Johan's Joy: A SEALs of Honor World Novel (Heroes for Hire Book 21)

by Dale Mayer

  Galen shook his head. “Who would know the differences between any research guys here and those at the lab itself? Much less any physical inventory designated for the online research guys here and the actual lab guys down the block?”

  “Potentially the foreman from the shipping dock, who’s a full-time employee by the way.”

  “Interesting,” Galen responded.

  “Potentially anybody dealing with inventory.”

  “Like Joy?”

  “Or the one before her.”

  “We can’t ask Chelsea anymore,” Galen said, “but what if she found this stockpile of undocumented inventory?”

  “I don’t know,” Johan said, sitting back at his desk, reaching for his coffee. He flipped the plastic lid off the top and took a sip. “But, if any of this material has been purchased, it’s got to be going through the corporate accounts, right?”

  “I haven’t seen anything like this so far in the books, though it’s early.”

  “Right, so I’m wondering whether somebody doesn’t have a fake account that all this material is running in and out of, so nobody’s the wiser.”

  “And the point of the fake account would be like to launder money, only this is to launder inventory. Is that what you’re saying?” Galen asked.

  “Exactly.”

  “So then,” Galen continued, “money in, money out, but where are they siphoning the money in from and where would the money go out to?”

  “Well, possibly it’s the company’s money to begin with, that they’re just shuffling around. Think three-card monte, just the online version,” Johan mused. “It’s also possible that they’re moving this for somebody else, a third party.”

  “That almost makes more sense too,” Galen said, “and there’ll be a million excuses as to why they can’t take possession of the shipment right now.”

  Johan thought about that and then nodded. “And that brings up a lot of other options too, doesn’t it?”

  Galen looked at him, gave a wry smile, and said, “Absolutely.”

  Chapter 5

  Joy watched as Johan walked past her office, but he wasn’t even looking in her direction.

  “You really are stuck on him, aren’t you?” Phyllis said, from beside her.

  She looked at her coworker, surprised. “Why do you say that?”

  “Every time you hear footsteps, you look up.”

  “You don’t?” she challenged.

  “Nope, I sure don’t,” Phyllis said. “Nobody I care about here.”

  “A lot of people are here,” Joy said. “Surely you could find somebody as a potential partner.”

  “Not interested,” she said. “Working together kills a relationship.”

  “Are you even after a relationship?” Joy asked. “Sounds like a roll in the hay is what you’re after.”

  “Whatever. Either way, it’s still bad news.”

  A note in her voice made Joy wonder if Phyllis hadn’t already tried it and had paid the price for the indiscretion. Considering where she worked, maybe so. “Good point,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea myself either.” She noted the empty chair beside them. “Is Doris coming back today?”

  Phyllis looked up, gave a shrug, and said, “Who knows?”

  Something about Phyllis and her complete detachment to everything except for whatever Joy was doing made her feel slightly uncomfortable. And unnerved.

  Finally Phyllis got up and said, “I have to get out of here.” And she left the room.

  Fascinated, Joy watched as her coworker walked away. Phyllis didn’t say she would go to the washroom or to get a coffee from the lunchroom, just that she needed to get out of here. But then the scenario for Joy was different. She already knew the chances of her staying here long-term were pretty small. And she certainly wouldn’t work in this small windowless hovel of an office very long. Yet, while she didn’t understand what the processes were in this company, she wanted to.

  She didn’t know if her visit with the owner had been more of a nudge to her subconscious, throwing her a potential bone down the road more than anything. But she’d already started mapping out how the processes in the company worked. Little snippets of information available from lots of different people were starting to give bits of insight into how things were managed and how the company worked. She’d enjoyed lunch with the guys and wished she had the ability to talk openly with the men. It would make being here a lot easier.

  When more footsteps headed down the hallway, she looked up, catching sight of somebody she didn’t expect to see. Edward. But he walked past her office to visit with the two men next door. When she heard raised voices, she frowned, wondering if she should join them.

  When Phyllis came racing back in, her expression was a picture of delight. She said, “Oh, my God, they’re all fighting!”

  “Who?” Joy asked.

  “The investigators and Edward.”

  “That’s bizarre,” Joy said. “Why Edward?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know,” Phyllis said, dancing with joy. “I need another excuse to go out.”

  “Fine. Go get me coffee,” Joy said.

  Phyllis nodded, grabbed her cup, and left. The second she was gone, Joy got up and walked over to the wall that separated them from the office next door and tried to listen.

  “You shouldn’t have gone in there,” Edward raged.

  “And why is that?” Johan asked.

  “The foreman came to me to find out what the hell was going on.”

  “And do you know what’s going on?” he asked.

  “Yes, Ice told me, but we have to be discreet. You told them you were investigating theft and smuggling. That’s hardly being discreet.”

  “They’re honest workers who would appreciate an honest answer,” he said. “Obviously everybody’ll be wondering what we’re doing down here in the dungeon.”

  “Let them wonder,” Edward said. “I don’t want any more leaks getting out.”

  “It got out the minute you brought us in,” Johan said. “I’ve had stares from everyone.”

  Then an odd silence prevailed, as if both men had reduced the volume of their voices.

  Frowning and disappointed, Joy quickly slipped back to her desk to resume her work. She shoved a piece of paper under her laptop that she had prepared, showing the processes as she collected information. Just then, Phyllis came back in with her coffee. “Looks like they’ve stopped fighting,” she said with disappointment. “And they’ve also shut the door.”

  “I imagine somebody in the company is not too happy about the investigators being here,” Joy said.

  “Hell, who would be?” Phyllis said. “Think about it. Everybody becomes a suspect.” She looked at Joy. “Even you.”

  “I haven’t been here long enough to get into trouble,” she said, knowing that was a lie. Because that’s exactly what she’d done. She’d gotten into trouble immediately. Dangerously so, apparently. It was frustrating as heck too.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” Phyllis said. “Chelsea wasn’t here very long, and she was the one before you.”

  That was the first Joy had ever heard mention of anybody before her. “So somebody was in this job before me?” she asked curiously. “I wondered because there doesn’t seem to be anything really in place.”

  “Chelsea was at that desk, but she didn’t last longer than three months.”

  “Oh, so that’s a warning for me then,” Joy said with an eye roll.

  “Yeah. I think two people before her, the higher-ups combined the position and changed job duties or something,” Phyllis said with a wave of her hand. “Useless management stuff that they keep pulling on us.”

  “Isn’t that the truth?” Joy said. “I hope Chelsea found a better job.”

  “I presume so. She was here and then gone,” Phyllis said. “I never did hear what happened to her.”

  At that, Joy froze and turned to look at her. “Didn’t you even ask?”

&nbs

p; “Nope. She knew her three-month probationary period was up on that Friday, and she herself was wondering if she wanted to stay or not,” she said. “I just figured she didn’t. I mean, you’ve seen this place. Can you blame her?”

  “Don’t you have to give notice?”

  “We’re supposed to,” Phyllis said, “but who knows. Maybe it was worth it to them to let her quit and just leave. That way they didn’t have to let her go.”

  “Why would they let her go? That’s a little depressing,” she said.

  “It is what it is. You can’t count on it one day to the next. Deal with it and do the best you can for yourself,” Phyllis said. “All places are shit to work for.”

  “Now that’s depressing too,” she said, with a laughing smile.

  “But it’s the truth, unless you’re working for yourself and are making money at it. We’re all just selling our time to somebody, and it doesn’t matter who anymore. So pick somebody you can live with and go from there,” she said.

  It was an interesting attitude, but then, as Joy had discovered, Phyllis had an interesting attitude on a lot of things. “Sounds very much like it’s a case of look after yourself and forget the rest.”

  Phyllis sat back and gave her a stern look. “And you remember that,” she said, “because, just when you think the world is going your way, somebody will come along, cut you off at the knees, and stick you in a place like this.” She sneered, as she looked around the windowless office. “I used to have a big corner office here,” she said. “I was somebody then, and now I’m nobody.”

  Joy winced at that. “Wow,” she said, “I’m sorry.”

  “Whatever. It happened so long ago, I don’t even know if very many people remember anymore.”

  “How long ago?” she asked impulsively. She couldn’t imagine going from the top to the bottom, yet still being at the same company.

  “It was twenty-four years ago,” she said with a note of bitterness.

  “And you stayed?”

  “I left for a while, about five years, but that didn’t work out so well. I tried a few other jobs and then figured that I’d just take something down here and get a paycheck,” she said.

  “I’m surprised they hired you back,” Joy said, not meaning to insult her. “I mean, just think about it. You know? If people still remembered you …”

  “The only one who still remembers me is Barlow,” she said. “I think everybody else is new.”

  “Edward too?”

  “Edward is wet behind the ears,” she said.

  “I’m sorry though,” Joy said. “It’s got to be tough.”

  “It was very tough,” she said. “And then I grew thicker skin.”

  And that was the end of it as far as Phyllis was concerned. But given the rest that Joy knew was going on here, she wondered if it was that easy. Was Phyllis the kind of person who would just ignore what was happening around her? Maybe so, Joy suspected, but it was almost like Phyllis was insulated from everything. She didn’t give a shit, didn’t care; she just did her job, took a weekly paycheck, and left. There were worse things to do, if she had something else in her life. However, from the sounds of it, all she really had were one-night stands with whatever guys she picked up here and there. And that was starting to give the impression of a very sad life.

  With curiosity pushing at her to keep asking questions, Joy was tempted to continue, but she didn’t want to piss off Phyllis. Reluctantly Joy put her head down to work, feeling an awkward silence between them.

  Finally Phyllis laughed out loud. “Your curiosity is almost palpable. Do you know that?”

  Joy sat back and released a frustrated sigh. “And I was trying to be so good.”

  “I slept with him, okay? I slept with him.” Shaking her head, Phyllis went on. “I thought we were a team. We’d been together for years, after all.” She shook her head again with a sigh. “And then he screwed me over.”

  But no bitterness was in her voice, no rancor. That’s what amazed Joy. “Yet you seem to have gotten over it,” she said.

  “No, not really,” she said. “The breakup was brutal, and I got demoted. He accused me of all kinds of nastiness, including stealing secrets from the company,” she said with a snort. “What the hell would I do with those?” she demanded. “I had hoped the two of us would get married and have a family.” She rubbed her temples. “But it’s all water under the bridge now.”

  “I guess I just don’t understand why you’re still here,” Joy said tentatively. She honestly didn’t understand. If it had been her, this was the last place she’d want to be. “I sure wouldn’t ever want to see him again, much less at my job,” she muttered. “I’d go out of my way to avoid him for sure.”

  “And I did for a while,” Phyllis said with a shrug. “But now there’s almost a certain satisfaction in knowing that he’s still single and that he doesn’t have a proper relationship. I’m well past it and just want to sit on the sidelines and watch the show.”

  “No bitterness?”

  “Nah, not now,” she said with a laugh. “It’s a big joke. The joke’s on me, but I’m okay with it now. Back then? Oh, hell no,” she said. “I was definitely a woman scorned. That’s one of the reasons I left. But, when I couldn’t find another job or a company I was comfortable with, I came back. Five years later was just enough time for people to have forgotten, plus I looked different. I’d gained about twenty-five pounds, was older, and worked in a completely different department.”

  “But your name?”

  “Yeah, my name is the same,” she said. “But back then, I was called by my nickname all the time, Philly. Now I just go by Phyllis.”

  “I’m sorry. That’s still a tough one.”

  “Which is why I said, if you’re going to sleep with somebody, take what you want and run, because they won’t be there for you tomorrow.”

  “I hate to think it’s the same for everybody,” Joy said. “I haven’t ever been married, but I’d still like to believe in it.”

  “Maybe,” she said. “At least legally you’d get something out of the deal. I got nothing.”

  “Sorry again,” she muttered.

  Phyllis shrugged and went back to her work, but Joy found it hard to concentrate. She tried to associate Phyllis’s words with Barlow, the man she’d met in his office. He did have that smarmy snake-oil front, but what would he have been like twenty-four years ago? And why would he have dumped Phyllis like that? That’s not normal behavior either.

  But then nothing seemed to be normal about this. Joy wasn’t great on human behavior because she had always been an optimist, looking for the better side of people. But too often that came back and bit her in the ass. Still, it was better than being like them.

  When her phone rang with a call, she picked it up to hear Kai on the other end.

  “Hey, sweetie,” Kai said. “How about dinner?”

  “Are you coming into town?”

  “Yep, I’ll be there by five.”

  “I’d love to go for dinner then,” she said. “Just the two of us?”

  “Nope, not that easy,” Kai said. “The guys will be joining us.”

  “Perfect,” she said, “and what about your beau?”

  “He’s coming too,” Kai said. “We’re both on jobs so often that any chance we can be together, we take advantage of that.”

  “At five o’clock then?”

  “Perfect,” Kai said, “and we’ll probably have a varied evening, so don’t dress up.”

  She hung up after that, leaving Joy staring at her phone, wondering what a varied evening meant. She shook her head and had just gotten back to work when Phyllis said, “When you go out on that date, remember what I told you,” she said. “Take what you can because he’s won’t be there for you tomorrow.”

  “Got it,” she muttered. The thing was, Kai had been there for Joy a lot already. She already knew the woman inside and out. And Kai was gold—the real deal. Joy was just sorry that Phyllis hadn’t had anybody in her life she could count on.

  *

  At the end of the workday Johan stepped out the front door to Westgroup and took several deep breaths of fresh air. He’d been going through so many lines of code that his brain needed to be cleared. Levi had also gotten hold of them, saying they’d found irregularities with four different accounts. Apparently Levi had somebody at the compound who loved to do forensic accounting. Johan couldn’t believe it because that was an insane way to spend your day. Although he would love to talk to her when he got back.

  Galen stepped up beside him. “You ready?”

  “Yeah. I’m ready for anything but more code,” he said.

  Galen laughed. “We’re too much of the shoot-him-up kind of fighters,” he said. “All this cyberstuff seems cowardly and manipulative.”

  “Which is what people have been doing to each other since the beginning of time,” he said.

  Just then the door opened again, and Joy stepped out. She looked at the men with surprise. “Hey,” she said. “You guys okay?”

  “Any reason we wouldn’t be?” Johan asked.

  She smiled. “I heard all the hollering over there earlier.”

  Johan laughed. “Yeah, Edward wasn’t too pleased with my visit to the shipping dock.”

  “Whatever,” she said. “But he’s the one who helped bring you in.”

  “True enough.” They walked toward the parking lot.

  “Are you guys coming for dinner tonight?”

  They nodded.

  She frowned, looking at her watch. “We don’t have a whole lot of time.”

  “We’ll follow you back to your place,” they said.

  She nodded, slipped into her small car, and they pulled up behind her. They were now driving an SUV, as anonymous as anything else on the road.

  “Nobody has checked her place yet, have they?” Galen asked from the driver’s seat.

  “No. I took a couple looks in her office today, but I couldn’t see any cameras. We need to get a bug detector in there.”

  “Kai is bringing some today,” Galen said.

  “Good. We’ll check it over this weekend,” Johan replied. They had a full weekend planned, so tonight’s dinner would be a little bit of a break before they got downright serious.

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