1 Executive Lunch

by Maria E. Schneider

  I shrugged. "So Tam or Jerry took them upstairs." Or Tam had misplaced them on the way upstairs.

  He shook his head stubbornly. "No, I haven't checked this box. If the delivery people or Tam or anyone takes something upstairs, I check here."

  I could see the various check boxes he had created. "Well then, where did they go?"

  We both looked out the wide doorway. There were only Strandfrost receivers and a couple of UPS trucks out there now. "Did you look in the trucks to make sure they were empty?"

  Turbo's face was red. He hadn't. He probably hadn't had time. What with checking boxes going upstairs and those being unloaded, he hadn't been able to keep track of it all. On top of that he had to defend me from a scum wife-beater since I hadn't stood my ground.

  "I checked outside once or twice after you told me how slow they were moving, and I looked in the small truck when they got the last of it out."

  "When would they have had time to put boxes back in? Could they be in the UPS trucks?" The UPS guy was moving a lot of small boxes onto a cart. I could see from where I was standing that his truck was pretty full. It didn't look like it had room for the hard drives. "Where else could they have gone? Why would the guys load them back on the trucks?" Was this how the equipment was disappearing? I had assumed that someone was breaking into Strandfrost and waiting for the right moment to roll it away.

  Turbo wasn't listening. He moved around the dock, checking other items. I caught Tam as he came back down and asked him about the box.

  "Nah, I move from this section. Jerry grabs right after me and then Henry." He pointed to a guy sitting behind a desk. "He takes up a load too about every third round." Tam leaned in close and whispered, "Has other things to do. There's another guy from down here helping too. His name is Alvin something."

  Unperturbed by my question, Tam slid the dolly under the next crate. Turbo was there instantly to check it off. After Tam left and Henry got up to take another crate, Turbo showed me his tally. "We're going to be short over a hundred seventy-three hard drives that were sitting on that first crate. I think we're also missing about forty servers that should have been delivered."

  "Right under our noses."

  He nodded glumly. "No one even had to bribe us to clear the way."

  Huntington wasn't going to be very happy when I told him the party, the condo and the car was for naught.

  "I'll keep checking things." Turbo looked around, but there wasn't anything to see, at least not now. "The movers must have seen something."

  "I'm sure Huntington will be asking plenty questions once I tell him what happened." Turbo went back to ignoring me, checking and rechecking the boxes. It was barely lunchtime, but I was done. "I have to get home. You're coming to the party, right?"

  Turbo grunted a reply so I left him to his parcels. Well, they were supposed to be my parcels, but I had decided Huntington could have them all. I needed a shower and a change of clothes before the caterers took over my life.

  Chapter 34

  I watched my rear-view mirror all the way home, but couldn't detect anyone following me. When I arrived, I checked with Michael, the watchdog guard. He swore he hadn't seen anyone hanging around.

  Marilyn was still at the condo. I hopped in the shower, but it didn't really make me any less ugly, although I cut back on the makeup. I dithered in the bathroom, wondering if I should tell Marilyn about Ted finding me at work. If she knew, she would probably run scared. But if she had told him where I worked, I deserved to know that, didn't I?

  Before I could make up my mind, the first of the caterers, Jimmy, showed up to arrange the china and tablecloths. He was a portly Hispanic gentleman with a black and white uniform, a very short haircut and penchant for telling silly jokes while he worked. Marilyn helped him set things up. All I managed was pacing. "When are the others coming?" I asked Jimmy.

  He smiled. "In about an hour. We'll use your oven to heat a few of the appetizers and then we'll start on the dinner items while people snack. I'll be your barman." He did a little twirling dance while pretending to hold a tray.

  Marilyn looked very cute in her little uniform. She dropped her eyes every time I paced by.

  Predictably, Huntington showed up before anyone else. He didn't appear nervous at all. He helped himself to a drink, talked football with Jimmy and generally made himself at home.

  The rest of the caterers showed up right on time. Marilyn got the door, leaving me with nothing to do. She came back over and nudged me. "Get a drink and stand still."

  I went into the kitchen and put some water in one of the larger wine glasses. At least I think it was a wine glass.

  I tried to get Huntington into a corner so that I could give him an update, but I couldn't figure out how to tell him everything without dragging him into the bedroom, and that I wasn't willing to do. My God, what would Marilyn and the caterers think?

  The first arrivals at least gave me something to do. Ross asked about the Viper. I gave him the car keys. "Test if for me," I told him to make him go away.

  Huntington didn't kill me on the spot, but looked like he might later.

  Ross didn't waste any time. I wondered if he would come back at all.

  Turbo and the technicians showed up about the time dinner was being served. I was impressed that Turbo had talked Tam and Jerry into coming to something so silly. Sally ran around directing the caterers and giggling with Allen's wife. Sometime around nine-thirty, Turbo sidled up to me and whispered, "Balcony. Five minutes."

  He skidded through the crowd right away, heading for the open doors. I waited for what felt like an hour and then met him out there. There were a couple of other people on the balcony smoking and watching a few of my neighbors at the pool.

  Maybe I should have had the party down there. At least there would be more room. Then again, maybe it just seemed crowded because Ross had kept a steady parade of people coming and going as he showed off my Viper like it was his own.

  Turbo complimented the food and made his version of small talk. I could feel my ugliness creeping back in as I got impatient, so I filled in with, "Thanks for your help today. Sorry I wasn't...calmer." I didn't want to bring up Ted by name, especially with Marilyn around.

  "No problem. I did some looking into those slow movers." He rested against the railing and watched the two smokers. "I have a theory."

  It was all I could do not to groan. We were talking in code since the smokers weren't talking at all, but when Turbo had a "theory" it was time to worry. "I think I'll just have the boss check into hiring someone that works faster." This was my version of telling him to stay out of the mess.

  One of the smokers put out her cigarette and waved at us as she went back in. She must have been the wife of one of Strandfrost's employees because I didn't recognize her. As the hostess I probably should have cared.

  "I'm not sure, but I think I may have found the tie-in," Turbo said.

  Uh-oh. "Don't you think you should let Huntington take care of this?" Just as soon as I got around to telling Huntington that the stuff had disappeared, I was sure he would be happy to arrest someone. Or at least chase someone.

  Turbo grinned and looked smug. He got that way quite often when brainstorming computer problems. His ideas were correct ninety-nine percent of the time, but the other one percent were unmitigated disasters. "Uh, Turbo, maybe we should talk about this. This isn't your field of expertise."

  "I'm sure if you think about it, you'll get it." He smiled encouragingly.

  "I really think this is Huntington's problem."

  His smile disappeared into a frown. "The answers are right there for anyone to see. I'm sure if Huntington can figure it out, I certainly am able to."

  "Turbo--"

  "You need to get back with your guests. Most places won't be open on Monday. It will give me extra time to look into things. I'll give you an update on Tuesday. I'm sure if you thought hard enough about this, you would see the answer too." He sauntered back inside, leaving me to
second-hand smoke and a cloud of worry.

  As for the rest of the party, it was a waste of time. Once again, no one approached me. They ate all the food and drove Huntington's car until it was out of gas. I had to get Michael's nighttime buddy to tow it back to the garage and put gas in it. Huntington left early, but Sally stayed until the last guest was gone.

  "Lovely. It was just fabulous," she told me. "Everyone had such a nice time. How is your friend Suzy doing?"

  "She's great. She finally gave in and named the baby Maureen after her husband's grandmother."

  "That is wonderful!" Sally cooed. "I'll give you all the reaction to your party on Tuesday." She threw a light black jacket over her ruffled, mini-skirt dress and waved as she made her way to the elevator.

  I closed the door and my eyes at the same time. Like the resort, my condo now looked as if midnight had struck. I was left with nothing but pumpkins and mice.

  Marilyn cleared her throat.

  "What?" I opened my eyes in alarm. It was two in the morning, and I was beyond tired.

  "Do you want me to clean this up tonight?" She stood there, wilted, with a broom in her hand.

  "Are you nuts?"

  She actually smiled. "Maybe."

  I waved her to the spare bedroom. "Go to sleep."

  She swallowed. "It might be better if I went home."

  "Now?"

  She nodded. "It will be late, and he'll already be sleeping if he's home." She rushed on, "Tomorrow, I'll tell him I'm going to get my things from mother's and instead I'll come back here to clean up."

  I wasn't sure why she ever wanted to go back there. Now was my chance to come clean. "Look Marilyn…I'm pretty sure Ted found out about our little setup. I think he's been following me." Her face paled. Before she could run, I continued. "I saw him at work today. I don't know if he followed me from here or he figured out where I worked from the hotel."

  She looked confused. "The hotel would tell him where you worked?"

  "I don't know." I was relieved that she didn't look as though she had squealed. "He might have figured out I was there with the Strandfrost people or someone at the hotel might have told him that much."

  "I had best get home tonight." She set the broom aside and went to the bedroom to get her things.

  Her reply defied logic. I had been hoping she would change her mind completely and stay away from Ted forever. But the counselor had warned me that making a difference was nearly impossible.

  I watched her leave, wishing I could talk her out of it. The door clicked shut, and I heard her lock it.

  With a sigh, I turned to the bedroom. I called Sean. He yelled at me because it was the middle of the night. I asked him to call Derrick and have someone patrol near Marilyn's house tonight in case of a domestic disturbance. He demanded answers, but I hung up. He had gotten me into this. He could darn well help, and he knew it.

  I managed to wash the melting make-up off my face before falling into bed.

  Instead of a restful sleep, I worried about Marilyn.

  Chapter 35

  Huntington woke me up long before I was ready. If he noticed I was ugly the day before, this was a real treat for him. I brushed my teeth and came back into the living room. I was still in my pj's.

  "You bought all that nice stuff, including the great underwear I saw the other day and you sleep in that?"

  I glared at him from my Tigger pajamas. "These are my comfort clothes. I like them."

  "No wonder you sleep alone," he mumbled.

  "What?" I crossed my arms over my front and tapped my great big Garfield slippered foot. "You wouldn't be insulting my person on a Saturday morning while in my condo drinking my coffee would you?"

  "You haven't given me any coffee yet."

  I sniffed, but went into the kitchen and started the coffee that Marilyn had bought earlier in the week. I preferred hot chocolate so I stuck some milk in the microwave while the coffee was going. "Listen, Huntington."

  He interrupted before I could continue. "Steve. Will you just call me Steve?"

  I glanced over my shoulder at him. "Whatever. I think we can stop this stupid charade." I told him in succinct detail about the equipment that went missing. "One or more of the movers either put it back onto the truck or they somehow put the equipment onto some other truck that must have come and then quickly gone."

  He nodded. "I know. After the conference last week, not all of the equipment made it back to Strandfrost even though Turbo and Bruce checked off every single box when it was loaded. That is probably how they got the equipment from Tamarron too."

  "You knew?"

  "I can't be positive until I catch someone in the act, but it's only thing that makes any sense. Strandfrost uses multiple moving companies, sometimes whoever is cheapest, sometimes whoever is available. The moving companies use different guys and a lot of the time they aren't full-time employees, but contractors they call in. I don't yet know if the guilty party is using a particular moving company or one or more drivers. But what you're telling me about the latest theft fits what I was beginning to suspect. What we still don't know is who is the inside person directing the theft?"

  "Did you tell Turbo all this?" I asked.

  "Not yet, why?"

  "He had a theory. I was wondering if he talked to you about it."

  "No. Are you going to make breakfast? I'd take you out to breakfast, but you don't look ready."

  Huntington could be brutally rude. "I think I'll go shower. Why don't you help yourself? I like my eggs scrambled."

  I took myself off to the bathroom and noticed for the first time that my hair, which I had taken such pains with the night before, had mashed up one side of my head into a pyramid shape. The extra hairspray from the party had glued it all together.

  By the time I returned, Huntington had managed breakfast. It looked fabulous. He had diced ham, green chilies, onions, mushrooms and cheese into scrambled eggs. He had even found the orange juice. I smiled. "Excellent."

  He grinned back. "You look better too." He tilted his head. "But now that I think about it, you were kind of cute before."

  I narrowed my eyes and sat down to breakfast. "So what is the next plan? Do you want me to keep playing the role?"

  "There doesn't seem to be any point to it. Allen is so afraid of us, he cashed that charity check I told you about. His friends, whoever they were, seem to have dumped that scheme and are sticking with going after the equipment, taking it from right under our noses. All in all, it's been a great success, don't you think?"

  "Maybe they don't know that we know the equipment is missing."

  He agreed. "It appears that way. They weren't too afraid of coming out in the open and dumping the charity scheme, but they're making far more money off the equipment."

  I nodded. "So…I guess I can just move back into my place?"

  He smiled. "Not quite yet. I don't want to raise any flags anywhere, and we may need to use you to order more equipment to catch these guys in the act. You're in place, and it would look pretty normal if you did a follow up order. Just keep a low profile. Make sure everything looks the same to anyone looking."

  I shrugged, vaguely disappointed. "Okay." I looked around. The place was still a mess. I wondered if Marilyn had lived through the night. I needed to call her.

  Huntington took his plate to the sink and rinsed it. I handed him mine. He rinsed it too.

  Feeling a little lost, the ringing of the doorbell gave me a chance to escape.

  It was Marilyn.

  "Thank God!" I enveloped her in a huge hug, but immediately stepped back to inspect her face. Her hair was combed, she had no bruises, and her face wasn't puffy. "Are you okay?"

  She nodded. "He went off to work at Larry's like always. He's always nicer to me when I first come back."

  I ushered her inside.

  Huntington grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch.

  "She's going to clean this mess up," I said.

  Marilyn had gotten used to
seeing Huntington around the place, but she still disappeared into the kitchen without more than a mumbled, "Good morning."

  Huntington crossed the room, his jacket over his shoulder. He looked me up and down on his way out. "Yup. I like the pajamas. But you clean up nice too."

  I didn't know how to reply so I didn't. I had enough to think about what with worrying about Marilyn. Being clever was too much extra work.

  Chapter 36

  The long weekend did much to restore my good nature. I spent most of it at my real house, mainly because I figured that if Ted was following me, he wasn't likely to find me there. I told Marilyn she could use the condo if she needed to, but as usual, she denied the possibility that the next beating might be right around the corner. I wasn't so sanguine. After all that had happened, I had a bad feeling that Ted had decided I was the problem instead of his wife. I was a new and interesting victim; Marilyn would always be around to beat up. Ted had probably decided that by going after me, he was protecting not only himself, but Marilyn.

  Tuesday morning, first thing, without even bothering to read my e-mail I went in search of Turbo. He may as well know that Huntington was going to track down the movers. Maybe I could break the news gently that he wasn't the only one that had figured out what was happening.

  He wasn't in his office. Strangely, the door was still locked. He was rarely late.

  I went to the lab on the off-chance he had gone there without opening his office. Bruce was already hard at work. "Have you seen Turbo?"

  Bruce looked up at me. "You're not going to believe this, but I guess things just got too stressful for him. He quit."

  "He won't help with the project anymore?" Since Huntington didn't seem to need our help, that was probably for the best, but it did seem strange given that Friday Turbo had supposedly had all the answers. Maybe Huntington had talked to him, and Turbo was sulking because Huntington had the answers already.

  Bruce shook his head. "No, I mean he left Strandfrost. He resigned this morning."

  That thought was so mind boggling, I could not even speak. There was no reason for Turbo to ever leave Strandfrost. He loved his job, especially lately, because he was busy playing detective. "That's not possible," I stuttered.