Read Online Silent Protector by Barbara Phinney - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Barbara Phinney
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personality profile? Advice on gaining his trust?” Her jumbled words died away, and she found she could no longer speak.
Ian ignored her. He scooped up the remaining papers, one even out of Liz’s hands before unlocking his filing cabinet. A moment later, he’d pulled a file from the top drawer and tucked all of the sheets into the light brown folder. Then he slammed shut the drawer and locked it again. After that, he sat at his computer.
“What’s going on, Ian? Why did you print this out?”
He said nothing, and with tightened shoulders, she walked around his desk to stand behind him and openlyread his computer. She didn’t care if it was an invasion of privacy. This was about Charlie, and anything involving him involved her, too.
Ian was flipping through files in various programs back and forth and checking his printer record all too quickly for her to read. He wrote down a date and time and quickly exited all the programs.
“Talk to me, Ian. I need to know if this is about Charlie and—”
“Someone accessed my computer and printed out confidential files. I had password-protected them and hadn’t even printed them out myself. I’d only read them on the computer. Someone tried to print them out but was cut short for some reason, probably running out of time and paper. They took what they had and left in a hurry.”
Liz grabbed Ian’s arm. She pressed him. “Who would be able to get this information? Who has keys to this office and knows your password? Talk to me, Ian. Do you think this has anything to do with that fire last night? This all affects Charlie, remember?”
She waited for him to answer, impatiently filled with fear for Charlie. Her hand still rested on Ian’s warm arm. She could smell his clean scent. She could feel the concern emanate from him along with a host of complicated feelings.
And slowly came the complete and obvious understanding that regardless of how attractive she found Ian, regardless of how much he cared for Charlie, he was someone she needed to stay far away from. For Charlie’s sake. She needed to remain calm, in control, trustworthy and focused on helping Charlie heal. She wouldn’t get that hanging around Ian.
And on the heels of that reaction nipped disappointment. Almost as strong as the fear and dread.
“It was Monica.”
Both Ian and Liz turned to Charlie. The boy still sat on the chair, his eyes wide behind the glasses that Liz wanted to rip off his face and stomp on. “Monica? Why do you say that?” she asked him. “Did you see her?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know she printed anything out?”
Charlie shrugged. “I saw her go back into Ian’s office when she told him about you falling into the water. Then she came down the road to where Auntie Liz’s car was.”
“When we were on the causeway?”
He nodded. “When Ian told me to stand near the sign. She came up to me, and she had something shoved in her dress. Dad would sometimes put stuff down his pants and have to hold it there cuz it would fall out.”
Liz swallowed. She didn’t dare ask what his father would put there. Jerry had been as thin as a rail, a man whose jeans were always baggy. If he’d shoved drugs in his pants, they’d surely fall down his pant leg. She stole a fast look at Ian.
“How do you know she had something in her dress?” Ian asked calmly. “She wouldn’t show you.”
Charlie giggled, a sweet sound so totally out of place for the situation, but being a young boy, he’d find the whole notion silly. “Course not. But a couple of papers fell out, and she hid them in the woods. I bet she took the papers from here. She always looks over your shoulder when you’re at the computer.”
Beside Ian, Liz peered down at him. She should rely on his expertise here, but every part of her was screaming that she should leave with Charlie now and forget about all of these people.
Abruptly, the phone rang. Ian turned away from her, his eyebrows close together as he
Ian ignored her. He scooped up the remaining papers, one even out of Liz’s hands before unlocking his filing cabinet. A moment later, he’d pulled a file from the top drawer and tucked all of the sheets into the light brown folder. Then he slammed shut the drawer and locked it again. After that, he sat at his computer.
“What’s going on, Ian? Why did you print this out?”
He said nothing, and with tightened shoulders, she walked around his desk to stand behind him and openlyread his computer. She didn’t care if it was an invasion of privacy. This was about Charlie, and anything involving him involved her, too.
Ian was flipping through files in various programs back and forth and checking his printer record all too quickly for her to read. He wrote down a date and time and quickly exited all the programs.
“Talk to me, Ian. I need to know if this is about Charlie and—”
“Someone accessed my computer and printed out confidential files. I had password-protected them and hadn’t even printed them out myself. I’d only read them on the computer. Someone tried to print them out but was cut short for some reason, probably running out of time and paper. They took what they had and left in a hurry.”
Liz grabbed Ian’s arm. She pressed him. “Who would be able to get this information? Who has keys to this office and knows your password? Talk to me, Ian. Do you think this has anything to do with that fire last night? This all affects Charlie, remember?”
She waited for him to answer, impatiently filled with fear for Charlie. Her hand still rested on Ian’s warm arm. She could smell his clean scent. She could feel the concern emanate from him along with a host of complicated feelings.
And slowly came the complete and obvious understanding that regardless of how attractive she found Ian, regardless of how much he cared for Charlie, he was someone she needed to stay far away from. For Charlie’s sake. She needed to remain calm, in control, trustworthy and focused on helping Charlie heal. She wouldn’t get that hanging around Ian.
And on the heels of that reaction nipped disappointment. Almost as strong as the fear and dread.
“It was Monica.”
Both Ian and Liz turned to Charlie. The boy still sat on the chair, his eyes wide behind the glasses that Liz wanted to rip off his face and stomp on. “Monica? Why do you say that?” she asked him. “Did you see her?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know she printed anything out?”
Charlie shrugged. “I saw her go back into Ian’s office when she told him about you falling into the water. Then she came down the road to where Auntie Liz’s car was.”
“When we were on the causeway?”
He nodded. “When Ian told me to stand near the sign. She came up to me, and she had something shoved in her dress. Dad would sometimes put stuff down his pants and have to hold it there cuz it would fall out.”
Liz swallowed. She didn’t dare ask what his father would put there. Jerry had been as thin as a rail, a man whose jeans were always baggy. If he’d shoved drugs in his pants, they’d surely fall down his pant leg. She stole a fast look at Ian.
“How do you know she had something in her dress?” Ian asked calmly. “She wouldn’t show you.”
Charlie giggled, a sweet sound so totally out of place for the situation, but being a young boy, he’d find the whole notion silly. “Course not. But a couple of papers fell out, and she hid them in the woods. I bet she took the papers from here. She always looks over your shoulder when you’re at the computer.”
Beside Ian, Liz peered down at him. She should rely on his expertise here, but every part of her was screaming that she should leave with Charlie now and forget about all of these people.
Abruptly, the phone rang. Ian turned away from her, his eyebrows close together as he
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