Last Fairytale, The Read Online Free PDF Page A

asked.
    “Of course.”
    “Then what have we got to lose?”
    Gen slid into the booth. Bree bent her knees and followed, tucking her purse between them on the seat.
    “The chef is a favorite of mine,” Taylor said, “although I only lunch here on weekends. The workday crowd is, let’s say, determined.”
    “Let’s say, so is the hostess,” Gen replied.
    She and Vonnegon locked eyes.
    “Restraint and discretion tend to be an adult domain,” he replied, then turned to the menu. “I recommend the salmon, and the quiche is perfection. But feel free to order anything you like.”
    “Was Andrew Ducane the restrained type?”
    Vonnegon closed his menu and set it aside. “He typically was during work hours. When we first met, I thought he was a young guy with an old man’s personality.” Vonnegon stared out over the bay. “He’ll be missed. He thrived on making discoveries in the lab.”
    “Was that what he died for?”
    Taylor’s compassionate expression dissolved into something less distinct. He didn’t answer, simply folded his hands together on the edge of the table and leaned against them. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then signaled to the waitress.
    “Did you know him well?”
    “No, not very.” Vonnegon tilted his head and appeared lost in thought. “I don’t think anyone at Elergene was close to Andrew. He was a loner during work hours. Quirky. Genius often is.”
    Their waitress approached. “Ready to order?” she asked, perky in her bow tie and white blouse. The name Sarah was embroidered on her shirt.
    “I’m not sure the ladies have had time to decide. I thought I’d order a plate of focaccia and cheese to start. And an iced tea for me, please. Cambria? Gen? Would you like a glass of wine? Another appetizer?”
    Bree shook her head. “I’d also like iced tea, please.”
    “She speaks,” Taylor said.
    Bree held Vonnegon’s gaze. “I thought we were here to listen.”
    “May I have a sparkling water?” Gen asked. “We should be ready to order by the time you come back.”
    Sarah nodded politely and left.
    “Miss Delacourt, your friend has a sharp tongue,” Taylor said. “I’m not sure I could win a verbal battle with this one.”
    “Bree’s right,” Gen replied. “Now that the chit-chat’s out of the way, why don’t we get down to business? Tell us why we’re here. Surely not to hear that your deceased employee was stand-offish, although that is interesting.”
    Taylor Vonnegon fidgeted.
    “Need a glass of wine for fortification?”
    “I seldom drink alcohol, Miss Delacourt.”
    “Oh? AA?”
    “No. AV.”
    “Beg your pardon?”
    “Abraham Vonnegon.” He ran a hand across his jaw. “My father.”
    “Ah.” Gen didn’t ask him to elaborate. “And about last night?”
    He took a deep breath, opened his mouth to begin, then hesitated. “I’m sorry. This is difficult.”
    “We’re curious to know why.”
    “All right. Two years ago, Elergene Enterprises was awarded an important federal contract to perform certain biotech-related experimentation, which I cannot discuss. Recently, we learned that Andrew was conducting private research in the company lab. The project was apparently a personal extension of his responsibilities related to our government work.”
    He stopped.
    Bree shot Gen an exasperated look, then let her eyes slide back to Vonnegon. “What does that have to do with throwing me under the bus?”
    Gen placed a hand on her arm.
    “Someone broke into Andrew’s lab last week and took documents. The alarm was not triggered. Building security found the door unlocked and empty file drawers hanging open. They reported it as a break-in. When the executive team questioned Andrew about it, he denied any collusion in the theft. However, he did confess he’d been up to some extracurricular activity.”
    “And whoever it was just took paperwork?” Gen asked. “That’s all?”
    “So it appears. The security tapes show that the intruder was a