She smiled. “I have the dealer’s card in my purse.”
“Keep it for now. I’ll call him in the next couple of days, when I’m feeling sharp enough to negotiate.”
“Oh—and you won’t need to worry about my having a car to drive while I’m here. Garrett’s offered me the company car for a few days. He’ll be bringing it by after work. After I drive him back to his SUV, I can drive the car home.”
Garrett again. Burke pushed the tray aside, his meager appetite gone. “He could have asked me.”
“Don’t frown, Daddy. Your Porsche is trashed, and I could hardly expect Allison to chauffeur me. I need my own wheels.”
Burke sighed. “No, it’s fine.” It wasn’t fine, but arguing would be a waste of breath. Maybe Garrett was just being thoughtful. But more than likely, he was using the girl to push his agenda. The hell of it was, Burke couldn’t object without sounding petty and overprotective. And he couldn’t do much else as long as he was trapped in this damned hospital.
At least Allison was trying to steer the girl away from Garrett. But given the way their marriage was headed, Burke knew better than to burden her with too much responsibility. She was doing her best to deal with his bad luck; but at times like this he missed Kate’s Irish spunk and salty, practical wisdom.
Putting the subject aside for now, he turned back to his daughter. “So tell me about your classes,” he said. “Which one’s your favorite?”
* * *
Allison came back from the cafeteria to find Burke and Brianna chatting and laughing together. This was just the medicine Burke needed. Now would be a good time for her to carry out the plan she’d made.
Walking quietly into the room, she lifted her jacket off the back of the chair. “I’m going to run a few errands,” she said. “Call my cell if you need me.”
With that, she hurried out the door, strode down the hall and out the exit to the parking lot. She’d learned enough from Burke to convince her that she couldn’t just sit back and watch him fight a solitary battle to save the American Heartland. Whether he wanted it or not, he was going to need her help.
The agency office was on Atlantic Street, behind Branson Landing. Allison had been there a few times in the past, mostly to pick her husband up for lunch. She’d met the agents who worked for Burke, along with some of the people who managed the theater, and of course she knew Garrett. Still, as she opened the front door and walked in, she couldn’t help feeling like an intruder.
“Hello, Mrs. Caldwell.” Fran, the middle-aged receptionist, greeted her with a smile. “How’s Burke doing? We’ve all been worried about him.”
“He’s mending, but still in a lot of pain.” Allison glanced around for Garrett, but she didn’t see him, and she hadn’t seen his car outside. So much the better. “Burke wanted some things from his files. I hope you won’t mind my going into his office and rummaging around for them.”
“Not at all.” The woman stood. “I can let you into his office, but Burke keeps his file cabinet locked. I hope you have the key.”
Allison’s heart sank. Then she remembered the ziplock bag Garrett had given her with the things from the wrecked Porsche in it. She’d never taken it out of her car. Dared she hope his key ring was there?
“Silly me, I must’ve left the key outside. I’ll be right back.” She rushed out the door to her car. What if the keys weren’t in the bag? Maybe the police had kept them—or worse, Garrett could have taken them. Before the accident she would have trusted the man with her husband’s life. Now that had changed.
She opened the car door. The bag was nowhere in sight. Panic seized her until she remembered that she’d dropped it into the console between the two front seats. The bag was still there, and she could see the key ring, with five keys on it, through the transparent plastic. She reached in and looped the ring over her finger. She could only hope that one of those keys would open the desk.
“Found it!” She breezed past the receptionist’s desk, past the large cubicle room where the agents worked, and into Burke’s office, which had been opened for her. The office was enclosed by glass windows, but the venetian blinds were closed, giving her some privacy.
After shutting the door behind her, she examined the ring of keys. She recognized the key to the wrecked Porsche, as well as the key to the house. She assumed that the other two larger keys opened office doors, which left just one small one. If it didn’t open the tall metal file cabinet, she would be out of luck.
Burke had mentioned that he’d spent hours working on the loan application for the theater update. She had to get her hands on that application, keep it safe, and maybe help him finish and submit it to the bank.
Allison already knew the application wasn’t in the house. She’d rifled the desk looking for the missing contracts Garrett had wanted. The unfinished application had to be here, in Burke’s office, probably in the file cabinet.
Her hand shook slightly as she thrust the small key into the lock.
The lock didn’t open.
She stared at the key. The brand logo stamped onto it matched the one on the filing cabinet, and the key slid easily into the lock, but nothing moved. Allison tried again, jiggling and twisting the key. Again, nothing.
After dropping the keys into her pocket, she sank onto the padded leather chair behind the desk, her thoughts racing in circles, always to the same conclusion. Garrett had an identical file cabinet in his office. Before giving her the key ring, could he have switched Burke’s key with his own, giving him access to Burke’s files?
It didn’t make sense that he’d stoop so low. But neither did any other explanation. Could he have been looking for the loan application—maybe to hide or destroy it, so it couldn’t be submitted in time to save the theater from foreclosure? If that were to happen, it would leave the Edgeway Group as the only option.
This was crazy, Allison told herself. She was making up stories in her head.
All the same, she was tempted to sneak into Garrett’s office and try the key in his file cabinet. But that could turn out to be a bad idea. The receptionist was liable to see her and ask questions. And she had no way of knowing when Garrett might walk in.