Broken Trust Read Online Free PDF Page B

icky … could have such an impressive job.
    “So if any of us want to actually do any good, we’re gonna have to make an exit.”
    An uncomfortable silence dropped into the office.
    Fay gave that creaky laugh again. “Sorry. I’ve never learned the art of subtlety. I’ll let you settle in. Maybe we can do a hike next week or something.” She walked away with a groan of the floor.
    A hike sounded way better than dipping down in to the dregs of bad attitude. A hike sounded pretty good, actually.
    Her phone jumped again. Might as well answer it, Abigail wouldn’t stop until she did. “Mother.”
    “So how’s it going? Did they seem to mind you wearing jeans? What about this Mark Monstain?”
    Nora kept her voice down. “I’ll call this evening and tell you all the details.”
    “Well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
    Oh no. That tone. It meant trouble for Nora. “Not now, Mother.”
    “Nora.” Mark appeared as if from magic. “I’d like you to meet our star here at the Trust.”
    Busted talking to her mother on the first day. “I have to go,” she said into the phone.
    “What I was saying is that you don’t need to call me later.”
    Nora smiled at Mark and the attractive, petite woman standing next to him. An expensive black business suit draped perfectly over her compact frame, complete with four-inch pumps. Her dark hair curled around an ageless face. She looked like money all dressed up.
    “Goodbye.” Nora tried to balance the pleasant face for her new boss and the firm voice for Abigail.
    “Okay. But I wanted to tell you I’m on my way to Boulder. I should be there soon. Surprise!”
    An anvil dropped, squishing Nora like Wile E. Coyote in a desert canyon.

five
    Nora set the phone on her desk, resisting the urge to stuff it in the soil of her potted plant.
    Mark’s wet lips turned down in a frown at Nora, then he gave the same arm flourish he’d used to present her office. He was either profoundly proud of everything at the Trust or liked the gesture. “This is Sylvia LaFever. She’s working on the landscape modeling project I told you about.”
    Nora shook Sylvia’s hand. “Mark mentioned climate change and beetle kill?”
    While not exactly beautiful, Sylvia’s magnetism pulled energy toward her. Dark eyes snapped and her smile commanded attention. “Don’t worry about understanding my program yet. It’s your first day. How unfortunate to be thrust into a financial maelstrom on the eve of the board meeting.”
    Board meeting! Mark hadn’t mentioned an impending trial by fire. He squirmed and snorted.
    A cloud of subtle scent wafted around Sylvia like million-dollar molecules of heaven. Abigail would appreciate that. Sylvia clasped Nora’s hand. “Was that your mother on the phone?”
    If Nora could get through this day without throwing up, she’d be happy. “She’s excited about my position here and wants all the details.”
    Sylvia gave a sympathetic nod of her head, her black curls bouncing just enough to seem alive but not so much as to muss her do. “Family is important but, as I know, they can be trying.”
    “Tell me about the beetle kill work,” Nora said. Maybe she should offer them a chair instead of having them stand in the middle of her office.
    Mark inserted himself into the conversation. “Sylvia’s work is groundbreaking. She’s using some of the science she developed”— his flabby lips formed these words with care to emphasize their import —“at the HAARP facility in Alaska.”
    Nora raised her eyebrows hoping she appeared impressed.
    Mark seemed satisfied with her reaction. “Sylvia was a Senior Project Manager there. The modeling she’s doing for the Trust uses ionosphere measurements to gauge UA and UV waves and their correlation to the temperatures. She takes all this and overlays it with models of beetle kill. We have our field techs out gathering data on that.” As usual, he followed up with a snicker. “When this is published,