The Scarlet Stinger (LRDA Book 1)

Chapter 10

Talia had to think fast. She needed to get that painting.

She left the room from where she'd entered and walked around the Native American exhibit and through the dinosaur exhibit so that she was in the Colonial exhibit. Craig Rogers would have to pass her to leave the museum.

She stood in front of a painting of some guy with poofy hair not paying any attention to it. She shifted her weight from one foot to the next. She saw when he entered the room.

"Mr Rogers," she called, with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

He paused and looked at her. "And you are?"

"Talia Hudson. Elaine Hudson's daughter. I believe we met at the Jones' Christmas party last year," she said. She held out her hand. "Fancy running to you in the museum. I didn't think that people who ran companies as big as yours would have time for something like this."

"I... like history," he said. He looked around the room. There was no way he could hide the bulge in his jacket. He wanted to get out but he couldn't let her see anything suspicious that she might tell her mother to use against him.

Talia's smile widened. "Really? Me too. Especially the dinosaurs. They're so cool and huge. I wish an asteroid hadn't killed them all in that freak accident."

It was small, barely noticeable, but she saw it, a slight twitch in his left eye. She couldn't be certain. He had a good poker face.

Craig Rogers forced on a smile. "Well, I would imagine having giant lizards would make having houses a bit more perilous."

"You're right but it would still be cool," Talia said, speaking so fast she could see him struggling to keep up. "Not just dinosaurs, all the other creatures that went extinct. Like dodos. Who wouldn't want to see a real life dodo or a wooly mammoth? You know what would be fun as well? Pirates."

"That would be even worse. Those were the villains." He kept glancing at the door.

"But they smuggled things for the soldiers and attacked enemy ships. They were both good guys and bad guys," Talia said. No reaction from that. "The soldiers were probably more of the rape, pillaging and plundering type of people." She leaned in closer. "I hear they were all into drugs." No reaction to that either. Maybe her drugs theory was wrong. Or he could just be a better liar than she thought. He was a businessman.

"Look, Ms Hudson, I have to--"

"Wow. Look at the seams in your suit," Talia said. "They're so sharp. Between you and me, the laundromat we use could never get my parent's suits looking like that and while Ava does good laundry, she doesn't get the seams in as well. Good laundering could cost so much money." The twitch was even smaller this time but she saw it. Murder and money laundering. A small sign of guilt for both. She would have Jigsaw check that. The two men he was with didn't take their eyes off her. There was no way she could get that painting. She mentally cursed while keeping on her smile.

Craig Rogers' eyes changed and he gave a slight nod to one of the men. Talia shifted so she could look in the direction he'd gestured to out of the corner of her eye. She saw the back of a blue backpack and a familiar head of curly hair standing in front of a landscape painting. Nicolai?

The man lay a hand on his shoulder and Nicolai turned around. He looked confused.

"Sir?" he asked.

Craig Rogers narrowed his eyes and looked a little unsure of himself.

"Nicolai," Talia called. She gave him a small wave. He relaxed when he saw her.

"Talia. I didn't expect to see you here," he said.

The man let go of him and looked at Rogers who shook his head.

"Friend from school?" he asked.

Talia nodded. "I tutor him."

"I thought he was someone else," Rogers muttered. "If you'll excuse me, I have to head back to the office." He handed Nicolai a twenty dollar bill. "Buy your tutor an ice-cream," he said. He and the other men left.

Nicolai held up the twenty dollar bill. "Should we go get ice-cream?"

"I just had some but you could buy me frozen yogurt," Talia said.

He smiled. "Frozen yogurt it is."