Page 43 of To Catch a Latte Thick as Thieves

“She hasn’t?” Annie frowned at the empty counter. Denise should have had it ready by now. “Sonia, will you set up the counter? I’ll give Denise a call and see if everything is all right.”

Annie darted back to her office, leaving her staff to fend for themselves. She knew they’d be fine. She wasn’t so certain about Denise. Things hadn’t been right with Denise for several weeks now. Something had to be done. With the FBI investigating, she needed everyone to keep themselves above suspicion.

She’d known Denise since cooking school. Denise had dropped out to get married, a move Annie had thought she might regret. But Denise had never said anything and for years she’d been very happy with her husband Edmund. It wasn’t until last year when she came and asked for a job, that Annie suspected there might be trouble in paradise.

Annie punched in her friend’s number on the phone in her office. The phone rang six times, but there was no answer, not even an answering machine. Annie hung up. She’d called Denise last night to tell her they were reopening and Denise had sounded eager to come back to work. Perhaps she was just running late. But that wasn’t like her. Denise was Miss On-Time-All-The-Time even if she had to drive through fire.

“Everything all right, boss?” Fisher asked from the doorway.

“Huh? Oh, fine. Everything is fine,” she lied, not knowing why she did it. Somehow she didn’t want Fisher to be aware of Denise’s behavior. Annie was sure it was nothing, at least nothing for the FBI to be concerned about.

“Good,” he said, watching her as if trying to decide whether to believe her or not.

Annie turned her smile up in wattage. If Fisher was looking to investigate the people in her life, she was going to have to guard her reactions around him. The thought depressed her. She’d enjoyed their closeness over the past week. Like it or not, she’d been falling for the big lunk. But no more. He was Special Agent McCoy now. And until she knew who was using her business for no good, she would have to be cautious around him. She didn’t want any innocent bystanders to get in trouble.

“What’s got you looking so fierce?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she lied. “I was just thinking.”

“Happy thoughts obviously,” he said.

She scowled at him. “Was there something you needed?”

“Actually, yes.” He smiled in the face of her annoyance. “We’re about to open, did you want me to work the counter for Denise?”

“Could you?” she asked dubiously.

“Blindfolded and with one hand tied behind my back.”

She snorted.

“Trust me,” he said. “You wouldn’t believe some of the undercover jobs I’ve had.”

“Like what?” she asked as she rose from her desk and led the way back into the coffee shop, locking her office behind her. If Fisher noticed, he didn’t say anything.

“I was a bouncer at a strip club once,” he said.

“Oh, that must have been brutal,” she said. “It’s a wonder you didn’t get eye strain.”

“And then I was the nighttime operator of the icey machine at a Circle K,” he said.

“That’s a chilling thought,” she quipped.

“Very funny,” he said, following her into the main room. “Speaking of funny, there was the time I had to pose as a clown at a kid’s birthday party.”

“You’re joking?” she asked as she unlocked the front door to the shop and propped it open with a rock.

“Not at the moment, but I have to say I was a very good clown,” he said.

“Why would you...?”

“Mobster’s kid,” he said.

“Oh.” She gaped at him. “I don’t believe it.”

“I still have my big red shoes.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I could model them for you sometime.”

“Thanks but no,” she said. “Are you sure you can handle the counter? The espresso machine can be very temperamental.”