The Millionaires

65

Stuck in a strangle of traffic on Broward Boulevard, Joey reached over to the passenger seat, fished through her purse, and pulled out the photo of Duckworth and Gillian. At first glance, it was dad and daughter, happy as could be. But now that she had it in the light – now that she knew…

Damn, that’s a rookie mistake, she told herself as she slammed the steering wheel. Holding the photo up close, she didn’t know how she missed it before. It wasn’t just the bad proportions – even the shadows were skewed. Duckworth had the shade on the left side of his face; Gillian had it on the right. Total rush job, she decided. Rushed, but still decent enough to pass.

Pulling into a strip mall parking lot, she flipped open her laptop and went back to the digital photos of the Greene Bank offices she took the first day. Oliver’s, Charlie’s, Shep’s, Lapidus’s, Quincy’s, and even Mary’s. One by one, she took another pass, flipping through the…

“Rat bastards,” she muttered as soon as she saw it. She leaned down toward the screen, just to make sure she was right. The hair was a different color and straightened, but there was no mistaking it. There it was. A single headshot. Right in front of her the entire time.

Joey pumped the gas, and a whirlwind of dust blew behind her. Her hand went right for the phone. Speed-dial.

“This is Noreen.”

“I need you to run a name for me,” Joey announced.

“You got something new?”

“Actually, something old,” Joey said as the car flew toward the offices for Neowerks. “But if the dominoes tip right, I think I finally have the real story on Gillian Duckworth.”