No. First things first. After she discovered the detective’s motives, she’d concentrate on finding Regina’s killer.
Inserting the thumb drive with the files from Homestead Insurance, Dani clicked rapidly through the documents. She wasn’t sure where to start. Was Mikeloff connected to the woman who had been victimized or the men who had been dismissed? The detective had just said that she’d ruined someone’s life. It could be any of the four people involved in the incident and its subsequent cover-up.
Popping a grape into her mouth, Dani decided to start with the men. While she had info on the three persecutors, the records regarding the woman and her case were password protected. Dani didn’t recall the victim’s name, so if she didn’t find what she was looking for in the files she had, she’d have to do an online search using the few details about the woman that she remembered.
Having settled on a plan, Dani clicked open the personnel dossier of the first man. She ran her finger across the screen, careful to read each line. After studying the entire dossier, she opened the attached photograph and stared at the guy’s picture.
She hadn’t spent much time with the men involved in the scandal; most matters had been handled via email so that there would be documentation. And the few instances that she’d met with them in person, she’d been unwilling to meet their eyes and kept her gaze on the paperwork they were completing. As a result, she couldn’t recall any of their faces.
This first guy she looked at was blond, in his late twenties. There was nothing to indicate that he had any connection to Mikeloff. Of course, there were a million things Dani didn’t know about either man, so if she didn’t discover something from the other records she’d have to enlarge her search.
The next possibility was a redhead in his thirties. Again there was nothing obvious to link him with the detective.
Feeling discouraged, Dani clicked open the last man’s file and stared at Demetri Mitchell’s picture. If this guy were twenty years older and fifty pounds lighter, he’d be a dead ringer for Mikeloff.
Oh. My. God! Dani closed her eyes, hoping she was wrong. But several seconds later, when she opened them, the photograph hadn’t changed. Demetri, one of the men whom she had been instrumental in firing without severance or recommendation, was definitely somehow related to the detective who was trying to convict her of murdering Regina.
Demetri had maintained that while he was aware of what the other two men in his division were doing, he’d never participated. Dani had sensed he was telling the truth and suggested putting him on probation, but Homestead’s CEO had wanted the entire department wiped clean. And when the woman had remained adamant that all three men had been a part of her harassment, Dani had had no choice but to fire Demetri along with his colleagues.
Feeling nauseated, Dani scrutinized the picture for a third time. She rubbed her temples. There was such a strong resemblance, she wondered if the detective might even be Demetri’s father. The last name of Mitchell could certainly be an Americanization of Mikeloff. If so, Dani was in big trouble, and maybe Ivy by her association with her.
Sick to her stomach, Dani pushed away the fruit plate and fumbled with her cell. She had to call Spencer. Even keeping to the confidentiality agreement that she’d signed, she could tell him that there was a strong possibility that Mikeloff was closely related to an employee that she had been involved in firing.
She didn’t have to give Spencer the particulars, but he needed to know that the detective had a good reason to persecute her. And that it was likely that Mikeloff would concentrate all his efforts on proving Dani had murdered Regina.
Chapter 14
After Dani had consulted with Kelsey regarding the confidentiality agreement she’d signed and determined exactly what she could and could not reveal about the detective’s motivation for retribution, she’d phoned Spencer. As she had anticipated, he hadn’t been pleased that the only thing she would tell him was that a man named Demetri Mitchell who bore a strong physical resemblance to Mikeloff had worked at Homestead Insurance while she was employed in the company’s HR department.
Spencer had spent several minutes attempting to change her mind, but eventually he realized that Dani wasn’t budging. Once he’d conceded defeat, he agreed to do some research on both Mitchell and Mikeloff to find out if the two men were related. Spencer had also promised to stop over Thursday afternoon to share what he learned from his appointment with the police chief.
By the time Dani got off the phone with Spencer, it was past five, and she swiftly changed into her chef coat and pants, gathered her supplies, and headed toward the ritzy side of town. It was a little early, since Trent and Chelsea Karnes wanted to eat at their customary dinnertime of seven thirty, but Dani didn’t want to have to rush again.
As she pulled into the cul-de-sac, Dani crossed her fingers that in spite of everything that had happened with the luau and murder, the Karneses still wanted her to cook for them. They hadn’t contacted her to cancel, but she was a little nervous about facing a couple who had been Regina’s friends—or at least her parents’ friends.
They were presently her only personal chef customers and she didn’t want to lose them. She’d sent out flyers to all the addresses in Normalton’s ritzier neighborhoods and intended to follow up with another round, but her best chance for finding clients for this branch of her business
