Линвуд Баркли - Find You First

“So someone’s been sending us bogus invoices and we’re just paying them? How could we be that stupid?”

“The thing is, Miles, no one was raising questions because it was being done internally.”

Miles held his breath for a second. “Someone on the inside.”

“That’s right. I followed the money, Miles.”

He didn’t want to ask, but he had no choice. “Where did it lead?”

“Dorian.”

Miles was sure he’d misheard. “That can’t be.”

“I wish I were wrong,” Heather said.

Me too, thought Miles.

Providence, RI

“So he conned you?” said Chloe’s mother, Gillian, early the next morning.

“It’s not like that,” Chloe said, “and I wouldn’t say no to a little more support and a little less judgment.” She rummaged through the top drawer of her bedroom dresser, dressed only in underwear and a long T. The bed covers were a mess, and she had only been up for a few minutes. “I should’ve done a load last night. I’ve got nothing for work.”

“I did it. The basket’s right out in the hall,” Gillian said. “You’re lucky they’ll take you back, the shifts you’ve missed without giving them any kind of notice.”

“Yeah, what a break. The shittiest diner in Rhode Island isn’t going to fire me.”

“This guy, this Miles, he walks into the diner and tells you some wild story that he’s your father and you just leave with him?”

“I’m telling you, he believed it! He thought I was his daughter.”

“Sure,” Gillian said. “With no proof. At least with this Todd Cox there was proof from that testing company. But Miles, he tells you he’s seen the file. Did you see the file?”

“No.”

Gillian nodded knowingly. “Exactly.”

“And he never said he’d seen the file. He had this detective lady get the names from the clinic.”

“So he says.”

“Jesus, Mom, you really think some guy from New Haven hatches this elaborate scam to come all the way to Providence to tell some piss-poor waitress that he’s her dad and he’s got a fatal disease and he wants to give her a shitload of money? Why would someone do that? What sense does it make?”

“The world is full of strange people,” her mother said. “I told you it was a bad idea. I told you not to send in your DNA sample.”

“This had nothing to do with that,” Chloe said, turning to look at her mother and banging her fist on the dresser in exasperation. “Jesus! You seemed so understanding about this when I phoned you. I never should have told you about any of this.”

“You should have told me everything at the beginning, when he first approached you. But instead you head off all over the place and then spend the night at his home?”

“What, Mom? Are you worried someone who thought he was my dad came on to me?”

“There are plenty of cases of real dads who’ve come on to their daughters. They have a word for that.”

“I can’t take this anymore.” Chloe’s eyes began to mist. “I think he was pretty devastated.”

“About what?”

“When he got the results of my test. To see if I had the disease he’s got. When we were talking to that doctor, and Miles got the call. I didn’t know what it was about at the time, but that was when he found out there was nothing between us. He looked... crushed.”

Chloe sat down on the end of the bed. “He’s not my dad but he’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to one. That day with him, even when the creepy shit was happening at Todd’s place, was one of the best days ever. Those hours, while I was really believing it, they were pretty amazing.”

Gillian sat next to her and pulled Chloe’s head into her shoulder. “I’m sorry, honey. I am. All I’ve ever wanted is for you not to be hurt. In any way. That’s all.”

Chloe got her arms around her mother, hugged her, and let the tears come.

“I was hateful to him,” she whimpered.

“Oh, sweetheart, he’s the one who owes you an apology.”

“No, no, he was trying to do the right thing. He’s dying . And I just fucking lost it and abandoned him.”

“You have to look after yourself. This is his problem. Not yours.”

“But maybe it still is my problem. What about the others? Even if Miles isn’t their father, they might still be my half brothers and sisters. What about the ones that are missing? What about the ones that are still around?”

“Have you seen anyone suspicious hanging around?” Gillian said. “I sure haven’t. No strangers coming to the door or watching the house. No one’s looking for you.”

Chloe’s cell phone, sitting atop her dresser, lit up and began to ring. She untangled herself from her mother, reached for the phone without having to get off the bed, and looked at the screen.

“It’s him,” she said. “It’s Miles.”

“Don’t answer it,” Gillian said. “You were smart to walk away when you did.”

Chloe had her thumb poised over the screen. “I think I should—”

“No,” her mother said, and snatched the phone from her daughter’s hand and pressed the button to decline the call.

“Mom!”

“It’s the right thing!” her mother said forcefully. “Put this behind you. I’m serious.”

Chloe held out her hand, waiting for the phone to be returned to her.

“Are you going to call him back?” Gillian asked. When Chloe did not answer, Gillian asked again.

Finally, Chloe said, “No, I won’t.”

“Promise me.”

Chloe waited a beat before saying, “I promise.”

Gillian gave her back the phone. Chloe noted the time on the screen: 7:30 A.M.

“I’m gonna be late. I’m supposed to be there by eight.”

“Get dressed. I’ll drive you. Tomorrow, we’ll drive up to Springfield and get your car back.”

After her mom left her bedroom, Chloe noticed that she had a voice mail. Miles had left a message.

“Chloe, I’m sorry about how things have turned out. But I feel like we’re still a team. I’m heading out to Fort Wayne, then the west coast. I’m not letting this go. I could use your help. I can send Charise to pick you up. But it’s up to you. I’ll understand if you want to be done with all of this. And with me. Let me know.”

She deleted the message.

Chloe made it to the diner by ten after eight — her mother blew through all the stop signs and one traffic light — just as the place was starting to fill up. She exchanged only a few words with the other staff, getting straight to work, and she was so consumed with thoughts of what had happened over the last couple of days that she got something wrong on nearly every order. One guy who asked for his eggs over easy got them scrambled. A woman who wanted decaf coffee got tea. She mixed up all the orders for one table with all the orders for another table.

Vivian, who worked the cash register and waited tables when they were short-handed, said to her when the shift ended at two, “You okay, honey?”

Chloe shook her head. “No.”

Vivian gave her a hug. “You messed up big-time today, but hey, nobody died. You’ll be back on top of your game soon. I don’t know what happened, and it’s none of my business, but if you ever want to talk, I’ll listen.”

“Thank you.”

“How you getting home, sugar? Saw your mom drop you off this morning.”

“I told her I’d walk. I need to clear my head.”

“We’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

Chloe nodded, dropped off her apron in the back room, and left out the side door. She heard the limo before she saw it as the tires crunched on the gravel parking lot. When it was up alongside her, the front passenger’s-side window powered down.