“I did wonder what happened to you,” I said. “I’m glad that now I know.” I smiled at her.
“And I’m sorry I didn’t try to find out whether you were in town. It’s not an excuse, but I didn’t get here until the twenty-third.”
“It’s okay,” I said.
Sloane smiled and leaned back in her chair. “So tell me why you wanted to see me.”
I folded my hands in my lap and started in on the spiel I’d planned as I was driving down. “I have a business here in town—Second Chance—it’s a repurpose shop. A couple of my friends are planning on moving into North Landing, assuming it goes ahead, and I wanted to know more. I knew the Wellington Group was one of the investors in the project, and when I saw that you worked for them, I thought maybe I could get the inside track on the project.” So far nothing I’d said wasn’t true.
“You know the project has had some problems?” she said.
I was surprised by her bluntness, which must have shown on my face.
“I didn’t think there was any point in beating around the bush with you,” she said. “Unless you’ve changed a lot.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I remembered you talking about spending your summers here,” Sloane said. “I didn’t know you were living here or that you have a business.”
The woman sitting next to me was far more polished and professional than my college friend had been, but I could see the girl I used to know underneath the beautiful clothes and expensive haircut.
“Sarah, the Wellington Group has a lot of money already invested in this development idea and the potential to make a lot more if it’s as successful as we believe it can be. We have a responsibility to our investors to make this work, and I can promise you North Landing is back on track.”
“Because Lily Carter is dead?” I asked.
Sloane was clearly prepared for my question. She didn’t so much as blink. “What happened to her is very sad, but it has nothing to do with the development. Yes, it would have been easier if she’d been willing to sell the bakery to us. We were willing to compensate her very well.”
She tipped her head to one side and studied me. “You run your own business, so you know that there’s nothing personal in a business decision. Yes, the Wellington Group stands to make money if North Landing is successful, but so does North Harbor, and since the project clearly benefits the town, sometimes compromise has to be made.”
“You mean the town was going to expropriate Lily’s land,” I said, trying to sum up her two long sentences into one.
“That was one of the options talked about,” Sloane said.
“I thought that was something that couldn’t be done in this case.”
She gave me a professional smile that had no real warmth in it. I was reminded that the fact that we had once been friends didn’t mean we still had a connection. “We have a lot of resources and staff with experience in this kind of thing.”
It was as close as she was going to come to admitting somehow they were using influence behind the scenes.
Sloane turned and picked up a cardboard accordion file from the desk behind us. “Take this with you, Sarah,” she said. “It has all the details about the North Landing project—specs, financials, projected ROI. If you think it’s a good deal, then I hope you’ll think about moving your business downtown, but if you don’t, I’m still happy I got to see you.”
She stood up, and I realized the meeting was over. I got to my feet as well.
“Could we maybe have lunch sometime?” she asked. “Not for me to give you the hard sell, just to catch up.”
I nodded. “I’d like that.”
We walked out together. “If you have any questions, please call me,” she said. She indicated the cardboard folder. “My card’s inside with my direct line on it.”
“I do have one question,” I said. “Who exactly is the Wellington Group? Who are your investors?”
Again I got the cool, professional smile. “I’m sorry,” Sloane said. “The Wellington Group is a private corporation. I can’t give you that information, but I can promise you that you’d be in good hands with us.”
I wasn’t going to get any information from her, I realized. It had been a fishing expedition and I hadn’t caught anything. But it wasn’t like I hadn’t already gotten what I needed from my dad.
“I’m glad I got to see you,” I said with a smile. “We do have a lot of things to catch up on. Do you still like country music?”
Sloane put a hand over her heart. “I’ve seen my man Ronnie Dunn six times in concert.”
I grinned. “So I don’t have to ask if you’re still a fan.”
“I am,” she said as we started down the steps. “Do you still play?”
“Not as much as I should.”
She gave me a sly grin. “So if I make it to one of those Thursday-night jam sessions I’ve been hearing about, will I hear you?”
I shook my head, laughing. “I wouldn’t count on that,” I said.
Sloane walked me to the front door and we exchanged another hug. “I’ll call you when I’ve had a chance to read all of this,” I said, holding up the folder of information.
“I’ll look at my calendar and we’ll have lunch soon. I promise,” she said.
It was a little early, but I drove over to McNamara’s, got a couple of roast-beef sandwiches and headed back to Jess’s shop. I was halfway down the street when I saw Jess hurrying down the sidewalk. She waved at me and we met in front of the store.
“Hey, am I late?” she said, pushing back her hood. “I had to go deliver a dress to a customer.”
“No, I’m early.” I held up the takeout bag. “Roast beef with pickles and extra mustard.”
“You are my favorite person in the entire world,” Jess said.
“Right,” I said as I followed her inside. “As long as the sandwich lasts, I am.”
Jess said hello to Elin and then we moved into her sewing room. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing at the folder Sloane had given me as she took off her jacket and hung it over the back of a chair.
“The prospectus for North Landing.”
“I have one of those,” Jess said. “Why do you?”
“Long story,” I said. “Let’s eat first.”
Jess got coffee for us both and we sat on opposite sides of her desk. I set the folder on the floor by my chair.
“So dish,” Jess said, after she eaten about half her sandwich. “Why do you have a North Landing prospectus?”
I took a sip of coffee before I answered. “Let me see if I can give you the short version,” I said. “I had a meeting with Sloane Redding from the Wellington Group, which is an investor in the North Landing project. I was hoping—” I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t know what I was hoping, actually. Maybe that I could find out something that would prove who killed Lily.”
Jess frowned. “Wait a sec. Is this the same Sloane Redding who was your roommate before me?”
My mouth was full, so I just nodded.
“So did you pump her for information?”
I wiped a dab of mustard from the side of my mouth. “I tried,” I said. “I didn’t get anywhere.”
Jess shrugged. “All I’ve got is my coffeemaker broke and I stabbed myself about ten times working on that rolled hem, so you win for most interesting morning,” she said.
As we finished eating, I told Jess about the meeting.
“Sarah, I know you want to see the person who killed Lily pay for what they did, but it’s not your job. That job belongs to the police and Nick.” She grinned and wiggled her eyebrows at me. “You’re trying to be Wonder Woman without the boots and the lasso.”
I laughed, and coffee almost went up my nose. Jess had a way of cutting right to the point of things.
“I never met Sloane,” Jess said. “What is she like?”
“When we were in college, she was fun. And smart. I was sorry we lost touch.”
She pulled a pickle out of her sandwich and popped it in her mouth. “What’s she like now?”