“Actually, she doesn’t have the wedding chapel’s financial reports. Not the real ones that her husband hides from her.”
Blinking, Lynn leaned forward in her chair, her hands lifting. “Then how am I going to be able to take a look at them?”
“Well, I was hoping that you would be willing to engage in some sneakiness to obtain them.”
Her eyebrows lifted to her hairline as she jerked her head back slightly. “Sneakiness?”
Nancy had the good grace to blush and dropped her gaze to stare at the papers she fiddled with on her desk. “Yeah… kinda sneaky.”
Lynn said nothing, staring at her friend. What on earth is she concocting? Deciding to stay quiet until Nancy began talking, she leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. Nancy huffed, and Lynn was reminded of all the times when they were younger and Nancy’s schemes almost got them in trouble.
“Look, it’s not like we’ve never been sneaky before. Remember when we were in fifth grade and had different teachers and always managed to ask for bathroom passes at the same time so that we could talk? Or when we peeked in the window of our high school English teacher to see her kissing the PE teacher? Or when we would follow Nolan around to try to find out who he was interested in—”
Throwing up her palm toward Nancy, she halted her litany. “Okay, okay, I get it. Yes, we’ve been sneaky before. But why do I get the feeling that what you’re going to ask me to do is beyond regular subterfuge and possibly involves something more nefarious?”
“Look, it’s not illegal for us to get our hands on the wedding chapel’s financial records. After all, Sally is a co-owner of the business and has a legal right to those records. She’s going to permit us to obtain those records in any way we see fit and then follow the trail of money wherever it leads. Legally, she can do that without her husband’s permission.”
“So, she wants us to get our hands on the records instead of her giving them to us.”
Nodding, Nancy grinned. “Exactly!”
Lynn thought for a moment, pondering the implications. Finally, shrugging, she said, “Well, you’re the PI. You get your hands on the records, and I’ll take a look at them.”
“Um… well, that’s where it gets a little complicated. I can’t exactly sneak in. I’ve done some PI work in the area, and I’m afraid they might recognize me. What I need is someone who can get inside the business to get the records.”
Lynn opened her mouth to argue, but Nancy jumped in, cutting her off.
“I know it sounds weird, but I was hoping you could go in as a potential bride who’s checking out the place, and perhaps, if someone was with you who could keep an eye out, then you’d be able to grab a copy of the records. Sally claims everything’s kept on his computer in the office.”
Air left her lungs as she exhaled, but she forgot to inhale again. Finally, sucking in a deep breath, she tried to clear her mind. “Nancy, this is the most harebrained scheme you’ve ever come up with, and you’ve come up with some doozies before!”
“It can work. You’ve told me yourself that it’s easy to get financial records off the computer and only takes a few minutes.”
“Yes, but I don’t know anything about how to get into a place unseen and undetected! That’s not legal! I’m not going to lose my accounting license so she can get her husband’s ill-gotten gains!”
“Sally is giving us legal permission to go into the business and get the financial records. Plus, it will be virtually no risk because I’ll pair you with someone who will handle doing everything needed except for you getting the records. He’ll figure out what to do. Plan everything. They’ll make sure you get in and out with no problem.”
“Girl, this sounds like you’ve created a recipe for disaster.”
Shaking her head, she said, “No, actually, this is going to be a mission planned to precision.”
“So, I’m supposed to go in and pretend to be a bride?”
“Yes, and the person you go in with will be your pretend groom. You look around, you get the lay of the land, and then he’ll figure out how to get you into the office to obtain the records.”
“And if we get discovered and they call the police?”
“Believe me, the person who’s going to help you would not be involved in anything illegal. Remember, Sally is a co-owner of the business and is giving you written permission to go in. Granted, she’s not telling her husband ahead of time, but she’s still permitting you to get those records. Plus, let me just add that Sally Hightower is willing to pay a huge sum for us to do this. She knows her husband is probably making millions, and she is more than willing to make sure we’re well compensated for helping her get her due.”
That gave Lynn pause. Her business was certainly doing well, but it was sporadic, and she was still paying student loans while saving for a house. Nibbling on her bottom lip, she thought how nice a fat paycheck would be. Sighing, she finally nodded. “As long as it’s not illegal, and I’ll have written authorization from Sally that says I can get the records just in case we get caught and someone tries to get me arrested, I guess I can do it—”
“Yay!”
The cheer from the doorway caused both Nancy and Linda to jump as Rita popped into the room, her hands clapping and her face bright with excitement. “I’m so glad you said yes! I think this is going to be perfect!”
Uncertain why Rita would be so excited for her to take on this scheme, Lynn shot her gaze over to Nancy.
“Mom, you’re a little premature. I haven’t finished letting Lynn know the whole plan.”
Lynn swung her gaze between Rita’s beaming face and Nancy’s tight smile. “Um… the whole plan? Who’s going to go in with me?”
The buzzer from the front door rang. “Mom? Nancy? Are you guys back here?”
The deep voice coming from the front of the office echoed down the hall, causing Lynn’s stomach to plunge. Oh, no! No way!
“Back here, dear!” Rita called out. She beamed toward Lynn as she stepped to the side and Nolan’s presence filled the doorway, his gaze landing on hers.
Nancy, her gaze cautious, piped up from behind her desk. “Lynn, meet your undercover groom.”
4
Nolan slid into the booth opposite Lynn, wondering why he ever gave in to Nancy’s scheme. One look at Lynn’s tense, tight-lipped face and it was not hard to imagine that she was wondering the same thing.
Lynn Cox. Damn, she’s grown up! She had been pretty at sixteen but was too damn young for him to go there at the time. I had certainly noticed, but the difference in our age was the difference between legal and going to jail! After she caught him off guard by kissing him, he’d acted badly by setting her back and growling that the kiss wasn’t happening. He didn’t see her again until he came home for Nancy’s high school graduation two years later. Even then it was from a distance and she was swallowed by the unshapely graduation gown. Now, almost ten years later, she was a knockout. Dark, shiny, mahogany hair that hung below her shoulders. Her porcelain complexion was highlighted with a touch of makeup, expertly applied. Not as tall as Nancy, she was definitely petite, with curves in all the right places.