7. House of Games, House of Lies
7
House of Games, House of Lies
F rom how he dressed and carried himself, Spencer knew William was a wealthy man. It didn’t hit him how wealthy he was until he was the riding the elevator to William’s penthouse apartment. It was in the fanciest building in Philadelphia. The doorman greeted him by name when he entered the lobby.
Inside the elevator, the spotless walls revealed Spencer was the only thing out of place with a juice stain on his shirt. “Fuck,” he whispered at the grape juice he spilled that morning while getting Nessa ready. He thought he got it all out, but the elevator’s lighting revealed it was still visible.
The doors opened in the midst of him tucking his shirt into his pants. Spencer stepped out and looked to his right, finding William sitting around the kitchen island. He walked over and met Spencer.
“You didn’t have any trouble finding the place, did you?”
“No. Your directions were so clear I could have found the place by memorization,” Spencer replied, shaking William’s hand.
“Glad to hear it. How do you like the place?”
It was an airy room. Plenty of natural light poured into the center from an expansive window. The silk drapes did not stop the light from bathing the tile floor and everything else in white. The light blue of the walls reminded Spencer of the way Nessa colored the ocean. Brighter and cleaner than the real thing.
A grey modular sofa was propped feet away from a fireplace. A flat screen TV looked down at the cozy couch. The kitchen was tucked away, a wall blocking it from your initial view from the elevator. A round dining table sat behind it. Paintings by artists Spencer didn’t know the names of hung on the walls.
He was sure the rest of the place reinforced how much of a pretty penny it was to buy. It was no surprise to see a wealthy client lived in a place like this. Seeing it just underscored how far apart the men were. Spencer’s two-bedroom shoebox apartment was the farthest thing from this high-rise palace.
“It’s great,” he answered, hoping he sounded enthusiastic. “I don’t think I could afford a closet this size, let alone an apartment.”
“I love to hear that. It makes the news I have to report even better. ”
“Oh yeah? What news is that?”
“It’s your lucky day, Spencer. The apartment is yours.”
Spencer stared at him, not quite believing the words. He blinked a couple of times. “Excuse me?”
William chuckled, delighting in his confusion. “I said, the apartment is yours. You’re going to need a place like this to help sell your cover.”
“Did I miss a meeting or a phone call? When did I need to get a cover for this case? Or an apartment for that matter?”
“Yesterday, when I left your office. The reason I had to leave early was because I was signing the lease.”
Spencer’s mind was going a mile a minute. William didn’t help by explaining the details as slow as possible. “Break this down faster for me.”
“Okay. When we did the research on Nicole, I realized that to get the evidence we need, you have to go undercover. I mean, she has done this to several men without slipping up. We can’t trust we’ll somehow find something that no one else has before.”
“What about the ad space in major cities’ newspapers? You called the idea genius and had faith in it. Does that ring a bell?”
“I’m still interested in doing that. My accountant is figuring out the expenses now, but it would be wise for us to try other options. One of them being you going undercover and working your magic to get information.”
“What information? If she’s working as a party planner now and isn’t running cons anymore—”
“Wait a minute, don’t tell me you think that business of hers is real?” William looked at him hard, then scoffed. “You actually bought that? That business of hers is a front for her money laundering. She probably used the money she swindled to start the business and uses the business to clean the money. But she hasn’t stopped, Spencer. No, no, no. She’s running cons. It might not be the con she pulled on me since her daughter is out of the business, but she’s scamming people. I know it.”
“I can’t go off a hunch. Not with something like this.”
“I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to go undercover and get proof. Hire her services, see how her business operates, look into her finances, prove she’s the fraud we both know she is.”
This was the last thing Spencer expected to come out of their meeting. They were on the right track with the newspaper ads. Why William wanted to divert from that to this without seeing its results first was a mystery.
“Going undercover is risky. She could catch wind of what we’re doing. If the newspaper ads don’t work, we can explore this route, but let’s wait and see if our ads reach one of her other marks.”
“And how long is that going to take? It would be one thing if time wasn’t of the essence, but it is,” William emphasized. “My life, my home, my career isn’t here in Philadelphia. I’m putting my life on hold to go after Nicole. The quicker we can find concrete evidence that nails her, the sooner I can move on with my life. The quickest way to do that is to go straight to the source and catch her red-handed.”
William wasn’t wrong. Typically Spencer could get the information he needed to build a case in a week or two, but those cases weren’t as complicated as this. The idea of going undercover was a logical one. It wasn’t something he considered when taking on the case because in his year of running the agency, he never had to. This was unfamiliar territory for him, and as much as Spencer wanted to protest, he had no good reason to.
“It’s a risk, but a calculated one,” William continued. “Look at it this way. Nicole is a single mom. She raised Maya by herself. She knows what it’s like to be a parent on her own, like what you’re doing with your niece. That’s how you gain her trust.”
“I’m not interested in using Nessa.”
“You don’t have to, but having her as part of your story could add depth to your cover. It makes you more relatable, more human. Plus, it keeps Nessa close to you. She can stay with you in this apartment while you’re working on the case. Tell her it’s a work assignment. She won’t suspect a thing.”
Spencer hesitated, considering the implications of involving Nessa. She was his top priority. The reason he worked so hard to keep the agency open was so he could provide her with stability and security. But William was right. Using her as part of his cover story could give him an advantage in gaining Nicole’s trust before he brought her down.
“I don’t know. I’ve never done undercover work before. William, I could be out of my depth here. Are you sure I’m the right man for the job?”
The last thing Spencer wanted to do was lose the paycheck, but the job William was asking for was above his capabilities. He couldn’t pretend it wasn’t.
“Spencer, why do you think I hired you to be my PI on this?”
“You wanted the job done cheap?”
“Does money look like a concern of mine to you?” William laughed. “No, I chose you because I saw how badly you needed this. You needed a win and weren’t stopping until you got one. Wanting to provide for your niece fuels you. You’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she has the life she deserves. This job is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for, and I have every confidence in you to pull it off. You won’t fail because if you did, you would be failing her. And that’s unacceptable to you.”
William’s belief in him was comforting, but Spencer didn’t share his confidence. He closed his eyes, trying to push away the doubts that were gnawing at him. His imposter syndrome told him he couldn’t do this. But there was an even more terrifying thought that surpassed it. The thought of letting Nessa down.
With a deep breath, Spencer opened his eyes and met William’s gaze. “Alright, I’ll do it, but at a higher rate than we originally agreed to. You know, with the undercover work involved, the price goes up.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Spencer. I respect that. You’re taking on a lot for this, and you deserve fair compensation. I promise we will work out the details later. For now, let me fill you in on your cover story.”
“You already crafted it?”
“Of course. I always come prepared. This is coming on short notice, so I kept everything simple. You, my friend, will play the role of a newly rich tech millionaire. Not too unlike myself. You will go by the name of Aiden Spencer. I choose Spencer as your last name, so you won’t have to teach yourself to respond to Aiden.”
“You have recently moved to Philadelphia with your niece. You’re interested in using Nicole’s party planning services, bringing you into contact with her. Nicole will keep things professional and refer to you as your last name. I’ve already set up your IDs, social media accounts, everything you need to sell this.”
William went to his briefcase and grabbed them, then handed them over to Spencer. Spencer shook his head as he held the fake ID and fake social security number in his hand. “How did you get this stuff made on such short notice?”
He caught a guilty look crossed William’s face. “I may have already had them made after our first meeting.”
“So you knew we were going to go in this direction even before our second meeting? Why did you put me through all this trouble if you knew this was the plan all along?”
The older man’s eyes dropped as he scratched the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, but I needed to show you how well she covers her and her daughters’ tracks. You wouldn’t have been so inclined to go undercover if you didn’t think it was necessary. But you see it now, don’t you?”
“Sure, I see it. Can you see how I don’t like being lied to or manipulated with? We’re supposed to be partners in this. I need to be able to trust you. My focus needs to be on catching the con artist in a lie, not my client.”
“You’re right. I apologize. You deserve better than that, and I’ll do better going forward. No more secrets or surprises. That’s a promise.”
Spencer stared at William, searching for any trace of dishonesty, and found none. His expression was sincere. Spencer trusted he was genuine in his apology. “Okay. I’m choosing to believe you.”
“I won’t disappoint you, but what’s important right now is coming up with a reason for you to seek out Nicole’s services. Her business is relatively new. There has to be a reason you sought her out instead of a more reputable service. ”
A wealthy tech millionaire was a far cry from his actual self, but Spencer tried to get into the mindset. “Nessa’s sixth birthday is in a month. She saw pictures of parties hosted under Nicole’s branding and begged me to acquire her services.”
“You think your niece can sell that lie?”
“She won’t have to lie. I’ll show her some photos of different parties that I know she’ll like. Whichever one she likes best, I’ll say it was done by Nicole and ask if she’d like a party hosted by her.”
William’s smile widened. “I like how you think, my friend. Nicole won’t be able to resist the opportunity to plan a party for the city’s newest heiress. Now, all that’s left is for you to make an appointment.”
They went over to the couch. While William dialed the number, Spencer wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. He was used to improvising. This was different. What William was asking of him required a level of acting that was outside his comfort zone.
The phone rang a few times before a male voice answered. “Good afternoon. This is Taylor For You Event Planning. How may I assist you today?”
Spencer cleared his throat, trying to sound natural in this unnatural situation. “Hello, this is Aiden Spencer. I would like to arrange a meeting with your boss.”
As the details were finalized, Spencer exhaled the breath he’d been holding. For a second, he pretended things were normal. That he was normal. The second passed when it dawned on him the plan was now in motion, and there was no way to turn back.