Free Annie Seymour 01-Sacred Cows by Karen E. Olson

a perfect figure. She was about twenty, with intelligent eyes.
    Since mine was the only table occupied by a single woman, Allison came over and slid into the chair across from me. “You must be Anne Seymour.”
    I nodded. “I’m having dinner. Would you like something?”
    She picked up a chip and nibbled it without dipping it in the salsa. “No, I have plans for a little later.”
    I wanted to scream, what the fuck are you doing, but that would’ve been too much like her mother and not at all like an objective reporter. Shit, I was old enough to be her mother.
    “I understand you and Melissa saw people from McGee Corporation.”
    Allison nodded. “They liked her better than me, but if she wasn’t available, they asked for me.”
    “Hickey says it was three different guys.”
    “They were all pretty nice. They tipped well.” She kept moving her eyes so she was looking behind me, probably embarrassed. I didn’t blame her.
    “Can you tell me anything about them? We’re having a hard time tracking down anything about the company.”
    She picked up another chip. “They all thought they were pretty hot stuff.”
    “Can you describe them?”
    For the first time she looked me straight in the eye. “I met all three guys at different times. They’re all in their early thirties, very well dressed; one took me to the theater, the others to a couple of charity events. They seem to know everyone. I was surprised they didn’t have wives or dates and that they had to go through the agency.”
    “The fast track?”
    “Definitely.”
    My tacos arrived, three of them, wrapped up tightly in soft tortillas, the guacamole ready to be slathered all over them. I took a bite and washed it down with a slug of margarita. Nothing was better than this.
    “Did you ever meet Mark Torrey?”
    “Oh, yeah, I saw him a couple of times. He was the best.”
    I didn’t want to ask what he was best in, and she continued without seeming to notice my cringe. “He is the youngest, but he bragged he was head of the company. Said he’d be a millionaire by the time he was thirty-five. Kept talking about some project involving some company with a Norwegian name.”
    “Lundgren?”
    “Yes, that was it.”
    “Did he say anything else about it?” I put my taco down.
    “You’ve heard of it?”
    I nodded. “They’re a big development firm, the city’s pushing them for a redevelopment project. They’ve already done some studies. What does McGee have to do with it?”
    Allison shrugged. “All Mark said was something about how his company was going to make it all possible.”
    I pondered that for a few seconds. I’d heard the city was trying to get some sort of grant for this project, which as of yet did not have a cute name attached to it. I didn’t cover that part of the city and had only a peripheral knowledge of the project, but if Marty hadn’t heard of McGee before, either, then maybe no one had.
    “Did you ever go to the apartment?” I asked her abruptly.
    She stared at the table and I saw a blush creep over her cheeks. “Yes,” she said.
    “Listen, Allison, it’s not for me to judge what you do, but I guess I just don’t understand how a pretty, smart girl like you would do something like that.” I resumed eating my tacos, unwilling to let them get cold.
    “It’s good money,” she said quietly.
    “Is it that good?” When I wanted extra cash in college, I typed kids’ English papers.
    She smiled, the blush now gone. “Yes. You’d be surprised.”
    No, I probably wouldn’t be.
    “I don’t come from a rich family. I’m on scholarship.” Which made it even more sad, but I didn’t say anything. “Melissa, well, I’m not sure why she did it, I think mostly because she knew if her parents ever found out they’d really hit the roof. They’re loaded, she really doesn’t, didn’t, need the money.”
    “Are there drugs involved?”
    Allison looked away again, and I could see the truth in her profile, but I waited