Quest For Justice. Kathleen Tailer

you,” Bailey answered. “How well did you know him?”

      “We’d met for dinner twice. I’ve applied for the CEO position at Gates, as you know, and Mr. Cox had several questions. You see, I got my advanced degree in Europe, and some of the school records were hard to verify. I’m sure he didn’t have any trouble after our interviews, however. I imagine you’re continuing the investigation?”

      “Yes,” she agreed, without correcting his misunderstanding. She was investigating. She just wasn’t doing it for Gates. “Could you tell me where you went to school, please?”

      “Of course. My history isn’t a secret. I got my undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Applied Sciences in Budapest, and then I received my doctorate in Balkavia at the Mirianka University.”

      Bailey made a note in her phone of his responses. She would check them out later. “And have you lived in the United States for very long?” She could still hear the tiniest hint of an accent when he spoke, but he’d obviously gone to great lengths to eliminate it.

      “Going on twenty years now, though I was born here in the US. My family moved overseas when my father was in the military, and once he retired, he decided to stay.”

      “But not you?” She smiled and he returned the smile.

      “No, not me.” He shifted some papers on his desk. “My wife is also American, and she wanted to return home so she could be closer to her parents. We’ve lived here in Jacksonville ever since.”

      “Why would you like to work at Gates?”

      He found a folder with a green tab and handed it to her. “Gates is a mover and shaker in the pharmaceutical industry, and I think their development team is on the cusp of some exciting new medicines. I want to be a part of that. Working at the hospital here has been fulfilling, but I’m mostly administration, and it’s time for a change. My application and résumé are in that folder.”

      Bailey nodded and then motioned to the mini helmet that was on his desk.

      “Are you a football fan?”

      The CEO laughed and glanced at the helmet. “If I were, I wouldn’t admit it,” he said in a jovial tone. “The local team hasn’t had a winning season since 2007.” He motioned with his hands as he spoke. “That helmet was a gift from my daughter. She’s a true believer and still harbors hope that they’ll make it to the playoffs. I don’t suffer from delusions the way she does.”

      Bailey grinned and glanced at the folder he’d given her. She scanned the contents and asked a few more questions, and then she rose to leave. He had seemed very open, and, so far, she hadn’t noticed any red flags. He also seemed at ease during their conversation. On the surface, nothing seemed problematic. She had to get to her computer if she wanted to know more, and that’s exactly where she was headed. She offered her hand, knowing that her ten minutes were up. “Thank you so much for your time, Dr. Petrela.”

      “My pleasure. I hope you are able to get justice for your father.”

      “So do I.”

      They shook hands and she stowed the folder and her few belongings in her tote. Then she headed out into the hallway. She was past ready to be free of the hospital. The smells and sights of people suffering continued to flood her with memories of her mother’s final days. Despite the addictions, Bailey had still loved her mother. Theirs had been a rocky relationship, but Bailey’s last criminal acts had all been about her mother’s care. As she’d watched her mother’s body wither away from lung cancer, Bailey had gotten more and more desperate to get her mother the help she needed.

      It had all been a wasted effort, however. Right after she had committed her crimes, started paying the bills and brought the equipment home, she’d found her mother collapsed on the bathroom floor—the result of both her coughing and a heroin overdose. Bailey’s efforts had been too little too late, and when the officers had come to investigate the scene, they’d found the stolen equipment before she’d even thought to hide it. Her lack of foresight had cost her mightily. Her mother had died shortly after Bailey’s arrest. Bailey hadn’t even had a chance to say good-bye.

      Bailey rubbed her eyes, trying to erase the memories. She had been such a mess back then. It hadn’t even occurred to her that she had done something wrong with her thefts. Her only thought had been to save her mother.

      She liked to think that she’d learned her lesson in jail. Even better, she’d become a Christian during her college days and had slowly gotten on the right track. But changes didn’t just happen overnight. She still made blunders here and there, and she was already coming to regret her latest mistake. Hacking Kennedy’s email had been a stupid, impetuous display of bad judgment. She just hoped she could avoid him for the foreseeable future until she could track down her father’s killer. Maybe he wouldn’t care if she could get results from her own investigation.

      She pulled out the list from her tote bag and put a check mark by Dr. Petrela’s name. It was time to move on to the next applicant. She still had a few daylight hours left and could probably interview one more applicant on the list today if she hurried. Gabriel Jeffries, an entrepreneur who worked from his beach house, was next. He had already agreed to see her if she could be at his place by 4:00 p.m. She had just enough time to make it.

      “You know, most people start at the top of the list, not the middle.”

      Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the voice. She spun around as dread swept over her. Franklin Kennedy stood only a few feet away, nonchalantly leaning against the wall. He smiled at her, but it was an ominous smile, and she knew she was in trouble.

      “What are you doing here?”

      “Looking for you,” he said quietly. “I’m having some trouble with my email and thought maybe you would be able to help.”

      “Doesn’t sound like a very serious problem. I’m sure your IT folks can fix it for you.”

      Kennedy shook his head. “Actually, it’s a much bigger problem than most people realize. It’s a felony to hack a governmental email account. Were you aware of that?”

      Bailey didn’t think. She took one step backward and then another. Then she turned and ran.