Page 20 of Bad Seed

“Hi, Mom! Love you!” Liz said.

“We love you back,” Patricia said. “Are you two going to talk business?”

Liz laughed. “Yes, please.”

“Then I’ll leave you to it. Ray, you can eat while youtwo are talking. Skipping meals will not serve you,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am,” Ray said, and blew her a kiss as she left the room.

“Take it off speaker, Dad,” Liz said.

Ray frowned as he followed her instructions. “What’s wrong?”

“Nearly everything, and it’s escalating,” Liz said, and then began to fill him in on everything she knew, what had been reported to her, and finished it off with Brendan’s email. “I don’t know what to do about this. I know my part of the hotel business, but I have no skills in hotel management. I’m so sorry to be bothering you about this, but Michael gave me some advice I thought it best to follow. He reminded me what a smart businessman you are, and that whatever needed to be done, you would have the answers for it.”

Ray sighed. “Well, I appreciate my son-in-law’s faith in me, and I am so sorry that any part of this burden has fallen on you. I have an idea. If it pans out, I’ll call you later today, okay? Just leave this to me. Don’t tell anyone we’ve spoken. I don’t want to alert Beaumont or his daughter to that fact. And you’re right. Something is very off. I would never agree to changing vendors or wholesalers, and there was no need to even do so. Sounds like he’s giving business to his buddies, but I’m wondering what he’s getting out of that. I don’t know what’s going on, but we’re going to find out. For now, you go and have yourself a good day.”

“Will do, Dad, and thank you. Michael was right. You rock.”

Liz breathed a sigh of relief as she disconnected.

But Ray was frowning when the call ended. He needed to get to his office, but if he wanted any peace today, he had to finish breakfast first. He picked up his fork, wrinkled his nose at the vegan sausage, and continued his meal.

***

Harley Banks had been home for weeks. The snowfall that had welcomed her home was over, but nothing was melting. It was still there, just slushy and dirtier—a cold reminder of winter in Chicago.

She’d passed her time by working out in the gym in her apartment complex and swimming laps in the heated pool. When it got too confining inside, she walked down the block to the sports bar on the corner, ordered a beer and cheese nachos smothered in jalapeños, then picked a game to watch on the array of TVs hanging on the walls as she ate. She knew a few regulars but didn’t interact with them beyond a little friendly hazing and a game of darts now and then. She wasn’t looking for a relationship, and if she had been, she would not have gone to a sports bar to find it.

She’d awakened this morning to a fairly empty refrigerator and decided it was time to put in a grocery order for delivery. She had the list at her elbow as she opened thesite on her laptop and glanced down at the first item on her list—which happened to be spray cheese that came out in cute swirls that she put on her crackers—thinking how horrified her mother would be to know she liked and ate such plebian foods. But before she could type it into the search bar, her cell phone rang. She glanced at caller ID, didn’t recognize the name or number, which was normal in her line of work, and answered.

“Harley Banks.”

“Miss Banks, my name is Ray Caldwell. Do you have a few moments to speak with me? It is business-related.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. You were recommended to me by Wilhem Crossley. He’s a business acquaintance and, as I understand, a man you recently worked for. He speaks highly of you, by the way.”

“Yes, I’ve done work for him. How can I help you?” Harley asked.

“I’m a real estate developer and hotelier, but due to some health issues I’ve been having, I had to install a manager at the location where I’d been living and working, and I’ve just received word that there are grave issues arising that needs immediate attention. My problem is, I don’t know what’s happening to cause them, and I’m suspicious of the financial end of it, too. Are you available?”

“Is this hotel in the States or overseas?” Harley asked.

“In Kentucky, at a popular tourist attraction in a mountain town called Jubilee.”

“I’ve heard of it,” Harley said.

“Excellent. So, you can imagine the setup on-site. My hotel is called the Serenity Inn. My daughter, Liz, is the event coordinator there, but what’s going on is beyond her ability to cope.”

“Tell me what’s happening,” Harley said.

Ray began to explain, in depth, what was happening and what he needed to know, and then added, “I was given to understand that you are also capable of corporate auditing, as well as investigating corporate crime, is this correct?”

“Yes, sir. I am a licensed CPA specializing in corporate audits, and my private investigator’s license avails me of other skills when needed.”

“Are you available now?” Ray asked.

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