Chapter 1: Rachel
“Rachel. I got a job for you.”
I looked up from my computer screen and reached for the file that my boss, Brian, was dangling before me. He pulled it back just out of my reach, earning a glowering look from me in return.
“First, tell me what’s going on with the Wells case,” he said. “Then I will give you this one.”
“The Wells case is wrapped up and in your inbox,” I replied, placing my elbows on the desk. “What else do you want to know?”
Behind me, the air conditioning kicked on, blowing cold air against my neck. It was sweltering in Jacksonville as usual and despite my sleeveless dress and my hair pulled up into a messy bun, my skin still felt sticky from the heat. The air was on the fritz and Brian had been reduced to installing window units until the air was fixed. Well actually, Brian was fighting with the air company over the price of the repair, but he swore that was not the reason.
“No need to get pissy about it,” Brian answered. “I think this entire office has lost respect for me as their boss.”
I smirked, thinking that he was half right. We respected him a great deal, but not one of us thought of him as our actual boss considering he was the same age or only a little older than most of his employees. The office itself was a small place, a short square building in a decent part of town. Inside though, the interior was sleek and modern and the firm itself was home to some of the more elite accounts from not only the surrounding areas, but a few all over the country as well. There were only a handful of employees that made up Brian’s team, including me, Rachel Tyler, a twenty-seven-year-old accountant/private investigator. Yeah, you heard me correctly. My odd profession hadn’t been my original intention, but the plan had literally fallen into my lap and I had run with it.
“So,” Brian continued, still holding the file. “I talked with Wells this morning. He’s still surprised that his son was behind the whole scheme.”
I thought about the older man from the business I had just finished investigating and couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Mr. Wells had built that floor business from the ground up and through my investigations into his accounts, I had seen a trend that had warranted some undercover work on my part. In the end, I had been forced to turn in the owner’s own son, who had been skimming money off of the top for years. I always hated exposing a family member as the culprit of a financial disaster, the end result full of disbelief and hurt. But the world sucked sometimes and I just had to be the one to deliver the news.
“He’s tough,” I finally said. “He’ll get through it.”
Brian handed me the file, a pensive look on his face. “I am sure. Do some research on this one, will you? Looks like you will be heading to Miami for a few weeks.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised. It had been a long time since I had done a job that required a field trip.
“Yeah, really,” Brian said, arching his eyebrow. “Don’t get used to it. You will be the new receptionist for this place. If you are asked, the temp agency sent you, okay?”
“A receptionist?” I asked slowly, thinking that I had never been one in my entire life. “Why can’t I be something cool, like a new client with a load of cash or something?”
“Because you don’t have a load of cash and I’m not willing to give you access to any of mine,” he said with a frown. “Besides, how hard can it be to answer a few phones? You do that here.”
I wanted to point out that Jeanne did a hell of a lot more than ‘answer a few phones’ but I kept my mouth shut, knowing that I wasn’t going to win this battle. “Fine,” I finally answered. “Receptionist.”
“Jeanne will give you everything you need,” Brian finished, turning to walk away. “Don’t screw this up, okay?”
I rolled my eyes as he walked away before looking down at the file, the familiar thrill of
“Rachel. I got a job for you.”
I looked up from my computer screen and reached for the file that my boss, Brian, was dangling before me. He pulled it back just out of my reach, earning a glowering look from me in return.
“First, tell me what’s going on with the Wells case,” he said. “Then I will give you this one.”
“The Wells case is wrapped up and in your inbox,” I replied, placing my elbows on the desk. “What else do you want to know?”
Behind me, the air conditioning kicked on, blowing cold air against my neck. It was sweltering in Jacksonville as usual and despite my sleeveless dress and my hair pulled up into a messy bun, my skin still felt sticky from the heat. The air was on the fritz and Brian had been reduced to installing window units until the air was fixed. Well actually, Brian was fighting with the air company over the price of the repair, but he swore that was not the reason.
“No need to get pissy about it,” Brian answered. “I think this entire office has lost respect for me as their boss.”
I smirked, thinking that he was half right. We respected him a great deal, but not one of us thought of him as our actual boss considering he was the same age or only a little older than most of his employees. The office itself was a small place, a short square building in a decent part of town. Inside though, the interior was sleek and modern and the firm itself was home to some of the more elite accounts from not only the surrounding areas, but a few all over the country as well. There were only a handful of employees that made up Brian’s team, including me, Rachel Tyler, a twenty-seven-year-old accountant/private investigator. Yeah, you heard me correctly. My odd profession hadn’t been my original intention, but the plan had literally fallen into my lap and I had run with it.
“So,” Brian continued, still holding the file. “I talked with Wells this morning. He’s still surprised that his son was behind the whole scheme.”
I thought about the older man from the business I had just finished investigating and couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Mr. Wells had built that floor business from the ground up and through my investigations into his accounts, I had seen a trend that had warranted some undercover work on my part. In the end, I had been forced to turn in the owner’s own son, who had been skimming money off of the top for years. I always hated exposing a family member as the culprit of a financial disaster, the end result full of disbelief and hurt. But the world sucked sometimes and I just had to be the one to deliver the news.
“He’s tough,” I finally said. “He’ll get through it.”
Brian handed me the file, a pensive look on his face. “I am sure. Do some research on this one, will you? Looks like you will be heading to Miami for a few weeks.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised. It had been a long time since I had done a job that required a field trip.
“Yeah, really,” Brian said, arching his eyebrow. “Don’t get used to it. You will be the new receptionist for this place. If you are asked, the temp agency sent you, okay?”
“A receptionist?” I asked slowly, thinking that I had never been one in my entire life. “Why can’t I be something cool, like a new client with a load of cash or something?”
“Because you don’t have a load of cash and I’m not willing to give you access to any of mine,” he said with a frown. “Besides, how hard can it be to answer a few phones? You do that here.”
I wanted to point out that Jeanne did a hell of a lot more than ‘answer a few phones’ but I kept my mouth shut, knowing that I wasn’t going to win this battle. “Fine,” I finally answered. “Receptionist.”
“Jeanne will give you everything you need,” Brian finished, turning to walk away. “Don’t screw this up, okay?”
I rolled my eyes as he walked away before looking down at the file, the familiar thrill of
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