It had been a hellish day, at the end of a hellish week, nearing the end of a hellish month. Robert had been furious with her request from the city and the entire staff had felt his wrath. It was an odd reaction considering that the reports on record were indeed the same as those he had provided to her.
Isla shut down her computer and put some files in her bag to review at home. Then, she pulled off her high heels and massaged her tired feet. Tomorrow she'd be on her way to meet Marlowe. As she laced up her sneakers, she realized that her enthusiasm for the trip was mixed with a drop or two of apprehension. She'd loved their time together so far, but that had been limited to a few hours here and there. Two romantic days in a secluded cabin wasn't the kind of thing one did with an intermezzo — it was the kind of thing couples did.
The idea scared her a bit. It excited her too.
As she left the building, the cold January air caught her breath. Before she'd taken half a dozen steps, a petite brunette with a pixie cut blocked her way. Marian Leo.
"We need to talk," she said. Her ears and the tip of her nose were red. She'd obviously been waiting a while. Without a word, Isla pushed past her and kept walking.
"Stop, please."
Isla picked up her pace. Whatever this woman had to say to her, she was going to have to work for it.
"It's about Robert and the work he's been doing."
That much Isla had figured out all on her own.
"Have you ever heard of Spinnaker?"
She hadn't, but wasn't about to divulge that, or anything else, to the likes of Marian Leo. She turned her collar up against the cold and kept walking.
"It's a holding company."
And she cared because?
"This is important!" Marian stamped her foot on the sidewalk for emphasis.
Isla stopped dead in her tracks and spun to face her. "You've attacked my firm and accosted me outside my office, and now you expect me to stand here and listen to you?"
"If you want to stay in business, yes."
"You've got a lot of nerve." Isla started walking again and, undeterred, Marian fell in step beside her.
"We need to talk."
No, they didn't.
"That Midshipman thing — there's more to it. I know there is, and so does Sandy Miller."
"Who is Sandy Miller?" The last thing she wanted to do was engage this woman in conversation, but she needed as many pieces to the puzzle as she could get.
"He's an investigative journalist. He's looking into all the mayoral hopefuls."
"What does that have to do with me?" She took great joy in the fact that Marian was becoming winded.
"You know things aren't right with Robert."
"Why would I want to help you discredit my firm?"
"Because you're a professional," she panted. "You have integrity and ethical standards. You've worked hard to build that reputation for yourself and for the business. God, slow down, will you?"
Isla walked even faster than before. "I didn't know you were such a fan."
"This is a chance for you to save everything you've created over the last twenty years."
"I see," she said, pretending to entertain the idea. "So all this is to help me." She paused a minute to let Marian think she might actually be considering it. "And in return for this opportunity, you want . . ."
"A list of Robert's clients. Past and present."
Isla threw her head back and laughed. Audacious didn't even begin to describe it.
"I thought we were friends!" said Marian.
"We used to be. But that was before you slept with my husband."
Marian flinched as though she'd been slapped.
"That's right. I know all about it." Isla struggled to maintain her composure. Wounds not yet healed were opening up again. "Now, get out of my way."
Marian stepped aside and let her pass.
It took two glasses of wine for Isla to calm down. Two big glasses. And some deep breathing.
She'd finished packing her suitcase and decided to do some last minute preening before the trip — a little tweezing, exfoliating and, of course, white strips on her teeth. As she pressed the top strip in place, her cellphone rang.
It was Gordon.
"We're meeting the lawyers first thing Monday morning. You're back then, right?"
"Yeah, why? What's going on?"
"Warren Best is suing us."