Trust

by Sherri Hayes

  My next order of business required a phone call to the head of our IT department. He’d been involved with Michael’s investigation extensively already. Unfortunately, I was going to have to interrupt his weekend.

  “Hello?”

  “Good Morning, Erik. It’s Stephan Coleman. My apologies for interrupting your Sunday.”

  There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “Is there something wrong with the servers?”

  “No, but I’m afraid I’m going to need you to come into the office today. Mr. James and I are in need of your assistance.”

  Again, there was silence. I heard a door open and then close before Erik spoke again. “You found something?”

  I decided to keep it simple. “Yes.”

  “Okay. I’ll need about an hour. My wife is getting the girls ready to go to the park.”

  “I understand. Get here as soon as you can. And please pass along my apologies to your wife. If it could wait until Monday, I wouldn’t pull you away from your family like this.”

  “No. I completely understand.”

  Hanging up the phone, I sighed. I was going to have to do something to make this up to Erik and his family. It was bad enough that I was having him come in on his day off, but to find out they’d had plans sent a wave of guilt through me. Family was important. Losing my parents had taught me that harsh lesson. It was also the reason why Richard’s lack of faith in me hurt so much.

  Pushing that to the back of my mind for the moment, I returned to my e-mail. The first thing I noticed as I began scanning was that there was no e-mail from Brianna last night with her journal entry. I frowned. Brianna was near perfect at following instructions. She never willfully disobeyed me. I immediately started wondering if something had happened. Had she been hurt? Was she not able to get to a phone or a computer?

  Before I could second-guess myself, I fished my cell out of my pocket and dialed Ross’s home number. It rang several times and then went to voice mail. I cursed and ended the call before leaving a message.

  My next attempt was to Ross’s cell. This time it sent me straight to voice mail. “Call me when you get this. I need to speak to Brianna, and no one is answering the home number.”

  I knew my message was rather direct given the fact that I wanted his assistance, but my level of anxiety was increasing. I needed to hear her voice . . . know that she was okay. Her not e-mailing me was secondary. I knew she had to have a good reason for not obeying my rule. Even if she didn’t, I would deal with that after I knew she was safe.

  Unable to sit still, I began pacing, which was how Jamie found me fifteen minutes later.

  She knocked on my open door to announce her presence. “I have the food you asked for, Mr. Coleman. Shall I put it in the lounge or the conference room?”

  Her arms were loaded down with bags, and I rushed across the room to help her. “We’ll put them in the lounge.” Jamie let me take the majority of the bags from her possession, and we made our way down the hall.

  As we entered, Michael was sitting on the edge of the couch rubbing the sleep from his face.

  “Good, you’re awake. I asked my assistant to bring us some food.”

  Michael stood, still sluggish. I could only imagine how much his body was protesting. He had a good thirty years on me, and even after being awake for a good half hour, my back still didn’t feel quite right.

  Jamie stayed for another five minutes, making sure we had what we needed before taking her leave. Michael and I devoured almost half of what she’d brought. Neither of us had eaten anything since the dinner I’d ordered in last night around five, so we were both starving.

  We were finishing our meal when Erik strolled into the room.

  “I smelled food, so I thought I might find you here.”

  “If you’re hungry, there are still plenty of sandwiches.” I nodded to the brown paper bag sitting in the center of the round table.

  “That’s all right. We’d just finished eating right before you called.”

  Guilt started to raise its ugly head again.

  Erik pulled out a chair, and sat down between us. “So you found some new information, I take it?”

  “Better than that,” Michael said, wiping his mouth with one of the napkins. “We’ve found our thief.”

  “Really? Who?”

  “Greta Morris.”

  He scrunched up his nose at this new information. I could tell he was trying to place the name. Although the foundation wasn’t exactly small, Erik came in contact with most people who worked in the building at one point in time or another. “Older lady who works for Lily Adams?”

  Michael got up and went to refill his coffee. “That’s her.”

  “Wow. Never in a million years would I have suspected her. She’s so nice.”

  I could empathize with how Erik was feeling. It was the same way I felt when I heard her voice on the recording last night. To be honest, I was still trying to come to terms with it.

  As Michael rejoined us at the table, I addressed Erik. “I need you to log in to her computer and copy all the data to a separate file. We’ll have to turn all those records over to the authorities tomorrow.”

  “You’re having her arrested?”

  “I don’t have a choice.”

  A short while later, Erik headed down to the fourth floor to begin working on Greta’s computer. Michael and I went back to work in the conference room. The two of us still had months’ worth of Greta’s phone conversations to go through. We divided them up to make things go faster.

  At nine, Michael and I called it a night, satisfied that we had everything we needed for tomorrow’s board meeting. Erik finished with Greta’s files about two hours earlier and had headed back home to his family. He’d be back bright and early tomorrow morning with the rest of us at the board meeting. Although he wasn’t an executive or a member of the board, anytime we addressed something that involved technology, Erik was invited to sit in.

  Driving home, it hadn’t escaped my notice that Ross hadn’t called me back. I didn’t have an e-mail from Brianna either. The temptation to drive directly to Ross’s house instead of my condo was tempting, and I argued with myself all the way home.

  Sarah must have heard me come in because she came down the stairs moments later. “You look like something the cat dragged in.”

  Instead of addressing her comment, I asked the one question that had compelled me to drive home instead of directly to Ross’s. “Any messages for me?”

  She looked confused but shook her head. “No. Things have been pretty quiet around here.”

  I nodded.

  “Don’t you want to know how my apartment hunting went?”

  Tossing my keys onto the table, I rubbed my hand along the back of my neck, and sighed. “Sure.”

  Sarah raised her arm, and I noticed a single key dangling from her fingertips. There was a huge smile on her face.

  This news gave me a slight lift in spirits. “You found something.”

  “Yep. It’s perfect and only five minutes away. So I can stop by and bug you whenever I want.”

  Shaking my head, I couldn’t help but smile a little. “I’m happy for you.”

  For the first time since I arrived, Sarah seemed to take in my less than enthusiastic demeanor. “Everything all right? Did something happen with Brianna?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t heard from her since Friday.”

  “Do you think she’s okay?”

  “I don’t know that either. I left a message for Ross earlier, but he’s not returned my call.” I paused. “Then again, Ross isn’t my biggest fan. If I haven’t heard anything after my board meeting tomorrow, I’ll head over there.”

  It was her turn to frown. “Do you think that’s wise?”

  “I couldn’t give a damn if it’s wise or not. She was supposed to e-mail me last night, and it’s not like her to disobey me. I intend to find out what’s going on one way or another.”

  Chapter 24
/>   Stephan

  It was seven forty-five on Monday morning, and I stood staring outside my office window at the city. The beautiful day we had yesterday had been replaced by another day of rain and gloom. A few snow flurries had even pelted my windshield on my way to work. It was fitting given what was on the agenda today.

  To add to my stress, Brianna had yet to contact me. I had no idea what was going on, but after today’s board meeting, I was going to find out. With every passing hour, the sick feeling in my gut got worse. I had to see her soon or I was going to make myself physically ill with worry.

  Just before eight, Lily knocked on my door. “Hey.”

  Her smile vanished as I turned around. I’m sure the solemn look on my face gave her some indication as to the seriousness of what was about to transpire.

  “Close the door and take a seat.”

  She did as instructed.

  I waited until she was settled in the chair before I began. “You’re aware that we’ve been investigating the money that was taken, corresponding with your purchases for the fundraiser.”

  Lily nodded. “And signs point to someone in my department.”

  “That’s correct.” I paused. “We found evidence this weekend that we can’t ignore, and Lily, it is someone in your department.”

  She sat up straight. “Who?”

  “Greta Morris.”

  Her eyes went wide. “No. That’s impossible. Greta is the sweetest woman in the world. She wouldn’t do something like this.”

  “We have her on tape. A conversation with a person we assume is her grandson given that he called her Grams.”

  Lily’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

  “There’s more. Erik found evidence of the corresponding transaction hidden in her computer. He hasn’t found the others yet, but he’s still searching.” I stood and walked over to where Lily was sitting. Kneeling down, I placed a comforting hand on her knee. “Lily, I’m sorry. I don’t like it either, but I know it has to be worse for you because you know her.”

  She looked at me, her eyes filled with moisture. “I just don’t understand. There has to be an explanation. Someone used her computer without her knowledge. Something.”

  I shook my head. “We have her on video. She was at her own computer when the thefts occurred.”

  Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. When she met my gaze again, I saw stubborn resolve shine through as she stiffened her posture. “That’s what the board meeting is about this morning.”

  Nodding, I stood and resumed my place behind the desk.

  “You’re going to fire her?”

  “That will be up to the board, but I’d say it’s likely.” I reached for my phone and pressed the call button for Jamie. “First things first, however.”

  Seconds later, Jamie opened my office door. “Yes, Mr. Coleman?”

  “Jamie, could you please ask Greta Morris to join us in my office, as well as a member of Human Resources, as soon as possible.”

  Jamie swallowed before nodding her assent. “Yes, sir.”

  Once she’d left the room, Lily faced me, somewhat surprised. “You’re going to give her the chance to explain?”

  It was my turn to sigh. “She’s worked for my family for over fifteen years, Lily. If for no other reason, I need to know why.”

  Twenty minutes later, I sat across from a bawling Greta Morris. When I’d confronted her with what we’d found, she hadn’t tried to deny it. Instead, her shoulders had slumped, almost in relief, and she’d begun to cry.

  Over and over again, she apologized for taking the money. There was one problem, though. The way Greta talked, she’d only taken money from the company once, to pay for her mother’s medical bills. “I don’t know what I was thinking, Mr. Coleman. I don’t. I shouldn’t have done it. I know I shouldn’t have.”

  “Greta, how many times did you and your grandson pull money from the account?”

  She looked up at me in shock. Her eyes were bloodshot from her tears. “You know about Frankie?”

  “We have you both on tape. You called him from the phone at your desk. Those conversations are recorded.”

  With this new information, she started crying again.

  I was getting irritated, although it wasn’t entirely due to Greta and her situation. My anxiety was already piqued because of what was going on with Brianna, so I snapped. “Answer the question.”

  All three women in the room, Lily, Greta, and our HR manager, Tracy, jumped at my less than reserved outburst.

  Taking a deep breath to try and calm myself down, I tried once more. “How many times, Greta?”

  “Just once! Only once. I took what we needed. That’s all. I swear.”

  Sighing, I leaned back in my chair to think. There had been five transactions, not one. If Greta hadn’t made them, then that only left one person. “Greta, where did you get the idea to do this?”

  She fidgeted, nervous. “My grandson.”

  “And where did he get the idea?”

  Greta stopped moving, and her eyes grew round as saucers. “His girlfriend.”

  “And who is Frankie’s girlfriend, Greta? Does she work here?”

  “Yes. Megan Cartwright.”

  The rest of the morning was complete chaos. This new information changed things, and the board meeting turned into more of a meeting to bring everyone up to speed and decide what needed to happen next. Given Greta’s remorse and her years with the company, I was willing to go easy on her, but only if she helped us go after Megan and her grandson. Megan wasn’t a hard sell. Her grandson, however, who was looking to be the brains behind the operation, if not the mastermind, was a completely different story. I didn’t want to see Greta spend time in prison if it could be helped.

  The board was split down the middle. Half of them were so upset by her betrayal that they wanted to see her pay for her crimes, no matter that she was a minor player in the whole situation. The other half felt that, given her years of service and obvious manipulation by her grandson, she should be fired and allowed to go on with her life. Ultimately, the decision fell on my shoulders. With a fifty-fifty split, I had to make the final call.

  “I need a few minutes.” Without further comment, I stood and walked from the room.

  Greta was being watched under guard in my office, so at the moment, that was off-limits. Turning on my heel, I headed toward the executive gym. Rarely anyone used the space besides me and Lily, but even if they did, everyone was sitting in the conference room awaiting my decision.

  As soon as I was inside, I closed the door and locked it behind me. I needed to think, and I didn’t want to be interrupted.

  I wasn’t in the right frame of mind for this, but it wasn’t something that could be put off either. Megan was already being watched. She’d been pulled away from her desk to help one of the other assistants with some files. It was a task that could have waited, but we’d needed to get her away from her computer in case she got suspicious of what was happening and tried to delete any evidence. Plus, Erik needed time to make a mirror copy of her computer. We weren’t taking any chances for evidence to disappear. Because of all that, I was on borrowed time. I had maybe an hour, max.

  Pacing back and forth, my mind inevitably wandered to Brianna. What would she think of all this? Taking a seat on one of the padded benches, I closed my eyes and let myself imagine that I was sitting at home with Brianna in my arms. Almost instantaneously, I felt the tension begin to ebb from my body. What I wouldn’t give to hold her at this moment.

  Sighing, I opened my eyes and stared at myself in the long bank of mirrors. I understood those board members who felt betrayed, but I couldn’t justify throwing the book at Greta given the circumstances. Especially since I, myself, had broken the law to do what I thought needed to be done as well, and I would never regret that choice. The Dom in me, however, felt there needed to be some price paid.

  A half hour later, I strode back into the conference room. Everyone looked up at my arrival
. Some of the board members were still sitting at the table, but many had gotten up and were scattered throughout the room. Everyone quickly resumed their seats once I’d retaken mine.

  I met the gaze of each one of them before I spoke. “I’ve made my decision.”

  They all nodded, some of them looking more confident than others.

  There was something I needed to know first, before I gave them my verdict. I directed my question to Doug, the head of the foundation’s legal department. “What are the ramifications to the foundation if we press charges?”

  “It’s difficult to say since every case is different. I think we have a good chance at winning the case, but whenever the public is involved you never know what their reaction might be.”

  Michael interrupted Doug. “If I might interject—I’ve been doing this for a lot of years, and I’ve never seen a case like this end well for either side involved. Often, even though the organization itself may have done nothing wrong, the perception of irresponsibility lingers.” He paused. “What I’m saying is that if we go public with this, press charges, there is always a possibility that the amount of donations the foundation receives each year would drop drastically. You may lose more than you would gain.”

  There were a few more comments made by various members of the board, but nothing that changed my initial feelings on the matter. In the end, I’d chosen to fire Greta, stripping her of her position. The foundation, however, wouldn’t press charges against her if she agreed to work in the mailroom as a volunteer for a minimum of five hours per week until she’d paid back the money she owed us. The only other condition was that at no time was she to use a computer while she was doing volunteer work for us. If she did so, our agreement would be null and void, and we would pursue legal action against her.

  As for Megan and Greta’s grandson, Frankie, I was less concerned with their fate. They deserved whatever happened to them. A decision, however, did have to be made. I placed that task in the hands of Doug, Michael, and Lily. I felt Lily had a vested interest in whatever punishment the foundation chose to dole out. It had happened in her department, after all. The three were to meet, make a recommendation, and report back to the board on Friday.