Page 63 of Business or Pleasure

“I’m dyslexic.” Alec looked at me. “Take a quick look and tell me if it’s worth the trouble.”

I blinked at the admission, almost as startled by it as I was by everything else. I’d suspectedthat Alec had some sort of learning disability. We had, after all, been at university together, but he’d never said anything. Not surprising.

Like him, I understood what it meant to hold close any vulnerability. Alec had always been in line to take over MIRI and should others have learned that he struggled in reading, it would have been used against him. I wondered if it was Lumen’s influence that made him comfortable enough to share that information now.

All of this went through my mind in a few seconds, but I didn’t dwell on any of it. This wasn’t the time or place. Especially since I wanted to know why Franklin was here with Harlee’s car.

I swore when I pulled the papers from the envelope. “It’s everything I found at Harlee’s place.” I took a step toward Franklin. “What did you do to her?”

“Nothing.” Franklin put up his hands. “Mr. McCrae needed to know that Harlee didn’t take anything for me. She didn’t steal from MIRI. She really loves you and I know this made things bad between you but if you ever loved her–”

“Wait, what?” I interrupted. “She and Alec weren’t…I mean…what the hell are you haverin’ on about?”

Franklin frowned. “She said she was dating a rich Scottish guy from work.” He pointed at Alec. “McCrae International Research Institution.”

“She meant me,” I ground out. “I’m the one who was dating your daughter until you fucked it all up.”

He shook his head. “I swear, I didn’t.”

Alec held out his hand and I gave him the papers. I kept my attention on Franklin. “You’re the one who wanted her to steal in the first place.”

“I did,” he surprised me with the admission. “But she said no. And that was it. The subject was dead in the water.”

“Then who did it?” I asked. “And why?”

“They’re fake.”

Franklin and I both turned to Alec who held up a couple of the papers. “I just looked at it a bit, but that’s enough to tell me that these papers are fake. The specs are made-up and the account names I saw are wrong.”

“Why would someone do that?” I asked. “Go to all the trouble of faking documents to frame Harlee when you’d be able to look at it that quickly and say they’re false?”

“Because I dinna think this is about my opinion of her.” Alec held out the paper I recognized as the magazine article. “Tell me if you see anything else on this page other than the interview.”

I took it, looking not at the words of the article, but at the rest of it. I noticed before that it was printed from an online format, but what I didn’t see then finally registered this time. At the top was an account name, the sort of thing that a person would have to use to get full access to a story. And the account name was one I knew.

Brigh F.

“Fuck.”

“Aye,” Alec agreed. “The only person who’s going to be able to answer your questions is your assistant.”

I was tempted to call her right now and demand she tell me what the hell she did, but my need to confront her came in second to my need to find Harlee and make things right. I turned to Franklin.

“Where is she? You have Harlee’s car. Where is she?”

Franklin rubbed the back of his neck. “About that. See, I owe some people some money and they decided that she’s responsible for it now too.”

“Bastard!” I took a step toward him, stopping only when Alec grabbed my arm.

“We need him to keep talking,” Alec reminded me. “He canna do that if you break his jaw.”

As much as I hated it, he was right. “Go on.”

“She’s going to win it,” Franklin said. “She’s a great poker player and she’s going to play in a game and win the money from the guy I owe, then use it to pay him back. Except…he’s really good and I’m worried she might need back-up.”

“And you’re too cowardly to do it,” I said. The expression on Franklin’s face answered my question.

“I can’t do backup. He knows my face.” Franklin said. “He’ll recognise me and Harlee will be made.”

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