Chapter 16
The sound of the espresso machine whirred as we stepped into Key Bean. Isabella had tracked Zoe’s phone to the location. I spotted her at a small table by the window in the back.
Key Bean was an eclectic coffee shop full of pretentious art snobs, aspiring writers tapping on keyboards, and corporate types holding small team meetings. Chill music pumped through speakers, and the delightful aroma of fresh coffee and pastries swirled.
We walked across the joint, and Jack took a detour to the counter to order coffee.
“Is this seat taken?” I asked when I reached her table.
Zoe’s intense eyes focused on her laptop screen as she tapped away on the keys. “Yes. My invisible friend is sitting there. Would you like me to ask him to move?”
“A smart ass. I like that,” I said as I took a seat across from her.
“Whoops. You crushed him.”
“Sorry about that.”
“It happens,” she said, still focused on the screen.
“Working hard, or hardly working?”
“Just catching up on some emails. I had 300 spam messages in my inbox this morning. 300!”
“Same.”
She kept typing.
“Were you in Stingray Bay earlier?”
“I was taking images for a listing.”
“Sounds like business is booming.”
She made a so-so expression. “It’s okay.”
“You know it’s illegal to fly a drone onto someone’s property and look into their house.”
“I’m well aware of the laws regarding drone use.”
“So you decided to violate the law anyway,” I said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I just talked to the Pearsons. They’re rather upset that a drone was spying on them.”
“Oh, really? Mr. Pearson’s upset. Maybe he shouldn’t beat his wife.”
“Are you admitting to flying a drone onto his property?”
“I’m not admitting to anything.”
I sneered at her. “I can’t prove what you did or didn’t do. But don’t let it happen again.”
We stared at each other for a moment. She was easy to look at.
“He’s going to kill her, you know?”
“No. I don’t know.”
“This is a pattern, and it escalates. Might not be today, might not be tomorrow. But someday, he’s going to snap if she stays around long enough. I’ve seen it happen.”
“I can’t arrest a man for what he might do in the future. I need probable cause.”
“That’s what I’m trying to give you.”
“So, you’re admitting to the drone thing?”
“No. I’m just saying, you need to do something.”
“I’ve done everything I can at the moment.”
“I get it. He’s a rich guy with powerful connections. He gets a pass. But mark my words, one day you’re going to be over there investigating a homicide.” She sighed and shook her head. “I’m beginning to think you guys are as corrupt as Pineapple Bay.”
My jaw tightened, and my blood boiled. Those were fighting words.
I shouldn’t have let it get under my skin, but it did.
“Look, I bust my ass to serve justice in this town. JD and I put it all on the line. If I was corrupt, I’d lean on a guy like Pearson and make his life miserable until he paid me to go away.
He’s not going to get a pass from me if he’s guilty. But I have to play it by the book.”
“Let’s hope his wife doesn’t die in the meantime,” she quipped.
I glared at her. “I appreciate where you’re coming from. I’m sure you’ve got the best of intentions. But just stop. Let law enforcement handle this. If you keep invading the man’s privacy, I will put you in jail.”
“Ooh, jail. I’m scared,” she taunted.
“Trust me. I don’t think you’d like it.”
I pushed away from the table, stood up, and marched back to JD. By that time, he had two steaming cups of coffee and handed me one. We found a couple of comfy chairs and took a seat. I filled him in on my conversation with Zoe.
She packed up her laptop, stuffed it in a backpack, and left through a side door.
“She seems a little obsessed,” Jack said.
I shrugged. “She is a little intense, but she might be right.”
I called Denise and asked her to run background on Zoe. With a few taps of the keys, she pulled up her file. There were a few interesting tidbits in her past.