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“Don’t have a clue what it is. I don’t think I’ve ever sat at that desk. Honestly, never understood why we even had it.”
“Because we planned to hire a secretary.” Pain pulsed at this temple, and he set the computer aside.
“That’s right. We’ve always just shoved unwanted crap in there. I’m sure it’s some random flash drive we didn’t want anymore. No need to waste your time on it. I gotta run. I’ll lock up the office and head out, but we’ll get together soon.”
The call disconnected before Cade could get in another word. He tossed the phone beside him and leaned his head back to stare up. A dusty chandelier hung from the center of the room and wood beams created squares across the ceiling.
A soft knock sounded. “Am I interrupting something?” Laura asked with an airy laugh. “Some deep thinking perhaps?”
The lightness in her voice lifted his lips. “Just pondering life’s biggest questions. Like what’s on the flash drive you found and what did you make downstairs that smells so amazing.”
“I can answer one of those questions easily. You’re smelling freshly baked apple pies and banana bread. The second one I’d need to take a look at the files.” She rounded the corner of the couch and picked up the computer before sitting. “Is it on here still?” she asked, tilting her head toward the now-open screen.
He scooted closer and the urge to brush a dusting of flour off the exposed column of her neck made his blood boil.
Narrowing her eyes, she studied the screen. “Mostly two rows. All numbers. Interesting how the rows on the left all have larger numbers than the ones on the right.”
She pecked at the keys and input some formula that went right over his head into the spreadsheet.
“What are you doing?”
“Just curious. I want to know what happens if you add these numbers together or subtract one from the other.” She highlighted numbers then input more.
Okay. Matthew had been right. Laura was much smarter than he’d realized.
“Interesting,” she said.
“What do you see?”
“Yesterday I spent a lot of time studying the finances. I wanted to get familiar with everything in the office.” She spared him a quick look. “Hope I didn’t overstep.”
He shook his head. “Not at all.”
“These numbers here.” She trailed the pad of her pinky down the row, showcasing the new numbers that had appeared after she’d put in one of her formulas. “They look familiar.”
More pecking at the keys. More spreadsheets popped up on the screen. “See. Same numbers.”
“And those numbers are?”
“These show the amount paid for past projects.”
He furrowed his brow, trying to keep up. “And how did you make the numbers from the flash drive match the ones in our accounting books?”
“I subtracted one from the other. Not all of your projects are listed on the drive. But enough that the patterns are clear. It’s not a coincidence.”
That made him sit straight. “No. Not a coincidence. But something definitely isn’t adding up.”
7
Laura studied the numbers again, willing everything to make sense. The heat of Cade’s gaze on her face made her squirm, but no matter how much she spun it, things didn’t add up.
More accurately, they added up in a way that told an alarming story.
“This is bullshit.” Cade jumped to his feet and paced across the room in front of her.
“Perhaps. Maybe there’s more to the picture than I’m seeing. I mean, I don’t know much about business. Especially yours. Matthew would be a better person to look at this than me.”
Cade shook his head. “I just talked to him. Asked him about the flash drive and he didn’t know anything about it. Which means he wouldn’t understand what’s on there anymore than us, or he’s lying.”
