Page 41 of Sea Breezes at The Beach House Hotel

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Later that day, loaded down with packages, I followed Nell, Bailey, and Ned inside the house. They were eager to show Clint their purchases. It was an enjoyable, practical way to ease the kids into a new school situation. Neither of them would be wearing private school uniforms anymore.

Clint was sitting on the lanai with Vaughn and was being kind about “oohing” and “ahing” over the items Bailey and Ned eagerly showed him.

After the children left the lanai to change into their swimsuits, Clint said, “I’m not sure what’s going on with the business project I’ve been working on, but I’m going to seek some confidential advice from Reggie. It’s really important that no one in the company knows I’m doing this.”

I exchanged worried looks with Vaughn.

“Believe me, we won’t tell,” I said. “But I do think it’s a wise move on your part. I understand the firm recently made a $10 million settlement on a legal case.”

“That happened after I joined the firm. The situation was never mentioned in any due diligence I did on the company,” said Clint. “A hush-hush deal for sure.”

“How did you do on your Zoom call with Claudine?” I asked.

“She’s reworked the numbers, and I don’t like them. The numbers she and I had projected didn’t satisfy the requirement to cut costs enough. She’s suggesting eliminating more employees and paying those who are left less money. I recorded the conversation, and I’ve printed the financials she provided, but I’m going to need help to review and verify the numbers. My broken arm is giving me fits if I work for any length of time.”

“Is that what you’re using Reggie for?” I asked him.

Clint nodded. “I can’t leave it to Claudine to put together a new plan that I can agree to. Her father would, I’m sure, applaud her for cutting the costs of the deal, but that’s not what I agreed to when I signed on.”

Clint’s cell rang. He picked up the call.

I watched his face as he listened. His eyes widened, and the color left his cheeks.

“I see. Was any damage done to the rest of the house? I’m recovering from an accident in Florida, but I’ll have our insurance company come in to assess the situation. Yes. you can reach me at this number.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Nell, coming to his side.

“That was the police department. There’s been a break-in at the house,” said Clint. “It was discovered by Libby, our next-door neighbor, when she came into the house to water the plants. They said my office has been turned upside down, but the rest of the house has hardly been touched. It obviously has something to do with work. Thank God, I have my computer and any backup information with me here.”

“Oh, my God! That’s terrible. What if the children or I had been in the house?” said Nell. “I’ll call Libby now.” Nell’s cell rang. “Oh, here she is calling me.”

“Hi, Libby,” said Nell. “The police have just notified Clint of the break-in. What can you tell me?”

Clint signaled Nell.

“Libby, I’m going to put you on speakerphone so Clint and my parents can hear,” said Nell. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” Libby said. “I don’t know what the police told you, but when I went into the house to water the plants, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Not until I got to Clint’s office. Papers were everywhere, desk drawers were open, and items were scattered throughout the office closet.

“Did you check the rest of the house?” Nell asked her.

“Not until the police arrived,” said Nell. “They made certain there was no one inside and then allowed me to make sure the upstairs rooms were okay.”

“There was no other sign of things not being right?” asked Clint. “What about the alarm?”

“For some reason, the alarm didn’t go off,” said Libby. “I think it’s been broken. But you’ll have to check with the police about that.”

“Sounds like professionals,” Vaughn said quietly, and I silently agreed.

“Thank you, Libby. I’m grateful you weren’t hurt, that whoever it was had already gone,” said Nell. “We’ll hire a security company to patrol the house, and I’ll fly up to D.C. to take care of this. Clint is recovering from a fall and has two broken arms.”

“Oh, no! That’s awful. I hope he heals quickly,” said Libby.

“One last question,” said Clint. “Did you hear or see anything related to the break-in?”

“No,” said Libby. “I was away for most of the day volunteering at the hospital. I came over to your house after I got home.”