Chapter 11

Finn

I was up late – the events of the day before had taken their toll on me. I felt like I’d been through the first day of football camp in high school. I showered quickly, pulled on my working clothes, and pressed a cup from the Keurig before heading down to Elspeth’s condo.

Mary Becker answered the door, although I could have as easily entered the code and gone in unannounced.

“Good morning, Mr. Tremaine,” she greeted me.

Shaking my head, I said, “Mary, just call me Finn. Is she up?”

“No, I peek in from time to time but she’s still asleep.”

“She’s okay, isn’t she? She didn’t have some after effect of the lump on her head?”

Mary smiled. “No, nothing like that. She’s just worn out. Can I relay a message? I see you’re dressed for work. Would you like to give me any orders?”

“Pete is supervising, though, right?” I asked, hesitant, to which she nodded. I had no idea why I’d become such a worry wart. That was not my personality. “Mary, sit down a minute, would you?”

When she complied, I said, “Okay, look, here’s the story. Not sure what Pete told you but this young lady isn’t really known to me.”

Mary tipped her head and gave me a doubtful look.

“Okay, okay, beyond that—and I know that sounds awful but you would have had to have been there. She was perfectly okay with it. Anyway, without going into details, she says she doesn’t know who she is, how she got the lump on her head, or how she wound up in a hunting shack that was on fire. If she says she doesn’t remember, I’m willing to take her word on it, but I’m going to have my people check her out regardless. So, if you will just listen for anything that could be a clue—good or bad—I need to know. Got that?”

Mary nodded. “Do I let her know you’re checking her out?”

“I don’t care, because it’s as much for her benefit as it is mine. If she has a life somewhere, she needs to know about it. I will tell you that I wouldn’t mind at all if she stuck around, but this is no kidnapping. I’m just giving her shelter as I get to know her better. But this is all above board, got that?”

“Got it.”

I knew I was sounding paranoid and probably for good reason. Not only had Elspeth and I had sex twice in the first day we met, but it had been hot and I felt like it showed all over my face. Sure, I’ll admit I was feeling guilty, but she and I had something special going on. I knew she felt it, too—or at least I thought she did. When it came down to it, what did I really know?

“Okay, I’ve got to get going.” I handed her my card. “This is to my cell phone. Although I’m only downstairs, I do have meetings so you’d have to get through my staff to get to me. Easier to call the number on that card. In fact, here’s a second one. Give that to Elspeth. I’m going to send up some things today, including a phone for her. See if you can keep her resting. Well, I’m sure Pete covered all that.”

I knew I was blithering. Why did I have this feeling like a nervous parent leaving their child with a babysitter for the first time? At least, I’m guessing that’s what it felt like. I wanted someone to keep an eye on her so she wouldn’t disappear.

“Okay, I’m out of here. Remember, Mary, anything at all. You can text me. That might be easier and less obvious. Bye.”

I went out the door and down the elevator to my office suite. There was no abnormal reaction as I walked back to my office, which told me one thing. Leigh had kept her mouth shut, as usual. I made a mental note to give her a raise.

She was sitting outside my office at her own desk. She had two secretaries to whom she delegated work, but she was answerable only to me. “Leigh. Inside?”

She nodded and picked up her tablet, followed me into my office, and closed the door.

“Okay, before we get into business, I have some things for you to do.” She nodded and was ready to tap a list on the tablet’s screen. “Cell phone, get the best and put it on my account. I want tracking software on it, but it’s not to be obvious. The reports come to me daily, and I want instant access on my own phone. Her name is Elspeth and you can call Mary… you know who that is?”

She nodded and kept typing.

“Get a size estimate from her and bring in a wardrobe. The whole shebang. Everything. Schedule someone to come in and do her hair, nails; all that stuff women like. I want hair for a DNA report and rush that. Find someone to come in and talk with her; a psychologist or whatever to give an opinion about her memory loss. I want a professional opinion on where she’s from by the way she talks. You’ll hear it—Southern drawl but not ignorant. Get Marty in here right away. Tell him this is for me, not the company. I want a chef in there—ask her about her favorite foods and stock the kitchen, but I want the foods info to go to Marty—it’s a clue. Talk to the nurse. Find out if she’s willing to hang around as more of a companion than just a nurse. I don’t want a lot of people having access to her and she needs someone she can trust, besides me, of course. This is a need-to-know basis and run it past me if anyone asks anything. Questions?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Leigh had earned the right to mock me; a right to which few were entitled.

I looked at her and she got the message. She uncrossed her legs, stood, pulled down her navy skirt, and exited soundlessly on the thick, maroon carpeting.

I logged on and began reading my emails, all of which had already been screened by Leigh. I couldn’t seem to focus; there wouldn’t be much business accomplished today. My mind kept drifting upstairs to the blue-eyed urchin, and my curiosity was running wild. Will she be more trouble than I can handle?

Pulling a sheet of stationery out of my drawer, I began making notes for Marty. He was a private detective who generally gathered intelligence for company business. This time would be different. He had one person to track, and he’d report only to me. No authorities, if we could prevent it. There would be too many questions. I wanted to know as much about my mysterious Elspeth as possible before I laid down my hand.

I swirled around in my chair to look out the floor-to-ceiling windows behind my desk. The Magnificent Mile traffic was heavy for a Monday but just beyond that lay the green-gray waters of the southern tip of Lake Michigan. I ignored the cars, the people, the hubbub. I had always hated it, anyway. That was when inspiration struck. I buzzed Leigh.

She came in, the tablet in hand, an inquiring look on her face. She had a beautiful, aquiline nose I’d always admired. Leigh was mega-intelligent, with a list of East Coast private schools and colleges on her resume. She also had street smarts, and that was why I hired her in the first place. Old money was inherited but it seldom moved. I was after new money, new challenges, a new game. To enter that world, you’d better have a solid grounding in dirty pool. Leigh understood that, and me. Sometimes I saw a flicker of something in her black eyes that suggested she wanted more than a boss/employee relationship, but I couldn’t let that happen. She was worth more to me exactly where she was.

“I want everything on that list I gave you done ASAP. Call the caretaker at my lake house and tell him I’m moving there this weekend, with a guest. Maybe two. He’ll know what to do.”

“Okay… any idea how long you’ll be gone? I need to clear your calendar.” The spark in her eyes dulled a bit, and I could tell she was feeling excluded. If there was anything Leigh and I mutually enjoyed, it was the excitement of a new game.

“Refer the appointments you can’t cancel to Jerry. I’ll be gone until further notice.”

“Got it. Will you talk to Jerry, or should I?”

I didn’t hesitate. “I’ll do it. Jerry’s going to want to know what’s going on and this is personal. It’s none of his business.”

“You know he won’t like it,” Leigh cautioned me.

“Fuck him. Keep him busy and keep me informed what he’s doing. Anything major comes to me by courier for approval.”

“You got it, Finn.” Leigh’s eyes were glittering again. She was back on the team, and that’s where she was happiest.

“Jerry, got a minute?” I buzzed him on the intercom.

“Be right in,” came the gruff voice. Jerry was an ex-marine and followed the rules to the letter. It was why I’d hired him to be my right-hand man. I owned a multitude of companies and had interests the world over, Jerry’s job was to stand in for me when I couldn’t, or didn’t want to, make every board meeting. Besides, he was rigid where I was sometimes selfish. It made for better business decisions to have his input. It was against his moral fiber to do anything sub-par or pale-gray shady. It was also why I couldn’t let him know about Elspeth.

“Finn?” Jerry had walked past Leigh without being escorted. The two had a running battle for power. Jerry was muscle and mind; Leigh was cunning and street smart, and she knew how far she could bend a rule.

“Come in, Jerry, and have a seat.” I waited until he was settled. To him, it was just another Monday. He was impeccably groomed, as usual, but would look more at home in sweaty workout clothing. “Something has come up, Jerry. It’s personal. I’m going to need you to stand in for me for a while. Think you can do that?”

“Of course. Any idea how long?”

“No.”

He cocked his head, and I knew he was on to the scent of the extraordinary, something he couldn’t deal with. “What if I need to run something by you?”

“Leigh knows where I am. Give it to her, and she’ll see to it that I get it. I’ll be in touch from time to time, so you won’t be quarterbacking alone.”

He was nodding slowly as his brain was calculating logistics. “Everything okay, Finn?” It was his attempt to find out without asking outright.

“Everything is fine, Jerry.” I wasn’t going to give him a trail to pick up. “It has nothing to do with the company; everything here is on point as usual. I’m lucky to have you on hand for just these sorts of occasions.” I handed out the tightly-groomed compliment because I knew he would become suspicious if I was too lofty. “So, you can handle it?”

The ex-marine’s chest puffed outward and Jerry stood, extending a handshake across my desk. “Consider it done,” he assured me.

I nodded, equally sober-faced. His hair was still a military cut, and his suit looked poured over the muscled torso he was careful to maintain. I knew things would be just fine in his hands, especially with Leigh riding shotgun, even if he wasn’t aware of that fact.

Jerry left, and I heaved a sigh of relief. I felt much better now that I had a plan.