Page 123 of Nerdplay
“This copy was in your office. I found it when I put Chucky in your drawer. I wasn’t there to snoop, I swear. The paper was jammed underneath the files. You should really have a better organizational system, by the way. The files aren’t even alphabetical.”
If looks could kill, I’d be a pillar of salt.
“Strike that last comment from the record, Your Honor,” I say, desperate to keep things from spiraling out of control, although I know in my gut that kayak has launched.
She glances at the date. “This is from almost five years ago. Right before my dad died.”
“He may not have been aware of it.”
“I don’t recognize the name of the lien holder.”
“It seems to have been an unsecured creditor. Your father owed them money and failed to pay.”
“Shocker,” she says without a trace of irony. “And they were able to put a lien on the camp?”
I nod. I hate this conversation with every fiber of my being. I’d hoped to avoid it in perpetuity.
“If it happened five years ago and they haven’t enforced the lien, what does that mean?”
“In this case, there’s a five-year statute of limitations, which runs out in twenty-one days.”
“Twenty-one more days and it would’ve been null and void.” Tears cling to her lashes, and I long to kiss each one away. I hate this for her.
“I’m sorry.”
“I can’t afford to pay it off.”
“I know.”
“What happens now? You take this to Riggieri, and he assumes the lien and enforces it?”
“Do you think I would do that to you?”
“You were holding on to it for a reason, weren’t you? You could’ve destroyed it when you found it, but you kept it, which means you hadn’t decided what to do.”
“I was planning to destroy without anyone knowing about it. I had no intention of telling Riggieri.”
“But were you tempted?”
I choose my words carefully. “I considered it, but only for a nanosecond. I don’t even think it crossed the threshold of a full second.”
“Why not? This promotion is important to you. You’ve made that abundantly clear.”
“It’s not as important as you.”
She bites her bottom lip. “Why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“I swear I wasn’t keeping it a secret to use against you. I didn’t want you to worry. I planned to burn it when no one was around, but someone always was, and then I got distracted by you?—”
I realize instinctively it was the wrong thing to say. Her eyes pop.
“You’re blaming me? Go on then. You don’t want Matt to get the credit for this. Go home and get your trophy or your blue ribbon, or whatever the reward is for screwing me over. I know how important external validation is to you.”
Ouch. Bullseye. Her words wound me exactly as she intended.
“I was only trying to help. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Cricket.”
“I’ve heard that one before.” She plucks off her ear extensions and stuffs them in her pocket. “So all the fun and games, none of that was an excuse to access my files?”
