Tucker heard the front door of the shop open in a stealthy manner. Panicked, he switched off his flashlight and tried to stay very still in the shadows. His first semi-coherent thought was that he had been followed by someone else who was after the key.
A figure appeared in the doorway that separated the showroom from the back room.
“Tucker? What in the world is going on here?”
He recognized the voice instantly. Relief swept over him. It was followed by a cold rage.
“Don’t look now, Sandra, but you’ve become a full-on stalker,” he said. “You stupid woman. You followed me? How the hell did you do that?”
He switched on the flashlight. The beam glinted on the small gun in her hand. His insides went cold. Crazy bitch.
“I put a tracking device on your phone,” Sandra said. “And I’m not stupid, Tucker. You should know that better than anyone. After all, it was my coding work that got you that big bonus at Night Watch. You were employee of the month because of me. You got the credit and the cash, and I got the shaft. You used me. Then you got me fired. Did you really think I would just disappear?”
This was what he got for fucking a crazy bitch who worked in the IT department.
“You just did a little coding for me, Sandra. That was it. Any teenager could have done it. The vision of the new Night Watch app was all mine.”
“Maybe a kid could have done that coding for you, but you couldn’t do it, could you? You’re good but you’re not great. People with your skill set are a dime a dozen in the tech world. What’s more, you’re in an industry that always wants to hire the youngest people with the sharpest skills. A couple more years in the tech world and you’ll be washed up. But you’ve done some contingency planning, haven’t you? You’re running a clever little off-the-books project at Night Watch.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sandra.” He tried to make his voice soothing. “What we had was good for a while, but it’s over. Under the circumstances, it was best for you to leave the company. We both know that.”
“Good for you, maybe. But for me? Not so much. I’m out of a job. But enough about me. Let’s talk about your new project at Night Watch and why you’re here in the Troy Gallery tonight. I assume there’s a connection.”
“Fine. We’ll talk. But not here. We’re both in danger of getting picked up for burglary if we don’t get away from this place.”
“No, we’ll talk here. I know about your Night Watch project, so tell me why you took the risk of breaking into this gallery.”
Tucker sucked in a sharp breath. “It’s a long story. I don’t have time to go into detail now. But I can tell you that I came here tonight looking for something very valuable that went missing twenty-two years ago.”
“You expected to find it in an art gallery?”
“I’d hoped to find it here but it turns out I’m going to have to keep looking. Virginia Troy is the best lead I’ve got.” He paused a beat. “Things are getting complicated. I could use some tech support.”
“You’re a real bastard.”
“We’ll be partners this time, Sandra. There’s a lot of money involved. Makes the Night Watch project look penny-ante. I promise you’ll get your share.”
“What, exactly, are you looking for?” Sandra asked.
“Take a look at what’s in that closet.”
“If this is some kind of trick —”
“It’s not a trick, I swear it.”
Sandra hesitated and then she edged toward the open door. He watched her glance into the darkness.
“I can’t see anything,” she said.
Without a word he aimed the flashlight into the closet. Fire danced in the shadows. She took a quick look inside and then turned back.
“Just some weird paintings,” she said. “Buildings on fire. Some kids in the background. A guy dressed in black. Why are they important?”
“They’re a link to my past.”
“I don’t understand. You were in a fire?”
“Never mind. All you need to know is that a lot of money went missing around the time of that fire. I’m trying to find it. Like I said, I could use your help and I’m willing to cut you in for twenty-five percent.”
“Forget it. Fifty-fifty or nothing.”
“All right, fifty-fifty. Now let’s get out of here.”
“I want fifty percent of your Night Watch project as well, or I’ll make sure Josh Preston finds out exactly why he’s losing money.”
Tucker grunted. “You’ve got me over a barrel. I’m in no position to bargain.”
She gave him another icy smile. “No, you’re not. You see? You really do need me, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I need you.”
“We’re going to make a great team.”
He smiled. “Yes, we are.”
She dropped the pistol rather carelessly into the pocket of her coat. “You’re right about one thing. We should get out of here.”
So fucking predictable, he thought. Except for the part where she showed up with a gun tonight. He had to admit he hadn’t seen that coming.
Crazy bitch.