will be on the door if he’s got it closed but you can’t miss him as
the inner walls from waist-height up are glass. Mr. Monard is the black-haired
man in the olive-green suit. I believe he’s wearing a gray tie today.”
“Thank you, Ida, you’ve been invaluable,” Matt said as he
and Julian took a step in the direction she had indicated. As if he had just
thought of something else, Matt paused after the first step. “Oh, by the way, I
believe a Miss Olivia Congreave also works here?”
Ida’s eager-to-please manner closed in on itself. Matt noted
with interest that while she had been prepared to do everything except hand out
Vincent’s phone number, her entire demeanor became more wary when Olivia was
mentioned.
“Yes, we have a Retriever working here by that name,” Ida
replied, obviously more guarded and protective.
Matt relaxed his face to appear as gentle as he possibly
could. “Her name came up on a few of the reports from Mr. Monard,” Matt
explained. “We thought maybe after we’d seen Mr. Monard, it might be easier for
us to just swing by and have a brief talk with Miss Congreave.”
“Oh,” Ida replied. “I believe Liv is in today, but she’d be
more than happy to speak on the phone with you. She always has time to help
anyone. I can’t imagine her giving you the run-around, unlike Mr. Monard.”
Matt nodded, understanding what Ida was saying between her
words. Vincent appeared to be a thorough jerk and not so popular among his
co-workers. Olivia, on the other hand, seemed well-liked by the receptionist
and presumably by her peers as well. Ida might have been happy to do everything
in her power to aid the Enforcers when it came to Vincent, but clearly she
would not lift a finger she didn’t have to when it came to aiding an
investigation concerning Liv. Matt found that telling.
“I’m sure she would have been pleased to speak with us,”
Matt reassured Ida, “but we were already here and it just crossed my mind that
while we were visiting it might save us time in case we had any questions
later.”
Ida nodded, seemingly only partially convinced and much less
eager now to help them out. Despite her visible misgivings, she nodded again
toward the same corridor.
“Liv’s office is the third on your left,” she added, clearly
not willing to divulge more than necessary.
“Thank you, Ida,” Matt replied as he and Julian passed her
desk. “You really have been a wonderful help.”
As they crossed the main open-plan office area, Matt could
feel Ida’s gaze on his back. Once they were properly out of earshot, Julian
closed the distance between them and murmured, “Our Ida seemed more than
willing to bury Vincent, but became quite protective and defensive when it came
to Olivia. They’re obviously friends.”
“Absolutely,” Matt agreed, “and we aren’t the only people
Vincent seems to rub the wrong way. Says a lot, doesn’t it?”
Almost as soon as they entered the corridor they could
clearly hear a loud voice talking above the rest of the more usual office
sounds.
“And then I just knew I had been right, regardless of what
Old Lindleston said. Always trust your instinct, that’s what I say. I’m one of
the best damn Retrievers in this whole city and I don’t care if Lindleston has
been at it for nearly half a century, he’s getting old and past it. Me, and the
new breed of Retrievers who hunt just like me, are the way of the future, no
matter how much other wizards want to stick their heads in the sand over it.”
Halfway down the hall, Matt and Julian paused. As Ida had
told them, the individual offices had glass paneling. This allowed anyone who
walked by to see inside the offices. Even though the receptionist had indicated
that Vincent’s office was the fifth on the right, at the third they could see
far enough down the hall to spot their target.
A tall, well-muscled man who appeared to be in his
mid-twenties with a shoulder-length ponytail of slicked-back
the inner walls from waist-height up are glass. Mr. Monard is the black-haired
man in the olive-green suit. I believe he’s wearing a gray tie today.”
“Thank you, Ida, you’ve been invaluable,” Matt said as he
and Julian took a step in the direction she had indicated. As if he had just
thought of something else, Matt paused after the first step. “Oh, by the way, I
believe a Miss Olivia Congreave also works here?”
Ida’s eager-to-please manner closed in on itself. Matt noted
with interest that while she had been prepared to do everything except hand out
Vincent’s phone number, her entire demeanor became more wary when Olivia was
mentioned.
“Yes, we have a Retriever working here by that name,” Ida
replied, obviously more guarded and protective.
Matt relaxed his face to appear as gentle as he possibly
could. “Her name came up on a few of the reports from Mr. Monard,” Matt
explained. “We thought maybe after we’d seen Mr. Monard, it might be easier for
us to just swing by and have a brief talk with Miss Congreave.”
“Oh,” Ida replied. “I believe Liv is in today, but she’d be
more than happy to speak on the phone with you. She always has time to help
anyone. I can’t imagine her giving you the run-around, unlike Mr. Monard.”
Matt nodded, understanding what Ida was saying between her
words. Vincent appeared to be a thorough jerk and not so popular among his
co-workers. Olivia, on the other hand, seemed well-liked by the receptionist
and presumably by her peers as well. Ida might have been happy to do everything
in her power to aid the Enforcers when it came to Vincent, but clearly she
would not lift a finger she didn’t have to when it came to aiding an
investigation concerning Liv. Matt found that telling.
“I’m sure she would have been pleased to speak with us,”
Matt reassured Ida, “but we were already here and it just crossed my mind that
while we were visiting it might save us time in case we had any questions
later.”
Ida nodded, seemingly only partially convinced and much less
eager now to help them out. Despite her visible misgivings, she nodded again
toward the same corridor.
“Liv’s office is the third on your left,” she added, clearly
not willing to divulge more than necessary.
“Thank you, Ida,” Matt replied as he and Julian passed her
desk. “You really have been a wonderful help.”
As they crossed the main open-plan office area, Matt could
feel Ida’s gaze on his back. Once they were properly out of earshot, Julian
closed the distance between them and murmured, “Our Ida seemed more than
willing to bury Vincent, but became quite protective and defensive when it came
to Olivia. They’re obviously friends.”
“Absolutely,” Matt agreed, “and we aren’t the only people
Vincent seems to rub the wrong way. Says a lot, doesn’t it?”
Almost as soon as they entered the corridor they could
clearly hear a loud voice talking above the rest of the more usual office
sounds.
“And then I just knew I had been right, regardless of what
Old Lindleston said. Always trust your instinct, that’s what I say. I’m one of
the best damn Retrievers in this whole city and I don’t care if Lindleston has
been at it for nearly half a century, he’s getting old and past it. Me, and the
new breed of Retrievers who hunt just like me, are the way of the future, no
matter how much other wizards want to stick their heads in the sand over it.”
Halfway down the hall, Matt and Julian paused. As Ida had
told them, the individual offices had glass paneling. This allowed anyone who
walked by to see inside the offices. Even though the receptionist had indicated
that Vincent’s office was the fifth on the right, at the third they could see
far enough down the hall to spot their target.
A tall, well-muscled man who appeared to be in his
mid-twenties with a shoulder-length ponytail of slicked-back
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