A Case of Extreme Mistaken Identity - Victorine E. Lieske Page 0,66

lower lip as doubt made her chest tighten, and not for the first time that morning. When Gary had said she could have a promotion if she uncovered the famous masked singer’s true identity she knew he’d been joking. But the more she thought about it, the more the idea wouldn’t leave her.

And Sheila didn’t help at all, encouraging her to take vacation time and buy a plane ticket. She even called to reserve Riley a room at the exclusive resort where Shadow Walker would be performing. Some roommate she was. She probably just wanted the apartment to herself.

Anxiety surged in Riley. If this didn’t work, she’d be out a ton of money, and could kiss any thought of a promotion good-bye, and then she wasn’t sure how she would get the money to save her father’s home. He was about to be evicted, and had nowhere to go. She could maybe manage things if she had a raise. But at her current income she couldn’t make it work.

Digging in her purse, she exhaled when she saw the last piece of wintergreen gum. She unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth. The burst of icy flavor helped calm her. She could do this. This was nothing. On a scale of one to crazy, this didn’t even hit number five in the strange things she’d done to get a story.

Following Alisha Keys into the women’s restroom and pretending her stall was out of toilet paper was maybe a two. Posing as a police officer to talk to Brad Pitt was more daring, maybe a six, and could have gotten her into trouble if anyone had found out. But the craziest thing she’d ever done had to be when she pretended she was a waitress. Her face heated at the mere thought of it, and she shoved the memory out of her mind. No one needed to remember how she dumped shrimp down the front of Lady Gaga’s dress.

Taking a deep breath, Riley stared as the doors opened and an entourage entered. She spied Jalen right away, carrying a small dog. Maybe a terrier? She wasn’t up on her dog breeds, but he was adorable.

Jalen was followed by a flock of men clad in black suits and ties. The bald one touched his earpiece and spoke. Security. Her mouth went dry as she held her breath. A moment later Shadow Walker entered the lobby followed by another group of security guards. A bell boy followed suit with a full luggage cart.

Riley stared at the masked man as if she could unravel the mystery just by sheer will. He was tall and thin, and his black outfit and mask made him look like the Dread Pirate Roberts. He wore gloves and a skull cap, and the only part of him not covered by his costume was his mouth and jawline.

He nodded at a few passersby, but didn’t do anything extraordinary. He ignored people for the most part and waited for his manager. For some reason, she thought maybe he would be more charismatic. At least, on television he seemed to be. Maybe he was just tired, but seeing him in person fell flat for her. What a letdown.

Too bad. But it didn’t matter. She wasn’t there to fall in love with the man. She just needed to figure out his true identity, which actually meant she would be spending all her time with his manager anyway. Her gaze traveled back to Jalen.

He was taller in person than she expected. And despite the mottled skin that started at his hairline and went down a little past his eyes stopping at his cheekbone, he was a rather handsome man. She would guess he was in his late 20’s or early 30’s. His blonde hair was long enough to fall onto his forehead and appeared silky soft. He moved in a graceful manner, petting his dog to calm him while speaking with the woman behind the desk. His smile came easy. Riley leaned forward as the woman handed him the room keys. “You’ll be in 175, which has indoor access. I gave your team the entire wing so there shouldn’t be any foot traffic.”

A jolt of electricity ran through Riley. 175. Perfect. That’s exactly what she needed. She closed her book and stood. Time for part two of her plan. A small thrill ran through her as she crossed the lobby and walked past the mass of security guards. If she was able to succeed