This place?It was small potatoes compared to my usual fare. And yet, I must've had my reasons.
Call it a gut feeling. Call it instinct. Whatever it was, it had never steered me wrong.
I was still wondering when we reached another wreck of a room, a windowless space Jamison called the upstairs parlor, as if some fancy-pants name would change the smell.
But hey, itdidhave a fireplace, so who knows? I moved closer and stopped at the sight of a busted-up bottle of booze. The pieces lay scattered on the hearth like someone had hurled the empty bottle in a fit of rage.
I kept staring as my thoughts started to click.
And then it hit me.
This wasn't about the place.
It was about the person – Jamison.
I hadwantedto see him, and I'd been searching for an excuse.
Shit.
And that busted-up bottle? It was the opening I should've been waiting for. I pointed. "You know what that reminds me of?"
Jamison turned to look. "You mean the fireplace? Yeah, it's a classic, right?"
"No, the bottle." I laughed. "It reminds me of that management consultant – Tara or maybe Tina? You know? The one who raided that hospitality bar?"Was I playing dumb? Hell, yeah.
If I knew Jamison – and I sure as fuck did – getting her name wrong would be just the thing to get him talking.
But he wasn't talkingyet.
With a frown, he asked, "You mean like…in a hotel?"
"No," I laughed. "At that meeting at the Halstead Building. What, you didn't hear about it?"
His frown deepened, and I knew exactly why. Jamison prided himself on knowing everyone and everything, and the idea that he was in the dark about something gossip-worthy wasn't sitting so great.
But then, his expression cleared, and he said, "Ohhhh…you mean the blonde who flipped out? The name's Tessa, not Tina. Tessa Sinclair." Then, he chuckled, like he'd been saving the punchline just for me. "Sure, I heard all aboutthat. Isawit, too. I mean…the video was making the rounds."
That made me pause. "What video?"
"What, you didn't see it?"
I hadn't, actually.AllI'dseen were a few posts about it, spilling the highlights with nothing to back it up – well, except for that shot of Tessa with that paramedic. And eventhathad been only a photo.
I told Jamison, "If I'd seen it, I wouldn't have asked."
He cleared his throat. "Yeah, right…well, you want the truth?"
No, I wanted lies.
Dumbass.
But I kept my sarcasm in check and gave an easy nod, because I was dying to hear what he'd say next.
He lowered his voice. "The company – they hushed it all up. Got the videos pulled, too."
"What company?"
"The one she worked for.Youknow. Thatcher-Hale. They fix reputations, right?"
