Page 20 of Trusting Laurence
Tahlia mentally went through all the people she could possibly reach out to for help. Despite all the contacts she’d made during the time she’d been gone, there was no one she felt she could turn to. Then it came to her.
Laurence. He’ll be able to help me, keep me safe.
With shaky fingers, she found his number and called his office. Waited for his secretary to answer. She was taken aback when Laurence, in fact, answered the phone himself.
“Keon.”
Unprepared, Tahlia stuttered. “La–Laurence. Hi. I–it’s me. Tahlia.”
“Hey. How are you?”
“Not so great actually. I was wondering, do you think you could maybe come over? There’s something I want to show you.”
“Sure. Is it urgent, or can it wait a bit? I’m just in the middle of something.”
“I– um, yeah. Sure. It can wait.”
“Sweetheart, is everything all right? You sound a bit strange.”
“Yeah, yeah. All good. No problem. I’ll text you my address.”
There was a beat of silence before Laurence replied, “Great. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
It hadn’t been easy reaching out. It never was, asking for help. But she couldn’t do this alone, and now it was done. All that remained was to wait for him to arrive.
Larry hungup the phone and turned back to Finn, sitting on the opposite side of his desk. He didn’t speak for a moment as he reran the odd conversation he’d just had with Tahlia through his mind. She’d sounded off. Like someone under immense strain.
“Everything okay there, Boss?” Finn asked.
“I’m not sure. That was Tahlia O’Connor and she sounded funny. Panicked, almost. She wants me to come over to show me something.” Shaking his head, Larry experienced a sense of unease. Even when things were at their worst with Marcus, Tahlia had always maintained a calm persona. He didn’t like that she sounded frightened, even though she was clearly trying not to.
“You think it’s got something to do with the case?”
“No idea. She gave no indication what it was about.”
“Why don’t you go find out then, sir, and we can pick this up again when you’re back? It can wait.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll do that. Thanks.”
He grabbed his jacket off the hook on the door, patting his pockets for his keys. Satisfied he had them, he and Finn headed for the elevators.
As Finn got off on his floor, Larry said, “I’ll let you know once I’ve returned.”
With a two-fingered salute, Finn walked away as the elevator doors closed.
The entire drive, Larry pondered what Tahlia had to show him. He couldn’t imagine what she could possibly have that would, in any way, relate to him. As he pulled up to the address she’d sent him, he parked and just sat in the vehicle. He scoped out the area he could see, appreciating how pretty it was. A wholesome family neighborhood, quiet and well-tended.
He got out and headed for the front door, taking note of the various vehicles parked in the street. One, in particular, seemed out of place. A little more run down, less maintained than the sleek sedans surrounding it. He memorized the license plate number. One never knew when something like that might come in handy.
While he waited for someone to answer the door, he took in the security of the place. Noted with approval the cameras and security gates around the house.Smart woman.
A tiny lady with a pleasant face and a shock of wild, gray curls greeted him. “May I help you, dear?”
Larry smiled. “Good day, ma’am. I’m looking for Tahlia O’Connor.”
“Of course. Come on in. You’ll find her upstairs. Down the hall, last door on the left.”
“Much obliged, ma’am.” As he made his way up the stairs, Larry couldn’t help but shake his head. He’d just been silently congratulating the owner of the house on their security only to have this woman welcome him in with a smile and no questions asked. It completely defeated the purpose of the external security. He wondered if he should say anything to Tahlia.
