Upheaval!

by Deborah Martin

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “My monitor isn’t working. I kind of need to see what I’m doing.”

  “It is your fault. Remember leaving here angry? There was a puff of smoke coming from that direction as we walked by and the wizard said you had fried it.”

  Crap. “It’s my fault. I didn’t have control of my emotions when I left. Take the one off Ev’s desk for now. I’ll have to buy you another one.” I made a note on my long list of things to do.

  While Sally was swapping monitors, I grabbed the Accounts Payable file and a stack of checks from the locked drawer in my desk and walked them out to her. I was so glad she was up to speed on all the accounting stuff, although she only had access to the accounts payable module.

  Once I was certain she had everything she needed, I started making phone calls. The first was to Mr. Blatherton.

  “Yes, Miss McCollum. I know who you are. I just landed and am on my way to see Mr. Tremayne now. I will call you again after I have had an opportunity to speak with him. What number shall I use?” His voice was nasal, obviously British and rather aloof-sounding. I gave him my cell number, hung up and dialed another.

  Two hours passed in a heartbeat. I got the estimated tax deposit amounts from Ed, conferred with Martin about moving some money from one type of investment to another, declined numerous party invitations on Ev’s behalf, said ‘I’m sorry, we’re full’ to requests from managers and agents for our services (Ev would kill me), told a couple of job applicants to email their resumes, and apologizing all over the place, basically covered for Ev’s absence.

  I was just about to start in on the next pile of paper (“gotta do today”) when Cassandra came in, balancing three plates on one arm.

  “I figured you two would forget to eat so I brought up lunch. Plus, I want to know how things are going up here.” She pushed paper away from the edge, put the plates on Sally’s desk and pulled up two chairs, indicating I was supposed to eat out there.

  I carefully picked off some bits of bacon from my BLT and gave them to Fudge, who had trotted out of his nest in my office and stood expectantly at my feet. Then between bites, I said, “I called the attorney. He said he’d call back after he talked with Gregory. Two hours. Nothing. Loads of crap to catch up on. Thankful for Sally.”

  Sally smiled. “It’s really not all that bad. With two of us, it shouldn’t take too long to get back to normal. You just forget you don’t have to do it all yourself.”

  I shrugged. “Yes, you’re a huge help but there are some things you can’t do. A lot of things you can’t do. But I am grateful you’re here. It would take a week, otherwise.”

  “It’s no surprise the attorney hasn’t called back,” Cassandra interjected, bringing us back to the main subject. “I’m sure there are all sorts of formalities to go through. I’d guess you’ll hear from him later this afternoon.”

  I wasn’t the only one who ate fast. We all inhaled our food. Cassandra picked up the plates and heading for the door, said over her shoulder, “Five o’clock at Cork’s”.

  Sally and I went back to our respective piles of paper.

  By three-thirty, I was exhausted. Making nice to people over the phone and via email while telling them exactly nothing they needed to know was wearing. Oh, there were a few decisions I could make but most I preferred to leave to Ev. I’d hear less griping afterward.

  Sally handed me a stack of checks to sign. “I’ll get these in the mail and then I’m going home. I have an appointment in the morning but I should be here around noon. Okay?”

  I scribbled my name in the appropriate spot so many times my hand almost went into full rigor mortis. I nodded at her comment, wordlessly handed the stack back to her and started the process of readying my desk for the next day. My cell phone rang.

  “Miss McCollum?” the nasally voice on the other end inquired. When I answered in the affirmative, he continued, “Mr. Tremayne is being held on suspicion of murder. The charges were filed by Mr. Angelich’s girlfriend, one Marianna Johannsen. However, as there is no body, the case has gone to investigative stage.”

  I cut him off. “How’s Gregory?”

  “Although understandably upset, he is quite comfortable. Magical Council prisons are not like human prisons. He has a suite and his needs are met. He did, however, express concern as to your well-being. How shall I answer?”

  I thought for a moment. This guy didn’t need to know about my personal problems. “Give him this message: Fudge hasn’t had a thing to do. He’ll understand. Now, if there’s no body, why isn’t Gregory being released on bail or some equivalent? What can I do to help clear him? The charges are so bogus I can’t begin to tell you…”

  He cleared his throat. It didn’t help clear his sinuses. “The magical community doesn’t operate like that, Miss McCollum. Mr. Tremayne will remain confined until the case comes to a close. Obviously, we need to find Mr. Angelich alive and well for Mr. Tremayne to be cleared and released.

  “Although the Council’s investigative team is, naturally, working on the case, Mr. Tremayne thought you might be helpful in that regard. I’d like to meet you in the morning for an interview. Where would be convenient?”

  I gave him the address of the office. We agreed he’d be there at nine sharp. After I hung up, I looked around. Although I’d gotten the dust off the surfaces, the place still looked dingy. I had a little time before meeting Cassandra, so got out the vacuum and finished tidying up. Ev was too cheap to hire a weekly cleaning service so I was used to filling in between their once a month visits.

  Sally had lit some of the stash of scented candles we usually burned to disguise Ev’s odor and they had taken care of the incinerated coffee aroma. I tossed the carafe in the trash, reminding myself that I still had to go to the store after meeting Cassandra. We needed a new carafe, Sally needed a new monitor and as I discovered when cleaning, the bathroom was out of toilet tissue. Maybe I could cajole Cassandra into driving me to the local Wal-Mart rather than take a taxi. It wasn’t that far and it would be one-stop shopping.

  “I do not wish to go where you are going. Please take me home, first.” I nearly jumped out of my skin. I’d totally forgotten Fudge was at the office. Being an experienced Air witch would have come in handy. I looked at the dead watch I’d put on out of habit then looked at the clock on the wall. I could see I would have just enough time to take him home and change into something a little less dusty before walking back to the pub.

  “So, I presume you heard from Mr. Blatherton. What did he say?” Cassandra asked as Cork set a glass of Merlot and one of Chardonnay in front of us.

  “Blatherton? Who needs a barrister?” Cork growled. We were both used to the part-giant’s deep, gravelly voice and didn’t think anything of it but the fact that he knew the attorney’s name startled both of us.

  Cassandra came out of her shock first. “You know him?”

  “Crossed paths with the stiff neck a time or two over the pond. Heard he moved over here a few years ago. What are you two involved in that requires the services of a barrister?”

  We looked at each other. Cassandra tilted her head toward me.

  I answered very quietly, “Ev’s disappeared and Gregory is being charged with murder. Blatherton is his attorney – barrister.”

  Cork’s growl deepened. “What a load of bullcrap. I don’t know either that well but they’ve been in here more than a time or two. Tremayne would no more kill Angelich than he would his own mother.”

  I nodded my agreement. “I know that and you know that but the authorities don’t. Cassandra and I are trying to figure out what happened and how to find Ev.”

  “Has anyone traced his cell phone? It’s usually glued to him,” Cassandra mused.

  “I don’t know. I do know he’s not answering it. I tried and it just went to voice mail. I’m meeting with Blatherton in the morning. I’ll know more then. Speaking of tomorrow, can you give me a ride to Wal-Mart? I have to replace the carafe and a couple of other
things before then.”

  After going back and forth for an hour, neither of us could think of anything to do, barring breaking into Ev’s house to see if there was anything of interest. That would not sit well with the authorities (magical or mundane) so we decided to wait until after I’d had my meeting with the “stiff neck” to make any further plans.

  Cassandra did indeed give me a lift to Wal-Mart. She snickered when I picked up a computer monitor that was bigger than Sally’s original yet half the price. “I’ll bet that’s your fault.”

  “How’d you know?”

  “According to Gregory, you were steaming when you left the office that day. The energy a witch gives off when seriously pissed would easily fry anything electronic within a few feet. I’m surprised it was just the monitor and not the entire system.”

  “Yeah, well. Ev’s still paying for it. He was the one that pissed me off to that point,” I said as I absent-mindedly pulled the company credit card out of my wallet to pay for my purchases. Then I did a double-take, realizing which card I’d grabbed. Ev really hadn’t paid attention to anything. It was still good.

  I ranted on the drive back to the office. “Devious, huh? I could have cleaned his bank accounts out and gone on a shopping spree with the company’s card and didn’t. What an airhead! He should have cancelled my card and taken my name off the bank’s signatory list immediately. He should feel lucky I’m really trustworthy, not devious.”

  Cassandra laughed. “I don’t know what that witch did to him but I’d be willing to bet it was a hex and of his own making. Whatever has happened to him, he’ll see the light once he comes back to find his company still in business. I’d still like to know what’s going on. You don’t suppose someone kidnapped him again, do you?”

  I sighed. “Again? I’m sure he’s made plenty of enemies over the years but did anyone get a ransom note?”

  “Yeah, that’s the thing, isn’t it? If he’d been kidnapped again, someone would have gotten a note and they’d probably have contacted you about the money. Everyone knows you run the business for him.”

  We pulled up in her driveway and she helped me haul my purchases upstairs. I just plunked the packages on the floor inside the office door. I’d have time in the morning to put it all away before Mr. Blatherton arrived.

  “G’night,” Cassandra waved as she walked up her stairs. “Call me anytime if you hear anything. Otherwise, I’ll see you for your normal latte in the morning.”

  I walked home in the twilight, lost in thought. I didn’t think Ev was dead and couldn’t see where Marianna thought Gregory had anything to do with his disappearance. Yes, Ev wasn’t answering his cell but...I really didn’t know what to think of the whole situation.

  I continued musing as I made a cup of (decaffeinated) coffee and fired up my own laptop. I knew the job would be different when I took it but a kidnapping and now disappearance of my boss was really unusual. Boss? I guessed I still had a job. Or not? I mentally slapped myself and hired myself back – at least temporarily. Sally, too. Until my signatory powers were revoked, I could pay us.

  I put the issue of Ev into a corner of my mind and turned my hat around from being an administrative assistant to a romance writer.

  “You should be studying.”

  I grunted at Fudge and opened the word processing document that was the next novel. “My name is Scarlett and I’ll study tomorrow.” I felt a query in my mind. Apparently, Fudge hadn’t read Gone with the Wind. “I parodied a famous quote. Never mind. I’ll read the next chapter in the morning.” Fudge sighed, took up his usual spot next to the keyboard and curled up for a snooze.

  Chapter 17

  For the first time in a couple of weeks, I dressed in full office mode the next morning, grimacing as I did so. I’d gotten used to sweats, no makeup and hair in a ponytail. But there was this meeting with the lawyer and I felt a need to look very professional.

  I’d just finished plugging in Sally’s new monitor and ensuring it displayed properly when the door opened. (A couple of minutes earlier would have seen me crawling around under her desk in a skirt. Timing is everything.) A thin, sallow man wearing breeches and a tailcoat entered, raised one eyebrow and, in a thin voice said, “Miss McCollum, I presume?”

  I couldn’t help but stare. What century did this guy think it was? He even had his dishwater-blond hair pulled back into a ponytail with a ribbon. Imagining him in a robe with one of those white wigs was easy. I wondered how many people had told him Halloween was in October, not April.

  I cleared my throat, answered that I was, offered him coffee or water and indicated that we should sit in the reception area. Declining a beverage, he sat on the edge of one of the ogre-sized chairs and, opening a notebook (at least this was modern and not a roll of vellum), proceeded to interrogate me.

  After thirty minutes of answering questions about what I knew of Ev and Gregory’s relationship, Ev’s kidnapping and rescue and Gregory’s actions during the entire time, I turned the tables on him. “Has anyone used GPS to find his cell phone? Doesn’t one of the magical councils have trackers to find Ev with a taglock? What are Marianna’s reasons to suspect Gregory?”

  Mr. Blatherton inhaled deeply into his bony, hooked nose, fixed his dour expression on me and stated, “The investigation is proceeding apace. However, I am not at liberty to discuss that with you. Mr. Tremayne thought you may have some insight into Mr. Angelich’s disappearance and possibly Miss Johannsen’s reasons for accusing him. I am here only because of that. So, shall we continue?”

  Another thirty minutes of questions yielded exactly nothing. “I have no idea,” was my reply to most of his questions. I really didn’t. Sure, Gregory and Ev argued on a regular basis but Ev’s a temperamental ogre, for crying out loud. I wasn’t at Ev’s side twenty-four-seven so had no clue as to why Marianna might want to set Gregory up to take the fall for Ev’s disappearance. But she’s an ogre, too, and probably throws tantrums just as often as Ev. The whole situation just made my skin crawl.

  He rose, obviously disappointed that I couldn’t help. I rose with him but wasn’t going to let him get away without one final, “There must be something I can do to help find Ev and clear Gregory”.

  He shook his head and with an “I’ll be in touch”, left. I stared at the closed door for a moment, waiting until I was certain he was gone then headed downstairs.

  “Call your Mom. There must be something we can do,” I told Cassandra as I barged in the deli’s door.

  She and the four customers sitting at tables stared at me. Oops. I probably should have been a little more observant before opening my mouth. “My office,” she admonished me.

  I sheepishly followed her back crossing paths with Charlie, who was taking a bowl of potato salad out to the front cooler. He nodded at me, said “Mornin’” and continued on his way.

  “Sorry. Just got done with an hour of questioning from that weirdo lawyer. It was frustrating,” I apologized as I sat down in the extra chair.

  She sat at the chair behind her desk. “I talked with Mom last night. She – and we – can’t get involved in the investigation. She needs to stay impartial and we don’t have any standing. All she said was for you to keep the business going as best you could and for all of us to keep a good thought for Ev and Gregory. It’s exactly like a mundane missing-person case. All the people who care can only sit and wait for the authorities to do their thing. The only difference is that our investigators have more resources at their disposal than the mundane police.”

  “The whole thing sets my teeth on edge,” I told her. “I can’t figure out the rhyme or reason behind any of it. Ev has disappeared before but only for a couple of days. It’s been two weeks. And Marianna accusing Gregory has me totally befuddled.”

  “I know,” she tried to soothe me. “Changing the subject, why did you call Mr. Blatherton a weirdo?”

  I described him to her. She grinned. “Wow. Straight out of the eighteenth century, huh? That sort of makes sense
in a way, though. He will have that robe and wig on if it goes to Tribunal, which is a Council trial. They’re still really old-fashioned in that regard. If he’s that old, he’s probably comfortable projecting that image.

  “Don’t want to cut you off but as always, we both have work to do. I’ll let you know if I hear anything from Mom and you call me if you hear anything from anyone.”

  She stood. It was a dismissal. I knew she was right but…my shoulders sagged as I headed back upstairs and the pile of work still waiting for me.

  “I need fresh water,” greeted me when I walked in the door. I groaned. I’d forgotten to add Fudge to my morning office routine. I duly refilled his dish and my coffee cup, and sat down to work.

  Sally arrived shortly after noon and wordlessly started in on her allocation of catch-up work. The phone rang frequently and I heard her saying the same thing I had in the morning. “I’m sorry, Mr. Angelich isn’t available. May I take a message?” and “I’m sorry, he hasn’t checked in today” more than once. The calls she forwarded to me nearly always ended with one of the same statements.

  About two, the door opened and a strong odor wafted all the way into my office. I was about to jump for joy, thinking Ev was back when a female voice said, “I’m here to take over in Ev’s place.”

  Rather than being elated, I stalked out into the reception area. “Good afternoon, Marianna,” I said in my most polite voice. “How may I help you?”

  She turned toward me. “As much as I’m devastated at Ev’s murder, I thought the best thing I could do to honor his memory was to keep Angelich Security running. Therefore, I’d like his list of calls, please.”

  I’m sure my eyes had narrowed to slits. I do know I was more than a little hot under the collar. “Excuse me? First, Ev’s body hasn’t been found so we don’t know about any murder. Second, even if we knew for certain he was dead, his will hasn’t been read so we don’t know what his wishes were concerning the business. Third and most importantly, you know nothing about how this company is run.”