Read Ratio: A Leopold Blake Thriller (A Private Investigator Series of Crime and Suspense Thrillers) for Free Online Page A

coffee, suddenly disinterested in food. She blotted her mouth and set the linen napkin down next to the plate.
    “I want you by my side, June. Now and into the future. In ordinary times, this would be much easier. But right now, every little detail needs to be planned out to the finest point. In due time, our relationship will be made public, but it needs to be a team effort.” Jack finished the last of his coffee. “Kevin has everything well in hand.”
    June grimaced. “Ah, yes. The ever-present campaign manager, Kevin. El Acompañante . Our gooseberry.”
    “Get used to it, June. It’s a way of life for many people.” He strode from the table, leaving her alone for the second time that morning.

Chapter 6

     
     
    RICK GUSTAFSON CHEWED on an antacid and headed back to the vending machine, something nagging at the back of his mind. He knew yearly inspections of all vital operating systems had recently been done, as well as the last-minute visit from Trevor Hanson at Seattle HVAC. Now, another call from the guys at LS Coventry, and his day was getting booked up pretty quick. 
    It’s almost as though nobody trusts us to keep the damn place running. 
    Since making decisions was above his pay grade, and with his boss on maternity leave, Rick had double-checked records and then made confirmation calls. After waiting endlessly for word from administration, he had given up.
    Better safe than sorry , he figured. With all the media attention this weekend, makes sense to have all the bases covered. 
    With two major heavy hitters dropping in for the conference, employee workloads had doubled. Not only were there extra hotel inspections to assure all services and conditions were running at one hundred percent, but hundreds of politicians, professors, and journalists were coming in from all over the country. That meant every system needed to be running smoothly, and Rick knew he didn’t have time to worry about a couple of extra maintenance call outs. If anything, maybe they’d help take some of the pressure off. 
    The President was coming to make a quick speech, something that brought the focused attention of the Secret Service. They had already been there once for inspections and background checks of convention center employees, and had just concluded their second round of sweeps, including locking and welding closed access doors to operations facilities. It made a lot of extra work, especially when another politician’s private security team was scheduled for its own security inspection. 
    Rick felt the acid in his stomach and sucked down another antacid, grabbing a packet of chips from the vending machine before heading back to his desk. As he took a seat, his phone rang.
    “Hey, Rick,” a voice said on the other end of the line. “We got a couple of guys here to see you. Something about inspecting the electrical system.” 
    “Yeah, buzz ’em through,” Rick said, opening his chips. “I’ll meet them outside.” He  hung up and wolfed down half the packet, chewing frantically. Having already missed breakfast, lunch was looking less and less likely. 
    Stepping out into the corridor, he made his way toward the service entrance, just as two men stepped through the double doors. Dressed in work clothes, heavy-looking rucksacks slung over their shoulders, the men looked Chinese, or maybe Korean. Rick could never tell the difference. They looked up as he approached.
    “Hey boys,” he said with a broad smile and his hand extended. While his boss was on maternity leave, he had plans at making his presence known with upper management. If he was ever going to get the promotion he knew he truly deserved, it would be from keeping a tight ship. “Welcome to the Washington State Convention Center and First Hill Suites Hotel.”
    He got head nods and iffy grins from the two men. “Yes, thank you,” one said in heavily accented English. Hell, maybe they were Japanese. 
    When Rick realized he wouldn’t get a