“I consider the Chinese wall extending to anything connected with the CEO. Besides, I know too much about him right off the bat. He’s not somebody I’d want to work for.” Arguing with colleagues accomplished nothing. Sitting in her chair, she opened the file on her desk, hoping he’d get the message.
“With no will to execute, there’s no conflict.”
Abby gritted her teeth with her colleague’s lack of ethics and penchant for scheming. “With me gone, you’d be a shoo-in for the promotion.” She wondered if she’d brought Hoover into the office today if the dog’s sensitivity would end with a snarl at her colleague. If Lexi arrived before Johen left, they’d find out.
“See? Win-win situation.”
“I’ve no intention of leaving the firm.” Though she and Royden had discussed the situation and enough clients would follow her without encouragement, she wasn’t ready. Employment with Salsman meant security. A priceless treasure.
“I hear the partners aren’t real happy right now. Not only do we not have the wife’s business, but you cost us the entire Credlin account. If you’d have dropped her, they’d be sitting pretty right now.”
“First of all, I didn’t cost this firm a dime. I served my client to the best of my ability and will continue to do so until the matter of the will is settled.”
“What will?” The sly innuendo extended as a part of his natural personality. “I heard through the grapevine the original doesn’t exist. And you know how tricky copies can be in a courtroom battle.”
Her narrowed gaze didn’t spark an instant response. “The one filed at the county courthouse.” Her immediate boss was the only other attorney who’d known of the second original, besides her assistant Mitzie. “What?” That twitchy sensation on her nape magnified with the widening of his grin.
“Haven’t you heard? It wasn’t found. They’re saying it might be a filing error or some type of computer glitch. Maybe it was never filed in the first place.” The man’s smirk said otherwise. “Now with your original gone, well, the partners are questioning your competence...”
“Sonofabitch.” The fact her associate spewed details she hadn’t known didn’t surprise her. The rumor mill running rampant through their office thrived. Surely, Salsman had already interrogated Mitzie.
“Looks like I won’t have much competition for the promotion after all.”
He stood at the same time Abby shoved to her feet, her chair slamming against the back wall. That was the purpose of his visit. If she were a man, she’d consider breaking his jaw. With fists clenched and resting on her desk, she counted to ten.
“Hi, Abby.” Lexi and Katt strode through the open door with a pizza box, a small plastic bag, and a six-pack of sodas in hand. Each did a double-take in assessing her posture.
Beside the girls and with leash tucked into her vest, Hoover growled. The deep rumble of the dog’s warning forced Johen to take several steps back.
“That’s sure as hell no service dog. He doesn’t belong in here.” The tremor in Johen’s voice coincided with the slight shake of his fingers as he held them out in a defensive position.
“First of all, Hoover is a she. And she doesn’t like it when someone, anyone, threatens one of her friends.” Lexi set the pizza on Abby’s desk and scratched behind the dog’s ears. “Good girl, Hoover. You protect Abby in any fashion you see fit. But we may need to make sure some two-footed animals are up to date on their shots, ’cuz I don’t want you catching anything.” Turning to Johen, she added. “Did you know dogs have an incredible ability to ferret out trouble? It’s as if they can read your mind, when, in fact, they’re just reading your body language.”
Katt nodded before picking up the thread of conversation. “For instance, when we first came in, it looked like Abby was going to have to physically defend herself. Hoover wouldn’t stand for that. Nope, not at all.” A cunning smile curved one corner of her mouth. “Lexi, maybe we should go have another chat with Salsman. He seems to be really taken with your help and would definitely listen to whatever you have to say.”
“Hey. I didn’t do a damn thing.” The anger in Johen’s tone faded with the dog’s hard-eyed stare. As if circumventing the greatest threat of his life, he back-stepped then circled around the new arrivals in heading for the door. “You won’t last long here now, Abby. The firm doesn’t stand for incompetence. No matter how nice the piece of ass.” The last words were spoken as he slammed the door behind him.
“What’s going on? How can he call you incompetent?” Lexi flipped the lid on the pizza box.
Abby sighed and retrieved her seat, knowing that Johen, in one form or another, was due for a very difficult week from many unexpected angles. No one ever saw the girls’ antics coming.
Katt rifled through the bag and extracted some plastic plates, handing them one at a time to Lexi.
“Not only does he know about the second will for the CEO’s wife, he also told me the original at the courthouse has vanished. Hell, he knows more about my case than I do.”
“Does that happen often?” Suspicion tainted Katt’s question. “I don’t know much about that kind of stuff.”
“It’s rare, but unfortunately it does happen.”
“Matt said you might be striking out on your own. Is that true?” Katt’s shoulders buckled forward as she unzipped her jacket. “Damn, Gila, You’re impatient today.” A quick look around and she settled the ferret climbing out of an inside pocket to perch around her shoulders.
Abby sighed. She loved her friends. They meant well. It reminded her of a sitcom she and Royden bonded over after they’d first met; a country family moving to the city and having difficulty adjusting. Actually, the difficulty occurred in the family’s acquaintances.
“Royden and I talked about starting my own practice, but I’m not ready for that step. I need a little more time.”
Abby accepted the offered plate of pizza and sat back in her chair. “There is one good piece of news though. Royden and I are going to look at puppies next weekend.”
“Oh, really? Can we come too? I love puppies.” Katt munched on her pizza, but her gaze danced with excitement.
“Me, too. I can help you assess their personalities,” Lexi suggested.
“I was hoping you’d say that. To me, they’ll all look like cuddly balls of fur, and I’ll want to take each one home.” It occurred to her that perhaps Lexi sported an ulterior motive for bringing her dog. “Lexi, why did you bring Hoover, today? I don’t have a car here and promised Royden I wouldn’t leave the building.”
“Ah—”
“You wanted to see if she’d react to any of the employees, didn’t you?” Abby sighed, knowing that whatever motive possessed her friends, her brothers would have thoroughly approved.
“You know she goes everywhere with me. Besides, she’s a great judge of character. I trust her implicitly.” Lexi shrugged a shoulder in nonchalance.
A tentative knock interrupted Abby’s train of thought. Her assistant pushed the door open several inches.
“Abby? Sorry to interrupt, but this just arrived for you.” Mitzie frowned as she held out a small cardboard box, about four inches square. The symbol of a nearby bakery decorated the top, a vector logo of a girl winking.
“Who delivered it?” Lexi asked, taking the box and setting it on Abby’s desktop. “Was there a note with it?”
“I don’t know who brought it, but there’s no note, just your name written in block letters along the side. The receptionist called and said it was there when she got back from a restroom break.”
“Why would someone stick a straw through the top of the box?” A chill slithered down Abby’s spine as she reached for the delivery.
“No,” Katt and Lexi blurted simultaneously.
“What’s going on, Abby?” Mitzie pushed the door wide but didn’t come farther into the room.
“I don’t know... Girls?” Abby arched a brow and stood, one hand on her hip. “Care to fill me in on what you’re hiding?�
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“Let’s see what’s inside first.” Katt untangled the discarded cellophane from the plastic plates and used it as a barrier to avoid leaving prints on the container.
“Wait,” Lexi exclaimed.
Unhindered by her friend’s advice, Katt lifted the lid enough to peek inside. “It’s a piece of pie, but I wouldn’t suggest eating it.”
“Like I intended to? Why send it in the first place?” The straw filled the space intended as an eye on the logo. “What kind is it, Katt? Maybe that’s a clue.”
Royden was fond of sending gifts at times, flowers, baskets of goodies, etc. He’d never sent anything so dramatic.
“Mud pie.” Katt’s monotone voice forewarned of an unpleasant and illuminating conversation ahead.
“Okay, girls. Spill it. Now.”
“Abby, um, the guys found something outside your apartment complex early yesterday morning.”
Weakness in her knees forced Abby to sit. “I know they found Charlee, murdered and buried.”
“Um, it wasn’t just that.” Katt’s gaze drifted to the window coverings, her attention appearing miles away.
“Tell me.”
“Yeah. It was a skeleton,” Lexi murmured.
“Someone boiled her body, except for part of her scalp,” Katt added. “Long black hair.”
The dread she’d felt all morning slid over Abby’s thoughts like an avalanche as new meaning of the straw took shape in her mind. “The bastard intends to bury me.”
“Not gonna happen, Abby.” Katt circled the desk and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Not gonna happen. It’s just a stupid scare tactic.”
“One that involves my fiancé’s ex-girlfriend.” Abby glanced from Lexi to Katt. “What else. I know there’s something else by the look on your face.”
“Tell her, Lexi.” Katt’s face had turned pale.
“There was a note, referencing you.” Lexi set her cup on the desk alongside her plate of half-eaten pizza.
Obvious thoughts flicked across each of their minds.
“Damn. I’d best call Royden about this pie.” Abby reached for the phone then halted when Mitzie stuck her head back in.
“Abby? Salsman said he wants to see you in his office, ASAP. He sounded pissed off.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Royden couldn’t wait for his partner to stop the vehicle before hopping out in front of Abby’s office building. After receiving a call from Lexi, he was ready for a target on which to vent his anger. Anyone other than family would do.
If his partner’s driving were any indication, anxiety swirled his emotions into a chaotic realm where nothing made sense.
Despite the trepidation roiling in his gut, Royden smoothed his expression so as not to scare the firm’s receptionist. He nodded in passing, flipping his jacket back to reveal his badge and gun.
She said nothing, perhaps because the McAllister on his heels failed to disguise the anger radiating from him in waves. By now, the entire firm knew Abby had a deadly stalker and an overprotective family.
Two half-flights of stairs passed in several strides. Once Royden made it to the office and saw Abby was all right, he could take a deep breath. The killer struck before they could regain a handhold on sanity’s coattails.
He found Lexi, Katt, and Mitzie in deep discussion. “Where is she?” He directed the demand at the assistant.
“Sh-she’s in Salsman’s office. He wanted to speak with her.” Mitzie took two steps back toward the window when Billy entered the space.
“Why?” Billy’s harsh voice filled the room.
“I-I don’t know. He doesn’t tell secretaries inner-office stuff.” Mitzie’s protective hand at her throat appeared an instinctual reflex in the face of a threat. “His office is on the other side, all the way on the end.” She pointed to the opposite wing of the building. “His name’s on the door.”
Billy jogged out before Royden could root out the source that had made Lexi’s voice shake over the phone. “That the special delivery?” He pointed to the cardboard box then hardened his jaw as the meaning became clear. “The killer intends to bury her in a coffin with a barbaric supply of oxygen.”
Lexi and Katt stood mute, unable to express the fear written in their faces.
“Stay here and don’t let anyone touch that. Okay? I’ll be back after I’ve seen Abby.” He didn’t wait for a reply. As a private investigator and better half to his eldest brother, Katt understood procedure in dealing with evidence.
Billy’s roar defined the destination before Royden turned the final corner on the south wing. Concern was expected, as was frustration. Absolute rage took him by surprise.
Royden entered in time to see Abby shove her big brother away from her boss’s desk.
“Billy. I don’t know how that footage was obtained or who sent it, or why. However, I do know this. If we don’t keep our heads on straight, we won’t find out.”
Royden stepped between Abby and Billy but directed his attention to her boss. “Mr. Salsman, I’m Detective Patterson. Can you catch me up to speed, please?”
“Royden, you don’t need to see it, too. I can explain.” Abby put a hand on his chest.
He brushed it away and stepped closer to glance at the computer monitor, the picture a frozen moment in time. Abby stood beside her bed in her apartment, naked and smiling. The image burned a path south from his head. He stood speechless.
“This video arrived in my email this morning. Normally I delete incoming missives to my private account if I don’t recognize the sender. However, this had Abby McAllister in the subject line.”
“That was taken the night before last.” Though he wasn’t seen, Royden had stood on the other side of the bed, talking to his fiancée. It was as intimate a moment as if someone had filmed them during sex. Nevertheless, her brother didn’t need the visual any more than her boss would.
Turning on Salsman, Billy thundered. “You can’t hold this against Abby. She’s a victim of this shit.”
“Billy. Now’s not the time. We have other concerns.” Abby looked to Royden, her gaze begging him to end the standoff.
“Salsman, you can’t fire her over this.” Billy towered over the older man, his voice booming in the spacious office.
“We hold our staff to the highest moral standards. Until the source of this—this pornography is determined, I’m placing her on administrative leave. Word will get around, and I won’t have the firm’s name besmirched.”
“It’s legal, Billy. There’s nothing we can do about it until we find the person who sent it.”
“She quits.” Though Royden spoke the words softly, they echoed in the quiet confines.
Salsman and Billy froze, each turning to stare at him.
Abby’s glare promised retribution at a later date. “You can’t quit for me.”
“I just did. You’re better than this, Abby. You’re better than this entire place. I’d bet the farm that any client you’ve had contact with in the past will follow you into private practice.”
“She can’t do that. She can’t coerce clients away from the firm. It’s in her contract.” Salsman’s anger morphed into shock.
Billy smiled. “She won’t need to. But you know how it is... as you said, word travels. And when others come here to see her and find she’s gone—well—I won’t feel sorry for you. Not one bit.” His grin widened.
Royden knew that by the time the sun set, Lexi would’ve hacked records and made sure every client knew of Abby’s departure. That occurring on the heels of discovering the video’s sender.
As if realizing the same thing, Abby heaved a sigh, her shoulders sagging. “I won’t ask if this day can get any worse, because I know better. It can always get worse.”
Royden and Billy followed her down the hall and back to her office. Each echo of her heel on marble tile reinforced the fact he’d overstepped his bounds, undermined her confidence, and royally pissed her off. There were few things she couldn’t forgive; mani
pulating her outside the bedroom topped the list.
Katt and Lexi remained by the door, blocking the entrance. Word of another incident had already spread, judging by the growing crowd and whispered murmurs. Tragedy, stalker, killer, among other gossip slithered on meager air currents.
Lexi and Katt stepped aside to let him pass.
“What happened, Abby?” Mitzie stood by the doorframe, petting Hoover.
“My family and Royden got me canned. Looks like I’m going into private practice sooner than expected.”
Mitzie gasped and stepped forward. “Why? Because of the theft and the fact someone is stalking you? They can’t do that.”
“It’s done.” Abby scanned her office. “Well, if everybody grabs something, I won’t have to search for a box. The files are company owned, so I can’t take them with me... and I’ll lose all my notes on my clients.” A sidelong glance at Lexi and Katt assured they understood her loss.
To Royden’s knowledge, Abby had never strayed from the letter of the law, which attested to her current emotional state and her fragile grip on reality.
Without hesitation, Lexi pulled out her laptop just as Katt did the same. Lexi smiled as she typed. “I guess you’ll be looking for office space.”
“I’m in,” Katt grinned back at Lexi. “I hear Janis Street is a nice area. On the outskirts of town, it’s closer to Royden’s house and there’s a dog park nearby. Great if you happen to have a puppy.”
“Jeez. Word travels as fast in this family as it does in the office.” Turning to Royden, she poked him in the chest. “Speaking of which, why didn’t you tell me about all the evidence you found yesterday morning. I thought we weren’t going to keep any secrets.”
Royden met her glare with a sincere expression. “I was going to tell you tonight.” A twist of his mouth and hard stare in Lexi’s direction revealed his displeasure. “I didn’t think it was appropriate to dump it on you all at once.”
Abby got quiet. And still.
McAllister Justice Series Box Set Page 44
