The Tessa Randolph Collection, Books 1-3 by Paula Lester (best ereader for comics .txt) 📗

them. At least, not here in the shabby office. At the convention, there were sure to be loads of other reapers.

And speaking of, Tessa’s eyes flitted to the man next to and slightly behind the supervisor. Only, now that they were in closer proximity, she noted that he didn’t exude the same vibe, not that of another reaper. Still, she waited for an introduction to him too.

April’s gaze followed Tessa’s, and she appeared a little surprised to find the twenty-something man standing there. Whether she just didn’t understand social cues or was intentionally rude wasn’t clear, but the woman didn’t bother to introduce him. She gave Tessa a curt smile, then turned to address Cheryl. “I have something important to discuss with you. Let’s use your office.” She cast a cool gaze at her male companion. “You, stay put.”

Tessa felt her eyebrows climb at the rudeness.

After the office door clicked shut behind the two women, Tessa smiled at the abandoned man.

He gave her an awkward little wave. “I’m Timothy. April’s assistant.”

“Hi, Timothy. Nice to meet you.”

He was tall and lanky, with nondescript features and an ill-fitting blue suit. He wore glasses. And for some reason, Tessa couldn’t help but think of an accountant when she looked at him.

She crossed the room to examine the Danishes on display on the small coffee cart there. It was not a typical day in the office. Cheryl must’ve brought these in for the guests. And she could tell they were from her favorite shop, just down the road from her childhood home—the house Cheryl still occupied alone.

Score!

“What brings you two to Mist River?” Tessa asked as Timothy trailed along behind her.

“Oh, you know, it’s just routine mainly. April likes to visit each of her branch offices once a quarter. She has a standing competition with the western district supervisor, Lee, about who can get to all their branches most often.”

He grabbed a cinnamon roll and took a big bite. A dollop of cream cheese frosting dove onto his jacket lapel like a fighter jet doing a dive maneuver. It crashed into a horrible blob. Timothy frowned and dabbed at the sticky mess with a napkin, making it much worse.  “I don’t think we’ll be here for long.”

“No?”

Giving up on the spot, he tossed the napkin in a trash can and then leaned close to Tessa. “Lee’s visited one more office than April, and she wants to catch up before they see each other at the conference.”

Tessa chose a simple glazed donut. Her favorite. And a lot less likely to end up with a mess on her outfit. Then she poured herself a cup of coffee.

Raised voices floated through Cheryl’s door. Tessa jerked her chin that direction. “Getting the most visits in is one thing. But do you know what’s going on in there?”

Timothy, having finished off the cinnamon roll, got himself a cup of coffee too. “I do. But I shouldn’t say anything.”

And for a moment, it seemed as if he was going to stick to that. He eyed Tessa warily, then he glanced toward the office door and lowered his voice. “Okay. But you didn’t hear it from me. There’s a discrepancy in the numbers. Not enough souls have been taken this month, despite the number of allotments sent to each agency.” He squared his shoulders, thin chest puffing like a rooster. “It’s my job to keep the books for the whole eastern district.”

Tessa tried to look appropriately concerned but her mind raced. Did this have something to do with her? She’d had an . . . eventful first week on the job. But, no, the number of souls she’d reaped had been right on. The spirits’ identities were what had been off a bit.

Timothy must have noticed her uneasy expression because he waved a hand. “Oh, there’s nothing to worry about. We think we’ve pinpointed the agency involved, and it’s not Mist River. It’s the place we’re headed to next. The last stop before the conference.”

Tessa opened her mouth to ask him which office that was but shut it again when Cheryl’s office door opened. April emerged, heading straight for the front door. “Come on, Timothy,” she ordered without even sparing a glance for her assistant.

With an apologetic smile, a quick look down at the stain on his lapel, and another awkward wave, Timothy followed his boss outside.

Cheryl stood, arms crossed, gazing out at the parking lot. Tessa went to stand beside her mother. She finished her donut.

“So, your boss is . . . interesting,” Tessa ventured.

A grunt was the only response, along with a deepening frown.

“Did she give you a hard time or something?”

Finally, Cheryl stirred, leveling a calm stare at Tessa. “Are you packed for the conference?”

It took a minute for Tessa to switch gears. Obviously, her mother didn’t want to talk about the interaction with April.

“Uh,” Tessa focused on the question about her readiness for travel. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, a few days at a resort in Florida doesn’t take much in the way of clothes. I packed a couple swimsuits and a few business casual outfits.” She shrugged. “I should be good to go.”

“Didn’t you read the last email?” Cheryl asked.

“I, uh, I think so.”

“Well, are you dressing up for the theme days? I believe I have a Hawaiian shirt you can borrow. For the costume day, make sure it’s an appropriate length. And don’t try to be cute. There’s always one person who thinks it’s funny to go as a grim reaper.”

“Noted,” Tessa said. She had planned to skip the optional theme days.

“One last thing.” Cheryl’s eyes darted toward the parking lot. April and Timothy were gone. “Don’t forget this is a work trip, not a vacation. Keep your wits about you.” She made eye contact again. “Pay attention. You might learn something.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be sure to take notes and come back with extra reaper tricks up my robes.” Tessa laughed. “Get it? Up my robes? Like . . . reaper robes?”

“What did I just