was anything but a botched robbery attempt. She’d been specific in telling them she thought it was a random thing. “I don’t think anyone wanted to hurt me. I think whoever it was wanted to rifle through the lockers. I know some people keep things in there like their handbags and jewelry. Some people store wireless earbuds and personal equipment.”
“I specifically tell people not to keep any valuables in there,” Jessica shot back. “I’ll have to reiterate that. So you didn’t think it was odd that the only other locker that appeared to be touched was Madison’s?”
Why had Jessica read the reports? Also, Noelle hadn’t mentioned that she’d recognized that the locker that was open was Madison’s. She’d left that out, only talking about her own.
But someone had noticed.
“Was hers gone through? I thought it was only mine.”
Jessica stared at her for a long moment as though trying to discern whether or not she was lying. “Well, I suppose you were flustered at the time. No. From what security was able to tell, the two lockers our attacker was interested in were yours and Madison’s. I should have been able to immediately find out who the fucker was, but something happened to my CCTV cams. They managed to go out on that floor for ten whole minutes. The outage affected the floor above and below. Security tells me they can’t even be sure who went up or down the stairs. I’ve got a list of people who were still in the building, but it seems like an odd coincidence.”
“Yes.” She couldn’t disagree with her. “Whoever was in that locker room obviously took out the cameras.”
“See, that doesn’t sound like someone looking to steal some AirPods or trying to slip a twenty into his pocket. That seems more serious to me, Noelle.”
She felt like she was walking through a field covered in land mines. “I can see why it would, but I have no idea why anyone would go through my locker, much less Madison’s. I thought it was cleaned out after the accident.”
“It was. Every place Madison Wallace touched has been thoroughly cleaned out. I wouldn’t want to be accused of holding anything back from the investigators.” Jessica sighed. “I’m going to tell you something in confidence, Noelle, and I need you to understand that it should stay between us.”
Yep. She was close to one exploding in her face. “You don’t have to tell me anything.”
Jessica ignored her. “Madison was a corporate spy. She was working with someone on the outside to steal our research here. I was too kind to her. I got close, and she even stole some of my own research, and I believe she was planning to pass it off as her own.”
This was new information, though certainly not the first time Jessica had accused another researcher of attempting to steal her work. It made Noelle real damn happy Jessica wasn’t a chemist and didn’t do any research in that area. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“You can see why we’ve kept pretty quiet about her death,” Jessica replied. “It’s being investigated thoroughly by the authorities because I suspect Madison was trying to auction off my research and got into trouble.”
“You don’t think it was an accident?”
Jessica shrugged as though they were talking about something meaningless and not a potential murder. “I think Madison was sloppy, so it could have been exactly that, but we have to make sure there wasn’t foul play. Did she send you anything before she died? There’s some evidence that she knew we were onto her and that she might have tried to smuggle the research out in different ways.”
Noelle shook her head. “Oh, Madison and I were not friends. In any way. She was a bully and I was one of her favorite victims, but that was the extent of our relationship.”
Jessica frowned. “Why would she bully you?”
“There was a wealth she chose from. The cane and crutches. The extra five pounds I carry at all times. She didn’t like the way I dress.”
Jessica shrugged. “You could stand to wear some more color, but I’m sorry about the rest of it. She was always nice to me. I thought that was how she was to everyone. I can be naïve at times. I want to see the best in people.”
Yes, she could see how this Jessica could be dangerous. She seemed friendly.
Jessica’s tone went low, almost sympathetic. “She was probably jealous of you.”