Thud. Thud.
“Valerie, why is this door locked?” Bruno’s voice dropped its cheerful facade, replaced by a sharp, suspicious edge.
I grabbed the vacuum cleaner, flipped the power switch on, and began aggressively pushing it against the door, creating a wall of noise. I unlocked the door with one hand while holding the vacuum handle with the other, throwing it open with a breathless, feigned smile.
“Oh! Bruno! You scared me!” I yelled over the dynamic roar of the vacuum. I quickly turned it off, wiping fake sweat from my brow. “The lock on this door always jams when I run the vacuum against the baseboards. I was just finishing up the dusting in here.”
Bruno stood in the doorway, his eyes narrowing to tiny slits. He looked past me, his gaze scanning the office floor, slowly moving toward the mahogany desk, and then down to the floorboards. Behind him stood a tall, slender man in a sharp grey suit, carrying a black leather briefcase. The notary.
