Doubleback: A Novel

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Authors: Libby Fischer Hellmann
Tags: Fiction, General, Thrillers, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, General Fiction
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terms.”
    Georgia promptly looked for the bottom line. There it was, in the middle of the page. Twelve hundred dollars. She swallowed. That was way more than she’d expected. She’d thought it might be five, six. But twelve? That was two hundred per date. Plus presumably, another two for her “partner.” These people were scamming big time. She tried to hide her distaste and scanned down the page. At the bottom was a blank line for her signature and social security number.
    Bingo.
    She looked up. “Why do you need my social security number?”
    Alessi rocked back in her chair but left her hands on the desk. Her nails looked like talons. “To be honest, we need to run a background check. Make sure you’re who you say you are. That you have no outstanding arrest warrants. Or criminal record. I’m sure you can understand. You’d want the same assurance about a potential date.”
    Georgia frowned. “I don’t know that I want you to do that.”
    “Why? You don’t have anything to hide, do you?”
    “No. Of course not.”
    “Is it our fee?”
    Georgia looked down.
    Alessi leaned forward and tapped a finger. “Georgia, how can you put a price on happiness? It’s impossible. But, if it seems too overwhelming, I understand. And we do have an installment program. You can pay as little as a hundred a month. Surely you can afford that.”
    It was Georgia’s turn to fold her hands. “Well, actually, I need to think about it.”
    “But Georgia, if you sign up now, we can get started right away. The longer you wait, the more time we’ll need to find you a match. And the longer you’ll stay isolated. And lonely. We can end that for you. In a few days, if you sign now.”
    Georgia’s tone was prim. “I’m—frankly—not prepared to spend that kind of money.”
    “Oh Georgia, don’t you remember how good it is to feel welcomed and nurtured and special? You’ve been searching for this your whole life. You can’t let this slip out of your fingers now, just when it’s within reach.”
    Georgia shook her head.
    Alessi frowned. Apparently, this wasn’t going the way she expected. “Georgia, you came in our door. Without an appointment. We made the time commitment and invested in you. Don’t you think you have an obligation to return that investment?”
    Georgia got up. “No, I don’t.”
    “Georgia, Sit down. Don’t do this to yourself. You deserve another chance.”
    But Georgia exited the office, leaving Alessi staring after her with her mouth open.
    •   •   •
    Although she got what she’d come for, Georgia seethed on the drive back to Evanston. Part of it was the fact she’d been manipulated, but part of it was something else. Whether she knew it or not, Alessi had zeroed in on the truth. Georgia had been dumped, and Alessi had forced her to relive the hurt and shame. She tried to shake it off—she’d put herself in that position by showing up at More-than-Friends in the first place. Still, it wouldn’t quite go away, which only fueled more anger, much of it directed inward.
    Luckily, asking for her social had been a dead give-away. Alessi probably had some tech in a back room running searches as soon as she got a number. Assuming you knew where to look, you could find plenty of sites that yielded enough information to start stealing identities. Georgia knew—she’d done her own share of background checks on Kroll and Accenture. She gripped the wheel. Creeps like Alessi shouldn’t be allowed to operate. First thing next week she’d call her client.
    Friday night after the fireworks she met Pete Dellinger at Mickey’s, her favorite place in Evanston. Pete was her neighbor and her friend, and while she knew he wanted it to be more, he wasn’t pushy. As she walked into the dimly lit bar, she spotted him at the bar, talking to Mickey’s owner, Owen Dougherty.
    “Here she is.” Dougherty was a big man in his sixties with dark coloring and a mustache that made him look like Jackie

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