by Riley Walker
“Miss Du-Kane, I’m Officer Bigsby, we spoke on the phone.”
I shake his outstretched hand. “What’s going on? Was there anyone in the house?”
“The house was clear when our officers arrived. Only one room was disturbed. It looks to be an office or study on the first floor. Nothing else has been touched. We found where they entered, and we’ve already called a locksmith to repair the locks for you tonight. He should be here within the hour.”
“Thank you so much.” I reach for his hand again, this time, grabbing his one with both of mine. “Can I go in now? I would like to make sure nothing else is missing and check the damage in my dad’s office.”
Officer Bigsby gently pats me on the back and leads me to the front door. When my feet meet the grass, I look down and realize in the rush to get over here, I forgot to put on my shoes. While we walk across the lawn, I take inventory of what exactly I did put on. I somehow grabbed a pair of red spandex shorts and a purple t-shirt that is inside out and on backwards. Get it together, Alice.
We enter the house and I notice the lock on the front door has been busted. I need to see about getting a better, more sturdy door. Maybe I need to add an iron door as well? We walk through the foyer and past the formal great room. At the base of the stairs, we turn left and follow the hall to my dad’s office. I gasp at the sight before me. The couch that once sat up against the wall is now ripped to shreds, the batting is strewn everywhere. The two leather chairs that faced dad’s desk are both laying on their sides. My dad’s desk, that was once his father’s and before that his grandfather's, is covered in papers, folders, and glass from the lamp that once stood on the corner. His chair is overturned and all of the drawers in both file cabinets have been pulled out, the papers all over the floor.
“Miss Du-Kane, I know this is a mess, but can you identify anything missing?”
I walk further into the room and behind the desk. I see the drawers have all been torn out and their contents dropped onto the floor. When I look under the desk, I notice a cord to dads laptop. I stand back up and look under all the papers on his desk, not seeing it. “His laptop is missing. The cord is still here, but I don’t see it anywhere.”
“Do you remember the make and model of the laptop? Maybe the receipt or paperwork with the serial number on it?”
“I don’t know. He recently bought a new one, but I can’t recall what he said it was. I can try to find something on it.”
Officer Bigsby takes out a small notebook and begins to write something in it. “Did you notice anything else, Miss Du-Kane?”
I walk around the room again, stepping on glass shattered from pictures that had been on his desk. I stop when one catches my eye. It’s one of him and my mom taken on their wedding day. What bastard would do this? Why break into his house and only touch one room? I ask my question to Officer Bigsby.
“I can’t say for sure until the investigation is over, but in my professional opinion? It was done deliberately. Someone knew where they needed to go. I would bet that they tripped the alarm on purpose when they were leaving. Do you know anyone that would have any reason to break into your father’s home and only go through his office?”
Before I can digest what he just told me, I hear someone calling my name. “Alice!” I turn toward the front of the house and see my uncle racing down the hall. “Alice, I just got a call from the alarm company and got here as quick as I could.”
Office Bigsby takes a small step in front of me. “I’m Officer Bigsby, and I’ll be leading the investigation here. Who exactly are you?” he asks as he takes his little notebook back out.
Uncle Richie looks livid. He assumes everyone should know who he is. “I am Richard Du-Kane. This is my late brother’s home.”
“Well, Mr. Du-Kane, Alice is the owner of the home, therefore the only one allowed inside. I am afraid I’m going to have to ask you to vacate the premises until our investigation is over.”
“Excuse me? She is my only niece. I need to be here to make sure she’s okay and everything is being taken care of properly.”
Officer Bigsby turns his back on Uncle Richie to address me. “Alice, this is your home, so it’s ultimately your call. Do you feel like you need him here?”
I lean around him and look at my uncle. Glancing back at Officer Bigsby, I shake my head no. “No, sir. I think I can handle this on my own.”
Without looking back, Officer Bigsby tells my uncle, “You heard her, Mr. Du-Kane.”
I hold in the laughter that is threatening to come out. The amused look on the officer’s face isn’t helping any. He holds his arm out, and I turn to head back into the office. We take the next thirty minutes going back over the room and double checking that everything that should be here is. It’s during this time, that I come across a folder that had somehow gotten wedged under the desk. I pull it out and have to shake my head to make sure I’m seeing what I think I am. It’s a dossier on the Michaelson brothers. There is a page on each one of them: Cash, Ridge, Oren, and North. Why would my dad have information on them? I put the folder into a drawer for now. I’ll come back and look at it once the police officers leave.
Two hours later, the officers, including Officer Bigsby, and the locksmith have all left the house. Thank goodness the locksmith was able to replace the lock. I walk back through the entire house, checking the locks on all the doors and windows. Once I have done that, I drag my tired body up the stairs and head to my old bedroom. I’m too exhausted to drive back to my apartment, so I decide to crash here. I throw myself on my bed and sleep takes over before my head hits the pillow.
Six
Bad News Brothers
I wake up with so many questions. Who broke into my dad’s house and only stole his laptop? If the security company called Uncle Richie right after me, what took him so long to get here? Why does my dad have a dossier on the brothers at CronCorp? Maybe I can get at least one answer.
I call CronCorp and ask for an appointment with the Michaelson’s, and their secretary informs me that they have an opening this afternoon at two o’clock. I have four hours to kill so I might as well read the dossier on the brothers.
It’s a very straight forward report. It lists each brother, their age, schools, backgrounds, and relationship status. It looks like at the time the report was written, all four brothers were single. Well, that’s interesting. I start to read again, getting to know each brother a bit better:
Cash R. Michaelson
Age: 30
Education: Graduated with honors from Stanford, Masters in Accounting
Police Record: Arrested in 2015, Public Intoxication, Nudity
Hobbies: Wakeboarding, camping, snow skiing
Relationship Status: Single, no children
Parents: Sariah and Alan Michaelson, both deceased 2015
Siblings: Ridge, Oren, North
Ridge W. Michaelson
Age: 27
Education: Bluff City University, Bachelors in Marketing
Police Record: Arrested in 2015, Public Intoxication, Battery
Hobbies: Motorcycles
Relationship Status: Single, no children
Parents: Sariah and Alan Michaelson, both deceased 2015
Siblings: Cash, Oren, North
Oren T. Michaelson
Age: 27
Education: Graduated with honors from M.I.T., Masters in Engineering
Police Record: Arrested in 2015, Public Intoxication, Resisting Arrest
Hobbies: Computers, Video Games
Relationship Status: Single, no children
Parents: Sariah and Alan Michaelson, both deceased 2015
Siblings: Cash, Ridge, North
North W. Michaelson
Age: 25
Education: Tulane, Bachelors in Pre-Law, Currently Fourth Year Law Student at Bluff City University-Law School
Police Record: N/A
Hobbies: N/A
Relationship Status: Single, no children
Parents: Sariah
and Alan Michaelson, both deceased 2015
Siblings: Cash, Ridge, Oren
I snort to myself after I read about North. No hobbies and no police record. Sounds like North is exactly how I would describe him: dull. Too bad he’s so pretty. I look at my phone and see that it’s been two hours since I sat down and started reading. I now know all I need to about the Michaelson brothers and their business. I’m going to have to rush to get showered and dressed before my meeting with them.
After I shower, I blow out my long ebony hair, add simple makeup with blood red lipstick, and get dressed. Today I’m going for business casual. I am wearing my dark skinny jeans, a red satin button up blouse with rolled sleeves, and my red Prada kitten heel pumps. I grab the keys to my car and my purse, and head out the door. CronCorp is by the airport, which is a twenty-five minute drive. I pull into the parking lot with ten minutes to spare.
CronCorp was an old refurbished warehouse. The lobby is an open floor plan with a security desk front and center. Over to the left is a waiting area with black leather couches and a coffee bar where you serve yourself, to the right is a big screen TV, a black leather sectional, and a pool table. It looks like a man cave, not the home of a corporation. I inform the security officer that I’m Alice Du-Kane, and I have an appointment at 2p.m. He swipes open a tablet, then looks up at me and says, “Yes ma’am.” He points to the cage elevator behind him and informs me to go to the third floor. I haven’t seen one of these old elevators in a long time. I step inside and pull the cage door closed and press the button labeled with a three. It starts with a jerk and a clang, I’m just hoping it gets me to the third floor and I don’t plummet to my death. My nerves are completely shot by the time I hear the ding letting me know I can open the door. I’m taking the stairs back down. There is no way I’m getting back in that death trap.
Once I get the door open, I step out into the lobby, if you can call it that. It’s one big room. There are no walls whatsoever. The ceiling has high beams and the floor is covered in what looks to be repurposed wood. A gorgeous woman is sitting at the front desk. She has striking green eyes, porcelain skin, and auburn hair sitting just below her shoulders. She gives me a smile and asks me a question, but I’m too busy staring at her size F boobs that are threatening to break free of her blouse, to hear anything she says.
She clears her throat and I finally snap out of it. “You must be Miss Du-Kane. The Michaelson’s are expecting you.” She points to her left and I notice that all four brothers are sitting at a large wooden table about a hundred feet from me.
I straighten my shoulders, and give Miss Boobs a smile before I walk toward the Michaelsons. As I get closer to them, I’m reminded of just how good looking these four men are. Cash is sitting at one end with his legs up on the table. Ridge is standing next to him looking like a mountain and giving me a smoldering grin. Oren is sitting in a chair looking down at a laptop, and North is sitting at the other end of the table. When he looks up at me, I could swear his expression goes from hot to cold in an instant. You can cut the tension with a butter knife.
Ridge says, “Well hello there, Alice. You just couldn’t stay away could you?”
That corny line is just what I need to relax. I sit down in one of the chairs before anyone else can say anything, and then Ridge takes a seat directly across from me. This man is too distracting, especially when he’s staring at me like a starved man who just got handed a steak.
“What do you want, Miss Du-Kane?” North asks through gritted teeth.
This man has a stick up his butt about two feet long. “I would like to know why my dad has a dossier on each of you, and if you would happen to know about a break in at his house last night?”
North puts his hand on the table and leans forward. “Are you calling us criminals Miss Du-Kane?”
Well this is going south fast. I shake my head no. “I am doing no such thing. I merely asked you a question.”
Cash chooses this moment to put his feet on the ground and he gets a serious look on his face. I don’t like that look. Casually laid back Cash is so much sexier. Oh lord Alice, get your hormones under control and your head back in the game.
Cash glares at North. “North, quit being rude. Alice. May I call you Alice?” I nod my head yes and he continues. “Your father probably looked into our backgrounds because we had approached him about buying his company. As for the break in, were you there? Are you ok?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I was at my apartment when it happened. There was no damage and the only thing missing is my dad’s laptop.”
Ridge says, “If you need someone to stay with you and protect your body, I’m your man.”
This has me snorting and North glaring daggers at his brother.
Oren looks up from his laptop, his face is scrunched up. “Why would they take his laptop Miss Du-Kane?”
“Please, call me Alice. I have no idea, but I intend to find out. Why would y’all think my dad would sell his company that has been in our family for generations?”
North mumbles something I can’t decipher then turns his scowl back on me. “You don’t know do you? Your father’s company has been suffering the past couple of years. Of course, he declined our offer, but after his death your Uncle approached us. He said once he inherits the majority of the shares, he would like to discuss with us a deal to buyout Du-Kane, Inc. He has yet to contact us again though.”
I am so pissed I’m seeing red, and I don’t mean my cute kitten heels. “He won’t be approaching you again, gentlemen. I inherited the majority of the shares and I intend to take over the company. It’s what my dad would have wanted. What did you mean when you said the company is suffering? My dad never mentioned anything to me about being in trouble.” At this point my voice has raised at least two levels.
Oren looks at me with a sad smile. “Alice, I’m sorry that we have to be the ones to break this news to you. If you don’t sell it soon, it won’t be worth much. The sales have been plummeting and the company is almost in the red. The only way you could possibly save it at this point, is to figure out a way to raise your profits, and fast.”
I sit back in the chair stunned. This is definitely not how I thought this meeting was going to go. I’m not sure how long I’ve been sitting here in my own thoughts, but Ridge starts snapping his fingers in front of my face. “Guys, I think we broke her.”
I shove his fingers out of my face and stand up. “Thank you, gentlemen, for your time. It was very informative.”
As I’m leaving, Oren gets up and strides over to me. He places his hand on my shoulder while saying, “Alice, let me know if there is anything we can do for you. I hope you don’t blame us for wanting to expand our company.”
I look into his face and see his sincerity. “Thank you, Oren. This is a lot of information to process, but I appreciate your honesty.”
He opens the cage door and I step into the elevator without looking back. The death trap creaks and jolts as it descends to the bottom floor. Dammit! I meant to take the stairs! “You need to replace this damn death trap,” I yell. I swear I hear a chuckle floating back down. Stupid Michaelson brothers.
I pull into the garage at Dad’s house, well I guess it’s my house now. I must be on autopilot because I don’t even remember getting into the car. The house is quiet and empty. I gave Sofia the week off after the funeral. My world has just turned upside down for the second time in just a few days. The only thing that I know to do is open a bottle of wine and order Chinese to be delivered.
After eating my cashew chicken and downing the entire bottle of Pinot Grigio, I begin to channel surf. The Animal Channel catches my attention. There is a man talking about the dog breeding business. He explains that he almost quit breeding dogs due to the fact that more people were adopting dogs instead of buying them from breeders. That is, until someone got the idea to cross-breed certain dogs. The dogs are intentionally cross bred to provide hypoallergenic breeds. These new breeds became known as designer dogs.
I jump up from the couch and somehow manage to trip over my pumps that I left on the floor. I land with a thud next to the coffee table where my cell phone is sitting. I know just who to call.
Seven
Sisters Foreva’
What is that God awful noise and why am I on the living room floor? I look around trying to figure out where that offending noise is coming from and feel something vibrating under my butt. I am pulling the phone out from under me and it starts ringing again. The ringtone is Witchy Woman and I giggle to myself. Why is Zoe calling me so early?
I swipe the phone and bring it up to my ear. That was a bad mistake because Zoe immediately starts yelling at me about some nonsense message and a dog. “Wait Zoe, slow down. What in the Sam Hill are you going on about?”
Zoe says, “Girl hold on. Let me play your voicemail back. You sound like a loon.” She giggles and then I hear my voice.
“Zoe! Zoe! I need you to make me a labradoodle pot!” Then there is an umph sound and the line goes dead.
“Girl, what were you drinking last night?” Zoe asks while laughing at me.
I’m trying to remember what the hell I was talking about when I hear the neighbor’s dog barking. That damn maltipoo barks at everything. “Wait! That’s it!”
“What’s it? Alice, have you finally lost your mind?”
“No, Zoe. I have an idea and I need your help, but I would rather not have this conversation over the phone. Can I come visit you?” I ask as I start looking up flights on my tablet.
“You never have to ask to visit me. I would love to see your cute face. When are you coming?”
I stand and start picking up my mess. There is leftover Chinese food on the table and an empty bottle on the floor next to me. “I just booked a flight. Can you pick me up at the airport at four?”
