42
I don’t understand why you needed to borrow a wig from my mom.” Katie pulled an auburn mass of curls from her bag and tossed it on the bathroom counter.
“Thanks.” Leta finished applying a thick layer of mascara over her heavily lined eyelashes. “I need to be incognito, which is getting more and more difficult with my photographs flashed on the nightly news.”
Her friend gave her a puzzled look. “So you’re going to go out looking like Molly Ringwald in a bad eighties movie?”
She nodded. “Yup, that’s the plan.”
Leta could understand why her friend looked at her as if she were crazy. Her idea was a bit off the map. But a couple of things she’d heard Governor Holiday say at the debate bothered her.
Much was at stake. People across Texas had donated personal funds and worked hard to elect a candidate who would represent them with honesty and integrity, which seemed rare in today’s politics. Operation Brainchild was clear evidence of that.
She could only hope her gut was right. While she was filled with anxiety over whether or not she could pull off what was ahead, she held to her mother’s motto.
Do good and let God do the rest.
The James Earl Rudder State Office Building was located on Brazos Street, just a short distance from the Texas state capitol. Before she’d had to leave UT, she had passed by the historic building on her way to classes.
Inside, the five-story structure featured eighteen-foot ceilings and terrazzo and marble flooring, which created a bit of a hollow echo sound as she searched for the appropriate door.
Thankfully, there was no line this early in the morning.
A tall, lanky man wearing a white short-sleeve shirt with a green bow tie looked at her from behind black-framed glasses. “Can I help you?”
Leta stepped forward. “Uh, yeah. Thanks. I need copies of some corporate documents.”
“Do you have an account with us?” he asked.
“An account?”
“Yes. We charge twenty-five cents a page for Xerox reproductions. If you need any official document certified, that’s another two dollars. Per page.”
She dipped her hand inside her bag and retrieved her wallet. “No need. I have cash.”
“We don’t accept cash.”
“No cash? Well, maybe a credit card?”
“Only if you have an account,” he reported.
Leta nodded. “Okay, understood. How do I create an account?”
He pointed to a row of computers on a counter against the wall. “You have to do that online.”
She nodded again. “Okay, yeah. Sure.” She turned in that direction when his squeaky voice stopped her.
“You should be warned. New accounts can take up to two days to process.”
She whirled back. “Two days? But what if I need those copies now?”
“Sorry.” He held up his hand and beckoned a man who had followed her in to step forward. “Next.”
“No, wait!” She leaned across the counter, imploring him to reconsider. “I really need that information today.”
The clerk looked at her, his eyebrows raised. “I’m afraid the only thing I can recommend is entering the required data and opening an account.” He pointed. “Over there.”
She sighed and tried to remain polite. “Fine.” Frustrated, she rubbed her forehead and stepped back.
The process to start an account took less than five minutes. After the final entry screen, a warning came up, just as the clerk had said.
New accounts could take up to two days to process.
Leta growled silently and tried to think of a solution. She simply didn’t have two days.
She needed to pull an Erin Brockovich move.
She approached the counter. “Excuse me?” She paused and looked at the nameplate. “Arrio, is it?”
He nodded.
“I just wanted to thank you for all your help. I know you don’t personally set the rules.”
“No, I don’t.” He gathered a stack of papers and lightly tapped the edges on the counter to create a neat pile. “I don’t make the rules, but I must carry out the instructions of my superiors.”
She tipped her head slightly to the side. “You know, Arrio? You look really familiar. By chance, did you attend UT?”
“Yes, I did. Graduated two years ago.”
She slowly nodded. “Thought so. I think I used to see you on campus. What was your major?”
His hand went to his tie, and he straightened the bow. “Management Information Systems—School of Business.”
Leta did her best not to smile. Of course he was an IT geek. She leaned her elbows on the counter. “Wow. Impressive! You landed a great job. I bet the state has excellent benefits.”
From the way his eyes gleamed with pride from behind those glasses, she knew she’d hooked him. Now all she had to do was carefully reel the line without losing him. “I work in a grocery store. We get next to nothing compared to those of you smart enough to land a state job.”
“State benefits are great. 401(k) retirement, health, dental, vision.” He pointed to his glasses. “These babies alone would’ve cost close to five hundred dollars without insurance.”
She shook her head and fingered the fake curls next to her ear. “I know. Everything is so expensive these days.”
The clerk stealthily glanced around the empty room. He leaned forward. “Look, maybe there’s something I can do to help you,” he offered in a lowered voice.
Leta’s face broke into a hopeful smile. “Really? I mean, that’d be so great. I really need those copies today.”
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “You can use my account and just pay me the cash. But don’t tell anyone.”
She beamed. “Oh my goodness, that’s a brilliant idea. Thank you!”
Less than twenty minutes later, Leta grinned as she pushed through the front entrance and out into the hot sunshine, a packet of corporate documents tucked safely underneath her arm.