Covert Justice. Lynn Huggins Blackburn

report to her. So she could be meeting with anyone from the people who service our printers to the clients who buy our finished product. Or she could have a dentist appointment. She doesn’t have a standing appointment on any one day, if that’s what you’re asking. Every day is different.”

      “So maybe she brought her purse to a shift-change meeting and he slipped the contaminated bar in there?”

      Would Caroline have noticed? Heidi didn’t know. She had to remind herself that the average American didn’t walk around assuming people were trying to kill them. An extra half of a granola bar wouldn’t look like a weapon. It would look like a snack.

      “Did she leave early any day this week?”

      Blake leaned back and rubbed his neck. “Maybe? I can’t remember.”

      Heidi didn’t push him. Sometimes memories eluded people when they were stressed or fatigued, and Blake Harrison was both.

      “Thursday,” Blake said after a few moments.

      “What happened Thursday?”

      “She had a hair appointment. I remember because I was annoyed that she was leaving.” He shook his head and Heidi could see the remorse on his face.

      “Hey, don’t beat yourself up.”

      “I need to tell her I’m sorry.”

      Heidi didn’t know what to make of this guy. Smart. Strong. Stubborn. And a sensitive family guy? She’d always thought guys like this were an urban legend. Or a fairy tale.

      Not that it mattered. She didn’t have time for fairy tales.

      “You can apologize later. I think for now, we need to focus on why on earth someone is trying to take out your family. Because there’s a strong possibility that whoever put the granola bar in her purse also took her EpiPen. If that’s true, then we’ve got a bigger problem than we thought.”

      “Which is?”

      “They weren’t trying to scare her or distract her. They were trying to kill her.”