Alliance – Chapter 7

Since the death of my father, I was reclusive to a fault.  I’m self-aware enough to realize that. My self-imposed solitude never bothered me before, but it was a liability now that I had what I hoped would be a solid lead on Raptor. Did I know who was part of the elite local social scene? Even if I did, would I have any clue how to get cozy with them?

It’s a damn good thing I remembered to check the mail today because my bank statement – and a stroke of genius – was waiting for me.

Michael Traymoore, the president of First Alliance Bank and Trust, was just the person to see. In life, my father trusted him completely; in death, he became a close friend of mine.  He handled many of the more profitable account relationships personally and he was always invited to any event of importance in this town.  I also had the vague recollection of him telling me about heading up the planning committee for an important charity gala this year to benefit children with cancer.

If Raptor was in town, Michael would unwittingly be my key into his life.

After waiting in the bank lobby for over half an hour, Michael finally walked out of his office and greeted me.  “I’m sorry to keep you waiting for so long, Skylar.  I had a conference call that ran late,” he said as I followed him into his office.

“Don’t worry about it, Michael.  I knew that I was taking a chance in dropping by without an appointment.”

Michael shook his head as he closed the door behind us.  I fought to suppress the smile his action caused me.  Every time I saw him, his light brown hair was carefully gelled into place so that even a hurricane couldn’t move it.  Today was clearly no exception.

“Don’t be silly.  You know you don’t ever need an appointment to come by and see me.”  He sat down across the desk from me.  “So, what brings you by today?”

“I just thought I would come by and see how you were.  I know I’ve been a stranger, but I’ve been a little depressed lately, I guess.”

“Frankly, Skylar,” he began.  The concern in his soft brown eyes was evident when he spoke.  “I’ve been a little bit concerned about you.  I’ve been meaning to call you, but this silly fundraiser has been eating up every free moment of my day.”

Well, hello there perfect opening. I think I’ll pounce on you…

“How’s that going anyway, Michael?”

He shrugged.  “Oh, I just don’t know anymore.  It seems like the closer the gala gets, the more problems we encounter.  I never imagined when I volunteered to take the lead this year that it would involve quite so much planning.”

“Well, you know,” I began, tentative, “I have quite a bit of free time on my hands if you need anything.  I don’t really know much about planning a charity gala, but I would be glad to lend a hand.”

A smile broke across Michael’s face and I could tell exactly what he was thinking.  I was certain he thought this would be a good opportunity to get me out of my townhouse and back into the swing of things.  If that also meant getting me face to face with Raptor, we were on the same page. “I might just have to take you up on that, Skylar.”

I shrugged.  “If you do, you do.  I can find a way to fill up my time if not, but it might be nice to do something that benefits someone other than just me.”

“If you mean that, the next meeting is tomorrow evening.  It might not be a bad idea for us to meet first so I can fill you in before I throw you in with the sharks.”

I suppressed a laugh.  If he had any idea what I was really up to he would not be referring to a bunch of bored housewives and soccer moms as sharks.  “Why don’t I meet you at Yvette’s for lunch then, Michael?”

“I’ll see you at 11:30.”

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