as I do, someone always wants something. She keeps all that away from me."
"But, you didn't tell her that you've got Alzheimer's. Why not?"
He grinned. "Because she would drive me absolutely, fucking nuts. She'd make me go to every doctor on the planet who could spell Alzheimer's."
"I never had a big sister but I get the picture. It's not because you don't trust her?"
"Hell, I love her but that doesn't mean I trust her with everything in my life. The first lesson in the billionaire's manual is to know what to give up and to who and what to keep to yourself."
"What's the second lesson?"
"Do what has to be done. Don't look back and don't second-guess. You've been on the job half a day. What else have you got for me?"
"I logged onto the dream project to look at the videos of Tom Delaney and Regina Blair describing their nightmares. Their videos are missing and their names don't show up on the list of participants. It looks like they've been erased from the project records."
He nodded, processing the information without a visible reaction I could detect. I wished I had mastered Kate Scranton's talent for dissecting the involuntary facial flickers she claimed shined light on our true selves.
"What else?"
"You heard about the mailman who stole the mail?"
"Yeah. It was all over the news."
"Except for the part about him being a participant in the dream project."
His face remained flat while he absorbed the additional data as if an internal algorithm suppressed his emotions, keeping him focused on the problem, not the people. "How did you make the connection?"
"The mailman's name was Walter Enoch. I ran across it when I was searching for Delaney's and Blair's names on the list of project volunteers."
"The paper said he died of a heart attack."
"He had help."
Harper looked away for an instant, hiding his face, then came back to me, his eyes narrowed. "He was murdered? If you're right about Delaney, he's the second dream project volunteer to be killed. My God, what if Regina Blair's accident was staged too? How do you know about Enoch?"
"People I used to work with at the FBI told me this morning."
"Will they help us?"
"No."
"Then why would they tell you?"
"That's my business."
"Not as long as I'm paying you."
"You hired me, you didn't buy me. I'll tell you what I can when I can."
He stared at me, waiting for me to fold. When I didn't, he stood and reached for the phone on my desk. "Let's get Anthony Corliss and Maggie Brennan up here and find out what's going on with those files."
"Not so fast. I'd rather get to them on my schedule. No point in letting them know what we know until we're ready."
"Corliss's computer has software that tells him whenever anyone at the institute goes into his files. You were logged on to the system. Believe me, by now he knows that you were on and what you were looking at."
"Then I'll go see him. I don't want him to think he's been called to the principal's office."
"I'll go with you," he said making it a decree, not an offer.
I stood. "That's okay. I'd rather talk to him alone."
"Why? He'll know that you're going to tell me whatever he says."
"I can't help what he thinks. If you're there, it will change the dynamic. He'll be more concerned about you than me."
"He damned well better be more concerned about me than you. I sign his check and yours for that matter. Both of you work for me, something you keep overlooking."
His impassive façade gave way, his face coloring from pale to pink to red. Kate's belief that he was trying to ruin her business as revenge for her refusal to work for him didn't seem so far-fetched. I had warned him when we first talked about the job that he and I would get to this moment. There was no reason to duck it.
"Your sister tried to run me as soon as I walked through the front door. I don't know whether that was her idea or yours. When she couldn't, she ran to you. I get that. Now you have to decide what you want to give up and to who and what you
"But, you didn't tell her that you've got Alzheimer's. Why not?"
He grinned. "Because she would drive me absolutely, fucking nuts. She'd make me go to every doctor on the planet who could spell Alzheimer's."
"I never had a big sister but I get the picture. It's not because you don't trust her?"
"Hell, I love her but that doesn't mean I trust her with everything in my life. The first lesson in the billionaire's manual is to know what to give up and to who and what to keep to yourself."
"What's the second lesson?"
"Do what has to be done. Don't look back and don't second-guess. You've been on the job half a day. What else have you got for me?"
"I logged onto the dream project to look at the videos of Tom Delaney and Regina Blair describing their nightmares. Their videos are missing and their names don't show up on the list of participants. It looks like they've been erased from the project records."
He nodded, processing the information without a visible reaction I could detect. I wished I had mastered Kate Scranton's talent for dissecting the involuntary facial flickers she claimed shined light on our true selves.
"What else?"
"You heard about the mailman who stole the mail?"
"Yeah. It was all over the news."
"Except for the part about him being a participant in the dream project."
His face remained flat while he absorbed the additional data as if an internal algorithm suppressed his emotions, keeping him focused on the problem, not the people. "How did you make the connection?"
"The mailman's name was Walter Enoch. I ran across it when I was searching for Delaney's and Blair's names on the list of project volunteers."
"The paper said he died of a heart attack."
"He had help."
Harper looked away for an instant, hiding his face, then came back to me, his eyes narrowed. "He was murdered? If you're right about Delaney, he's the second dream project volunteer to be killed. My God, what if Regina Blair's accident was staged too? How do you know about Enoch?"
"People I used to work with at the FBI told me this morning."
"Will they help us?"
"No."
"Then why would they tell you?"
"That's my business."
"Not as long as I'm paying you."
"You hired me, you didn't buy me. I'll tell you what I can when I can."
He stared at me, waiting for me to fold. When I didn't, he stood and reached for the phone on my desk. "Let's get Anthony Corliss and Maggie Brennan up here and find out what's going on with those files."
"Not so fast. I'd rather get to them on my schedule. No point in letting them know what we know until we're ready."
"Corliss's computer has software that tells him whenever anyone at the institute goes into his files. You were logged on to the system. Believe me, by now he knows that you were on and what you were looking at."
"Then I'll go see him. I don't want him to think he's been called to the principal's office."
"I'll go with you," he said making it a decree, not an offer.
I stood. "That's okay. I'd rather talk to him alone."
"Why? He'll know that you're going to tell me whatever he says."
"I can't help what he thinks. If you're there, it will change the dynamic. He'll be more concerned about you than me."
"He damned well better be more concerned about me than you. I sign his check and yours for that matter. Both of you work for me, something you keep overlooking."
His impassive façade gave way, his face coloring from pale to pink to red. Kate's belief that he was trying to ruin her business as revenge for her refusal to work for him didn't seem so far-fetched. I had warned him when we first talked about the job that he and I would get to this moment. There was no reason to duck it.
"Your sister tried to run me as soon as I walked through the front door. I don't know whether that was her idea or yours. When she couldn't, she ran to you. I get that. Now you have to decide what you want to give up and to who and what you
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