While Colin understood that Evan was worried, he didn’t think his concern was justified. How hard could it be to figure out whether Ken sent the roses? All it would take was a few phone calls, some pointed questions, and a photo… Lord knows he’d been on the receiving end of countless interrogations, and he knew that getting answers was often about presence and expectation and sounding official. Most people wanted to talk; most people couldn’t shut up, even when it was in their best interest. He figured that if he was lucky, he’d have his answer by midafternoon.
In the kitchen back at his place, he opened his computer and did a quick search for Ken Martenson. Not hard to find – the guy was even more connected than Colin expected – but there were fewer photos than he’d thought there would be, and none were what he really wanted; too far away, too blurry. Even the photo on the firm website had to be at least ten years old – at the time, Ken had a goatee, which altered his appearance to a significant degree. Colin would have to take his own photo, he decided. Except he didn’t have a high-quality camera with a telephoto lens. He doubted whether Evan had a decent camera, either; Evan wouldn’t have spent the money. The guy was tighter than a tick.
But Maria had one.
He called her cell and left a message asking if she was free for lunch. By the time she texted him back to see whether he could meet at half past noon, he was in class. But as he read her text, the professor droning on in the background, he realized that he’d been holding more tension in his neck than he’d noticed.
He forced himself to take deep, steady breaths.
“You want to borrow my camera?”
They were seated on the outdoor patio of a small café, waiting for their food to arrive. Though Colin hadn’t eaten since the night before, he wasn’t hungry.
“Yes.” Colin nodded.
“Why?”
“I need a photo of Ken.”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“The only way to know for sure who ordered the flowers is to find the florist. I can then show the florist the photo and ask if he’s the one who bought them.”
“What if he ordered by phone?”
“If he paid with a credit card, I’ll get the name.”
“They won’t give it to you.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I’d still like to borrow your camera.”
Maria debated before shaking her head. “No.”
“Why not?”
“For starters, he’s my boss. He also knows what you look like, and if he sees you, it’s only going to get worse for me around there. Besides, I saw Ken this morning and I have the sense it’s already over.”
“You saw him?”
“He came to talk to Barney and me about one of our cases first thing in the morning. To let us know he’d heard that it was finally on the docket.”
“You didn’t mention that when I called…”
“I didn’t know I had to.”
He caught the first hint of frustration creeping into her tone.
“How did he act?”
“It was fine,” she stated. “He was normal.”
“And you weren’t bothered when he showed up?”
“Of course I was. My heart practically jumped out of my chest, but what could I do? Barney was right there. But Ken didn’t try to talk to me alone, and he didn’t spend any time with the paralegals, either. He was all business.”
Colin clasped his hands together beneath the table. “With or without your camera, I’m going to find out who sent you the flowers.”
“I don’t need you to solve my problems, Colin.”
“I know.”
“Then why are we still talking about this?”
Colin kept his expression steady. “Because you still don’t know with any certainty that Ken was the one who did it. You’re making an assumption.”
“It’s not an assumption.”
“Would it be so wrong to make sure?”