"No problem. I hope we catch this guy. No woman should be frightened in her own home."

I agreed, but didn't add especially when she couldn't leave it. It was an awful prospect that Juliet was the bait by which we hoped to catch her stalker; but there seemed to be no other way unless Lucas came up with a compelling lead during his investigations that would ensure her freedom. Her electronic ankle bracelet forced her into that position; and that concept kept popping into my head. At least, Juliet wasn't stuck in a prison cell.

On the drive back to Lily's bar, I half expected Solomon to call, and warn me about commandeering his employees to do my work, but he didn't. I reasoned that was because we were both looking for the truth. It meant far more to me to ensure Juliet wasn't guilty than it would have to Solomon to see her imprisoned. His client just needed a culprit; my client needed her freedom.

I dropped Lily at the bar with a promise to let her know as soon as we discussed her video, and dialed Solomon.

"I'm going to see Juliet's assistant. As a woman close to Juliet, she could be our stalker. I thought you might want to talk to her too?"

"Text me the address."

Solomon was waiting for me by the time I parked on Spring Street. The building where Jane O'Dowd lived was a new development of condos, shoehorned between some pre-war apartments and a park. The door was propped open by a cleaning crew so we walked in and headed up the stairs, looking for the right unit.

"Hi, I'm looking for Jane O'Dowd," I told the woman who answered the door. She was older than Juliet, taller, and wearing thick glasses that were too heavy for her long face.

"That's me, but I don't want to sign up for, or purchase anything," she told me promptly.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you a few questions about Juliet Hart."

"Her? The case is settled; and I don't want to talk about it. I signed a non-disclosure. I had to. If you're a journalist or a lawyer, I can't tell you anything more."

"It's about you leaving the company," Solomon started, reaching for his PI license to flash.

"You showed me already and I still don't want to talk to you. I didn't leave! I was fired!" Jane clamped her lips shut, realizing her error.

"We think there might have been an mistake," I continued.

"What kind of mistake? I accepted the severance check, okay!? I'm not going to sue, if that's what she's worried about."

"Let me be blunt," I said, trying to get to the problem quickly before Jane slammed the door in my face. Given how angry she looked, I was surprised she hadn't already. "Juliet thinks someone else fired you, by using her email. She also got an email from you claiming you intended to quit. I think someone was playing you both and now you're both suffering for it."

"Both suffering? I'm the one who lost my job! I still haven't found another one. No one wants to hire someone my age. They prefer someone younger and cheaper who has never been fired."

"Did you know Juliet is currently suspended from her firm, pending insider trading allegations?"

"Insider trading? Juliet?" Jane shook her head, frown lines furrowing her forehead. "She would never do that."

"I agree. Can we go inside and talk?"

Jane gave me a heavy look, like she wanted to say something more, but didn't know what. She was, at least, weighing her options. "Will I lose my severance?" she asked finally.

"No. This is strictly off the record. For your personal information, Juliet hired me, not Lancaster Friedland, and she has no ax to grind with you. She's just as confused as you are."

Jane hesitated. "Okay," she said, muttering as we entered, "insider trading? Juliet?"

"That doesn't sound like something she'd do?"

"No. If she hadn't fired me, I'd say she was the most honest, most careful trader I ever met, and believe me, I've worked for a lot of them."

"Did you like working for Juliet?" I asked as Jane showed us into her living room. The old furniture and heavy framed pictures seemed entirely incongruous with the new, smart condo. It seemed like Jane was trying to turn a cookie cutter box into a Victorian parlor, and failing miserably.

"Yes, I did. She was fair and reasonable. She never expected me to do menial jobs; you know, like picking up her dry cleaning; and she was never an ass if her coffee wasn't waiting on her desk the minute she got in. She gave me a lot of autonomy and was very kind when my father was sick and I needed to cut my hours to help care for him. She even sent flowers when he passed."

"So getting fired came out of the blue?" asked Solomon.

"Yes, I couldn't understand it. She told me my work was substandard, and had been for too long, and she was sick of covering for me. She said she had no choice, but to let me go."

"In the email?"

"Yes, in the email!"

"Didn't that strike you as being way out of character?"

"I was too shocked to really think about that. Plus, she'd been a little strange for a couple of weeks preceding that."

"How so?" I asked.

"Quiet. Distracted. Jumpy."

"Do you know why that was?"

"I just assumed she was overworked. I told her, I said 'Juliet, you and your husband should take a long weekend. You deserve it.' She took the next day off, a Friday, so I figured she appreciated my advice; then I got fired and figured I must’ve overstepped the mark."

"You didn't take it up with her directly?"

Jane shook her head. "She was very clear about never contacting her again. I spoke to human resources and they told me Juliet said I quit!"

"Juliet told us you quit too."

"I didn't! I can prove it." Jane stepped around me, walking over to a desk with a beautiful patina and curved legs. She rifled through a concertina file box, and pulled a sheet from it triumphantly, passing it to me with a flourish. "There! I printed it."

Solomon read the controversial email over my shoulder. Like Jane said, it was rude, curt, and unequivocal: Jane was fired with immediate effect and forbidden to contact Juliet under any circumstances.

"You didn't think it was completely out of character based on what you know about Juliet?"

"For Juliet, yes. For a trader, no. They can be such asses."

Solomon looked solemnly at her. "Jane, I have to level with you. Based on the evidence we've amassed so far, I don't think Juliet fired you. I think someone was messing with you both."

"Why would anyone do that?" Jane asked, giving us both a perplexed look. "I got along with everyone there."

"We think it was aimed primarily at Juliet, not you. You were simply a casualty."

"I don't know what to think."

"It's a lot to process," I said, feeling sorry for the flustered woman. She didn't seem to know what to say now that her anger with Juliet had faded to abject confusion. "We believe Juliet is the victim of a stalker who can access many factions of her life in order to meddle."

"Whatever for? Juliet is a sweet girl, at least, that's what I always thought. Whatever could she do to someone?"

"As far as we can see, nothing."

"That's crazy!"

"Your account of her personality matches everyone else's. Perhaps you would be willing to help us find out who is doing this to her?"

"Well, yes, I guess so, as long as it doesn't get me into trouble. Maybe I should run it past them?"