The Oracle (Fargo Adventures 11)

“Renee LaBelle?”

They looked up to see a nurse enter the lobby, pushing a wheelchair. Renee raised her hand and the nurse rolled the chair toward her and helped her into it. “Let’s get that X-rayed, shall we?”

A good hour later, Renee was discharged, a bandage on her forehead, a pair of crutches for her wrapped ankle, and complaining about the tetanus shot in her left arm. “That thing hurt worse than the three stitches in my head.”

Remi laughed. “You think it hurts now? Wait until tomorrow.”

“Cheery thought,” she said, leaning on her crutches, waiting for Sam to pull up in the car.

“You’re sure you still want to go to lunch?”

“Positive. Where are we going? I’ll text Hank to let him know where to pick me up.”

They decided on the Fargos’ hotel, since it was fairly close to the hospital. Sam walked both women in but didn’t take a seat. “I’ve got some phone calls to make. I think I’ll order room service and let you two catch up.” He leaned down, kissed Remi, then left.

Renee, having taken a pain pill at the hospital, ordered a virgin Bloody Mary, while Remi ordered the real thing. When the drinks arrived, Renee lifted her glass. “To old friends, the best kind.”

“To best friends, the best kind.” Remi raised her glass, touching the rim to Renee’s before taking a sip. “Whoa! That is one spicy drink.”

“Just the way I like it.”

The waiter returned with their lunch and they picked at their food, talking about everything but the reason the Fargos were in Tunisia to begin with. Remi waited until they were nearly finished eating before broaching the subject. “About why we’re here …”

Renee sighed. “I know you have to look at the discrepancy in the books.”

“I hate this.”

“Not as much as I do. Hank told me I needed to call you. I …” She set her drink on the small square napkin, looking Remi in the eye. “I don’t know why I didn’t say something sooner, but Hank thinks that Warren’s been skimming money from the dig. I thought for sure Hank was wrong, but when he showed me the pages in the ledger, there was no doubt. Warren denied it when Hank and I confronted him. He was even going to sit down with you and Sam this morning. He promised to straighten everything out when you got here, but then he never showed, the accident happened, and, well, now you know.”

Her words came out in such a rush, it took Remi a moment to process them. “Warren?” She tried to reconcile the man she’d met with what her friend was telling her. “I don’t believe it. He seemed so—”

“Quiet? Unassuming?”

“Well, yes, but I thought that was just a thing. Not that he was a crook.”

“That’s the only thing that makes sense.” She paused as two men walked into the restaurant, standing off to the side, their gaze landing on Remi and Renee a second longer than Remi felt comfortable with. The men looked away and Renee continued on, saying, “When Hank took over the books and found those discrepancies, I was shocked.”

“How long ago was this?”

Renee hesitated, looking distinctly uncomfortable at Remi’s question. Finally, she gave an embarrassed smile. “Two … Three weeks before you called.”

Sam was not going to take this well. “You should have said something.”

“I know. I guess Hank and I were both hoping we were wrong. But with Warren taking off on the very day you and Sam show up …? I still can’t believe he’d do this to me.” She gave a ragged sigh. “The biggest reason is, I was embarrassed. All that money you gave us. Gone.”

Before Remi had a chance to comment, the strangers hovering near the entrance started toward them. While highly possible that they were simply two men interes

ted in polite conversation with two women sitting alone at a table in a bar, her gut instinct told her otherwise. She edged her hand toward the silverware, wrapping her fingers around the handle of the knife, and quickly assessed which of the two she’d take down first.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Cross the river in a crowd and the crocodile won’t eat you.

– AFRICAN PROVERB –

I’d hate to see you cut your visit short, Mr. Fargo.”

“I’m just glad you’re both okay, Pete,” Sam said, cell phone to his ear, as he took the stairs down to the lobby. “So we make a little side trip before we drive out. I know Remi will agree. This school is near and dear to her heart.”