On the way to Larry’s office, she typed a text to her mom. “I’d like to take you to your next doc appt and we can have lunch together. I love you so much.” She tapped on Larry’s opendoor.
With a grin, Larry said, “C’mon in. I’m ready for my close-up.”
She sent the text and relaxed into the chair across from his cluttered desk.“No cameras today. Just a few follow-upquestions.”
“You betcha. Whatever youneed.”
“What I need is a phenomenal memory.” She set her phone on the table and pressed the record button on the app. “I’d like to record ourconversation.”
“I’m not comfortable withthat.”
“Standard procedure. Otherwise, I can’t quote you. And I’d hate to cut you from the segmentaltogether.”
His eyebrows flew up. “Oh, go aheadthen.”
After asking Larry to paint a picture of his career path at Wilde, she sat back and listened. His answers didn’t interest her but his body language did. When he finished, she reminded him of his comment. “Ruth Lizzard is the brains behind Wilde’s QA Division. Can you expand onthat?”
At the mere mention of her name, he smiled and sat tall. “She’sphenomenal.”
“Tell me about hercontributions.”
In a heartbeat, Larry became animated and his face flushed like a teenager in love. He talked longer about her accomplishments than his own. Alexandra Reed had hit the motherlode.
“As a journalist, I’m always in search of my next story. I’d love anintroduction.”
He cleared his throat. “We don’t keep intouch.”
Sure you don’t.“Well, darn. I’ll have to call her office cold then. She sounds like someone I’d like to interview. A real take-charge kind oflady.”
He beamed. “She sureis.”
Alexandra rose. “Larry, you were the exactoomphthe storyneeded.”
On her way back to Crockett’s office, Alexandra tapped off the recorder and checked Incognito’s website for the second time that morning. Still closed.Dammit.
As soon as she swiped off the Do Not Disturb, her phone blew up with texts and missed calls. The first one was from Crockett. “I think this text was meant for Kimberly, but I’ll respond. I don’t have a doc appt, but my dental cleaning is coming up. You can take me to that. Lunch with you, anytime, babe. I love you, too. So much.” Following his text was a big smileyface.
She burst out laughing.I said it.No turning backnow.
The next text was from Colton. “Mom in hospital. She’s OK. Left you a message. Talked to Crockett. See you soon.” Adrenaline shot through her and she took off toward Crockett’soffice.
* * *
Crockett powereddown thehallway with Alexandra’s coat, handbag and gloves in hand. As they drew close, worry shadowed her beautiful face. “What happened?” sheasked.
“She fell.” He helped Alex on with her coat and handed her thegloves.
“How?”
“I’ll tell you on theway.”
At the elevator bank, he punched the down button. “Kimberly had difficulty getting out of bed and couldn’t find her balance. They’re doing a brain scan to check for recurringtumors.”
Her shoulders sagged. “Oh,no.”
The doors opened and they squeezed into the crowded elevator. Everyone else filed out at the lobby level, but they continued down to the undergroundparking.
“Thank you for dropping everything forme.”
