Carnegie would be free of her. And he’d be grateful.
To Nelson.
A knock at his door interrupted his thoughts. “Come!”
Two men shuffled into the room, eyes glued to the floor. A grin lifted his lips. It was good to have junior scientists who actually knew their place on the food chain. Both young men shifted, waiting for him to speak.
“Turner. Lincoln. I appreciate you making time to meet me here. I have a proposition for you. Please, sit.” He gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk.
They did as told and finally looked up at him. “Thank you for inviting us to meet with you, sir.” Turner’s eyes darted from side to side.
“Yes, it’s an honor, sir,” Lincoln echoed, locking eyes with him. Good. At least one of them needed a bit of backbone for what he had planned.
He steepled his fingers together and took a deep breath. “What I am about to say to you does not leave this room. You are to tell no one of my involvement. You will not speak of my part with anyone. Not your family, friends, and certainly not with each other. Trust me, I will know if you violate this agreement, and it will not go well for you. Is that understood?”At their vigorous nods, he continued. “It has come to my attention that someone has been stealing donor money. Money allocated to erect the many beautiful dinosaur skeletons currently sitting in the preparator’s warehouse.”
Turner’s brow furrowed. “I’ve not heard of this, sir. To our knowledge, donor funds are flush and—”
“You will speak only when I allow you to.Understood?”
The junior scientist shrank back with a nod.
“Good. Now, as I was saying. This discrepancy has just now come to my attention. And I need to know if there is truth to the rumors. So”—he opened the top right-hand drawer of his desk and pulled out two thick envelopes—“I am offering you each two hundred dollars to find out who is behind this nefarious act. If you catch the culprit, there is another hundred dollars in it for each of you.”
The two men exchanged wide-eyed glances, then looked back to him.
“Turner, I’m sure this money will be most helpful for your mother, especially with her poor health of late.”
Turner went pale but nodded.
He swung his gaze to the fair-haired Lincoln. “And I know you have a young wife with a baby on the way, correct?”
Lincoln nodded. “I’m sure the extra funds will go a long way toward their comfort this coming winter.”
They both grabbed the envelopes. Lincoln shoved his in his coat pocket. Turner clutched his in a white-knuckled fist. “Where do you want us to start?”
He smiled. Truly, it was almost too easy. “Well, I would look first at Miss Eliza Mills. Her department’s budget seems to be larger this year than last year. Make sure you are thorough in questioning every expense, deposit, and withdrawal of hers.”
Lincoln shifted in his seat. “But we’re only juniors here, sir. How can we get this information?”
Since he had already changed the books, they played perfectly into his hands. “Oh”—he waved them off—“don’t worry about that. The museum has an open-door policy. I’ve had her books collected for you. Mr. Carnegie is fastidious when it comes to our generous patrons’ donations. And if Miss Mills is abusing those funds, he has every right to know. Make sure you ask all your colleagues if they’ve heard anything about Miss Mills stealing this money. And take it to the head of finance as well. Leave no stone unturned.”
The two men nodded and stood to leave.
“One more thing.” He folded his hands on his desk. “If anyone is able to trace this request back to me, I will not only take the money back, but I will ensure you are fired from this museum and never hired again in the field of paleontology.”
Turner nodded and practically ran out the door.
Lincoln hesitated. “Why can’t they know you are the one instigating this investigation?”
Nelson stood and released what he hoped sounded like a gracious sigh. “My dear young man. You haven’t been here long enough to understand the politics involved. I wouldn’t want the head of finance getting his nose bent out of shape—or worse, losing his job—because he missed something important.” He affected a humble shrug. “I’m simply trying to do what’s best for the museum. I had someone come to me in confidence with information about Miss Mills. But because of her family’s connection to Mr. Carnegie and their vast wealth, they were afraid of repercussions.”
“Oh. I see.” Lincoln dipped his chin. “You have my word, sir, I’ll do my best.” Then he left the office, the door shutting behind him with a sharp click.
There. That was done. No doubt those two would have the rumor mill churning by lunchtime.
What would Miss Mills do when she returned home and found her precious reputation demolished? How would sherespond when Mr. Carnegie, furious over the misappropriation of funds, fired her and made sure she would never work in any museum again?
He sighed and leaned back, the leather of his chair creaking with the movement. Oh, watching everything unfold was going to be a joy.
