Page 73 of Enticing the Fixer

“I’m not saying anything to anyone. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m buying into the crazy scenarios. That would give the board one more reason not to trust me. Paranoid delusions.” I rub my palm over the knee of my jeans. Normally, I wear skirts or dress pants to the office, but I didn’t want to stand out in Mark’s neighborhood.

All of it is explainable. But what about the money being siphoned into an account in my name? I didn’t do it, so someone had to.

He pulls into his spot and puts the vehicle into park. “Will you be okay by yourself?”

I swivel to face him while wrinkling my nose. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? Even if something were to happen, it’s not going to happen here at the office. There are too many people here, and there are security cameras all over the place.”

“In your office?”

I cringe as visions of Leo’s destressing magic float through my brain. “No. Not inside of my office. Security cameras in the elevator, hallway, and outer office.”

“Good. I wanted to make sure there wasn’t one I was missing.” He nods and grabs my hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of it. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, but I need to look into some things without anyone growing suspicious.”

Thunder rumbles in the distance. “It’s fine. I’m going to head to my office like any other day because it is any other day. My dad’s friends would have never suspected anything was off without me bringing it up. We’re all putting dots together that don’t line up.”

I glance around the parking lot. Carla, from accounting, glances at me from three rows away. “Listen, I need to get to the office. I’ll talk to you tonight after work.”

He squeezes my hand. “Take care of yourself.”

“You, too. If anyone asks, my car broke down, and you drove me to pick up some tampons.” Pick something no one will ask about. I unlatch the door and snap it shut behind me while waving at Carla. By now, she’s only one row away. “How was lunch?”

“Fine.” She nods.

“It’s a crazy day. Of course, today would be the one day my car goes on the fritz.” I turn toward Leo’s vehicle. “Leo happened to drive by when my starter wouldn’t turn over. Which was lucky.” I turn towards Leo’s vehicle. “I started my period and didn’t have any tampons here at work.”

“That was handy.” She nods but doesn’t say anything else. Don’t be obvious. The more you draw attention to the lie, the easier it is to identify. But don’t be too stiff. Lord, I don’t lie well. “Did you sign up for the blood drive and food day next week?”

“Uh….” She blinks and walks beside me. “Yeah, I signed up.”

“It’s such a great cause. I love giving to the community and recognizing staff in the process. It’s a win-win.” Once a month, we pair a food event with giving back to the community and announce the employee of the month. It was something my father started years ago.

In the distance, Leo snaps the driver’s side door shut, and lightning cracks.

Carla steps closer to me. “How well do you know….” She tips her head backward. “Leo?”

“Leo?” I squint as if he’s a complete foreigner to me. “Not well. He’s only been at the company for a couple of weeks. You probably know him better working together daily.”

“Yeah.” She eyes me suspiciously but continues toward the front door.

Don’t screw this up. The front door slides open, and we step into the coolness of the lobby. The bubbling from the oversized aquariums by the switchboard operator is a smooth cadence.

“Kinsley.” Valeria rushes across the floor with her heels clicking on the tile. “We need to talk.”

“Okay.” I stop and tilt my head. I can’t remember a time when she met me in the lobby. In less than two minutes, I’d be in her office. “You could have called.”

“I tried.” The muscles in her jaw flex as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I have a family emergency.”

“I’m sorry.” I bridge the distance between us as Carla heads to the accounting department. Slowly, as if she’s attempting to eavesdrop on our conversation.

Valeria grabs my upper arm and tugs me toward the elevator. My heart thunders in my ears. “What’s going on?”

“I need to tell you something.” Her teeth are clenched together as she talks without moving her lips. It’s disconcerting. I’ve always hated ventriloquism. And their puppets. Wooden dummies. Whatever you call them. They’re creepy.

She stabs the button with her index finger and drops my arm. As the door opens, she slides inside and shoves her arm over the censor to keep it open for me.

Me alone with Valeria. This is not a good idea. What if she’s my father’s killer? Stop. No one killed my dad. I step inside and the door slides shut.

“The board is in a meeting.”

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