message from Suzie. Ask if she did it! Inquiring minds want to know.
I’m not going to ask this woman if she killed her husband. How rude!
“And you want me to prove you didn’t murder him?”
“Yes.” She bobs her head. “Exactly.”
“I think you may be a bit confused as to what we do here at You Cheat, We Eat.”
“I can pay you. I have my own money.”
I hold up my hand to stop her. “Money is not the issue. I’m not qualified to investigate a murder.”
“Are you sure? You come highly recommended. And I would prefer to have a woman investigate my case.”
“I’m sorry.” I stand. “I can’t help you.”
“Well.” She stands as well. “Thank you for your time.”
“Good luck. And my condolences on the loss of your husband.”
She nods and leaves the office without saying another word. As soon as the outer door closes on the poor woman, Suzie and Phoebe invade my office.
“You should totally take her case,” Suzie says.
“Are you out of your mind? I have no idea how to solve a murder case.”
“Pish posh. I’m sure Aiden can help you. Think of all the money.”
Phoebe sighs. “At least she was smart enough to keep her own money separate from her husband’s.”
She sounds like she’s speaking from experience. Unfortunately, Suzie catches on to that little tidbit as well.
“Are you married, Phoebe? Or involved with someone? Is he rich? Is that how you can afford your fancy-schmancy clothes?”
“Suzie, enough! Leave the woman alone. If she wants you to know about her past, she’ll tell you.”
Suzie pouts. “But I want to know now.”
I direct my gaze on Phoebe. “I’m sorry. I swear she doesn’t mean to be a brat.”
Phoebe’s smile is shaky but at least she doesn’t run away. “I need to get back to the filing,” she says and rushes out of the room without a backward glance. So much for not running away.
Suzie collapses in a chair. “Well, today is a bust. We didn’t get a new client, and I know nothing more about Phoebe and her background.”
“Look, Suzie, you need to stop poking around in Phoebe’s business.”
“No. She’s our employee. We need to do make sure she isn’t a criminal.”