Page 47 of Bride By Committee

“I did. They couldn’t find anything.”

“Was it one of the firms I recommended?”

“No,” Kent admitted. “They weren’t available right away. Iwent with a smaller, local outfit, instead.”

“Then I suggest you quit wasting my time and call in the big guns. If they can’t find anything, I’ll come back and take another look.”

Madison winced. If this was the side Harry wanted to show her, she could live without it. “We’re here now,” she cut in. “What would it hurt to spend a day poking around?”

Kent turned to her, his relief palpable. “Thanks, I’d really appreciate anything you can do. You see, my company took off a bit ahead of schedule and I wasn’t ready for it. That’s when I first called in Harry. He told me how to handle the explosion before someone decided to take advantage of my stupidity.”

Harry shifted his stance and that was all it took. Kent fell silent. Score one for the lion, Madison thought. “Since it would seem we’re staying—courtesy of Ms. Adams’ compassionate nature, Imight add—Isuggest we get down to business. Tell me specifically what changes you’ve made in the last three months that might correspond with the time frame we’re talking about with the missing money.”

“For starters I’ve divided the company like you recommended and hired people to head each division from that list you gave me,” Kent began. “We’ve subcontracted the manufacturing. The game revenue is being divvied up the way you advised and we’re getting ready to go public with our stock. Just recently, Ihired a bunch of pencil pushers to keep the records straight, money guys to make sure the funds go where they’re supposed to, and lawyers to take care of all the necessary lawyering.”

“Sounds like you’re on the right track.”

“Yeah, you’ve turned me into a real businessman.” Kent scowled. “And I will get even for that.”

Harry managed a brief smile. “Okay, Bradford. You’ve got me for one day. Just make sure you’re extra nice to Madison since she’s the one who’s convinced me to stay.”

Kent nodded. “Anything you want, Harry, it’s yours.” Then he winked at Madison. “You’re a sweetheart. Ipromise I’ll find a way to make it up to you.”

She immediately thought of Rosy’s request. “I may have the perfect means for you to do that. Remind me before we leave.”

Once again Harry shifted his stance and once more he gained instant attention. “Time’s wasting, so I suggest we play this low key,” he advised. “First, I’ll need an assistant—someone smart enough to keep his or her mouth shut about why we’re here. I’ll also need a computer terminal and any passwords necessary to access your various departments and systems.”

“Five minutes and you’ll have that, along with some of the best coffee your taste buds have ever encountered,” Kent promised.

The next several hours proved a revelation for Madison. It didn’t take more than fifteen minutes of laboring alongside Harry to realize just what he’d meant when he’d claimed to be “playing” at work this past week. She’d never seen anyone with such focus and drive. One by one, he progressed through the various departments, showing her how to analyze the information before moving on. She’d expected him to call in the heads of each division. When he didn’t, she questioned him aboutit.

“If money’s disappearing, someone’s responsible,” he explained. “If I start calling people in, the guilty party is going to get wind of the investigation and take off. If I can surprise him, we have a chance of recovering some of the money. I’m hoping the fact that he survived a preliminary audit may have made him cocky. If we’re really lucky, it’ll also have made him careless.”

Late that afternoon, Kent showed up again. “Anything?” he asked with a hint of desperation.

Harry shook his head. “I have to tell you, Bradford, nothing’s jumping out at me. I’m not a professional auditor, but on the surface everything looks clean. Whoever’s doing this has covered his tracks well. Ihave accounts receivable and payable left to go through and that’s about it.”

Kent appeared utterly dejected. “That’s Linc’s department. Idon’t expect you’ll find anything there.”

Madison’s head jerked up. “Linc?”

Kent managed a hint of his former joviality. “Linc Smith. He’s even more of a kid than I am. Real smart, despite being a snot-nosed brat. Never saw a number he couldn’t crunch.”

Madison fought to draw breath. No. Please, no. “And this Linc… He writes all the checks?”

“Most of them, Iguess. At least, that’s what I hired him to do. Why?”

She glanced toward Harry. “I know you don’t want to involve any of the department heads, but I think we should pay Linc a visit.”

He didn’t even hesitate. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Kent reached for the phone on Harry’s desk. “I’ll give him a quick call and tell him we’re on our way down.”

Madison took the phone out of his hands and gently returned the receiver to the cradle. “Why don’t we make it a surprise visit,” she suggested. “And why don’t we do it now.”

Nodding in agreement, Kent crossed to the door. But Harry hung back. “What’s wrong?” he murmured.

She kept her voice low, as well. “Could be nothing.”

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