Authors: Claire Gillian
The alarms continued to wail, making polite conversation too much work. I made my way to Jon and Nicky.
“When can we go back in, Nicky?” I checked my watch. She didn’t seem pleased with my interrupting her one-on-one time with Jon.
“It must not be a drill because normally our safety warden would have given us the all’s clear by now. We’re probably going to have to wait for the Fire Department to arrive now. What a pain,” she said, shrugging. Her irritation was the worst piece of acting I’d seen in a while.
I moved on to find Scarlett despite Jon’s wordless plea not to maroon him with Nicky.
“Where are Doug and Tony?” I asked bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet.
“Tony’s over there.” Scarlett pointed out a small group of warehouse employees.
Scully the cat sat at their heels, licking his front paw and rubbing it over his head. Tony made a big boobs gesture in front of his chest, probably jabbering about his lunch at Hooters.
“I haven’t seen Doug,” she added.
Doug’s MIA status worried me. At least I had my house key in my pocket, but my purse was back in the audit room. If he’d gone through my stuff before, he might do so again.
Jon and Nicky joined Scarlett and I as I fretted about my credit cards, driver’s license, cell phone and various other personal effects he could use to torment me.
“The Fire department said someone pulled the alarm in the break room,” Nicky said. “We can go back in now.”
“A false alarm? Who would do such a thing? Are we in high school?” I complained loudly enough for everyone in my group to hear as we all trudged back inside.
When we re-entered the audit room, Doug sat in his chair, working away.
“Where were you?” Scarlett asked.
“It was only a drill, so I didn’t bother.”
I smirked at him, hoping he could read my thoughts.
Too bad it wasn’t a real fire, Doug.
To Jon I muttered, “He probably pulled the alarm and rifled through our stuff while we were outside.”
Jon’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.
16
Jon and I walked to our cars together when we finished packing up all of our stuff for the day.
“How was your titillating lunch?” I teased.
“Torture. I had to plaster a smile on my face as Doug and Tony made fools of themselves. They were so obnoxious that the manager came over and told them to behave or they’d kick us out.”
“I gather they had a few drinks?”
“Yeah. They must have had three beers each. They gave me grief for refusing to drink.”
“Poor Jon. I hope you drove.”
“Yeah. No way was I letting Doug drive us back.”
“Did you get anything from him on his whereabouts last night?”
“According to him, he took in the basketball game like he’d said before. He recited the score and some of the key plays, though he could have watched a recording. Of course, he ragged on you quite a bit.”
“Doesn’t surprise me. What did he sound like? Angry? Amused? Lewd? All of the above?”
“He didn’t seem angry at first. You may find this hard to believe, but when your name first came up, it was almost like he was hurt you wouldn’t go out with him.”
“What? He has a sensitive side? Jon. Come on. I don’t believe that for a second.”
“Only at first. Then Tony said something crazy like, ‘I thought you were dating her, Jon.’ His sensitive side went into hiding, and he set off on a verbal rampage. He never let me set Tony straight, nor did he bother to ask. He just went off, acting like you guys were in a relationship and he’d caught you cheating on him or something. Really weird.”
“He’s delusional.” I kicked an illegally parked pine cone and pretended it was Doug’s head.
“I’d already decided to rip him a new one if he started in on me. But since it was you, I let him go on and on. For research purposes, you know.” He nudged me in the arm, grinning.
I glanced sidelong at him. “Gee, thanks.”
“Doug said you’re going in to the office tonight to do the referencer’s aid starting at nine?”
“So I’m told.”
“Nine, though? I don’t like it and don’t think you should go.”
“I have to, or he’ll get me for insubordination. Stick to the path of righteousness, I’m told. Avoid providing any fuel that my harassment claim might be work-related retaliation.”
“What if he tries something because no one’s around to witness or stop him?”
“He won’t. He’s all bark and no bite. He broke into my apartment and trashed the place on the sly—the ultimate in passive aggressive behavior. I’m not scared of him, not anymore, because I see what a coward he is.”
“You should be afraid of him, Gayle. He broke in with a key! Invading your home seems like at least a nip to me. It’s definitely more than a bark. I think he’s unstable.”
“Did Doug mention anything about the new inventory work?” I wanted to steer Jon back onto work topics and off me.
“He’s been tight-lipped about what he’s been working on. And, I know you’re trying to change the subject,” he said. We reached our cars, and after looking around, he asked in a low voice, “Did you pull the alarm, Gayle?”
“Now why would you think that?”
“Because you were missing for a suspiciously long amount of time after the alarm went off. I almost went looking for you.”
Our gazes met and locked.
I dipped my head before righting it. “Alright, you got me. Yes. I did, but here’s why. Doug stole my copies of the documents I lifted from Jayna’s office. I didn’t realize it until this afternoon when I wanted to read them and they weren’t in my briefcase.”
“The briefcase last night’s visitor emptied all over your living room floor?”
“Yes. A few pages might have slipped under the sofa when I picked up but not all of them. I’m positive they were in there. So, I snuck into Jayna’s office while she was out and took them to make new copies, but when I tried to put them back, she was sitting at her desk. Yadda, yadda. The end.”
Jon shook his head and laughed softly. “I don’t think you’ll ever cease shocking me with your ability to get into trouble.”
“It’s a bad habit of mine.” I grinned as I unlocked and got in my car. Jon waved goodnight and got in his.
• • •
After a quick run and a shower, I kicked back to re-read the documents I’d copied from Jayna’s files.
I’d copied a few additional pages on the second run through. One was an email from Kenneth to Jayna. Her reasons for saving the email were obvious. Kenneth rambled on about how much he loved her and how they would soon be together. He included so many x-rated references, I blushed, and I thought I had seen it all. He told her Darla had agreed to a divorce, and she only needed to be patient a little longer, and they’d be set. The email was dated May of the prior year.
The next page was a more recent pair of emails. Jayna declared her undying love and pleaded for him to give them another chance. She asked if he’d found someone else.
Don’t these people know emails to and from work addresses aren’t necessarily private?
In Kenneth’s reply, he apologized and encouraged her to move on. He suggested she consider leaving Aphrodite if she found their situation too awkward to bear.
Nice. Make her leave.
He continued on, saying he’d always treasure their time together, blah, blah; you deserve better; I’m no good for you anyway, etc.
The entire exchange read like a bad movie script. I had to wonder, again, what made Kenneth so special he had at least three women crawling in and out of bed with him. An average-looking exterior and a surly personality only shrouded the mystery further.
I moved on and found a series of directions from one of those online map sites. Opening my laptop, I looked up the addresses in the property tax record database and discovered them to be directions from Kenneth’s home to Rocky’s, to Bob Turner’s home, and to the park at White Rock Lake where they found Kenneth’s body.
With dinner in hand, I contemplated what all the pieces meant and what role, if any, Jayna might have played in Kenneth’s death.
17
I’d turned on the overhead lights for the immediate vicinity near my desk, leaving the rest of the floor dark, and worked for over an hour.
“Hi.”
I jumped and covered my racing heart with my hand. “Jon, you scared me half to death! What are you doing here?”
“I was worried about you.”
As my pulse slowed, I drew in a breath. “You’re a good friend to check on me, but I told you I’d be okay. Doug left at least a half hour ago, and there‘s a guard on duty in the lobby—”
“Who’s too far away to do anything to keep you safe from insiders. I can’t believe Doug made you come in to do this tonight.”
“Eh, he’s a dick. What else is new?”
Jon moved into my cubicle and leaned over my shoulder. “How much more do you have to do?”
“I’m about half done.”
“Half? What time did you start?”
“Er, well I got here around nine, but Doug was still working. I snuck off to the Library and read my book until nine thirty. When I came back, he’d left, so I started searching through the files.” I pointed to the audit trunk, a black half-sized footlocker.
“Looking for what?”
“I wanted to check out the last round of inventory and capital stock.”
“Has your curiosity been satisfied?”
“No. Those files were missing.” I huffed.
“I’m here now, so why don’t you let me help.”
I considered his offer for a second, and after he gave me a crooked smile and a shrug, I said, “Thank you, Jon. I really appreciate it.”
For the next half hour, we worked at lightning speed in two adjacent cubicles, preparing the referencer’s aid. We passed files back and forth over the wall and soon developed an efficient communication shorthand. At ten forty-five, we finalized the aid, stacked the files, and locked them in the audit trunk. We stared at each other in silence, but something unspoken strained at the seams.
“Before we leave, I want to show you something you’re going to love.” He flashed me an impish grin. In the elevator, Jon pressed the button for the fifty-fifth floor. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as the elevator rose, wondering what he had planned. He appeared to be plotting something in his head, running through the logistics while his brow furrowed. Had my companion been anyone but Jon, I’d have worried about my safety.
Only emergency lighting lit the floor. The suite itself was locked via electronic keypad, accessible only to the partners with offices on that level. For security reasons, management changed the code every few weeks.
Jon pulled out a slip of paper from his back pocket and entered a code into the keypad. The electronic door’s lock clicked. He gave me a huge shit-eating grin and pushed open the door saying, “Milady.”
I peered at him over my shoulder as I preceded him into the executive suite. I was liking Bad Boy Jon—a lot.
“Follow me,” he said after I stopped to let him pass.
I couldn’t help but smile and happily did as I was told.
We snaked our way around the floor, but as we drew near Bob’s office, I noticed his light was on.
Jon came to an abrupt halt as voices seeped into the hallway. He pulled me into the conference room across the hall. The room had a narrow window next to the open door, but the rest was sheltered from view.
“What’s he doing here, and who’s he talking to?” I whispered to Jon.
Jon shrugged. “I don’t know, but I want to stay and find out, don’t you?”
I nodded, and we ducked beneath the conference room table, close enough to peer out and listen.
“How did you get the latest code?” I asked.
“I lifted it from Doug.”
“Whoa! You’re good!” I didn’t think he had it in him to be so sneaky.
He turned to me and grinned. “I wasn’t sure if or how I planned on using the information, but something told me you might find a good use for it. That’s another reason why I came tonight.”
“I think you’re beginning to understand me a little too well,” I said.
“I’m working on it.” He leaned over enough to lightly bump me with his shoulder.
I wish he’d just kiss me already.
You could kiss him, ya ditz.
I already did, ya putz, and nothing happened.
Only because he was engaged and you were drunk.
Go ahead then. Might as well wipe your ass with a doomed office romance before you flush your career down the toilet. You know it’ll happen.
I muzzled my warring inner voices and strained to make out the words of the external voices. Two men talked, one of whom I assumed was Bob. Jon and I were too far away to recognize the other voice.
The light escaping from the office dimmed right before Bob and Doug emerged, one carrying files. They continued talking as Bob turned off the light and pulled the door shut behind him.
“You need to rein in this nasty habit of yours, Doug. I know you think you’re too smart to get caught, but I assure you, one day you will. This one’s a lot smarter than we thought.”
“I’ve been good lately. And she’s not all
that
smart.”
“What do you call the texting? Remember, if I get one whiff her sexual harassment claim is going to be taken seriously, you’ll be out on your ass. I’m done saving you.”
I gave Jon my best ‘I-told-you-so’ mug. He patted me on the back.
“Don’t worry,” Doug said. “What do you want me to do with these files once the referencer is done?”
“Shred them, of course. Every single page, including the covers. Then take the shreds, split them up into two or more garbage bags, and dump them in multiple random dumpsters far away from here,” Bob said. “We only want the original inventory papers to survive. The others we’ll chalk up to a tragic first year staff mistake. Fix the cash and equity sections tonight yourself. I’ll get the clean opinion reversed with Hardinger’s blessing, and that’ll be that. It’s much easier now that Kenneth’s not around to interfere.”
The pair of them made a hard right and continued slowly down the hall.
“What about the Dalrymple shares?” Doug asked.