Page 32 of Wild Fever

"Possibly.”

Gary pulled out his phone and looked up her number, then texted it to me after I gave him a card.

I asked him to export a clip of the footage. He did. It buzzed my phone a few moments later.

Lori had been waiting for Kara. It was obvious from the footage. She ignored several other customers and only approached Kara with a sample fragrance. My brow tensed as I tried to put all the pieces together. I whispered to Kara, "How did she know you were coming?”

21

Gary watched our discussion, not able to make sense of it.

“Have you been following a pattern?” I asked Kara, having a suspicion.

She cringed, then sheepishly admitted, “Maybe.”

I facepalmed in dismay and shook my head.

“I know, I know. But the coffee shop in the mall has the best pumpkin spice latte on the island. Believe me, I’ve tried them all.”

I gave her a flat look.

“I’m serious.”

“Basic,” I said.

“Hey, we all have our weaknesses.”

I thanked Gary for the assistance, then we left and made our way back to the parking lot. I texted Isabella and had her look into Lori.

Isabella called a few minutes later as we reached the Porsche. I held the door for Kara, and she climbed in.

“You really need to get a bigger car,” she muttered.

“What have you got for me?” I asked Isabella.

“Lori has been working the perfume counter for a year. Prior arrest for DUI. Has a credit card balance of $19,329 and student debt of $79,634. Her current checking account balance is $376. It’s safe to say she’s a little overleveraged. I’m looking to see if she has a crypto wallet.”

“Sounds like a prime target.”

“I’ll keep digging,” she said before ending the call.

I slipped into the seat and pulled the door shut with a clunk. Jack pulled out of the space, and we set out to find Lori.

We cruised across the island toward the Conch Coast apartments. We hadn't been on the road long when Jack noticed a black sedan a few cars back. It had been hanging with us for a few twists and turns.

"I think we've got a friend," JD said, thick with sarcasm, his eyes keeping watch on the rearview.

I glanced at the side mirror.

Jack made an abrupt right turn at the next intersection.

Kara tumbled from one side to the other.

The black sedan followed.

JD’s foot grew heavy, and the engine purred. We weren’t hauling ass, but we weren’t going slow either.

The black sedan accelerated to keep up with us.