Read Without a Hitch for Free Online Page A

weak, but he can be shored up.”
    “Great,” Alvarez
smirked.  “So I have to babysit?”
    “No, not at all,
but I do want you to watch him.  Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid like
use his own credit card, and make sure he doesn’t keep any souvenirs from the
trip.”
    “You don’t trust
him?”
    “I trust him,
but trust is no reason not to be cautious.”  Corbin pointed at the pickle on
Alvarez’s plate.  “You gonna eat that?”
    Alvarez shook
his head.
    “Oh, and don’t
tell him anything about yourself when you meet.  He doesn’t need to know anything about you,” Corbin said.
    “Are you sure
you trust this guy?”
    “I’m just being
careful, that’s all.”
    “Do we really
need him?”
    “Do you want to
go up there by yourself?”
    “No, I can’t
take all those documents into the banks.”
    “There’s your
answer.”

Chapter 3
     
    Beckett arrived
at work energized the following morning.  He’d come up with several ideas
during his commute home the prior evening, and he was excited to discuss them
with Corbin.  But every time he tried, one of their coworkers appeared at the
door.  They had just seen off the most recent visitor and now Beckett rose to
close the door.
    “Why are we so
popular today?” Beckett asked rhetorically.
    Corbin shrugged
his shoulders without putting down his magazine.  “Our advertising must be
working.”
    Beckett peered
both ways down the hallway and then closed the door.  “I’ve been thinking.  If
this thing works, and it should, then I can go back to my old job because I
don’t have to worry about the salary.  Whatever we get out of doing this would easily
make up financially for the lack of a promotion.”
    “Ok,” Corbin
said cautiously.  He put down the magazine, pursed his lips, and scratched his neck.
    “If I give Kak
my notice so I can quit and take back my old job, and we do this on my last day
here, no one would ever think I wasn’t here.  As long as I’m back in time for
the goodbye party, everybody’ll swear I was here all day.”
    Corbin winced. 
“That adds a level of difficulty. . . we wouldn’t have any flexibility about
the timing for one thing.  Plus, it’ll be hard to do your out processing
without you here.”
    “True, but I
think it would be worth it.  We should do it!”
    Corbin bit his
lip.  “It’s an interesting idea, but we need to look at all the angles first. 
You realize we can’t use the money for some time, right?”
    “That doesn’t
matter.  What I save in commuting costsshould
more than see me through for a few months.  A train ride from New Jersey every
morning isn’t cheap.”
    Before Corbin
could respond, Theresa knocked on their door.  She entered without waiting to
be invited, closing the door behind her.  Nodding at Beckett, who waved
politely, she perching herself on the edge of Corbin’s desk, where she always
sat when visiting Corbin.  Today she wore a black suit, as did Corbin, though
his was of a more recent vintage.  Moreover, he had removed his jacket,
something she never did in the office.  After crossing her legs, Theresa
smoothed her skirt and pulled it to the top of her knee.  She then stuck her
right leg out in front of her and pulled imaginary fluff from her black
stocking.  When she finished, she let her leg hang and her shoe dangle from her
foot.  The show was intended for Corbin, but he refused to let his eyes be
drawn to her legs.
    “What’s this I
hear about you having a bad date?  Why didn’t you tell me?!” Theresa asked,
trying to sound jocular, though hints of distress permeated her voice.  As she
spoke, she tugged at the single strand of pearls hanging around her neck.
    “Tell you?!  I
didn’t tell anyone.  They all just seem to know.  Our office must be bugged,”
Corbin said, raising an accusatory eyebrow at Beckett.  “How did you find out,
Theresa?”
    “Ignore him,
Theresa,” Beckett interjected.  “He’s just grumpy.”
    “I