Page 42 of Love Under the Microscope
“He shouldn’t be.” She keeps her voice low. “But he’s coming from his office, so we can still proceed as planned.”
I nod, though I’m fighting so many doubts right now. “Okay, as soon as he passes, then we need to get out of here in case he comes back.”
I partially close the blinds on the door so we can see out, but Nigel or anyone else in the hallway can’t see while we wait. A few seconds later, he passes by, still holding his phone to his ear and chatting animatedly. At least he didn’t seem to notice us.
“Give it a minute,” I say quietly. “And then we can head out.”
Zelda grins. At least one of us is enjoying ourselves.
Zelda
“This is so much fun.” I peer between the door blinds and don’t see anyone else in the hallway, but Jack’s right. We need to give Nigel time to reach the elevator before we step out. If he’d recognized me, we would have been in big trouble. “Jail aside, a life of crime might be exciting. Then again, would the rewards be worth the risk? What do you think?”
Jack scrubs his face. “I think you’re crazy.”
Huh? He isn’t smiling as big as I am, but he doesn’t look as worried as when we were in the lobby. “No, you don’t.”
“I do.”
“Then why did you say, and I quote, you’d embrace whatever I wanted to do?”
He opens his mouth, then shuts it.
Aha! I’ve got him there, and for some reason, that makes me like him even more. Well, as much as one can like a journalist hell-bent on revealing Zentello’s secrets. “And just so you know, I don’t really want to live a life of crime. The idea of only wearing orange is a living nightmare.”
He shakes his head. “Let’s go. We need to get in and out quickly.”
“Oh, like a heist.”
“Exactly like a heist.”
Jack reaches around me and opens the door. With a glance to each side of the empty hallway, we step out.
“Which way to Nigel’s office?” Jack asks.
I point to the right and then have to rush to keep up with him.
As we turn the corner, I see Nigel’s nameplate. It looks like the security is as lax as it’s always been. When I try the door, and it opens, I breathe a sigh of relief.
Jack follows me inside. “What are we looking for?”
“Pages ripped out of a lab journal.” I try to remember what else I’d kept at his house. “They might be in a pink file folder.”
“Pink?”
“Yes, or he could have put it in something else.” I won’t defend my choice of file colors to anyone. The chances Nigel left the formula in a folder he might’ve also stolen from me are higher than I might believe, given his laziness. “But if you see something pink, pay attention.”
“I’ll check the filing cabinet. You look in his desk.”
As I open the side drawer, I hear the filing cabinet slide open. I can’t believe my luck because what we’re doing would never fly at Zentello with the rigorous attention to security protocols. We’d already be in the back of a police car. The lack of security tells me they aren’t true competition—or shouldn’t be.
“I don’t see any pink files, but wow…” Jack whistles. “Looks like Nigel likes a nice bourbon.”
I glance over my shoulder to see Jack holding up a bottle with a label I recognize as expensive. Why am I not surprised? “Drinking on the job. Nice.”
As I return to the desk, footsteps sound outside the door. I close the drawer, reach for Jack’s hand, and tug on it. “Someone’s outside.”
His eyes go wide, and the knob turns. I freeze.
