Page 161 of Embracing the Change

“Okay, I’ll let you go. Love you. Call if you need anything.”

“I will. Love back to you.”

We rang off and Alyona and I dug into selecting outfits. We were on to accessories when my phone rang again.

It was Charlene.

“Hello, Charlene,” I answered.

“Hey there, Mz. Ellington. Wanted you to know that Arnold is on the way up with a packet that was dropped off.”

“All right.”

“And just to say, if you can get me a date with the guy who dropped it off, I wouldn’t say no.”

I smiled. “Always nice to have a handsome courier.”

“This man was no courier. I think he gets his suits from the same place Mr. Oakley does.”

Oh my.

Intriguing.

I wondered what the package was, considering neither Jamie nor I were expecting anything, and definitely neither of us were expecting anything to be dropped off by a man wearing a hand-tailored suit.

“Thank you for calling, Charlene.”

“Never a problem.”

I ended the call and looked to Alyona.

“I need to retrieve a package delivery,” I told her.

“I can do it,” she replied.

“No, I’ll do it. If you could get started on folding?” I motioned to the suitcases in the corner of the closet with my head.

“Will do,” she murmured, moving toward them.

I went to the door and was standing in it when Arnold got off the elevator.

He gave me the package with a tip of his cap, and I closed the door, holding a thick manila envelope that had my name on the front written in bold, black pen.

The metal clasp was sealed, as was the envelope.

I moved to the kitchen and furtively (my letter opener was in the study, which was too far away for the level of my curiosity, and Alyona would have a conniption if she saw me using one of her butter knives in this manner) slit open the envelope.

Inside, there was a notecard clipped to the thick pile of papers, and on it was another bold, black letter, this one simply an “R.”

My brows furrowed at that, but I pulled it off, unclipped the papers, and drew in a sharp breath at what I saw.

The top was photocopies of bank statements.

And these statements belonged to Paloma.

Under those were more statements.

And those belonged to Chester Lynch.

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