Page 21 of Hunting Justice
Noelle absorbed the implications of Matt’s report. “Thanks. I’ll let Jonah know.”
“’Preciate it. Gotta go.” Matt clicked off before they said goodbye.
She hit the End button and stared at her phone. “I don’t like it.”
“Me either.”
“Neither do I.” Alana and Juliette agreed in unison.
Noelle retrieved a pad of paper from the stack at the center of the table and prepared to jot down her thoughts. “I’d like to do a little digging into Ken’s background. He was a highly respected medical examiner. Why on earth throw that away?”
Juliette twirled a pen between her fingers. “Doc once said Ken’s wife had cancer and the experimental treatments were expensive.”
“Maybe so, but doing something criminal?” Alana asked.
Noelle struggled with the question. Would her family have ignored the law to save her? “I guess you never know what you’ll do if it’s someone you love.”
Both women nodded but appeared lost in their own thoughts.
Alana rested her elbows on the table. “The real question is, does the person who torched Ken’s house think Doc knows everything and can ID him?”
“Based on the attempted hit-and-run, I’d say it’s a real possibility.” Noelle pinched the bridge of her nose. Until she and Jonah discovered the extent of Ken’s crime, they were working in the dark on the identity of Ken’s killer.
Juliette tapped her pen on her bottom lip. “Either that or he’s not taking any chances, since Doc showed up right before the house blew.”
“Guys, I have a bad feeling about all this.” Noelle couldn’t ignore the churning in her gut. “Jonah might not agree, but at this point, I really don’t care. I’d like to give him our protection.”
“Twenty-four hour?” There wasn’t a hint of disagreement in Juliette’s tone, just a simple question for clarification.
Noelle shook her head. “He’d never go for it. Not yet, anyway. We need proof that the danger is real. I’m thinking more like escorting him to and from work. His mild concussion will work in our favor. Plus, he and I hang out in the evenings a couple times a week, so it shouldn’t be difficult to convince him to add a few more days.”
“I know you’re the boss?—”
She held up a hand, stopping Alana from continuing. “I only manage the business side. We’re all equals in the bodyguard aspect.”
Alana nodded. “With that in mind, Juliette and I will take care of the other cases and make sure they’re covered, unless you need us full time. You focus on Doc and the research behind Ken. We’ll help where we can, so keep us in the loop.”
“Thank you.” Noelle released a long breath. She should have known these ladies would have her back on this.
Juliette stood and placed a hand on Noelle’s shoulder. “You’re really worried about Doc, aren’t you?”
“More than you know.” The man had snuck his way into her life over the past ten months. Their friendship meant everything to her. But the knot of worry in her belly that wormed its way to her heart consumed her more than she wanted to admit.
Her coworker patted her back. “We’re here if you need us. We can always bring in contract bodyguards if needed.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep you informed as to what I find.”
Alana gently gripped Noelle’s arm. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll go have Raven shift our jobs around and let her know what’s going on.”
After her two coworkers strode out, leaving her alone in the conference room, her cell phone rang.
The caller ID showed a number but no name. She tapped the Accept button and answered the call. “Burton.”
“Hey, Elle.”
Recognizing Jonah’s voice, she leaned back in her seat and smiled. “Hi, Jonah. How’s it going this morning?”
“I only have a slight headache, and the Tylenol has kicked in, so I’m not as sore as when I left the house this morning.”