Page 20 of Once a Killer

Bree frowned, as if bewildered. “My understanding is that he’s willing to help all of you with your projects.”

Her face colored. “He does. But we all know he’s all about his own project.”

“Isn’t everyone here all about their own project?”

“Of course we are. And I’m sure Jamie was planning on having you get his idea out there, too.”

Jameson didn’t have to get a reporter to tout his program. He already had lots of people interested in it. But instead of saying that, she replied, “I’m sure he was. But he was very explicit that all of you would be featured as well, along with your projects.”

Hayley snorted. “That’s Jamie, all right. The milk of human kindness runs through his veins.”

Bree tilted her head. “It sounds as if you despise Jameson Ford.”

Hayley stared down at her nails. “I don’t despise him. But he’s going to take 7% of our profits. Feels like he’s ripping us all off.”

“My understanding is that he’s supplying the workspace and a salary in exchange for that 7%. Am I mistaken?”

“No, that’s the deal,” she said. “But we’ve all been working on our projects for years. Doesn’t seem right that he gets to profit from it.”

“You didn’t have to accept the offer to work here,” Bree pointed out.

“I didn’t have a choice. I was out of resources. Down to my last hundred bucks.”

Bree scribbled something into her notebook. “Do you feel he took advantage of you?”

Hayley stared at her for a long moment. A muscle in her jaw twitched, and her expression hardened. Bree expected anger, but instead Hayley said, “No. It was my choice. But I didn’t reallyhavea choice. If I wanted to continue working on my project, I had to go to a lab like this one.”

“Were there others you looked into?”

“A number of them,” Hayley admitted. “The vibe in Jamie’s lab was the most conducive to my work habits.”

“A good fit for you, then. But why, specifically, did you feel Jameson’s lab had a good vibe?”

She shrugged one shoulder but didn’t meet Bree’s gaze. “I liked all the guys. Thought we’d get along well. That they’d be easy lab-mates.”

“So would you call this lab a productive workspace?” Bree asked.

“You could call it that. But why wouldn’t it be? It feels as though Jamie only picks engineers with viable projects. Ones that will make money.” She nodded at the notebook Bree held. “And with the publicity, he’ll stand to make even more money.”

“And you will, too. Right?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “I suppose so.”

“So you should be excited that he chose you, right?” Bree watched Hayley, her pen poised over her notebook.

“Maybe,” she conceded grudgingly. “I didn’t want to take his offer, but I was backed into a corner. Didn’t have a choice.” She frowned. “Why are you taking his side?”

“I’m not taking anyone’s side,” Bree shot back. “I’m a journalist. Impartial. The article I’m writing isn’t an op-ed. It’s news.”

Hayley snorted. “They say those who can, do. Those who can’t, write.”

“You’ve got that quote wrong, Hayley. It’s ‘those who can do, those who can’t, teach’. Which isn’t true. Teaching is a tough, difficult job, but that insult has been around a long time. Me? I’m not teaching anyone anything. I’m writing an article.

“Tell me about your project,” Bree said, trying to change the subject and move past Hayley’s self-absorption. “In general terms. I don’t want you to reveal anything proprietary.”

Hayley stared at her for a long moment, then sighed. “How much do you understand about computer programs and coding?”

“The basics. And my readers will probably understand less than that. So keep it general and non-specific. And remember that the people in the industry reading the article could be looking for exactly what you’re creating.”

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