Brianna looked at the clock on her desk and gasped. “Oh no!” she said and turned back to her computer. How had she let the time slip away from her? She couldn’t believe that she’d just been thinking about how she never missed a deadline and here she was, idling stupidly while her deadline came and went. “I’m on it,” she replied in a horrified rush.
When the gentle hand on her shoulder stopped her, she sighed and turned back to her editor. “I’m sorry, sir.”
Drew was generally pretty harsh with his reporters, but Brianna had never had to endure his wrath. He always treated her more kindly because she accepted all the assignments he tossed over to her, brought the story in on time and with lively language that engaged the reader. Yesterday, she would have bristled at his gentle tone but today, she genuinely appreciated his restraint. “Brianna, what’s going on? You’ve been jumpy and out of sorts today. Definitely not like yourself.”
She blushed and looked away, not willing to tell this kind but often brusque man what she’d done last night. She couldn’t even say it was in pursuit of a story because she hadn’t thought about the story or the investigation after walking up that staircase with Rocco. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”
Drew sighed heavily and looked down at the gentle woman. She was always the bright sunshine in a room full of cloudy cynics. But here she was, looking gloomier than the worst of his reporters, but obviously not for the same reason. “You haven’t had a vacation in a long time. Why don’t you take a long weekend and go do something fun?” he suggested.
Brianna swallowed, worried that he thought she might not be able to handle her job. “I’m fine, sir. I won’t let you down.” With everything else that had happened over the past twenty-four hours, she couldn’t handle her boss losing faith in her as well.
Drew chuckled. “I’m sure you won’t but why don’t you just go somewhere and relax? Call up Nikki and Rachel; see if either of them could take some time off with you. Relax, enjoy the changing leaves and drink a bottle of wine.”
Brianna thought that sounded heavenly, but she still had a hard time keeping her tears at bay. “I’ll get this report done quickly.”
He stood up and cleared his throat. “And then you’ll take a long weekend. That’s an order. You’ll be amazed at how much better things will look when you come back next week.”
Brianna bit her lip and stared at her computer for a long time after he left. When someone shouted across the room, she jumped and forced herself to focus on her report. She had to get this in fast. Her fingers flew over the keyboard and she finished, pressing the send button only thirty minutes late. When she picked up her purse, preparing to leave, she found that the rest of the newsroom was already packed up and heading out for the weekend. It was Friday, after all. Everyone was getting ready to head out on the town, have some laughs and a few drinks, and enjoy their weekend. But what did she have to look forward to?
She stepped out of the building and looked around, trying to think of what she could do over her unexpected long weekend. She could call Nikki and Rachel, maybe the three of them could grab a pizza or….
She’d follow him.
***
The thought popped into her head so suddenly that she actually stopped in her tracks and looked around. A couple of people bumped into her, grumbling irritably when she did that, but she ignored the crowds on the wide, dirty sidewalk while her mind pondered the idea of following Rocco, discovering his secrets. What was in that letter that she’d missed? What was he hiding? Maybe this was a bigger story than just revealing the man’s horrible personality to the world. Even this morning, she’d suspected that he really was a charming rat-fink who was doing something illegal but what if there was more to it?
She started walking again, but this time her pace was slower, her mind working to try and fill in the blanks. She didn’t know what the symbol was on the side of the letter and because she’d been so silly and nervous, she hadn’t gotten the whole picture, but she could find out where he was this weekend and follow him, hide until she had a chance to sneak into his home. Maybe there would be more evidence that she could discover and finally piece everything together. If she knew who he was meeting with, or where he was going, that might give her a clue as to others that could be involved. It was a long shot, she told herself. The man might be simply attending charity events, donating loads of cash to some worthy cause and opening up his museum. Next thing, he’s on the road to wherever his real crimes were occurring. If he flew off to some other country, or even another state, there was no way she could track him. She simply didn’t have that kind of money or time.
But what if she found out something while he was here? What if she figured out the identity of the man Rocco had met with last night at the dance club and figured out what the two of them were up to?
That’s what a real reporter would do, she told herself, her mind starting to wrap itself around the idea with relish. “Yes,” she said out loud, startling several people who were trying to walk around her. “I can do this.”
With that in mind, she hurried to her car and drove to her apartment where she revved up her laptop and started searching. Of course, his personal itinerary wasn’t posted online, nor had she thought it would be. But Leslie had mentioned that Rocco was heading to his winter house. With that information, what she did find was perfect for her plan! The man was hosting a huge party at his country house! And that was in the Pennsylvania mountains, only two hours away from here! What luck!
Chapter 4
Brianna pulled the rough, wool blanket closer around her, wishing she hadn’t had such a ridiculous plan. She hated attending parties, but she found that she hated waiting outside of a party, especially in a relatively cold, damp, uncomfortable barn, even more. She’d discovered a well-kept stable behind Rocco’s house and had hunkered down until she found an opportunity to get inside the house. But she hadn’t anticipated the cold weather which was dropping down below freezing tonight as a cold front moved into the area, banishing all the abnormally warm temperatures they’d been experiencing lately. And she also hadn’t counted on the night being so spooky. It was late October and most of the leaves were already on the ground. This meant that every animal that walked by caused crunching or squirming sounds, which were reminiscent of several horror movies she’d watched as a kid. She also hadn’t remembered how big the spiders got in the fall. They’d had all summer to get big and fat, just in time to crawl into her hiding space and scare her half to death. She’d killed two already and her eyes were wide as she scanned the dimly lit area for more.