Page 136
Rand pauses the video, and when he turns around, there’s a smirk twisting his lips. “It seems rejection is a rather touchy thing for you, Ms. Anders.”
“He came onto me first, before that video.”
“No, I don’t think that’s true. Master Blackthorne has remained ever professional in his interactions with you. It is you who have behaved inappropriately.”
“Is that what he told you?”
“He’s not told me anything regarding this incident. I had to find it myself. And on the grounds that you have failed to uphold your end of the contract, I’m afraid we’ll be letting you go.”
“What? Letting me go? You can’t … I need this job.”
Suddenly, she’s concerned about her job? I want to tell her she should’ve thought of that before she decided to smear the boss’s name, but I guess some people are clueless.
“I’m sorry, but it is a conflict of interest to allow you to stay.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Conflict of interest? How?”
“I understand you’ve been reporting back to a private investigator, who’s been busy trying to build a case against the Blackthornes and Doctor Powell.”
The look on Rand’s face reminds me of those cop shows, when the detective finally calls bullshit and all hell breaks loose. Who knew that people still hired private investigators? I always thought that was a low-budget TV thing.
“You’ve certainly contributed to that with your lies and gossip,” Rand continues.
“I’ve been documenting care, as I am directed to do. If he’s gained unauthorized access to my progress notes, that has nothing to do with me.”
Tipping his head, Rand narrows his eyes on her and opens the drawer beside him. He pulls out a photograph that’s slightly grainy, like it’s been blown up to a larger size, and pushes it in front of her. In it, she’s sitting across from a man I don’t recognize, smiling in a way I’d consider flirtatious even if I’d never met the woman. “You’ve spent quite a bit of time with Mr. Goodman, it seems.”
Shoulders slouching, she frowns while staring down at the picture in silence.
“Get out of here, Miss Anders. And if I find you snooping around the manor again, I’ll have you arrested on the spot for trespassing.”
She doesn’t bother to look at me as she pushes up from the chair. It’s when she passes that she grabs my arm, and I startle at her touch, thinking she’s going strike out at me. Instead she gives a squeeze, and her brows wing up to something that appears to be more sympathetic than angry. “Watch yourself, Isa. Don’t trust anyone.”
“Out. Now.” Once she’s left, he turns to me. “I apologize for making you sit through that, Miss Quinn, but I thought you should be aware, in the event you’ve shared any private conversations with her.”
My mind rewinds to conversations I’ve had with her, where I could’ve easily said something personal. Something that would’ve had me, or Aunt Midge, under scrutiny. Namely, the issue with the drug dealer.
He huffs, the frown on his face deepening. “I wasn’t aware of this until recently. Tell me, have you noticed any unusual behaviors in your time working alongside her?”
“Just … she asked me to cover once, so she could sort something out. I assumed it was with her son.”
“I see. And what was the nature of you covering for her?”
A quick glance toward Laura shows her staring back at me. “Just keeping an eye on Mrs. Blackthorne for a few hours.”
“We try to keep a nurse on hand at all times. On the weekends, when Nell leaves, Shauna takes over. Therefore, it’s important that you communicate these things to me.”
“My apologies. It won’t happen again.” I lower my gaze from his, fingers fidgeting. “I’m assuming Lucian told you what I told him.”
“He did. And while I find her actions to be quite serious, we came to the conclusion that she would be let go immediately.”
“It just doesn’t seem like …”
“What?”
“She said she’s been working so hard to get her son back.” I don’t bother to tell him that she struggled through rehab to get clean prior to becoming a nurse. “It seems strange that she’d let anything get in the way of that.”
“Some people have a very self-destructive approach to their wellbeing.”
