Stratagem by Caroll Robin;

Author:Caroll, Robin; [Caroll, Robin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 5520483
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2018-10-22T16:00:00+00:00

SIXTEEN

“Grayson, do you know what those things are?” Monique stared at Anna Belle’s open suitcase on his kitchen island.

“Yes, ma’am, I do.”

Monique reached for the mask, but Pam reached out and stopped her. “I’m sorry. Excuse me.” She looked at Grayson. “Since we don’t know who packed them up from the house, put them in Anna Belle’s suitcase, and sent them to her mother, there’s a chance the police might want to look at these items.”

She had a point. At least it would show the police that there was another suspect besides him. “I’ll call Brandon later and tell him. He’ll probably want to swing by and pick everything up.” Hopefully his friend would see it as an act of goodwill. He knew Danielle wouldn’t for sure.

But at the moment, he owed Anna Belle’s mother some explanation. “Monique, did Anna Belle ever tell you exactly what I do now?”

She nodded slowly. “You make those elaborate corporate team building games, right? Escape rooms and stuff like that?”

Pretty accurate. He didn’t want to be condescending to Monique but knew that the complexities of what Game’s On You did was lost on many people. Better to keep it as simple as possible. “That’s pretty much it. My company had been hired by Anna Belle’s to create a game for them as part of their process in determining an upcoming promotion. She was part of the game, and these are props that were used in that game.”

Monique pointed at the Mardi Gras mask. “Anna Belle hated those things, you know.”

“I do.” He nodded.

“Do you know why?”

He nodded. “I remember. She had a stalker on campus at college. He would wear a Mardi Gras mask like that. Left her doubloons everywhere, just so she’d know he’d been there … watching. It freaked her out until he was caught by campus police. We started dating soon after, so she was still really leery.”

Monique nodded but kept staring at the mask. “This was a prop in your game, you say?”

“Yes.” He knew what was coming and braced himself. She could say nothing that he hadn’t already said himself.

“You used what she went through against her?”

“We do the job our client hires us to do,” Pam interjected.

Grayson smiled at Pam. So like her to jump to his defense. “Why don’t we move to the table and have some pizza? I can explain it all to you, Monique, and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.”

“I don’t want pizza. I realize I’m old, and probably simpleminded when compared to you all of today, but it seems like I asked a simple question. Did you use what Anna Belle went through in part of your little game?”

Pam’s eyes brightened.

Grayson held up a single finger to Pam but focused on Monique. “I don’t think you’re simpleminded, and I did not mean to insult you. To answer you, yes, ma’am, I did. Each participant filled out a questionnaire, and that information was used in creating a custom game.”

“She included about this?”

Grayson nodded.

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