Read Online Trouble In Spades by Heather Webber - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Heather Webber
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never forgot anything. Ever.
Whatever animosity she held toward Leo was taking its toll on her. That, and maybe the six pounds of baby and twenty-five pounds of water she was carting around. She handed me a small five-by-seven manila envelope. "You've got to get rid of him, Nina."
There was no need to specify who the "him" was. Since she felt so strongly about it, I considered it, but the thought of unlawful termination lawsuits flitted through my head. "Let me think about it, Tam," I said to appease her. "In the meantime, why don't you run a more thorough background check on him?" All Leo's references had panned out, but maybe Tam, with her notorious computer skills, could dig deeper. If nothing else, it would keep her busy. Her chin dropped down, and she fiddled with one of the buttons on her blouse. "Tam?"
"I already did."
I should have been shocked, but I wasn't. "And?"
She looked up. "Clean," she grumbled.
"And?" I knew Tam wouldn't stop there. "I'm still digging. I've got feelers out."
"Just don't get arrested," I said, turning.
"Oh, don't worry about me," she said regally. "Him. It's him you need to worry about."
Envelope in hand, I ducked into my office and closed the door.
To open or not to open.
My inner voice begged me to take my letter opener to that manila. However, Nate had specifically asked me not to open it.
But, that voice argued, Nate had gone missing, and what was in that envelope might help him. Oh, the decisions.
I shook, squeezed, and held the package to the light. Whatever it was had a square shape and was flexible. Nate was missing, I told myself as I reached for the letter opener . . . Or was he?
I still hadn't heard from Maria this morning. It was entirely possible that Nate had shown up in the middle of the night full of excuses and apologies.
I jumped at the knock on my door. Kit poked his head in. "Found the new guy lurking in the parking lot." He shoved Leo into the room.
"Didn't want to be too early," Leo said, all wide eyes and innocence. "I was taking a look around, trying to familiarize myself with the grounds."
"Hah!" I heard Tam cry out from the other room.
Kit folded meaty arms across his chest and gave Leo a look that should have had him shaking in his Docs. His explanation had made perfect sense, but with Tam's feelings about him, and my own questions about how he'd learned about this job in the first place . . . I doubted him. Sue me.
I tucked Nate's envelope into my backpack. "Actually, Leo, I wanted to ask you about some—"
The buzz of my cell phone cut me off. M aria . Leo would have to wait.
As I flipped open my phone, I thanked Kit again for his help the night before with Maria's door and asked him to show Leo around. In other words, babysit. "Maria?"
"Ever heard of ricin?"
I sighed. "Do you really want to poison him?"
"Yes," she said.
"So, he still hasn't shown up?"
"Nope."
"No calls?"
"Nope."
I really didn't like what I was hearing.
"Well, not from him. I did get a call from Nate's secretary this morning. She just wanted me to know that Nate's boss came back yesterday afternoon and told everyone she was resigning. Said she'd be back today to clean out her office. When Nate's secretary asked her about Nate, she got the brush-off."
A horn blared in the background. "What was that?"
"Idiot driver didn't want me to pass him." More likely, she cut him off.
I held the phone away from my ear as she yelled, "Dammit, bimbo, the gas is on the right! The right!"
Horns shrieked and tires squealed.
" Where a re you?" I asked.
"Coming to get you."
"Me!?"
"I'm going to the Kalypso. I made an appointment to meet with Claire Battiste. If she knows what's good for her, she better tell me where Nate is. If she doesn't know what's good for her, I need you there to back up my claims of self-defense."
Could it be deemed self-defense if it was premeditated? "Maybe this isn't such a good idea."
"I'll go alone—"
"No!" Jeez, with her temper, there was no
Whatever animosity she held toward Leo was taking its toll on her. That, and maybe the six pounds of baby and twenty-five pounds of water she was carting around. She handed me a small five-by-seven manila envelope. "You've got to get rid of him, Nina."
There was no need to specify who the "him" was. Since she felt so strongly about it, I considered it, but the thought of unlawful termination lawsuits flitted through my head. "Let me think about it, Tam," I said to appease her. "In the meantime, why don't you run a more thorough background check on him?" All Leo's references had panned out, but maybe Tam, with her notorious computer skills, could dig deeper. If nothing else, it would keep her busy. Her chin dropped down, and she fiddled with one of the buttons on her blouse. "Tam?"
"I already did."
I should have been shocked, but I wasn't. "And?"
She looked up. "Clean," she grumbled.
"And?" I knew Tam wouldn't stop there. "I'm still digging. I've got feelers out."
"Just don't get arrested," I said, turning.
"Oh, don't worry about me," she said regally. "Him. It's him you need to worry about."
Envelope in hand, I ducked into my office and closed the door.
To open or not to open.
My inner voice begged me to take my letter opener to that manila. However, Nate had specifically asked me not to open it.
But, that voice argued, Nate had gone missing, and what was in that envelope might help him. Oh, the decisions.
I shook, squeezed, and held the package to the light. Whatever it was had a square shape and was flexible. Nate was missing, I told myself as I reached for the letter opener . . . Or was he?
I still hadn't heard from Maria this morning. It was entirely possible that Nate had shown up in the middle of the night full of excuses and apologies.
I jumped at the knock on my door. Kit poked his head in. "Found the new guy lurking in the parking lot." He shoved Leo into the room.
"Didn't want to be too early," Leo said, all wide eyes and innocence. "I was taking a look around, trying to familiarize myself with the grounds."
"Hah!" I heard Tam cry out from the other room.
Kit folded meaty arms across his chest and gave Leo a look that should have had him shaking in his Docs. His explanation had made perfect sense, but with Tam's feelings about him, and my own questions about how he'd learned about this job in the first place . . . I doubted him. Sue me.
I tucked Nate's envelope into my backpack. "Actually, Leo, I wanted to ask you about some—"
The buzz of my cell phone cut me off. M aria . Leo would have to wait.
As I flipped open my phone, I thanked Kit again for his help the night before with Maria's door and asked him to show Leo around. In other words, babysit. "Maria?"
"Ever heard of ricin?"
I sighed. "Do you really want to poison him?"
"Yes," she said.
"So, he still hasn't shown up?"
"Nope."
"No calls?"
"Nope."
I really didn't like what I was hearing.
"Well, not from him. I did get a call from Nate's secretary this morning. She just wanted me to know that Nate's boss came back yesterday afternoon and told everyone she was resigning. Said she'd be back today to clean out her office. When Nate's secretary asked her about Nate, she got the brush-off."
A horn blared in the background. "What was that?"
"Idiot driver didn't want me to pass him." More likely, she cut him off.
I held the phone away from my ear as she yelled, "Dammit, bimbo, the gas is on the right! The right!"
Horns shrieked and tires squealed.
" Where a re you?" I asked.
"Coming to get you."
"Me!?"
"I'm going to the Kalypso. I made an appointment to meet with Claire Battiste. If she knows what's good for her, she better tell me where Nate is. If she doesn't know what's good for her, I need you there to back up my claims of self-defense."
Could it be deemed self-defense if it was premeditated? "Maybe this isn't such a good idea."
"I'll go alone—"
"No!" Jeez, with her temper, there was no
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