“It’s a mistake…” Erin sighed. “I never had that key!”

“But aren’t those your initials next to Mitch’s signature?” Olivia pressed.

“Yes…it looks like I signed out for the key. But I didn’t. There must be some mistake….” Her voice trailed off. She knew that she had never had that key. The whole situation was absurd. And a little frightening. Anyone with that key could withdraw negotiable stocks and bonds from the cart if given the right opportunity. A perfect plan for embezzlement. The thought sickened her.

Olivia studied the report for a few seconds more and then, with an elegant wave of her hand, dismissed the subject. “I guess it really doesn’t matter since all of the new locks have already been installed. Just sign here for the new keys and I’ll see that this securities key matter is cleared up.” Erin scribbled her initials next to Olivia’s, relinquished the old set of keys to the leggy brunette and snapped the new ring of keys into her purse.

Just as she was about to leave Olivia paused at the door. She thought for a moment before turning to face Erin once again. Her voice was low as she asked, “What do you think about Mitch?” Her normally lively green eyes had deadened. “Isn’t it awful….”

Erin slowly shook her head and rubbed her chin nervously. “I don’t like to think about it—or even talk about it. It’s something that I don’t understand at all,” she confessed, and hoped that the conversation with Olivia had ended. Something about the brunette always made Erin uneasy. But Olivia wouldn’t let the subject die.

“I know what you mean.” Olivia seemed to agree. “I would never have guessed—not in a million years.” She paused once again, her gaze flicking up the length of Erin’s figure as if something else were on her mind. A flame of life leapt into her eyes. “It must be especially hard for you,” Olivia intimated.

“It’s been hard for all of us,” Erin agreed cautiously.

“Yes, but with you it’s a little different, wouldn’t you say?”

“I don’t know what you’re getting at.”

“Oh, sure you do,” Olivia replied as she brushed back an errant wave of thick copper hair. “You don’t have to play naive with me. I know how close you were to Mitch.”

Erin’s patience, which had been thinning ever since the lanky girl had entered her office, snapped. She pulled the strap of her purse over her shoulder and said with a coolly professional voice that suggested the subject was closed, “Mitch is a good friend of mine—nothing more!”

“Oh?” The question seemed innocent enough, but the curl of Olivia’s petulant lips suggested disbelief. “The same way that Kane Webster is your good friend?” The color drained from Erin’s face, confirming Olivia’s vicious accusation. “Well, honey,” she continued with an exaggerated wink, “no one can accuse you of not knowing which side of the bread the butter’s on!” After her final invective, and with a self-satisfied smile, Olivia slipped out of the office.