Double Vision by Fiona Brand Page A

ten.” Esther extended her hand so the sunlight slanting through the window flashed off the diamond, more than happy to change the subject. “Cesar gave it to me when Rina was born.”
    â€œTiffany’s?”
    â€œCartier.”
    â€œNice.” Dana brandished her own wedding band and diamond solitaire engagement ring. “I’ve got a twelve-year-old, going on thirty. While her father was around, he didn’t give me anything but trouble.”
    â€œDivorced?”
    â€œI would have been if he hadn’t widowed me.”
    â€œI’m sorry.” Dana’s personal circumstances explained what Dana was doing at RCS. With a bad marriage behind her and a daughter to care for, she hadn’t had the luxury of choosing where she worked.
    Feeling uncomfortable at the glimpse into Dana’s personal life and guilty at the way she had used her, Esther gathered up soiled tissues and the empty cup and tossed them in the trash. Seconds later, the desk restored to order, she checked her watch. Only fifteen minutes had passed since she had walked into Dana’s office, but now that she had the codes all she wanted to do was leave. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to go. Time’s gotten away from me and I’ve got a lunchtime meeting.”
    After a brief discussion, Esther confirmed an appointment time she never intended to keep and walked quickly out of the office. She hadn’t enjoyed manipulating Dana or flaunting the ring, but she hadn’t had a choice.
    When she reached the sidewalk, San Francisco’s midday heat hit her like a wave. After the dry chill of air-conditioning, the humidity made her break out in an instant sweat. Fumbling in her bag she slipped dark glasses on the bridge of her nose and made her way to her car. Hot air blasted out of the interior as she opened the door. Sliding into the driver’s seat, she started the engine and turned the air-conditioning on full. For long minutes she simply sat there, waiting for the shaking to stop.
    She had done it. She couldn’t believe it. She had the access codes and a time schedule and it had all gone more smoothly than she’d ever imagined. All she had to do now was act. It was Tuesday, which meant Xavier had a window of one and a half days. If RCS followed the same procedure as Bessel Holt, the codes would be changed at the beginning of the new business day on Thursday.
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    An hour after passing the codes on to Xavier, he rang back.
    â€œThere’s a problem.”
    The amount in Lopez’s account was so huge the bank had slapped extra security precautions on the account. Any movement of funds over five figures needed verbal approval from Lopez.
    Xavier’s solution was simple. “We steal his phone.”
    Or, more precisely, he would steal Lopez’s phone number for a very short time. What he needed her to do was supply a recording of Lopez’s voice.
    When Xavier hung up, she pressed the rewind button on the answering machine and skipped through the messages. Alex Lopez’s recorded voice floated over the phone, so real adrenaline shot through her veins.
    She set the phone down, ejected the tape and slipped a fresh one into the cassette. It wasn’t much. She didn’t know if Xavier would be able to get an actor to do a realistic impersonation based on a few clipped words, but unless she called Lopez herself and recorded the call, it was their only option.
    There was no way she could risk calling Lopez. He already knew she disliked him. If she rang, no matter how smoothly she handled the call, he would know something was up. His next step would be to talk to Cesar, and Cesar, in his current shell-shocked state, wouldn’t be able to hold out against Lopez.
    Gripping the edge of the desk, she forced herself to breathe until the pressure in her chest loosened and her pulse evened out, but there was no way she could banish the sense of raw panic that underscored