Five #3
“What if I can’t figure it out?” Valerie leaned forward. “I probably won’t.”
“You don’t need to,” said Roger. “I hired an investigator, who hasn’t found anything yet, and he agreed that questioning my family directly would make them defensive and be counterproductive. The thing is, I can’t stand sitting here doing nothing while he searches.”
“So you want me to—” She paused. “What, exactly?”
“Your job would be to interact with my family and to get them talking. I want to see if one of them lets something slip.”
“You’re actually serious,” said Valerie, looking a bit stunned.
“As you can tell, it’s not like I have a lot of workable ideas left,” Roger admitted.
He stared down at his shoes. “I can’t believe my family would do this to me.
I thought I could trust them. I need to know what happened, why Yvette came to them for money, and where she is now. I know I’m asking a lot.”
“It’s a very bad idea.”
“I know that.”
“If your family finds out, won’t they be mad?”
“I don’t care. I’m mad right now too.”
“Let me rephrase. Wouldn’t they be mad at me, the person who ruined your father’s memorial and then pretended to be their niece to trick them?”
Roger nodded. “I get that it could be very uncomfortable for you.”
“Is there one in particular you suspect?”
Roger’s face dropped and he suddenly looked his age. “There’s not, and Dad’s will confuses things more.”
Right, the will. Nico had forgotten about that aspect in all the drama.
“The will?” asked Valerie. “There’s more to this?”
“Dad split his assets based on the number of grandkids. Penny’s share, for example, is triple mine, for her and her two children.
David’s is twice mine, since he has one kid.
Alice gets a small amount as Peter’s widow, and they didn’t have kids.
Finding my daughter means less money for everyone else as the wording is a little ambiguous. ”
Even reduced, the amount would be huge, but Nico knew the rich stayed rich by making sure they got what they thought they deserved, and often more.
“That gives everyone incentive to stay quiet even if they weren’t involved,” said Valerie.
“It’s not the best feeling,” Roger agreed.
Valerie looked around. “I’m not sure about this, Roger. It seems…” Her voice trailed off but Nico could fill in the blanks in his own mind. Risky. Ridiculous. Desperate.
“I’m willing to pay.” Roger named an amount and there was a stunned pause.
“I’ll be there twenty-four seven,” Valerie pointed out eventually. “Double it. Half up front.”
Nico had seen the impressive results of her negotiation with vendors for the celebration of life, so he wasn’t surprised at her ability to drive a hard bargain despite her sweet demeanor. Or was she testing Roger’s commitment?
“Agreed.” That Roger didn’t counter her offer told Nico exactly how badly he wanted this.
Valerie hesitated as she looked around the office, Roger tracking her gaze. Nico had sat in on enough of Roger’s negotiations to know what he was thinking. Valerie’s company was close to flatline, and resuscitation would be a way to sweeten the deal.
“Do you want to continue with your company?” Roger asked. “Given what happened.”
“I’m not sure.” She avoided his gaze.
Roger leaned back. “How’s this, as a bonus? If you take this job, I’ll do what I can to get Ad Astra back on its feet reputationally.”
Valerie took a moment, watching Roger with an intensity that piqued Nico’s envy. He wanted her to look at him like that, as if he held the answers to all her questions.
“Let me see that photo of Yvette again,” she said.
Roger handed it over without speaking.
“Where’s the original?” she asked.
His hand went to his heart, where Nico knew his blazer held a secret pocket. “I keep it with me, so I can at least feel close to them.”
Valerie gave him another long look, which Roger held without flinching.
Then her gaze moved to the crossed-out calendar on the wall.
Would she go through with it? Nico would take on the task of finding Yvette if she said no.
He would be the one to help, even though Roger had kept his secret from Nico and trusted Valerie instead.
“Deal. Nico can be a witness.” She held out her hand.
Nico couldn’t tell who was more surprised at her decision, him or Roger. Or, judging from her complicated expression, Valerie herself.
Roger recovered first. “You’re sure?” he pressed.
She lifted her eyebrows. “Do you want my help or not?”
“Yes, yes. Sorry.” Roger took her hand gingerly, as though worried shaking it too hard might change her mind. “Thank you.”
“Will it be just us and the family?” she asked. “Up north, I mean.”
“I’ll be there,” said Nico without waiting for Roger. It only made sense. Roger would need his help to support Valerie, and they’d already planned to work from the cottage for a couple weeks.
She smiled at him. “Looks like we’re colleagues.”
Colleagues. Nico looked into Valerie’s lovely brown eyes and let his fantasy of asking her on a date fade. This summer was going to be complicated at best, and he couldn’t risk making it worse.
Damn it.