"As an accountant, it’s my job to look at the numbers, and I could tell they weren’t adding up. Small amounts of money have been going missing, a little bit at a time, for over a year," I continue. "I reported the matter internally. And now I'm concerned the company is looking for a convenient explanation."
"You think someone is setting you up," he says.
"I think I have access, visibility, and a paper trail that points in my direction," I reply. "I’m the easiest target, but only if everyone’s too lazy to look for the real culprit. Are you lazy, Mr. Hale?”
He smirks. “Do I look lazy?”
No… no, he does not.It definitely took time, effort, and energy to craft a physique as perfect as his. Heat creeps into my cheeks as I try to avoid running my eyes down his body.
I clear my throat. “The sort of laziness I’m referring to can’t be discerned by looking at a person. Will you hear what I have to say and look at all the information to find the guilty party?”
He chuckles. “That’s my job. You were on my list of people to question already. You really didn’t have to drive all the way out here.”
"I prefer to stay ahead of problems," I say. "Especially ones that could cost me my career."
A subtle change passes through his expression. Something intent. Decisive.
“My gut’s telling me you didn’t do it, but I’ll be investigating everyone. You included. I will find out who’s stealing from the company.”
The words settle between us. Not as reassurance, exactly. More like acknowledgment. A line drawn. He’s not on my side, but that’s okay. Because he’s promised to find the truth. And how’s the saying go?The truth will set me free.
A small smile curves my mouth before I can stop it. “Tell me how I can help you clear my name. Then let’s work together to bring down the asshole who’s doing this.”
His lips remain neutral, but something in his eyes sharpens. There’s a hint of something there.Interest?
I push the thought aside. I’m not here to make eyes at the sexy mountain man detective. I’m here to clear my name.
But it doesn’t hurt to admire the view at the same time, does it?
Chapter Two
Gideon
Iclosetheofficedoor after Rhea leaves and stand there longer than necessary.
I do not rush to my desk. I do not sit. I just replay the interaction from the moment she stepped inside, committing all the details to memory. Her posture. Her tone. The way she answered questions without padding or panic. She did not come here to charm me or to manipulate the situation in her favor.
She came here to prove her innocence. She came here to bebelieved.
I pull the RidgeLine Development file from my desk drawer and spread the contents across the surface. Bank summaries. Access logs. Internal reports. The file is thicker now than when I first received it. More pages. More inconsistencies. More evidence that points away from Rhea and toward someone with more access and more to lose.
On paper, the suspicion makes sense. Rhea has clearance. She touches the accounts regularly. Her login appears in the timeline again and again.
But people who steal do not flag discrepancies themselves. And they don’t walk into a private investigator's office and offer to help with the investigation.
I lean back against the desk and study the timeline again. The withdrawals are small and buried among routine transactions. Someone careful did this. Someone patient. Someone who knew how to hide his actions in plain sight.
My phone buzzes. I glance down to see a message from the RidgeLine contact who hired me in the first place.
Any update?
I do not respond right away.
Instead, I review the information Rhea provided, focusing my attention on the internal hierarchy she outlined. She works under a senior supervisor. Someone with the authority to adjust permissions… and someone who would benefit if the blame landed lower.
It makes my blood boil to think about someone trying to set Rhea up for this. The beautiful accountant who’s not only good with numbers but brave enough to march in here and challenge me not to be too lazy to dig for the right answers.
I realize I am thinking about her in a way that has nothing to do with the case, and I force my attention back to the screen.
