Page 38 of The Layover

13

Raul

There was nothing I’d seen in the short time since I’d known Carly that made me think she was incompetent. We’d been told at the start of this project that she was the best at what she did, and I believed it.

So there was no reason to think she’d made a mistake on our contractor instructions—especially one as severe as telling the demolition team to tear down a load-bearing wall.

“Forward me that email,” I said to the contractor.

He did, and it only took me about two seconds of examining it to see that while the message had her name and signature on it, it hadn’t come from her email address. It had been spoofed, and not very well.

“This isn’t from Carly,” I said.

The contractor glared. “Look, I don’t—”

“It doesn’t matter.” I didn’t need a long-winded excuse. “It looks like it is on the surface, and you didn’t know. It’s done, and thank Christ we caught it before it was a problem.”

He looked annoyed, rather than relieved. “Great. Want to let us get back to work? This is costing.”

I looked at Diego and Carly.

“We can’t just dismiss that it happened,” Carly said.

Diego nodded. “And it’s not a fluke. Someone went to the effort, only a few days in, of sabotaging something significant. It could’ve drawn out our build time by weeks, and that’s only if it didn’t do serious damage.”

“What are we supposed to do about it?” As she talked, Carly walked up to the jack that was supporting the ceiling. She studied it for a moment before looking back at us.

I could only think of one solution. “We lock down all communication.”

“All orders double checked by us, for each crew, every day before they start.” Carly seemed to know exactly what I meant.

“That feels excessive,” the contractor said in Italian, looking at Diego and me. “You’re going to let her decide that?”

I swore I heard an American woman when he said her. “Yes.” My reply came easily, and in English. “Double sign-off on every set of plans, every day. One from Carly, one from Diego or me. Someone went to the effort of spoofing a change request, to have your demo crew wreck our fucking building.” The longer I thought about it, the more pissed off I grew. “In fact, we need the rest of today’s plans, now.”

Diego stepped away to let everyone else we’d be working with know. As Carly and I went through the rest of planned demolition work for the day, I was intently aware of the time ticking away. This was going to grow all of our deadlines, even with us having caught the one issue.

We’d planned to be on-site for some of the work. Were Diego and I going to have to adjust our schedules to have at least one of us here at all times?

The demo crew was finally cleared to go back to work.

“This is why I’m here,” Carly said, as they started up again.

I stared at her in disbelief. “In case someone tries to sabotage our project?” I wasn’t sure if I was impressed or nervous that our investors built that into their timeline.

Carly’s smile was flat. “To oversee construction. I’m meant to be on-site as much as is needed, so the two of you can get your own work done. We’re investing in you. Your idea, your dream. It’s important you can actually work.”

Had she read my mind, to know that was one of my concerns?

Diego was still making phone calls, and I had a different, more personal request for Carly. “I need a favor. Could you not mention the ghosts, that conversation you had with Diego earlier, around Eloise?”

“Of course. Is she scared of them?”

Not quite, and I hated to admit this next bit, even to myself. There was a teensy part of me that believed what I was about to say made Eloise more Diego’s daughter than mine. We didn’t know which of us was her biological father and we’d never wanted to find out. It truly didn’t matter—we were both Daddy—but sometimes that little bit of doubt nagged at me. “She has tea with one of them, and I’d rather not encourage that.”

Carly covered her mouth, not hiding her quiet laugh. “Imaginary friend means she’s creative.”

“Not imaginary. Not to Diego and Eloise. A spirit from beyond the veil.”

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