Page 11 of Silent Smile

She could feel Finn's eyes on her as she moved, could sense the unasked questions hanging in the air between them. The responsibility of her new position pressed down on her: the need to have all the answers, to lead with confidence. It made her feel that she and Finn weren't equals in this. They might be equals in their skills, but the buck didn't stop with Finn.

It stopped with her.

"Let's dig deeper into Amanda's background," Sheila said, returning to her desk. "I want to know everything about Amanda Weller—where she grew up, her education, past relationships, everything."

Finn nodded, turning back to his computer. "I'll start with a basic background check."

As they worked in silence, Sheila couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over them. The easy camaraderie they'd always shared seemed to have evaporated, replaced by a stilted professionalism that felt alien and uncomfortable.

The question was, how could she get that back?

Her phone lit up with a text from Star:Weird thing—went by the gym to train today but it was closed again. Your dad okay?

Sheila stared at the message. Odd—the gym was important to her dad, gave him a sense of purpose in retirement. And that fact, combined with how difficult it had been to reach him lately…

"More bad news?" Finn asked, noticing her concern.

Sheila shook her head, downplaying it. "Star was just hoping to go to the gym, but it's closed today. How's that background check coming?"

Finn studied her a few seconds longer, as if wondering whether or not to accept her explanation. Then, as if coming to a decision, he cleared his throat and said, "It's clean. I've got some info on her history, too. Looks like she's Chicago born and raised. Middle-class family, nothing out of the ordinary."

"Education?" Sheila asked, jotting notes on her pad.

"Northwestern University," Finn replied, scrolling through a document. "Graduated with a degree in marketing. Pretty impressive."

Sheila raised an eyebrow. "Northwestern? That's not cheap. Any info on how she paid for it?"

Finn tapped a few keys, frowning slightly. "Combination of scholarships and student loans. Looks like she worked part-time jobs throughout college too."

"Hardworking," Sheila mused. "What about after graduation?"

"Let's see..." Finn leaned in closer to his screen. "She landed a job at Thompson & Bradshaw right out of college. It's a pretty prestigious advertising firm in Chicago."

Sheila nodded, recognizing the name. "That's a great start for a new grad. How long was she there?"

Finn's brow furrowed as he scanned the information. "That's interesting. She was there for... just over three years. Then she quit."

"Quit?" Sheila echoed, surprise coloring her voice. "Any reason given?"

"Wanted a change of scenery, apparently. More travel, more adventure." He turned his monitor toward Sheila. "Two weeks after her last day at Thompson & Bradshaw, she registered the domain for her travel blog."

Sheila leaned in, studying the screen. "So she left a successful career in advertising to become a travel blogger? That's quite a leap."

Finn shrugged. "Not everyone dreams of climbing the corporate ladder."

Sheila caught the edge in his voice and paused, wondering if he was drawing a parallel to their own situation. She opened her mouth to respond, then thought better of it.

"Looks like she was pretty successful right out of the gate," Finn said, scrolling through Amanda's early blog posts. "She had a knack for finding unique locations and experiences. Her follower count grew exponentially in the first year."

Sheila nodded, then began scanning through the financial records she'd pulled up. "And it paid off. She was making a considerable income from sponsorships and affiliate marketing."

"Found something interesting," Finn said, his brow furrowed. "About six months ago, Amanda had a run-in with park authorities at Yellowstone. She was fined for entering a restricted thermal area."

"Was she arrested?" Sheila asked, leaning forward.

Finn shook his head. "No, just a citation. But get this—she posted about it on her blog. Turned it into content about 'learning from mistakes' and 'respecting nature's boundaries.'"

Sheila frowned. "So she knew the risks of entering restricted areas. This wasn't just naive thrill-seeking."

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