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arrangement. How could I make him understand? “Like I said, she sounded agitated, on the verge of panic. I was afraid if I pressed too hard, I’d lose her, and she sounded like someone who needed a PI, who needed to confide in someone.”
    “Okay, Beth, you don’t have to defend yourself to me,” Sly said, his lawyer-smile never leaving his face. He sipped his soda, then leaned back in his chair. “What happened next?”
    I thought through it a bit, settling myself. “I cleaned up some paperwork in the office, then headed for Boca. I intended to get a good look at the meeting place and its environs. Her tone had me edgy, not knowing what to expect. In any circumstance, I like to have a feel for the environment. I know that someday it will pay off. Anyway, I arrived about two fifteen and cruised the area. Nothing unusual. A Starbucks in the middle of a strip mall—two pizza joints, and two Chinese food places, one of them take-out. A dress shop looking for the proper time to go out of business, a picture-framing place, an ice cream parlor, and a few other store fronts that probably changed hands every six months or so. Small merchandising is a tough business. Each time I see a going out of business sign, I think of the dreams that have shattered. I wonder what makes them do it. What makes them invest everything they own into a restaurant or T-shirt shop or something else doomed to failure? Do you ever consider it?”
    Sly smiled. “As long as there is a chance for success, there is the dream.” He glanced at his watch. “Continue. I have appointments this afternoon.”
    I took a deep breath. “There was the inevitable shoe store specializing in average footwear at above-average prices.” I shrugged. “Hey, it’s a woman’s world. Anyway, I parked and walked through the area, still feeling uneasy. You know, that prickly feeling on the back of your neck. Guess my intuition knew something.” I paused, thinking through what I’d just said. “Wish I’d listened.”
    “I understand. Go on.”
    “About ten minutes before three, I went into the Starbucks, got a vanilla latte, and took a table by the window where I could watch the sidewalk and the entrance. There wasn’t much traffic so spotting her wasn’t difficult, although at first I thought I’d picked the wrong woman. She had on jeans, a pink top with a scoop neck, and white sneakers with pink trim. A harried look on her face topped it all off. She hesitated as she approached the entrance, glanced around, then continued walking. I followed her with my eyes, convinced she was my appointment. She appeared to be watching for surveillance, a bit of a frightened look on her face. She stopped in front of the frame shop and faced the window. I could tell she didn’t look through it though. She used it as a mirror. After a couple of minutes, she reversed her steps, entered the Starbucks, and came straight to my table. ‘That was cute,’ I said. ‘Are you always so cautious?’
    “That earned me a glare. She said, ‘Ms. Bowman, I hope you’re more serious when you’re on a case. This is important to me, and I don’t intend to hire someone who doesn’t understand that. My husband may well have brought in a PI before I decided to. He’ll do anything to stop me.’”
    Sly made a couple of notes. “Are those her exact words?”
    “Close enough for here and now. I wouldn’t swear to them on the stand, but I’d paraphrase them close to that. Basically, she admonished me for not being serious and said her husband was a threat.”
    “Because he might have a private detective following her?”
    “Yes. That was my understanding.”
    “Continue.” Sly had stopped eating while I spoke, but now took the opportunity to finish off his sandwich.
    I sipped my cola while Sly chewed. He was a stickler for accuracy, so I had to make sure I explained everything exactly right. “Ms. Garcia wanted to change locations, saying we were too exposed in the Starbucks. We