Free Banana Muffins & Mayhem by Janel Gradowski Page B

dress up in suits for meetings. The business name was surrounded by intersecting ovals, to represent neutrons orbiting around the name—a nod to quantum physics. "Are you sure it was your logo?"
    "Yes. There's no doubt in my mind. Plus, the bartender remembered waiting on the couple. Since he was so focused on the pretty blonde, he couldn't recall any details about the guy, other than that he was wearing a red shirt with what the bartender called an atomic energy symbol on it. All of the Quantum Media shirts are red, and that was a pretty apt description of our logo."
    "So one of your employees is now being investigated for the murder?" The homicide case's oven door had been opened up while the suspect soufflé was baking, deflating the hope that nobody at Quantum was involved in the crime.
    Alex shook his head. "I don't know. The guy wore a baseball cap. There was never a shot of his face—it was always in shadows. I can think of quite a few people at Quantum who look similar to him. At this point, I have no idea who the man is, and neither do the police. I voluntarily turned over all of my employee records to Detective Foster. I want to catch the killer as much as she does so that life can get back to normal. I have nothing to hide."
    He didn't have to convince her of that. Alex's picture could go in the dictionary as an example of integrity. But his moral standards couldn't extend to everybody at his company like a force field. Or what if the person wasn't with his company? "Maybe someone donated a shirt to a charity clothing store, and the guy at the bar bought it."
    He raised an eyebrow. "It's a possibility. I hadn't thought of that, but I have a feeling the shirt isn't a coincidence."
    "Why?"
    Alex pulled open the refrigerator. He disappeared behind the door as he bent to peer inside then emerged with a bottle of beer. "Because about an hour before Detective Foster called to have me come down to the police station, I got an odd email. It was a rant about how Quantum Media had ruined that person's life, and now the company was going to pay."
    Holy guacamole! The day was the loaded nachos version of troublesome developments. "That's insane! Did you tell the police about it?"
    The bottle hissed when Alex twisted off the cap. Amy felt the same way. She could almost feel the steam escaping out her ears as though she were an enraged cartoon character. Watch out! She's going to explode! Over the past summer, a cyber thug had terrorized many businesses in downtown Kellerton. Even though the perpetrator was in prison, the thought of Alex receiving a threatening email brought back the frightening memories of that time.
    "I told Detective Foster. She has a computer expert trying to track down where the email came from, but I suspect that will lead to a dead end. It isn't very difficult to set up untraceable accounts." Alex picked at the bottle's label. When he looked at Amy, his eyes had turned glassy. Was it fear or despair?
    "If the company supposedly ruined this person's life, then it's probably a former employee, don't you think?"
    "Yes, that's the most logical reason for the threat. Only two people have been fired from Quantum, but there are over a dozen who have left for various reasons. It's going to take a while, I would think, to look into all of them. On top of that, we have no idea if the threat is connected to the murder or not. Could be two totally unrelated events that were coincidentally happening at the same time. I get the idea that's what Detective Foster is thinking."
    Amy gave the soup a quick stir. Then she wrapped her arms around Alex's waist. He was her rock. But now, more than ever, he needed her help—to figure out who was threatening his company. He had worked so hard to make it successful. There was no way she would let somebody drag Quantum, and all of the employees, through the muck of murder and revenge. At least, not if she could help it. Amy laid her forehead on Alex's chest. She didn't just want