"Once Upon Stilettos" - читать интересную книгу автора (Swendson Shanna)

 But you are discerning. You have a way of seeing the truth, magical or otherwise. And I trust you completely. It would hardly do for me to assign someone who mightbe the spy to helpfind the spy, now, would it?

 That does make sense, I admitted.  But the fact that you trust me doesn t mean I ll actually be any good at this.

 Who else would you have me choose for this task?

 Well, there s Sam and his security team. Isn t this their job?

 And everyone knows it s their job. People behave differently when they know they re being investigated. Mr. Palmer, as the spy s apparent target, isn t in the best position to investigate, though he may be helpful to you.

I knew when I d been beaten. I could keep arguing about this all day or give in now, all with the same outcome. I stopped pacing and folded my arms across my chest.  Do you have any suspects in mind?

 Everyone in this company is a potential suspect until you have evidence to eliminate them.

 Even you?

 If you find evidence implicating me, I would prefer that you not dismiss it without investigating further.

I gulped. I wasn t sure how many employees there were in total at MSI, and I doubted I d met even half of them. My job as the CEO s assistant and head of our marketing efforts gave me some excuse for visiting other departments, but looking casual would be a challenge.

 Okay, then, I said.  I guess I d better get to work.

 Good luck. Oh, and Miss Chandler? I d prefer to keep the presence of the spy a secret for the time being. We may retain some advantage if this person doesn t know he or she has been discovered.

 My lips are sealed.

As I returned to Trix s desk, I mused that Merlin must not be aware of the company grapevine. Someone had to have noticed Owen s angry stalk from his office. That would then be discussed and analyzed, and the conclusion spread around the entire company. I figured I d be hearing about it by quitting time.

It turned out that I d underestimated the grapevine.

I d barely seated myself in Trix s chair which wasn t too comfortable for someone who wasn t hovering above it when a voice startled me.  Lunch? it asked.

I looked up to see Ari.  Sure. Just a sec. I d better check the boss s calendar.

 Ah, they ve got you filling in for Trix, huh?

 Yeah. Do you know what s wrong with her or how she s doing?

 Broken heart, she said, rolling her eyes.  She and that Pippin guy, the sprite park ranger, had a falling-out over the weekend. I imagine they ll patch things up by next weekend, but for now she s wallowing in her misery and said her eyes were too red and puffy for her to come to work.

 Poor thing. I probably ought to check on her.

 She ll be fine. I m not sure she wants to talk about it yet. When she comes back to work, she ll want to discuss it in great detail, so you d better save it for then.

 It looks like he doesn t have anything major scheduled for a while, so I can probably get away, I said, getting up.  I ll tell him I m stepping out. Will I need my coat?

 Nah, we ve snagged a conference room and we can zap you something.

I stuck my head in Merlin s open door and said,  I ll be at lunch for a while. Is that okay?