Page 41 of Line of Sight

“They didn’t give a name, sir, but it’s a woman.”

Okay, that grabbed my attention. “I’ll take it in the lounge, Mrs. Floyd.” I followed her out of the room and along the hallway. Faint music came from the far end of the house. That meant my parents were occupied. I went into the lounge and closed the door behind me. Once I’d heard the click of the handset, I said nothing but waited for my caller to speak.

“Hello? Are you there?”

Aha.“Good afternoon, Jennifer.” Her timing was perfect. There could only be one reason for her calling me.

“I’m not interrupting you, am I? I know it’s a holiday, but….”

“You’re not interrupting anything. What can I do for you?”

As if I didn’t know.

There was a pause before she spoke. “How? How did you know this would happen?”

“Know what? Jennifer, you’re talking in riddles.” And I expected better from someone with a mind like hers. Clear, cohesive speech for one thing.

“You talked about someday there being an obstacle in our path.”

I grinned. She’d earned herself my undivided attention.

“Does this mean you now have one?”

Another pause. “I have to be honest. I never intended speaking to you ever again after Brad… after he died.”

I’d gotten that message. Not even a Christmas card.

I got comfortable on the couch. “Well, obviouslysomethinghas happened to make you change your mind. How about you tell me what that is.” My heartbeat quickened a little.

This meant Opportunity.

I listened intently as the words poured out of her. How she was involved in groundbreaking scientific research, working with another graduate, Mark Wilson. How she had the offer of a high-profile job in a huge pharmaceutical company based on the outcomes of that research, a job that would set her up for life.

How she’d stumbled across evidence that Wilson was planning to steal their research and claim it as his own, intending to profit immensely from it.

People sucked. And not in a good way.Did no one ever teach her that?

“You’re sure about this?”

“Unfortunately, yes. There’s no doubt. I’ve poured so much into this project. Mark, he’s… he’s more socially adept than I am, but I’m the brains of the team. Which leaves me facing a moral dilemma.”

I shuddered. “Ugh. I try to avoid such things.”

“Will you be serious for a minute?”

God, the temptation to tell her taking that tone with me could put her on a very dangerous—and fatal—path. However, I played nice. “Okay, I’m listening.”

“As I see it, I have two choices. I expose Mark, but that would put my own reputation at risk. Or I take more…drasticmeasures. This project is rightfully mine. I’ve done all the hard work. He’s just been riding on my coattails.”

“Then I’d say removing him is the right and proper course of action,” I concluded. “Ethics demands it.”

Never mind ethics. It would feed my own needs.

I couldn’t miss the catch in her breathing. “Then you’ll—”

“Tell me about Mark Wilson,” I said, reaching for the notepad and pen next to the phone.

“What do you want to know?”