Page 11 of Evidence of Secrets

Laura was pleased with the event, except for food and liquor disappearing. The new employees had been terrific. She got so many compliments on the food that Laura knew she’d get new diners.

Their server came over with menus and water and told them she’d be back.

“Don’t keep me in suspense. What did the fundraiser take in?” asked Laura.

Sam’s smile said it all. It was a success!

“If I told you we raised over two hundred thousand dollars, would it surprise you?”

Laura’s mouth dropped. “Two hundred thousand dollars? Did you say two hundred thousand dollars?”

“No. I said over two hundred thousand dollars.”

“How?” Laura shook her head. “There must have been some big spenders there. The donation was only a hundred dollars a person. Even though the place was packed, no way could you have raised that much.”

The server interrupted them to get their order. After she left, Sam leaned forward.

“The raffle baskets brought in a few thousand. And an anonymous donor gave us a check for a hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”

“Holy shit. No way.” Laura couldn’t imagine who donated $150,000. None of her friends could afford that much, except for Claire. However, the shelter already received a lot of money from her nonprofit.

“Do you have any way of finding out who it’s from?”

“Not really. But we’re so grateful,” said Sam.

Their coffee and croissants came. Laura sipped her coffee, uneasy at how she would break the news of the stolen goods to Sam. Sam would tell her to forget it, but that wasn’t how Laura was raised. Her mother always said, “Courage was doing the right thing even if it hurts.”

Laura cleared her throat. “Sam.”

Sam scrunched her brows. “Laura, is something wrong?”

Laura’s heart was pounding. She placed her piece of croissant on the plate. “I have a check for you.”

“Okaaay.”

“You gave me money for the food based on the menu I gave you.” Laura took a deep breath. She pulled a check from her purse. “I had some theft issues, and this is the amount that was stolen.”

Laura handed the check to Sam.

Sam took the check and stared at it, then at Laura. “This is not a small amount.”

“I know. I’m trying to understand how the items were stolen.” The check was for several hundred dollars, but it was money Laura couldn’t afford.

“Laura, you don’t have to do this. It’s okay. Everyone had plenty to eat and drink, and we made a lot of money. I can’t accept this.” Sam slid the check across the table.

Oh, she wanted to pick up that check, but that wasn’t happening. “Sam, I appreciate the gesture, but this is on me. I wouldn’t feel good about myself if you didn’t take the check. It would feel like stealing.”

Sam stared at her for a moment, then huffed. “Fine. But this isn’t necessary.”

“It is to me.” Laura didn’t feel good about losing the money. She felt worse that someone was stealing from her. “Is there an inexpensive camera I could buy to put in the restaurant? I hate to do it, but I need to find out who’s stealing.”

Sam sat back in the chair and tapped her fingers on the table. “Laura, I can check to see if we have any cameras. It would be at my cost, and the installation is free. Just like we did in the parking lot.”

Laura thought about the money in her account. It wasn’t much, but the fundraiser did net some new customers. She couldn’t afford to lose any more liquor or food. “Okay. I’d like to take one camera, if you have it.”

Laura closed her eyes, then opened them. Should she ask Sam about Hank? Her heart was racing, and she wiped her sweaty palms on her pants. This was embarrassing. She and Hank had little time to talk at the fundraiser, but she felt an attraction to him she hadn’t felt in a while.

“Hmmm.” Laura wet her lips. This was harder than she thought.

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