Free Fixed by L. A. Kornetsky

his usual calm expression, but she thought she saw a faint tic at the side of his mouth.
    â€œIt was a small and important amount of money, Este,” Nora said, quietly reproachful. “Because it wasn’t ours . It belonged to the foundation that gave us that grant. And we have to account for it, at year’s end—which is now—or we don’t get another. And if we don’t get another . . .”
    â€œYes, I know, Nora. You’ve explained it all to me quite well.” Este’s tone was sharp, but the look she gave the younger woman was fond. “I’m an idiot when it comes to these things, which is part of why I handed this off to you.”
    â€œYou think it’s someone on staff   ?” Ginny asked, making another note on her tablet.
    â€œIt would have to be,” Nora said, her expression glum. “Nobody else would have access back here, even if they knew about it. And we generally don’t let outsiders back here—visitors only have access to the kennels under supervision, and if someone brought friends in without permission, they’d be fired, and everyone knows that.”
    Este didn’t look happy, either, but she had clearly resigned herself to this being investigated, no matter herpersonal opinions. “You have my permission to look at anything you need: our paperwork and books—with our bookkeeper present, if you don’t mind, to answer any questions you might have—and our security feed . . . whatever you ask for.”
    â€œWe’ll need to talk to everyone who works here,” Tonica said.
    Nora raised her hand hesitantly. “I thought maybe you should pretend to be prospective donors, so you have an excuse to poke around and ask questions without having to, you know, explain why, or make anyone suspicious? Asking about how we do things, stuff like that, things a donor would want to know, too.”
    Ginny nodded at Nora. “That’s not a bad idea. We could be doing the scout work for someone with money, maybe.” They’d have to tell fewer lies that way: she did research, after all. “I could have suggested this place to them, because it’s where I found Georgie.”
    She saw Tonica roll his eyes discreetly—obviously, he thought she’d end up walking out with another animal. She considered the thought of a fluffy kitten, or a round-bellied puppy, and then steeled herself against it. She liked animals, yeah, but she wasn’t a pet person: she was a Georgie person.
    â€œI will also need access to your employee records, anything you can give me,” she added. Tonica could talk all he wanted about reading a person, getting vibes, whatever it was he did in bartender-confessor mode, but when money was missing, the easiest way to find the culprit was to seewho had access to the money, which meant job descriptions that couldn’t be fudged.
    And then she’d do a little tech-fishing and see who needed money.
    Her partner coughed once, delicately, to get their attention, then spoke directly to Este. “Are you sure that you don’t want to get the cops involved in this?”
    Ginny glared at Tonica—this was their job; would he please stop harping about bringing in the cops, please?—but Este’s reaction was far more effective.
    â€œNo. No police. Official attention is . . . no.” That was definitive, confirming Nora’s reaction the day before. “All I want is to find out who is responsible, so I can fire them.”
    â€œBut whoever it is, they’re stealing from you,” he pointed out. “I know that you’re concerned about how that might look to outside organizations, but simply taking steps to stop the thief isn’t—”
    â€œAny negative publicity hurts the shelter,” Este said firmly, cutting him off. “We had to fight to get permits in the first place—my God, the politics