Chapter Thirty–Three
Caught In The Act
Charlotte opened the drawer for 2003 and started rifling through the files. She needed to find Kenny James, the one her father had mentioned. She flipped through all the J’s, skimming past multiple James, and then it finally sunk in. He was filing everyone by first name. She shook her head, telling herself not to judge, and then went to the K’s. Sure enough, there was Kenny.
She was pulling out his files when she heard something behind her. Spinning around, she was ready to make any excuse she could. But no one was there. The sound... it was like the click of a door. But the door was closed. It must have been something else. She was getting paranoid. Still, it was time to hurry.
She took the folder to the desk, closing the drawer behind her so it wasn’t obvious she’d been snooping through the files. At the desk, she spread the paperwork in front of her: a business card for Mr. James, which confirmed he worked for the EPA department of the city. An index card with some quick notes: his wife’s name was Mary, he had two children, both boys. They’d lived in Australia for a year. Nothing particularly exciting. She laid them out and took photographs quickly with her cell phone.
A glamour shot of a scantily dressed girl, wearing only a thong and a big smile. Her arms were crossed in front of her, covering her chest but not very successfully. There was some serious triple-D side-boob action on display. The photograph had a note scribbled across the corner: Love you Kenny! Come and visit me again soon! Love, your Sexy Serena. There was a phone number and a row of hearts. Another photograph showed two older men with the same woman, each with an arm around her. This one was addressed to My favorite sweethearts, Buddy and Kenny, for giving me the night of my life. On the back were scribbled details of a hotel.
So. That was interesting. Was George taking her to strip clubs on the company dime? That seemed like the kind of thing George Lovett would do.
She remembered the name Buddy: the man who Jordan thought introduced her. George’s right-hand man, he’d said. Could Buddy and George have threatened Kenny James with exposure, maybe threatened to tell his wife? Charlotte took a snapshot of both photographs.
The last thing in the manila folder was a small scrap of paper, but it was the most important: a check stub dated May 2003 for $10,000. The recipient was quite clear: Kenny James.
She sat back. The contents of the file exceeded her wildest dreams. This was proof. Kenny James of the EPA had been paid $10,000 right before George bought the supposedly useless brownfield site. And it wasn’t just some kind of insider trading, this was blackmail.
She quickly made sure she had photographs of all of the file contents. Then she created an email to her father and attached the photograph of the check stub and, after only a moment’s hesitation, the scantily-clad stripper. If Lovett was watching the wireless network, it was too late to stop her anyway. After she pressed send, she put everything back into the folder and slid it into the drawer, taking care to ensure it was in the right place. Hopefully no one could possibly know what she’d found—not until she dropped the facts like a bomb.
Her heart twinged a little at the thought of Jordan. But he was going to hate her anyway when he found out she lied, the fact that she brought down his father was just icing on the cake.
She stepped out of the office, carefully closing the door as silently as possible. It made a sharp click. As she turned into the corridor, she saw Jordan standing there with a poker raised over his head. Behind him was Lauren, with a triumphant smile on her face. She looked like the cat that had eaten the cream.
“Why are you going through my father’s office?” Jordan’s eyes were wide with shock. His voice was as cold as ice as he lowered the poker.
Charlotte’s heart was in her throat. “I can explain,” she said, even though she knew it was hopeless.
Lauren laughed. “Oh darling. What could you possibly say to explain?” She was still smiling. “Jordan, she’s a liar and a thief.”
Jordan looked like he’d been kicked in the gut. “Pack your things. I’ll find someone to drive you home. Immediately.”
“But—” Charlotte had no idea what she could possibly say and her words drifted to nothing.
He turned on his heel and pushed past Lauren, muttering something under his breath.
Lauren smiled sweetly at Charlotte again. “Money grubbing little bitch, that’s what he just called you. In case you didn’t hear him.” She tilted her head. “It was a pretty good act, little poor girl just looking for love. I couldn’t believe he didn’t see through it from the start. Just a shame you couldn’t keep it up.”
Jordan’s steps echoed in the foyer. Lauren broke into a clumsy run. “Don’t worry, I’ll console him.” Her high heels clicked on the marble tiles as she dashed to the entryway.
Charlotte was frozen to the spot, barely able to breathe, let alone move. She could hear them in the foyer.
“Darling, I’m sorry. You must be devastated. Here, let me give you a hug.”
“Get off,” he snapped. “Look, if you really want to help, then organize Frederick to drive her back to Riverside.”
“I’d be glad to,” she cooed. “She’ll be out of here within the hour.”
“Good.”
Charlotte heard the front door open and then slam shut a second later. Jordan was gone.