This Magic Moment (Just a Little Magic Series)

by Cross, Daryn

  “Will do,” Jenny said. “Is it okay if it waits until tomorrow?”

  “Why?” Crandall glanced up into Jenny’s eyes.

  “My date? I asked for the afternoon off. We plan to drive up to Carmel.”

  Crandall stared over at Jenny. Blonde, blue-eyed, about her age, but very inexperienced. She’d never even had a boyfriend as far as Crandall knew. She probably never gave her assistant a chance to find one before. Now that Crandall had eased up on her work schedule, Jenny had gotten her chance. She should ease up on Jenny. Her assistant never asked for anything. How could Crandall deny her this? “Sure, that’s fine. I probably need to chill myself. Have a good time.”

  At Jenny’s huge smile and nod, Crandall felt she’d made the right decision. As the door closed behind her office “right hand,” Crandall blew out a deep breath and realized how out of touch she’d gotten in a very short time frame. Now was the time to dig through papers, check records and do one-on-one interviews with staff. She supposed another day wouldn’t make a difference.

  Just as she was getting ready to leave the office that night, a knock came on the door. “Come in.”

  A man she’d never seen, but who looked familiar, opened the door and peered inside. “I’m sorry, but no one’s outside your office.”

  She nodded. “My assistant left early.”

  He shrugged. “Well, I had something to deliver to you. Don’t worry, no bombs or contaminants inside. Just a note. My employer asked that I deliver it.”

  Curiosity got the better of her. “Why the secrecy?”

  He laughed nervously. “That’s just the way he is. He’s one of those guys in the know who doesn’t like to be intrusive. But, he saw everything the other night when your mother was wheeled in at Sierra Landing’s Civic Center. He didn’t like that, and well, he thinks you should check up on something and asked I give this to you.” He held out a small note.

  She looked at it suspiciously. “You said no contaminants, right? No germ warfare, knockout fumes or anything?”

  He shook his head. “Open it while I’m here if you like.”

  She slit open the envelope, pulled out a note and read it. …check out a man named Grant Tolbert. He is the root cause of your problems. But, first, look over your own records.

  “Do you know what this says?” she asked.

  The man nodded. “A little about it. My employer said there was someone else you didn’t know about causing problems.”

  “That’s all you know?”

  He grinned. “I’m just the messenger.”

  “Of course.” She grabbed her purse for tip money.

  He shook his head and held out his hands. “No ma’am. I’ve already been paid. Good luck.”

  She nodded. “I think I just got some.”

  After the man left she kept staring at the note. This sounded like something Zack didn’t have anything to do with.

  ****

  Xavier Washington smiled as she walked into the Cliffhanger Inn. The woman was attractive. In fact she was hot. He saw how men looked up from their plates to see her walk by, tight little skirt and pert breasts. She was also a great lay, for now. He stood and held the chair for her. As she sat, he bent, smiling at her and gave her a kiss on the lips. “Hello sweetheart. I’m so happy you managed to get away.”

  “Escape was more like it,” Jenny said. “Crandall’s back to her tiger self, asking all sorts of questions. It made me very nervous, Xavier.”

  He sat across from her and grabbed her hand across the small table next to the windows. “Darling, don’t worry. You’ve played everything perfectly so far, including my purchase of stock. She won’t even know I have shares until the whole deal is done. As for York, let him take the hit. He’s too concerned about moving up the ladder. The guy won’t even know what hit him.”

  She frowned. “I hope not. Smith is pretty smart. It’s a good thing he was at that conference. The problem is she wants to see who signed off on the stock sales.”

  Xavier’s head shot up. “How does she know about that?”

  Jenny bit her lip. “She asked why we’d lost so much money during the last quarter.”

  “What’s wrong with saying you don’t know?”

  Tears brimmed at her eyes. “Crandall would know better. I always know about the financials.”

  He sat there, boiling inside. This woman wasn’t devious. Could he even teach her what was necessary for his line of work? He hoped so, because she really was a good fit in his bed. He stroked her hand. “Not to worry, little one. We’ll figure out a way. But, promise me you’ll listen and do everything I tell you.”

  She nodded, choking back sobs.

  “How about a lobster?” he asked, picking up the menu. “We’ll watch the sun set over the ocean, then maybe a trip to the jewelry store down the street?” Sniffing, she looked up. At her sudden smile and the twinkle in her eye, he knew he had her back. “Then, my sweet, we’ll see how you look with only sapphires on.”

  ****

  Zack sat staring at his records. They told him Grant Tolbert bought the tobacco business, not Xavier Washington. “How did you pull it off?” he murmured through gritted teeth. Tapping his pen on the desk, he thought about it. What to do? The first part was obvious. Find the Tolbert guy. Then he should find a link, something. But there was more than that. How did Washington think of Tolbert and how was the guy linked to his father?

  Mike strolled in. “I’m back. How’s everything going?”

  “Still trying to figure out about Tolbert. How do you think Washington pulled off this whole maneuver?”

  Mike shrugged, playing with the change in his pocket. “Lucky? I don’t know. The obvious would be he paid someone to do it. Or he found someone he could blackmail. Someone could have even approached him with the idea, but I don’t know why anyone would. Any of those scenarios could have worked.”

  “I guess.” Zack sighed, as he stretched back in his chair and laced his fingers behind him. “You know what’s funny? I don’t think Washington orchestrated the move. It was the first thing he got as a coup in his career. If I played it by instinct, I’d say he got the idea from somebody. It was a present of sorts. Who would want to give him that kind of present, and who would have a reason to give him that kind of lead on purpose?”

  “Grant Tolbert?” Mike asked.

  Zack threw up his hands. “Maybe, who knows? First order of business is to find this man and see what kind of rules he was playing by.”

  Mike sank into a chair. “Why do I feel like this is going to be my responsibility?”

  Zack grinned. “Not entirely. You’re just going to search the records in California for the man. I’m going too, and I’ll check out the corporation exchanges. They have to be filed in Sacramento. I just had a thought of something else you can do while you’re there. You know my intuition is good.”

  Mike nodded. “What is it? I’d like to know what it is before I get there.”

  “Check ties to Washington’s family. Both sides.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Crandall closed the files on the computer at the courthouse and scowled. She should have known she was being taken for a fool inside her own ranks. The papers signing authorization for the sale of stocks had signaled an issue, one she’d thankfully discovered last night. It was a good thing she’d stayed after all. Because when Jenny had gotten back this morning, the girl would have made sure all traces of her deceit were gone.

  She smiled to herself in spite of her extreme anger at the betrayal. It was something she’d cooked up with Smith a long time ago. If he signed off on stock sales or anything else of extreme importance, he was to sign with an extra dot above Smith in his name. No one had ever caught on or asked him about it. Since he rarely did sign such documents, anyone forging his name would be unlikely to do the same. And the documents confirmed his signature had indeed been forged.

  Only one other person had access to the papers, and that was Jenny. How had Washington gotten to
her? That she intended to find out. For now, she’d let the girl stay so she could use her against her nemesis, but she’d have to bring Smith in on the plan.

  As she shoved back from the screen, she realized she’d also have to find out the purchaser of those large blocks that had been sold. The name had been foreign to her as had the company. She was willing to bet it fronted Washington’s business, but how? Knowing him, he had a company front a company front a company. But she was on it, and she would discover the answer. As she walked across the immense space of the document room, she suddenly remembered she’d left her briefcase on the floor. Turning around, she retraced her steps. There it was. Picking it up, she started forward, just as a huge cart of documents rolled by, making her back up two steps.

  As she bumped into someone, she turned, confronted by the bright green eyes of Zack Graham. Her intake of air was audible. “Why aren’t you in Charlotte?”

  He grinned exposing his bright white teeth. “Nice to see you, too. Last I heard, you lived in San Francisco, so what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?”

  She frowned. “Haven’t you done enough damage already?”

  Zack rubbed the back of his neck. “My guess is you’re here checking records. I don’t know which ones you’re checking, but I just checked the sale of my company back when I first took over for my dad at Scrumbles. I have a copy in my briefcase that says a Grant Tolbert bought it. There is nothing about Washington Enterprises, Xavier Washington or anyone else on it anywhere. Just Grant Tolbert and a company called Tolbert Ltd.”

  “Could you find anything in Tolbert’s records?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “It gets weirder. Tolbert’s company is privately owned, no stocks. His records are private. I did look at Washington’s though, and it would take a forensic accountant to figure those out. He has so many shell companies, it’s hard to figure out what goes where.”

  “So what are you waiting on?” she asked.

  “We start delving into those records, he will know we’re there, lady,” he told her. “That’s part of the law. They may be public but he gets to know who’s snooping.”

  She crossed her arms. “If everything you told me is true, then why did you go to see Washington earlier? You never denied you did it.”

  He cleared his voice. “Yeah, I went there, but not to talk about the good old days. I wanted to know what the guy had on you. I played a game of chess and caught him in a few false moves. He makes you out to be quite a little dick tease in high school.”

  Her face burned. “No doubt. He was the prick not the other way around.”

  “I know, I figured that out. The guy has obvious tells. Wouldn’t be a good poker player.” Zack grabbed her hands and stared pleadingly into her eyes. A warm glow spread up her arms. “Believe me when I tell you I would never partner with the shit. He just wanted us divided because we were too dangerous together.”

  She smiled, completely melting. “Oh yeah, dangerous.”

  He let go of her hands and grabbed her arm. “Come on, let’s get somewhere a little more private and see what you’ve discovered. Maybe we can pool resources. Then maybe we can do whatever we want to do.”

  She nodded and didn’t trust her mouth to say another word.

  ****

  Shaking like a leaf, Crandall went back to work with a promise to meet Zack at seven at a small French restaurant on the outskirts of San Francisco. At least she hadn’t invited him to eat in. That would have been a temptation she doubted she could resist. For now, she’d act nonplussed and clueless just like she must have been for the months Jenny had jerked her chain.

  As she entered the room, she nodded at her assistant. “Hey, Jen, how was last night’s hot date?”

  “Hot.” Jenny grinned. “We had a great dinner, then he bought me a gift and we went back to his hotel for a long hot tub soak and well, let’s just say the rest was just fine.”

  Something about the way she said it made Crandall’s head turn. “Everything was hunky-dory until you hit the sheets and then it was fine? Just fine?”

  Jenny’s cheeks turned red. “I’m not sure I’m all that good at this sex thing.”

  “What do you mean?” With a sudden shock, she realized that her little nemesis shit might just have coerced this beautiful young thing into dating him, or knowing him, having intercourse. It made her want to throw up. “Jenny, you have had sex before haven’t you?”

  The woman stared up at her tears rolling down her cheeks. “A couple of times, but they weren’t any good either. One when I was sixteen and another time with a man who was twenty-five years older. This one’s not that much older than me, and very generous, but I don’t know.” She hung her head.

  Crandall decided she probably had a case of remorse about betraying her and wondered how to get out of this shitty alliance unscathed. She shivered again at the thought of the scrawny little critter touching a soft inexperienced girl. “Look, this man, he’s not asking you to do anything really kinky is he? No three ways or weird painful positions?”

  “No!” Jenny shook her head. “He just wants me to… to suck him all the time. He barely touches me before he just rams it in and it’s done.”

  Figured. “Look,” Crandall reached out and put her hand on Jenny’s shoulder. “If the guy doesn’t do it right, get out.”

  Her assistant’s eyes darted away. “But he does give great gifts.” She held out her hand and a huge sapphire sparkled on her right hand.

  Crandall shook her head. “You decide. For me, sapphires don’t sparkle when it’s dark. Get Smith in here. I have to talk about those stock sales.”

  Jenny’s eyes suddenly brightened. “I’ll get him right away.”

  As she left, Crandall wondered just what Xavier had said he’d give her if she pulled this whole thing off.

  ****

  “Go ahead and tell me what you found out.” Zack threw his towel down from the shower and grabbed his briefs, pulling them on and reaching for his shirt.

  “Well, I did the Randy Reporter Roger Roper Rover and Rout routine with a bunch of older men and women in Sierra Landing and discovered some pretty interesting things.” Mike sat on his queen bed and stared at Zack. “You look like you’re going out somewhere tonight instead of just downstairs for dinner.”

  “That would be correct. I have to drive to San Francisco.”

  Mike’s mouth gaped open. “You’re not going to try and make contact with Crandall are you? She hates your guts.”

  “Not really. Don’t change the subject. What’s this Randy Reporter thing?”

  Mike smirked. “I’m coming back to that. Randy reporter is the routine where you go in and talk to people like you’re doing a feature, take some pictures, say it’s a human interest piece, the roots of a successful business man. People eat it up. Especially older ones.”

  “Got it. So bottom line it. What did you find out?” Zack sat on his bed and pulled on his socks.

  “Well, Xavier’s great-aunt is still alive and she doesn’t much care for him, which means she has good taste. She says she’s not a Washington but Roberta’s aunt and Xavier’s not a real Washington at all. According to her, his mother was pregnant when she married Washington, Sr. She told me that after I gave her a daily pain pill.”

  “You drugged an old lady?”

  “No! Don’t go there. The woman’s ninety if she’s a day. She’s a bit ditsy. But she swore she had that part right. Then she said a woman named Laura Appleby could corroborate what she said. According to her, Laura knew Washington’s biological father, and he left town for some reason just after Roberta got knocked up.”

  “Good work. What did this Appleby woman say?”

  Mike made an exaggerated gasp. “How much did you expect me to find out in one day?”

  Zack laughed. “All of it.”

  “I’ll find her.” Mike nodded confidently.

  “Don’t let me get in your way.” Zack knotted his tie. “Call around tonight if you
want to, or just relax with a glass of wine. We can pick up tomorrow. Whatever you do, don’t call me and don’t wait up.”

  “You didn’t tell me why you’re so confident after that whole debacle a week ago.”

  Zack grinned. “Well, Randy, you’re a good investigative reporter. Figure it out.” He strode toward the door.

  ****

  She walked in, dressed in a tight sheath dress, purple, a color that undoubtedly would make her blue eyes dance. Black hair draped her shoulders, gleaming like silk strands against the candlelight. He saw every man stop mid-conversation to see Crandall’s progress across the wide-plank floor. It didn’t matter if they were with beautiful women or not, because he had the most gorgeous woman in the room walking straight towards him. He knew it by the looks in their hungry eyes. How lucky could one man be?

  Zack stood and walked over, seating her. “I don’t think you’ve ever done that for me before.” She looked up into his eyes as she said the words, her lids lowering in a sexy come-hither kind of way.

  “If I didn’t, I should have.” Once she was seated, he returned to his chair. “How about a glass of wine?”

  “Maybe one,” she said. “I have to drive you know.”

  “There are cabs. And hotels.” His body reacted to the thought.

  She smiled. “No. I’m going home, but one glass of Merlot would be sweet.”

  Not a good start. “I listened to what you said they had on the menu you liked and ordered for us. I hope that was okay.”

  “Absolutely.” She held her glass as he poured. Swirling it, then sniffing it, she took a sip. “Yummy.”

  You bet your sweet bottom. “How did the rest of your day go?”

  She giggled. “Great. I think I have a spy inside the company and I have an ally, my CFO. I told him all about what she planned and he’s in it with me. We’ll just let her hang herself.”

  He shook his head. “You should have checked longer. How do you know this CFO is clean?”