Page 86 of This is a Kissing Book

Truth is, I’ve never tried bubbly and now is not the time to start. I need to remain alert. Anything could happen. Also, let it be known for the record that there is an original Michelangelo painting on the side wall panel of the airplane!

Catching me staring at it, Linc says, “My father once told me that the price of wealth is luxury.”

I take that to mean that you have to pay to play. If Frank Andresen showed up at a business meeting in my rust bucket that hardly qualifies as a car, they’d laugh him off the golf course.

“Is this your life?” I ask as we settle into seats that are more comfortable than my bed.

“Part of it.” Linc loosens his tie slightly.

“Careful. I might start wanting more of this,” I joke with a laugh.

He studies my face. “Would you?”

The airplane’s movement distracts me from answering as we take off and the ground falls away below us. I just hope I don’t do any falling of my own. Last I checked, I don’t have a parachute in my purse.

31

JULES

During the flight, Linc and I review everything we know so far.

“Let’s walk through this again,” I say, tapping my chin. “Something is weird with the insurance valuations for the Fairfax Collection.”

He runs a hand through his hair. Compared to when we first met, it’s less, I hate it here and you and more, I’m thinking. “My mother was mildly obsessed with finding the Civil War piece.”

“Which I believe turned out to be Echo & Answer.”

“She said it held the key.”

“Leading you to the historical society archives,” I prompt, grinning because I love when a thread pulls tight.

“Right. And we found the painting.”

“Or someone at Meridian did, altered the signature, and then hid it. The Fairfax Collection’s insurance valuations have been adjusted four times in the past year. And every time, it’s just below the threshold that would trigger an external audit. But it was never a complete collection because of that one missing painting. Until now.”

“Maxine, the acting COO, has been managing those.”

“She has exclusive access codes to certain files. So do you, as the CEO’s son. But …” I meet his eyes. “When I cross-referenced the access logs with the dates of the adjustments, someone used your credentials twice when you weren’t even in the building.”

“Are you keeping track of me, Miss Lindley?”

“Don’t you wish.”

“Maxine, as witchy as she is, wouldn’t set me up. The job as VP is all but hers. I don’t want it. She knows that.”

I let out a breath. “If you say so, but I did overhear a conversation in her office.”

He arches an eyebrow as if skeptical, so I give him the verbatim replay. A frown drops his lips. “Interesting. But Maxine is just bitter. I can’t fathom her destroying Meridian over it. That would be like cutting off her nose to spite her face.”

“Terrible visual, but fair point.” Getting us back on track, I add, “This does raise questions about provenance.”

Linc’s forehead rumples. “If it leads to the letters, I still can’t figure out why my father didn’t want them found. Unless he’s involved.”

This is a new piece of info. “Your father doesn’t want you finding the letters?”

“He deterred me.”

“Maybe so you focus on your exec duties.” Or perhaps because he’s our fraudster.