Page 20 of Nothing to Win
Shanna’s optimism was a welcome bright spot.Along with the apparel and glitter delivered before dinner the previous night came a cashier’s check for fifty thousand dollars.Not a lot, no, but more than they’d had before.
Gia cashed it on her way to meet the overjoyed Shanna, delighted that Spurn came through.Blinded by that elation, her friend hadn’t asked Spurn’s terms and she hadn’t volunteered any information.Lies by omission were still lies.God, she hated this.
If Shanna needed more money, Gia wouldn’t hesitate to ask Spurn for it.Though she may not need to be direct.A credit card with her name on it had been delivered too, no reason it couldn’t be used for Shanna’s search as well.
“Do you think we should tell this investigator about Jarrod’s past or let him find out for himself?I don’t want Jarrod pre-judged.People always pre-judge him.”
“I think you should answer the investigator’s questions honestly,” Gia said.“The more you tell him, the better chance he has of finding Jarrod.You don’t know how much time he has.”
Color draining from her face, Shanna stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.“Do you think he’s dead?”
“No,” she said, snatching her friend’s hand.“No!I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t mean to… There’s just no point trusting this guy to find the man you love if you can’t trust him with Jarrod’s history.And we want to pay him to find out things we don’t know.No point him using our money to investigate what we already do know.”
Pondering, Shanna nodded.“That’s a good point.”
Her phone chirped.Gia shifted the small paper bag containing her lunch onto the opposite wrist and took her cell from the front pocket of her purse.
“It’s Jenna,” she said, surprised.
“Who’s Jenna?”
“Spurn’s assistant,” she said and quickly typed a reply to the message.“Can you handle this meeting alone?It’s a 9-1-1 to SG.”
If Spurn was really her boyfriend, she would have no qualms about dropping everything to rush to his office.Except he wasn’t.Signed from Jenna, this wasn’t a message from Spurn.Not from him, no, but it had to be about him and curiosity fueled interest.
“What did you agree to do for him?”Shanna asked.
“It’s nothing,” she said, pulling her friend into a hug.“I’ll call you when I’m done and we’ll go to dinner tonight, okay?”
“On you,” Shanna said.
Gia grinned and lifted her shoulders.“I have Spurn’s credit card.Maybe we’ll have dinner on him.”
Shanna laughed and kissed her cheek.“Sounds good.”
Holding onto Shanna’s hand, Gia got serious.“Tell the investigator everything; take notes if you can.I want a full report tonight.”
“Thank you, Gia.I wouldn’t have got this far without you.”
“What are friends for?”
Shanna went her way and Gia went hers.On the walk to Spurn’s office, questions upon questions littered her mind.What could he want?Shanna wouldn’t have gotten the meeting with the PI if it hadn’t been for Spurn’s funds.If Jarrod was found, it would be down to Spurn’s generosity, no one else’s.
Truth was, she’d done very little.
She hadn’t convinced her parents to help; Shanna hadn’t convinced Jarrod’s family.The people who were supposed to care didn’t.Spurn was the only one who’d listened to them… though his price still baffled.
Walking into Spurn Global was no less intimidating on the second visit.At least this time, she knew the route upstairs.Or did she?
Security intercepted her mid-lobby.
“Miss Sear,” one guy said, holding something out that…
A metal security badge with her name, her picture, how did they…?
“This way,” the other guard said.
Flanking her, they guided her to an elevator she hadn’t known existed.Smaller.More private?It opened into a square hallway with a doorway to somewhere and a stairway leading upward.A security agent passed the latter to open the door opposite the elevator.
