Author's Note: Okay guys, this is a little teaser for right now. I'm
about to head out of town for a week, so hopefully this will incite some
interest for more while I'm gone. I have a few more chapters that are
written but they need to be edited. I will have computer access while I'm
away, but I can't promise how much will get written and posted. Enjoy this
little tidbit for now and keep the reviews coming, please. :)
The shrill ring of the hotel phone woke Nancy from her peaceful slumber three hours later. She squinted at the alarm clock in the afternoon darkness and saw that it was already 5:30. At the sound of the ringing phone, Frank snuggled closer to Nancy as she sleepily reached for the receiver.
"Hello?" she said, trying to clear the cobwebs from her mind.
"Nancy?" a female voice responded on the other end.
"This is she."
"Nancy, it's Amy Durham. I just got your message."
At the sound of Amy's name, Nancy was instantly awake. "Thanks for calling me back," she said.
"What did you need to talk to me about?" Amy asked.
"Have you talked to Ned yet?" Nancy asked quietly. Frank was still sleeping peacefully and she didn't want to wake him.
"I just left the hospital, actually," Amy admitted. "He told me that you came by this morning."
"Did he tell you who it was that shot him?"
She could hear the young woman sigh deeply on the other end of the line. "He said it was Paul. I just can't believe that Paul would do something like this. It's not like him at all!"
"Did Ned tell you anything else?" Nancy probed.
"Kind of. He said that he thinks Paul is up to something, and this was Paul's way of keeping him quiet," Amy explained. "I'm so frustrated that he won't give me any details, but he says the less I know, the better."
"He's right," Nancy agreed. "It's for your own good, Amy. Trust me."
Amy groaned. "I want to know what's going on. Paul is more like my friend than my boss. If Paul really is behind all this, I certainly can't work for him," she whined.
"Well if things work out the way I want them too, he won't be working for Alliance much longer. This is where you come in, Amy. Frank and I need a favor," Nancy told the girl.
"Whatever you need, I'll do it. The sooner this is over with, the better," came Amy's immediate reply.
"We need access to Paul's office to dig up some more information that Ned told us about. Can you help us do that?" Nancy asked.
Amy replied, "Yeah, sure. Whatever you need. When do you want to get into the office?"
"What time does Paul usually arrive in the morning?" Nancy queried.
"About 8:30. He usually comes in about a half an hour after I do. Are you sure you want to chance it tomorrow? I can get us into the building now if you want," she offered.
Nancy glanced over at Frank's sleeping form. She desperately wanted to get in and get the information, but knew that he would kill her for not telling him. 'He'll get over it,' she thought as she told Amy, "Where do you want me to meet you?"
Frank woke to the resounding sound of the alarm clock. He rolled over to shut off the offending sound and noticed that he was alone in the darkened hotel room. "Nan?" Frank called out to the empty room.
Getting no response Frank looked around the room and muttered to himself, "What in the hell?" He noted the time on the clock read 6:15. He and Nancy had a little over an hour before they had to be at O'Hare to pick up Joe. Where in the world was she?
Once he turned on the bedside lamp and pushed the covers off of himself, Frank noticed a piece of paper laying atop Nancy's pillow. He grabbed the paper and read:
Frank -
Don't get upset, but I'm meeting up with Amy. She's letting me in to Paul's office, so I can check his computer. I thought it would be better to do it tonight than risk getting caught tomorrow. You needed your sleep, so I didn't want to wake you. I took a cab so you could have the car to pick up Joe. The keys are on the desk. I'll meet you guys back at the hotel as soon as I'm done. See you soon.
- Nan
"Damn!" Frank cursed, balling up the sheet of paper in his fist. Getting to his feet, he padded barefoot across the room and grabbed his cell phone. Quickly punching in her cell phone number, he let out a frustrated groan when it went to voice mail. He was going to kill her for taking off without him.
Grumbling to himself, Frank went through the motions of getting dressed and ready to go pick up his brother. As he grabbed the keys from the desk, he found a small slip of paper that had Amy's number written on it. He smiled to himself as he grabbed both items and shoved them in his jacket pocket. At least he had an alternate way of getting a hold of her, in case she kept her cell phone turned off.
As he walked out the hotel room, Frank said a silent prayer that Nancy would get in and get out of the office without anything happening, but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that everything was not going to go according to plan.
The shrill ring of the hotel phone woke Nancy from her peaceful slumber three hours later. She squinted at the alarm clock in the afternoon darkness and saw that it was already 5:30. At the sound of the ringing phone, Frank snuggled closer to Nancy as she sleepily reached for the receiver.
"Hello?" she said, trying to clear the cobwebs from her mind.
"Nancy?" a female voice responded on the other end.
"This is she."
"Nancy, it's Amy Durham. I just got your message."
At the sound of Amy's name, Nancy was instantly awake. "Thanks for calling me back," she said.
"What did you need to talk to me about?" Amy asked.
"Have you talked to Ned yet?" Nancy asked quietly. Frank was still sleeping peacefully and she didn't want to wake him.
"I just left the hospital, actually," Amy admitted. "He told me that you came by this morning."
"Did he tell you who it was that shot him?"
She could hear the young woman sigh deeply on the other end of the line. "He said it was Paul. I just can't believe that Paul would do something like this. It's not like him at all!"
"Did Ned tell you anything else?" Nancy probed.
"Kind of. He said that he thinks Paul is up to something, and this was Paul's way of keeping him quiet," Amy explained. "I'm so frustrated that he won't give me any details, but he says the less I know, the better."
"He's right," Nancy agreed. "It's for your own good, Amy. Trust me."
Amy groaned. "I want to know what's going on. Paul is more like my friend than my boss. If Paul really is behind all this, I certainly can't work for him," she whined.
"Well if things work out the way I want them too, he won't be working for Alliance much longer. This is where you come in, Amy. Frank and I need a favor," Nancy told the girl.
"Whatever you need, I'll do it. The sooner this is over with, the better," came Amy's immediate reply.
"We need access to Paul's office to dig up some more information that Ned told us about. Can you help us do that?" Nancy asked.
Amy replied, "Yeah, sure. Whatever you need. When do you want to get into the office?"
"What time does Paul usually arrive in the morning?" Nancy queried.
"About 8:30. He usually comes in about a half an hour after I do. Are you sure you want to chance it tomorrow? I can get us into the building now if you want," she offered.
Nancy glanced over at Frank's sleeping form. She desperately wanted to get in and get the information, but knew that he would kill her for not telling him. 'He'll get over it,' she thought as she told Amy, "Where do you want me to meet you?"
Frank woke to the resounding sound of the alarm clock. He rolled over to shut off the offending sound and noticed that he was alone in the darkened hotel room. "Nan?" Frank called out to the empty room.
Getting no response Frank looked around the room and muttered to himself, "What in the hell?" He noted the time on the clock read 6:15. He and Nancy had a little over an hour before they had to be at O'Hare to pick up Joe. Where in the world was she?
Once he turned on the bedside lamp and pushed the covers off of himself, Frank noticed a piece of paper laying atop Nancy's pillow. He grabbed the paper and read:
Frank -
Don't get upset, but I'm meeting up with Amy. She's letting me in to Paul's office, so I can check his computer. I thought it would be better to do it tonight than risk getting caught tomorrow. You needed your sleep, so I didn't want to wake you. I took a cab so you could have the car to pick up Joe. The keys are on the desk. I'll meet you guys back at the hotel as soon as I'm done. See you soon.
- Nan
"Damn!" Frank cursed, balling up the sheet of paper in his fist. Getting to his feet, he padded barefoot across the room and grabbed his cell phone. Quickly punching in her cell phone number, he let out a frustrated groan when it went to voice mail. He was going to kill her for taking off without him.
Grumbling to himself, Frank went through the motions of getting dressed and ready to go pick up his brother. As he grabbed the keys from the desk, he found a small slip of paper that had Amy's number written on it. He smiled to himself as he grabbed both items and shoved them in his jacket pocket. At least he had an alternate way of getting a hold of her, in case she kept her cell phone turned off.
As he walked out the hotel room, Frank said a silent prayer that Nancy would get in and get out of the office without anything happening, but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that everything was not going to go according to plan.