Likely Suspects (4 page)

“To the new job.”
We clinked our glasses together again.

I was dressed and drinking a cup of coffee at my kitchen counter. I looked at the clock on the microwave. The only seven o’clock that should exist ought to be followed by a p.m. It had been awhile since I had a job and an even longer while since I had one that required being up in the morning. This was going to take some getting used to. Good thing someone at some point had decided to run boiling water over processed beans to create a liquid of the gods. I took another sip.

“Let’s kick some ass,”
I said to my empty kitchen, trying to psych myself up for the day. I poured the rest of my coffee into a travel mug, grabbed my belongings, and headed out the door. The drive to the MT building didn’t take quite as long as I thought it would, and I ended up arriving a little early.

“Good mor
ning,” Jeffrey greeted. I wanted to downplay the events of last night as much as possible.

“Hello,” I mumbled, looking
around. No one else was nearby. The other security guards were nowhere to be seen. “Do you think we can just not mention yesterday?” I asked conspiratorially, and he agreed.

“Let’s get you
set up with your permanent security pass.” He pointed to a chair behind which was a generic blue screen, reminiscent of the DMV. I sat down. “Smile,” he urged, clicking the shutter on the camera, and my picture instantly appeared on a computer monitor. “Look good?” I glanced at it.

“Sure.”
It didn’t matter since it was only for a security pass.

“Okay.
I’ll be right back.” He got up and gestured for another one of the security guards to watch the front door while he went to a small office at the back of the lobby. He entered a number on the keypad and walked into the room. A few minutes later, he returned with my freshly minted ID. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.”
I was about to ask if he had any instructions on where I was supposed to go when a familiar voice sounded from behind.

“
Ms. Parker, right this way.” The voice belonged to the assistant, Mrs. Griffin, whom I had met yesterday. We went to the elevator banks, and she pressed the button. “Mr. Martin is waiting for you in his office.” We rode up in silence, and she walked me to his door and knocked, which seemed a little ridiculous since his office was a large and spacious room with a glass wall. He had already seen us coming down the hallway.

“Enter,”
Martin replied. She opened the door and held it for me. “Thank you, Mrs. Griffin. That will be all.” She turned and disappeared down the hallway.

“Nice office.
But it doesn’t really go with the greed isn’t good theory, though,” I remarked, surveying the room.

He
smirked. “No, but you have to admit, it does buy some nice things.” He hit a button on his desk, as if to demonstrate, and the clear glass windows all turned opaque.

“Recommendation number one, a glass office is
asking for a bullet to the brain.” He seemed to take it under consideration for a moment.

“G
ood thing I had them upgrade to bullet-resistant glass.” There was a wet bar in the back corner, a nice view of the city from his floor to ceiling windows, a large mahogany desk complete with computer and other work essentials, a few plush leather couches and mahogany end tables scattered about, and a private lavatory. “Do you like the title they put on your badge?” he asked, pointing to the pass clipped on my suit jacket. I hadn’t even bothered to look, so I unclipped it and read my name followed by the words private consultant. “I thought it would probably be a better idea. No one has to know what you’re consulting on. Maybe you can blend in better. Make it up as you go along. That sort of thing.”

“Good idea.
You might also want to suggest to anyone you had at the restaurant last night to keep their mouths shut.” I thought about Jeffrey.

“Not to worry, it’s al
ready done,” he reassured and glanced at his watch. “I’ll show you to your office, so you can get settled in and get the hang of things around here. If you need anything, just ask Mrs. Griffin.” He hit the button, and the opaque glass returned to clear. He held the door for me, and I followed him down the hall and into the next office over. “Here we go.” He opened the door. This office was less than half the size of his with a basic desk, table, and small couch set in the corner.

“Figured you
’d keep an eye on me?” I commented on the closeness of my office to his.

“Maybe I thought you’d like to keep an eye on me,”
he grinned, “just part of the job description, right?” Before I could respond, he headed out the door. “I’ve got a meeting, but we’ll catch up later. I’d like a full report before end of business today.”

“And the fun b
egins.” I closed the door, checking to see if it had a lock. It didn’t, but I wanted one installed as soon as possible. I didn’t need any random people spying on my work.

I
n the meantime, I rearranged the room, placing the sofa against the side wall and the table next to it. I scooted the desk farther toward the back wall and angled it so it was facing the door but not head-on. I pulled the rolling office chair behind the desk and looked at the computer sitting on top of it. I turned it on, and the MT logo popped up, asking for a username and password. I would need that information before I could start looking around on the MT network.

I was makin
g a mental checklist of things I needed: a door lock, computer passwords, and a non-networked laptop, so I could record my own personal observations without worry. I rummaged through the desk, checking the three drawers. All of which were empty. There was a small closet on the back wall. Inside was a mop and bucket, an old vacuum cleaner, and an empty box. Clean out janitor’s closet, I added to my list. I sat down in the chair, testing out the seat. A coffeepot and a few mugs would be nice, in addition to general office supplies. When I could no longer come up with anything else I needed, I went in search of Griffin to see what I could mark off my list.

Her office was
down the hall in the opposite direction, next to Martin’s. I suspected this was so he could call her in at a moment’s notice to pour him a drink or rub his feet. I knocked on the door, but instead of asking who it was or telling me to come in, she opened the door.

“May I help you?” she asked
, standing in the doorway. She must be afraid I was going steal her office supplies.

“Yes.
” I felt like a child asking for a new toy. “I was wondering if I could get some basic office supplies, pens, paper, paperclips,” I paused, “a stapler in case I want to get really crazy and end it all.” She didn’t seem amused by my joking. She nodded her head, so I continued. “I’m also going to need a username and password to access the computer and a lock to be put on my door.”

“Key or keypad?”
She was all business and very serious about her job.

I contemplated
the implications of each. “Um…key,” I decided, since it would be easier to detect if someone broke into my office the old-fashioned way, by tool marks on the lock, instead of trying to figure out if my office had been hacked.

“I’ll call the locksmith.
The lock should be installed by this afternoon. If you come with me, we can get the office supplies now. I will have to schedule an appointment with IT to set up computer access for you.” I followed her to a storage room. Inside were stacks of legal pads, pens, markers, and the like. She handed me an empty copy paper box and asked if I needed any more assistance.

“I’m good.
” I had the feeling she couldn’t wait to be away from me, or perhaps she just needed to hurry back to her office to guard her paperclips.

“Very well.”
She went back to her office and shut the door.

After loading up on the essentials, I returned to my office and
filled my drawers with supplies, left a legal pad and a couple of pens on top of my desk, and began making notes. The first sheet of paper was used to expand my mental list. On the second sheet, I began writing observations about security implementations and improvements to recommend to Martin. The only thing I had come up with so far was the security officers were too friendly.

I needed to get a hold of an e
mployee manifest to begin cross-referencing names to previous criminal records and see if anyone had reason to hold a grudge. An ex-employee list would be even more helpful. I also needed a floor plan of the building, so I could see how things were laid out and where offices and facilities were located. Just as I was getting ready to ask Griffin if she had a map of the building, there was a knock on my door.

“Come in,” I
called.

Martin poked his head in
side. “How’s it coming along?” I told him I needed computer access, employee manifests, and a layout of the building, so he logged onto my computer using his own username and password. “There.” He clicked open on a few documents. “That should be everything you need for now. We can work on a more detailed list later. I just had a couple of minutes in between meetings and thought I’d check on you.”

“Thanks,” I said
, not looking up from the screen.

He was halfway out the do
or when he paused. “My office, four o’clock, okay?”

“
I’ll be there.” I liked all-business Martin a lot better than after-hours Martin.

I spent the next few hours making lists of employees based on seniority and position within the company.
I wasn’t sure who should be my main focus; therefore, I listed all one hundred and eighty-two full-time, senior level employees and grouped them from mailroom to controlling officer positions.

I was now studying the building
schematic to get a feel for the layout. This would make it easier to check on different employees and also to scrutinize any security weaknesses in the building. There were seventeen floors, and the top was only occupied by Martin, Griffin, and myself. The rest of the floor was empty conference rooms and extra office space. I’m sure meetings would be scheduled here, but as for daily activities, the top floor was the least trafficked and theoretically should be the safest. Every other floor was broken down into such categories as technical support, consumer hotline, accounting, marketing, and so on. I was drawing my own representation of the building when there was another knock at the door.

“Yes?” I asked, not getting up.
The door opened, but there was no other sound. I looked up. “Can I help you?” A timid-looking man stood in the doorway.

“I’m here to i
nstall the lock,” he said, chomping on his bubblegum.

“Go ahead, it won’t bother me.
” The man got to work and in a few minutes was finished.

“You’re all set, ma’am,” he said
, handing me a key.

“Hey, can I ask you somet
hing?” My mind was slowly beginning to work properly. “Do I have to sign something, escort you back down, or anything?” I was trying to discreetly ask about the security. I was getting curious if individuals could just wander around the building if they had the proper credentials.

“No, it’s all taken care of
. The security guys brought me up here to Mrs. Griffin who signed the work order and then sent me down the hall.”

“Okay,
thanks.” He started to leave. “Is this the only key?” I called after him.

“No, the other one is down at security, in case you get yourself locked out.”

“Great.
I lose things all the time,” I tried to sound sincere, but I was unenthused by the fact security likely had keys to every office in the building. It made sense, but at the same time, posed quite a bit of risk for a CEO who was being threatened.

After the locksmith left
, I looked at my watch. It was almost four o’clock. Maybe Martin was back in his office. I logged off the computer and took the key to my new lock. I shut the door and made sure it worked properly, and then I headed across the hallway. Martin’s windows were set to clear, and no one was inside. I knocked, despite the fact it looked empty, and I noticed the door had a keycard mechanism.

“What the hell.”
I swiped my security badge through the slot. Let’s see if I got the all-access, behind-the-scenes pass. Amazingly enough, the door opened, and I entered. I stood in the doorway, feeling like an intruder. Get over it, you are just checking out his security, remember that. I closed the door and heard the lock click into place. There must be a button at the desk that unlocked the door for any outside visitor who could easily be seen through the glass. Maybe the security protocols were better than I expected. I walked the length of the room and then decided to check out the lavatory. It was a small windowless room with a sink, washbasin, and toilet. Nothing too fancy. Just as I was getting ready to leave, Martin walked in.

“Making yourself at ho
me?” he teased as he went to the wet bar and began pouring himself a drink.

“I’m beginning to think your liver is probably the only t
hing in danger in this building.”

He laughed.
“Well, it is five o’clock somewhere. Plus, I’m done for the day. I figured we could discuss what you’ve learned so far and take it from there.”