Standing up, Sean said, “You said that Carson hired someone to transcribe the manuscript. Perhaps this person remembers what the original handwriting looked like. I could conduct a handwriting comparison.”
Excited, I jumped out of my seat. “Yes! There’s no way Carson could imitate Marlette’s scrawl! Let’s see if Jude is in his office.”
Sean grabbed me by the elbow before I could open the door. He moved his body close to mine and whispered, “You’ve been an incredible help, Lila, and I admire your determination, but this is my case. I’ll be asking the questions.” He softened the stern words with a playful wink, and I smiled. If anyone else had spoken to me like that, I would have bristled like a porcupine, but I trusted Sean. I trusted him to pursue every lead until each secret and every lie had been laid bare.
But I wasn’t going to back off, either. Not now, when the agency was in such a fragile state and its agents were confused and scared. I might have begun my employment as an intern, but this place and its people were becoming a part of my life. One I wanted to make permanent. Sean knocked on Jude’s door, but it was Bentley who called out, “Enter!”
“Ah, Officer Griffiths.” Without rising, she gave him an imperial nod and then looked at me. “Good morning, Lila. Jude and I were just discussing how the agency should handle Luella’s client list until we’re able to begin a search for a new agent. He made an interesting suggestion—one that I’d like to talk over with you when the good officer is done.”
I dipped my head in acknowledgment, momentarily taken aback by Bentley’s haggard appearance. Her usual sense of style was evident in her white slacks and zebra-pattered silk blouse, accessorized by black ankle boots and a choker made of jet beads, but her hair was dull and limp, and her claret-colored fingernail polish was chipped as though she’d picked most of it off. She wore little makeup, and the thin skin below her eyes was puffy and tinged with the gray and blue of someone who hadn’t slept well in days.
As Sean asked Jude for the contact information of the person who’d transcribed The Alexandria Society, I slipped behind him and came to stand near my boss. I wanted to offer her words of comfort and support. “I’m sorry about all that’s happened,” I told her and then squatted by her side. “Has Jude told you my theory? That Carson Knight has signed a six-figure deal for a book he didn’t write?”
Bentley removed her reading glasses, folded them, and put them on her lap. Rubbing her temples, she released a heavy sigh. “Yes, Jude told me. He also voiced the possibility that Luella was the mastermind behind the entire affair. That would be most disappointing. I’ve long suspected she wore a different face in private, but she was an excellent agent. I’ve never known someone with such a penchant for negotiating. She masked her ruthlessness under a fa?ade of charm, but her clients and this agency reaped the benefits.”
“Marlette didn’t benefit,” I reminded her softly.
Raising her brows, Bentley’s only reply was, “Touché.”
“So you weren’t aware of a relationship between Luella and Carson?” I asked.
“Certainly not.” Her eyes darkened with annoyance. “I don’t give a fig about the personal lives of my employees. As long as my agents work hard, sell books, and represent this agency with dignity and professionalism, I don’t care what they do outside the office.”
After checking to see that Sean and Jude were still preoccupied, I sank into the vacant leather chair next to Bentley. “Have you read The Alexandria Society?”
“Every scintillating word. To think that it could have been written by such a…by someone who lived on the fringes of society.” She stared at the glasses in her hands. “He was brilliant. The book is brilliant.”
It was wonderful to hear Bentley compliment Marlette. I wanted people to respect him, even though he was no longer alive to appreciate it.
“Got it!” Sean said, grabbing a paper from Jude’s printer tray. “Thank you for your assistance. I’ll be in touch.”
He waved at us, his gaze meeting mine and lingering there for a moment, and then he was gone.
Bentley fluffed her lifeless hair and smoothed the wrinkles from her skirt. Before my eyes, she began to transform from a fatigued and perplexed woman to the confident, self-assured boss I was used to seeing.
“Well, I do not intend to idly wait around to be told that someone’s made a colossal fool of me.” She looked at me. “Lila? How would you like to accompany me to Carson’s residence? It’s time he and I had a little tête-à-tête.”