action he chose. She waited for him to continue.
"Did we?" he asked. "Did we have any kind of relationship? Was there anything honest between us?"
Once again, she considered what would satisfy the need for truthfulness without exposing her beyond repair. "What I did," Jordan said, "I did because you needed a friend. I did, too. And because I wanted to help you and Drew leave the past behind. As for being honest? I've told you things about myself no one in this world knows." She shrugged. "Does that have anything to do with trust, do you think?"
"Maybe." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Maybe we can give ourselves another chance?"
"It wouldn't be the first time."
Chapter 7
Days later, Jordan and Drew worked in the study to record the two break-ins. Drew, of course, was the only one who could supply the facts of the incident on the Cape .
"I'd like to set down my impressions while they're fresh."
"Do you want to dictate or type them directly into the computer?"
"If I'm at the keyboard, what will you do?"
"I can edit what you've printed out so far."
They worked in silence until a key turned in the front door lock. "Ethan," Drew said. "If he makes you uncomfortable, you can slip out." He motioned to a door leading to the library.
She shook her head, no.
"Anybody home?"
"In the study," Drew answered.
"I've got something to show you." Ethan pulled a sheaf of papers from his jacket front and laid them on Drew's keyboard. "Have a look."
Drew scanned the sheets and handed them to Jordan as he finished each one. "Work orders."
"And inspection reports," Ethan said.
"Two sets," Jordan said. "Why are some of these in such bad shape - wrinkled, torn..." With a look of disgust, she held a couple between two finger tips and flapped them in the air. "And these stains. I hope that's coffee."
"Look closely. You'll see changes and new orders. The night watchman rescued the old ones from the trash. I lifted the others from the construction shack."
"Why did he save these?" Drew asked.
"In case I could use them."
"Here's where they altered the spacing of the fasteners," Jordan said.
"And changed the design from a single rod running through both skywalks, which would have given adequate support and prevented a collapse.” Ethan's anger vibrated in his voice. "Instead, they have one rod running from the top down into the concrete and another from the bottom up."
"What do you intend to do with this information?" Drew asked.
"More like what are you going to do with it?"
"Me?” Drew looked skeptical. “Why?"
"The injunction. I'm not supposed to go near the place. Use these reports in the book or give them to the lawyer. Just don't tell anyone how you got them or I'm in the bloody soup."
"You'd trust me?"
"None other."
Drew's eyes misted over. He looked at the papers in his hand. "This safety report indicates a problem with the footings."
"Do footings have something to do with the foundation?" Jordan asked.
"They have everything to do with it. I'd like to see them tear the whole place down. It's that unsafe." Ethan ran his fingers through his hair. "What haunts me is where was I when all this was happening?"
"Where were you?"
Ethan's anger at Drew's question flickered briefly then quickly changed to resignation. "Chasing my next commission. Instead of being at the project, where I should've been.”
"That's the job of the project supervisor,” Drew said.
"What was the commission?"
At her question, Ethan faced Jordan . "A new shopping mall."
"One of VolTerre's?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Maybe they arranged things so you'd be too preoccupied with your next job to bug them while they messed around with this one."
A muscle beat visibly as he clenched his jaw. "Why doesn't that make me feel any better?"
* * *
A week after the invasion by Federico and Richards, Jordan entered the dining room. She nodded to Sergeant O'Keefe and joined Ethan at the recently restored window. In
"Did we?" he asked. "Did we have any kind of relationship? Was there anything honest between us?"
Once again, she considered what would satisfy the need for truthfulness without exposing her beyond repair. "What I did," Jordan said, "I did because you needed a friend. I did, too. And because I wanted to help you and Drew leave the past behind. As for being honest? I've told you things about myself no one in this world knows." She shrugged. "Does that have anything to do with trust, do you think?"
"Maybe." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Maybe we can give ourselves another chance?"
"It wouldn't be the first time."
Chapter 7
Days later, Jordan and Drew worked in the study to record the two break-ins. Drew, of course, was the only one who could supply the facts of the incident on the Cape .
"I'd like to set down my impressions while they're fresh."
"Do you want to dictate or type them directly into the computer?"
"If I'm at the keyboard, what will you do?"
"I can edit what you've printed out so far."
They worked in silence until a key turned in the front door lock. "Ethan," Drew said. "If he makes you uncomfortable, you can slip out." He motioned to a door leading to the library.
She shook her head, no.
"Anybody home?"
"In the study," Drew answered.
"I've got something to show you." Ethan pulled a sheaf of papers from his jacket front and laid them on Drew's keyboard. "Have a look."
Drew scanned the sheets and handed them to Jordan as he finished each one. "Work orders."
"And inspection reports," Ethan said.
"Two sets," Jordan said. "Why are some of these in such bad shape - wrinkled, torn..." With a look of disgust, she held a couple between two finger tips and flapped them in the air. "And these stains. I hope that's coffee."
"Look closely. You'll see changes and new orders. The night watchman rescued the old ones from the trash. I lifted the others from the construction shack."
"Why did he save these?" Drew asked.
"In case I could use them."
"Here's where they altered the spacing of the fasteners," Jordan said.
"And changed the design from a single rod running through both skywalks, which would have given adequate support and prevented a collapse.” Ethan's anger vibrated in his voice. "Instead, they have one rod running from the top down into the concrete and another from the bottom up."
"What do you intend to do with this information?" Drew asked.
"More like what are you going to do with it?"
"Me?” Drew looked skeptical. “Why?"
"The injunction. I'm not supposed to go near the place. Use these reports in the book or give them to the lawyer. Just don't tell anyone how you got them or I'm in the bloody soup."
"You'd trust me?"
"None other."
Drew's eyes misted over. He looked at the papers in his hand. "This safety report indicates a problem with the footings."
"Do footings have something to do with the foundation?" Jordan asked.
"They have everything to do with it. I'd like to see them tear the whole place down. It's that unsafe." Ethan ran his fingers through his hair. "What haunts me is where was I when all this was happening?"
"Where were you?"
Ethan's anger at Drew's question flickered briefly then quickly changed to resignation. "Chasing my next commission. Instead of being at the project, where I should've been.”
"That's the job of the project supervisor,” Drew said.
"What was the commission?"
At her question, Ethan faced Jordan . "A new shopping mall."
"One of VolTerre's?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Maybe they arranged things so you'd be too preoccupied with your next job to bug them while they messed around with this one."
A muscle beat visibly as he clenched his jaw. "Why doesn't that make me feel any better?"
* * *
A week after the invasion by Federico and Richards, Jordan entered the dining room. She nodded to Sergeant O'Keefe and joined Ethan at the recently restored window. In
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