Georgie Be Good by Marg McAlister Read Free Book Online

out, giving Sarah a nod and a small smile on the way past. 
    Izzie, wrapped up in her own problems, didn’t spare her so much as a glance. Georgie could hear the sound of a shower running behind a door that she passed. 
    Sick kids, traumatized friends…she felt a flash of anger towards the unknown perpetrator who was carelessly ruining the lives of these good people. 
    “I’m sorry about that,” James said. “I know I was just as negative when you first arrived, but when I heard Rachel—you don’t deserve that. You do have some gift that most of us don’t.” 
    Georgie smiled at him tiredly. “I’m not sure that I’d class it as a ‘gift’, a lot of the time. Your reaction—and Rachel’s—are not all that unusual, I’m afraid.” She spared a thought for her great-grandmother. Rosa had not only had a lifetime of people jeering at her or hurling insults; she’d also been moved on many, many times as a gypsy vagrant. At least Georgie had the weight of the Johnny B. Goode RV Empire name behind her—and the support of a whole extended RV community. 
    “Perhaps we’d better just let it all go,” James said, walking with her down to her truck.
    “We can, if you like.” Georgie unlocked the truck and placed her bag on the back seat, giving the hard round shape of the crystal ball an instinctive pat. “But you should ask yourself whether you’re prepared to accept a criminal record without a fight, if it comes to that.” She faced him, her eyes searching his. “You haven’t said what the consequences are.” 
    “They haven’t been able prove that it’s me, of course,” he said, “although it’s clear that the information that was passed on came from my computer. Too many other people had access to it. But they can fire me, because I didn’t follow security procedures as I should have—and plenty of people in the industry know what has happened. The cloud of suspicion will remain with me. It won’t be easy to find work again.” 
    “So no prison?”
    “I don’t think so.”
    She nodded. “I’ll leave it up to you, then, whether you want to see me again. I’ll be here for another week, and you have my contact details.” 
    He nodded, and swallowed. She knew what he wanted to ask, but waited, all the same. No pushing, she reminded herself. 
    “You said three names,” he said in a rush. “You thought it would be one of three.”  
    “Yes. Do you want to know?” 
    “I do and I don’t.” He gave a sick smile. “You know how it is.” 
    She shrugged, and waited for him to make the decision. 
    The changing expressions on his face showed the struggle within. “All right. Tell me.” 
    “Once it’s said, I can’t unsay it. And I’ve told you already, this is just what I feel.” 
    He nodded, and waited. 
    “I think,” she said, “if I were you, I’d be looking harder at Cory, Rachel and Damian.”
    James was rocked. “Not Marty or Diana?” 
    “I don’t think so.” She thought of Rachel’s problems with her daughter, and was tempted to add ‘Probably not Rachel’, but that wasn’t her call. 
    “But it’s Damian’s company .” His gaze turned inward. “And Rachel ?”
    “That’s what I feel. I’m sorry. I know it’s all too vague. I certainly wouldn’t be accusing any of them just yet. But that’s where you should look.” 
    She started the truck and pulled away, seeing James in the rear vision mirror, looking after her. 
    Sometimes this job really sucked.

8
    B ack at the RV park , several more retro trailers had pulled in and were setting up. People waved to her as she coasted to a stop next to her trailer. 
    Just what she needed, she thought. The cheerful retro crew. Layla was already entertaining a circle outside her trailer, drinking coffee from a pale apricot mug and laughing fit to split her sides. 
    “I’ll be there in a jiffy,” Georgie called, mounting the steps to her trailer. 
    She closed the door behind her and leaned back