Page 118 of Playing for Keeps

Allie could hear the edge of excitement in her cousin’s voice and racked her brain for what she could be talking about. “You may need to give me a clue,” she said after a moment of loaded silence.

“Alegra!” Bella giggled delightedly. “I’ve been offered the permanent position of general manager at Fox Hill Golf Club.”

“Oh! Right, yes! Congratulations.”

“Thank you. What did you think I was talking about?”

“My head is all over the place,” she said, resting her elbows on the desk.

“What’s going on? Have you told everyone that you own the club?”

“A couple of people know. Not everyone. I found out a member of staff has been embezzling significant amounts of money.”

“No way. Are you serious?”

As Allie gave Bella a rundown of the situation, she paced the foyer. Then she wandered back out to the driving range where the powerful lights illuminated the balls that Emmy had hit out onto the grass. Absently, she grabbed a bucket of balls while continuing to chat with Bella, who listened with awe and the occasional murmur of disbelief.

“Are you sure it was just Daisy?” Bella finally asked. “Maybe Kevin is in on it too, and they’re splitting the money.”

“It’s possible. Logistically, it seems much more plausible if Kevin was involved. But it’s also hard to imagine him going along with it. Verity called him a wet blanket, which sums him up perfectly.”

“You need to tell your dad. There’ll need to be some sort of official investigation, right?”

“I guess so. I’ll call Dad in the morning and see how we should proceed. I’ll also speak to Kevin tomorrow and get his reaction on it all.”

“Is that wise?”

Allie was distracted for a moment as she switched her phone to speaker and set it aside. Then she set a ball on the tee and lined herself up for a shot, loving the feel of the club in her hands.

“How do you mean?” she asked.

“I mean is it really safe for you to be questioning people alone?”

“I think so. I’d say Daisy’s more an opportunistic thief than anything else. I don’t think she’s dangerous. Besides, she made a somewhat valid point about how much we pay her. She’s great at her job, and she works hard for minimum wage.”

“Please don’t be sympathetic. If she felt hard done by, she could have asked for a raise, not stolen from the business.”

“For all I know, she did ask for a raise, and I’m not saying what she did was excusable. I guess I’m just kicking myself for turning a blind eye to a business that I own. Whether I wanted it or not, this place was partly my responsibility.”

“You’re there now,” Bella said. “That’s the main thing. This is all crazy stressful, but it will be okay in the end. I’m worried about you being alone there though.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Where are you now?”

“In the clubhouse.”

“Your accommodation is separate from the clubhouse, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. But I guess there’s no reason I can’t move into the flat above the clubhouse now.”

“Don’t,” Bella said, a warning note to her voice.

“Why not?”

“What if Daisy comes back later intent on burning the place to the ground?”

Allie took a practice swing. “That seems a little melodramatic.”

---