Page 65 of Little Hidden Fears

“No, thanks. I didn’t know they still made Bubble Magic.”

“I didn’t either until a toy store opened in the outlet center in San Luis Obispo. They carry all kinds of things from past generations.”

He unwrapped the stick of gum and popped it in his mouth. “It came to my attention that some of my staff have been speaking to our members about Noelle’s death. Right before you arrived, I called a meeting. I made it clear I didn’t want anyone spreading false information about Noelle’s murder, not with their fellow staff and not with our members. It’s like you said, no one knows what happened, and there’s no point in making assumptions.”

His reasoning made sense.

We arrived at the park, taking a seat at one of the picnic tables. He wasted no time getting right to the point of our meeting.

“How do you know Alexander?” he asked.

“I didn’t know him, not until today.”

“I’m shocked he granted you an audience. He turns most people away, including me. I’ve never been allowed to step foot inside his house.”

“I wasn’t sure he’d agree to meet with me. At first. Max turned me away, but I didn’t leave. It took a lot of convincing before he told Alexander I was there.”

“Why do you think Alexander agreed to see you?”

“His late wife was friends with Noelle.”

“Ahh, yes, I remember. His wife was a sweet woman. It was a shame she died.”

“How did she die? I didn’t dare ask.”

“It was a bit unusual. She overdosed on her prescription medication.”

“Why is that unusual?” I asked.

“She always seemed so well put together, not like someone who would make a mistake with their medication. But what do I know?”

Maybe it was a bit strange.

I put the thought to the side for now.

“When I spoke to Alexander, he didn’t seem to know you’d hired Annie,” I said.

Clark’s face went pale. “You didn’t mention her to him, did you?”

“I did not, but I’m thinking you should. If he finds out you kept it from him, you’ll be a lot worse off than if you just level with the guy.”

“I’ve kept it from him for far too long. I’m not sure how to fix it now.”

He was right.

Given she’d worked there for months, he’d put himself in a predicament.

I thought on it a moment and came up with an idea.

“Maybe you don’t have to mention how long Annie has worked at the club. Why not slide her into Owen’s position without mentioning how long she’s worked there?”

He furrowed his brow, confused. “Why would Annie take over Owen’s position? I’ll admit, he’s somewhat of a dimwit. If it wasn’t for Alexander, I would never have moved him to accounting. He was great in client relations. Everyone loved him. There’s no way Alexander would allow me to change Owen’s position.”

“Oh, there’s where you’re wrong.”

“What do you know that I don’t?”

The time had come to share the reason for my visit.