Influence

Chapter 26

Maris traced the outline of the calendar she'd printed from Tam's laptop, a dozen pages taped together and marked with sticky notes and red pens. Tam had inherited the calendar from her predecessor. Both had been meticulous at keeping the calendar updated and well-organized. Even the gaps, which looked to be filled in or at least dictated by Goldie, were telling in their own mysterious way. She lingered on a few of these:

April 5th: Goldie gone 11-2 NOYB where.

June 12: All day Goldie retreat into the abyss. DON'T ask!

Most of the calendar painted a more concrete picture of the influencer's day to day activities. She attended work meetings, social get-togethers, photo shoots, and EpiGold development—most of the time, it wasn't difficult to determine approximately where she was or who she was with. But it was clear, when Goldie didn't want to be found, she managed to stay hidden.

The words on the calendar blurred. Maris placed a hand on her belly, breathing the way she'd been taught during a mandatory pandemic wellness training. She'd been resistant back then, not believing she needed to focus on self-care when so many others were suffering more than she was. That viewpoint hadn't lasted long. Exhaustion had a way of dismantling hubris.

After six breaths, she felt sturdier on her feet, but her heart still beat to a fragile, irregular rhythm, like it was new to the world and wasn't ready for all the crap about to be unleashed on it.

Self-care would have to come during happy hour today. Ignoring the palpitations, she made herself focus on Goldie's calendar. If she stared at it long enough—like possibly the rest of the day and all night long—a lightbulb would come on and a murderer would be caught.

"Who haven't we talked to?" She tapped her pen along the names she now recognized. A meeting with Sally Cohen on June 30th. A conference call with the Wanton Cosmetics marketing team on May 19th. There was someone they hadn't talked to, of course. NOYB had a name. All the blanks on the calendar linked up. Or at least, she'd thought they did. Now, she wondered if there was NOYB and also... someone else.

She'd said this to herself, to what had been the empty conference room where she'd taken over and spread out her printed calendar across the length of the meeting table, but her partner came in in time to assume she'd been asking him.

"Funny you should ask." Ryan handed her a coffee and took a sip of his own as he gazed over the pages on the table. "I just got a text."

"Was it Tam Martin confessing her crime and her location? If so, I promise never to argue about anything with you ever again."

"Sorry to disappoint, but no."

"Damn. Who then?"

"Paul DeAngelis. He had a name for me. Tell me if it sounds familiar. Aiden Park."

Maris shook her head. "Who is he?"

"He works for a company that contracts with Lucre. Or worked. I tried calling the business and it seems their number is no longer in service."

"Interesting. Do we know anything else about this guy?"

"According to Paul, who swears he himself never met him, Goldie has met with him."

"It's not on her calendar."

"Paul says it was off the books."

"Why would that be? If Aiden Park contracted with Lucre, then it seems like a meeting with Goldie would be pretty official."

"Maybe it was. Maybe Goldie was working an angle behind Paul's back and didn't want the meetings to be noted."

"Yeah, but Paul knew about it somehow."

"He could have found out after the fact. Maybe Paul didn't consider this Aiden guy to be too important, but all along, he was the one Goldie was seeing when she marked out parts of her calendar."

Maris cringed. It couldn't be.

"What's wrong? You got a headache?"

She sipped her coffee. "Nothing a few more cups of this swill can't fix."

"We gotta go talk to this guy."

She nodded. "You have an address for him?"

"A slip."

"He's trying to give us the slip?"

"Remains to be seen, but no. A slip, as in a boat slip. Whatever business he was in, it paid well. Dude lives on a yacht."

"All right then." Maris scooped up her papers. "Let's go see how the other half lives."

______

We interrupt the drama on the yacht to bring you this brief scene at the cop shop. Sorry, it had to be done! Now we have the detectives on Aiden's trail as well. Will Garcia and Ryan make it to the marina in time to help (or hinder) Tam and Jasper?

Either way, I promise you we will be back at the boat in the next chapter to see what happens. See you there!