Chapter 3 - THE NAME ON THE BUILDING
Vanessa tried to recover.
Fast.
“This is a misunderstanding.”
Eleanor looked up at the hotel facade.
HALE GRAND.
Then back at Vanessa.
“Which part?”
“I thought you were—”
“Poor?”
Vanessa stopped.
“Dangerous?”
“No.”
“Dirty?”
Vanessa looked toward the watching guests.
“This is not the place.”
Eleanor smiled.
“You made it the place.”
Adrian called hotel security chief Daniel Brooks.
“Preserve the exterior cameras.”
Vanessa turned sharply.
“Adrian.”
He ignored her.
Then Eleanor said:
“Not just exterior.”
Vanessa stared.
“What does that mean?”
Eleanor removed a small audio recorder from inside her coat.
Legal counsel had approved its use under local recording rules before the test.
She held it up.
Vanessa’s face collapsed further.
Adrian looked at his mother.
“You planned this?”
“I planned to observe.”
“You dressed like this on purpose.”
“Yes.”
Vanessa laughed in disbelief.
“So this was a trap?”
Eleanor answered:
“No.”
Then:
“A trap requires bait that makes someone do something they otherwise wouldn’t.”
May you like
Silence.
“You supplied the behavior.”
