Liar: Karma Inc. Case 3

by Gillian Zane

  Big George came back and set drinks in front of us and pulled up a chair.

  “You can’t think that Pete did this?” he asked, bringing me away from thoughts of lies and adoption and picking up where he left us earlier. It was endearing that he was so sure of Pete and looked generally worried. It had been well over a year since I had died, but my death and the circumstances of it seemed to still affect the people around me. I glanced at my picture and wished I had realized what I had before it was over. I had thought I was alone. But I had been surrounded by people who cared about me. The worst thing, I had wanted to be alone.

  “He’s the most likely suspect. He’s number one on a list of one,” Drake said dryly and George frowned.

  “Detective Hollis comes in here all the time, he’s never mentioned it,” George argued.

  “He wouldn’t, George, he knows how fond you were of him. But if it wasn’t him, then who? And where is he?” Drake asked.

  “I don’t know.” George ran a hand over his face, suddenly looking older and tired. “He didn’t call in sick, he just didn’t show. He came in the day Cassandra went missing, and he was worried. He was genuinely worried because he hadn’t heard from her. Then he didn't show up for his shift the next day. It makes no sense.”

  “What did he say, when Cassandra went missing?” I asked. They both looked startled as if they had forgotten I was there.

  “He said he was supposed to meet up with her the night before, but she didn’t show. She had gone to a party and was supposed to check in with him after his shift so they could meet up,” George finally answered my question.

  “I spoke to her friend, Lauren, and she insisted Cassandra didn’t go to the party,” Drake interjected.

  “That’s funny, because Pete said that the last message he got from Cassandra was that she was at the party and was bored, with Lauren.

  “So, who’s lying?” I said, voicing my inner thoughts out loud.

  “All indications point to Pete. He intercepted her before she went to the party. Killed her. Came in for his shift, faked like he was worried about her. And then took off the next day when her body was found,” Drake said without a hint of emotion in his voice.

  “Why come in for his shift after he killed her?” George asked.

  “To misdirect. Her exact time of death couldn’t be determined because of where she was dumped.” I must have made a noise because Drake stopped talking and looked at me concerned.

  “Go on,” I said in a whisper, which all I could muster since my throat had closed up.

  "She wasn't supposed to be found so quickly. Every indication shows that he went to great lengths to hide the body. He didn't account for the gas company to be surveying the land the very next day. When the body was found and the story plastered all over the news, he left town."

  “That’s a shallow case,” George said, but the worry lines were getting deeper on his forehead.

  “It’s all I'm working with right now, the detectives are on the same path.” Drake stopped talking when a waitress came out laden with our burgers and fries. I glanced up at her and my gaze lingered. She was covered in darkness like she was currently up to no good. A cute thing. She was perky, with a long dark ponytail that hung down her back. She was a little too slender, but a crop top that flashed a bit of cleavage hinted that she was at least sporting a good push-up bra to make a little something happen.

  She set the food in front of us with a smile at George and a perky, “enjoy” over her shoulder. Then she was off to the other tables. I kept my eyes on her the entire time, trying to discover the source of her darkness. If I hadn’t been drawn to her because of the darkness I wouldn't have noticed it.

  She took the bill from the table next to us and went to the register. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She ran the card through the register after she punched in their order. Then, instead of returning the card to the folder, she brought something out of her right pocket and slipped the card into it. It was a device of some kind, small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, barely bigger than the credit card itself. She waited a few seconds then popped the credit card out of the device and slipped it into the black folder. The device was deposited back into her pocket, no one the wiser.

  By this time the check had printed from the register and she was back at the table and handing the card and check to the patrons for a signature and a tip. She was smooth. I had to give her that. Her boss was sitting only feet from her and she had pulled it off seamlessly, without any nervousness. The only reason I suspected anything was because of the black aura hanging around her.

  “What’s piqued your attention?” Drake leaned closer to me with a whisper. I looked from him to George, gauging if I should tell them about her or not.

  I decided I had better tell George. It was his restaurant. I'm sure he would want to know this girl was ripping off his customers.

  “Your waitress.” I indicated the girl and George glanced her way and then turned back to me with a questioning look. “She’s skimming cards. I saw her slip the device into her pocket.”

  George’s eyes widened but he didn’t make a scene or turn around and stare at her.

  “You saw it, the device and her using it?” he asked and I nodded. “Keep me informed on what you find out about Pete,” he said to Drake as he stood.

  “Will do,” Drake said and looked at me with narrowed eyes. “Why is there always someone getting in trouble around you?” I just shrugged as I watched George approach a table near the front door. He shook the man’s hand who was sitting there enjoying his burger. Why had he gone over there? Maybe he wanted to catch the waitress himself. Just as I had the thought, the man's suit jacket pulled in just the right way, revealing the bulge of a firearm and something gold glinted at his waist, a badge. George said something to him and the man stood and followed George to the back of the restaurant.

  “How did you spot her?” Drake asked. His look could burn a hole through my skull so he could look inside. I took a huge bite of my burger and shook my head, knowing I looked ridiculous.

  “I pay attention,” I said through a mouthful of food, knowing I sounded ridiculous.

  “Bullshit.”

  All I could do was shake my head and shrug. What did he expect of me? I let out a squeak when I felt his hand, tight and hard, on my knee, his eyes boring holes into my own.

  “C’mon, Cassidy, how did you spot her?” I couldn’t look away. I stared him down, his dark brown eyes never blinking. He could read me like a book. So why was he asking me? He obviously knew it all judging by the way he was looking at me. But still he gripped my knee, not letting me move or look away from him.

  “Her aura, I can see her aura, and it pulsed with black, which usually means they are in the middle of committing a crime, or doing something wrong,” I whispered.

  “You can see auras?” He sat back, letting my knee go. I blew a long breath out and looked anywhere but at him.

  “Yes.”

  “Can you see my aura?”

  “No, you don’t have one.”

  “Neither do you.”

  9

  Perfume

  I walked back into the office in a daze. It figured that lunch with Drake would be filled with revelations and accusations. What did it mean that he could see auras too? And why didn’t either of us have one? My mind churned with adoptions, Pete, and now shared abilities. It was too much to process. Brandon had been right; I shouldn't be digging into my past. It was too much. It should be left alone. I couldn't handle it. Not while I was supposed to be doing a job. Not when my Afterlife hung in the balance.

  As I made my way to my desk I felt eyes on me. I glanced around to find Lauren watching me. There was no animosity in her gaze for once. She regarded me with a cold reserve. She wasn’t the girl I remembered. Nothing was like I remembered. Not even the basics. I was adopted? What did that mean? Who were my parents? Why had my parents lied to me this entire time?

  I slid into my chair and sl
ipped my earbuds in. I needed to zone out and there were a few ad mocks I could work on that were perfect for zoning out with. Music and busy work were what I needed. I didn't need to obsess about the case, or my past, or Drake.

  It was a lost cause, though. It wasn’t long before my mind drifted back to lunch. Shortly after George had disappeared with the cop in the kitchen, he came out and beckoned for the waitress to join him. We never saw her reappear, or the cop. I assumed they led her out the back and placed her under arrest. George never reappeared while we were there either and the waitress who boxed up our leftovers told us our meal was comped. I was on a high as Drake brought me back to the office. My legs jittered and the world seemed brighter. I hadn’t felt this good…well, since I wrapped up the case with Phillip.

  “Did you spray some kind of perfume?” Drake had asked right before he pulled into the breezeway of my building.

  “What?” I asked, thrown off by his question.

  “You smell…different.” He pulled into the drop-off area and put the car into park, leaning in close to me and of all things smelling me.

  "Drake," I protested, leaning back and hitting the passenger window with my back.

  His eyes had gone all wide and hungry. The urge to flee battled with the urge to stop my retreat and let him catch me.

  “No perfume,” I said in a whisper. I turned my head to the side and tried to catch a whiff of myself. I didn't know what he was reacting to, but it was strange behavior, even for Drake. Every move Drake made was strange.

  He leaned back against the plush leather seats with a sound that could be mistaken for a growl and his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.

  “I’ll be in touch, Ms. Hail.”

  “Yeah. Sure.” I didn't have to be told twice. I had fled.

  “So you and Drake? You dating?” A tap on my shoulder had another squeak escaping from my lips and I almost knocked over my coffee that had been sitting there since the morning.

  I looked up at Lauren and yanked the earbuds out of my ears.

  “What?”

  “You and Drake. Dating?” She made a very unladylike motion with her fingers that simulated sexual interaction. Real mature.

  “No. God no.”

  “Why not? He’s hot. And he carries like he’s packing.” She winked.

  “He doesn’t carry a gun,” I said and then realized how stupid I was. She rolled her eyes like I was the biggest idiot ever.

  “Are you serious?”

  “I don’t think about…his package.”

  “Are you a lesbian?”

  “No, jeez.” Was she trying to piss me off? “What’s with the inquiry?” I deflected.

  “I’m just trying to figure out what you’ve got going with him.” She draped an arm over the top of my cubicle like she was staying awhile.

  “I hired him to find someone.”

  “Who?” she asked.

  “It’s personal.” I didn't want to talk about this.

  “Cassandra?”

  I didn’t respond. She took my lack of response for confirmation.

  “She’s dead,” she said quietly.

  “I know that.”

  “What’s your connection with her anyway, in the million years I knew her, never once mentioned a Cassidy.”

  I didn’t respond, not able to come up with a good enough lie that Lauren would buy. She frowned and narrowed her eyes, taking my silence for defiance.

  “Nothing’s going to bring her back. You should just leave it alone.”

  “I tried. Drake’s persistent.”

  “That he is,” she replied and straightened up as Lori Kay came wandering by, the look on her face revealing that she was trying to overhear what we were talking about but didn’t want to make it too obvious.

  “Working hard, ladies?” she said in an annoyingly perky voice.

  “Always.” Lauren smiled and if looks could kill, Lori Kay would be pushing up daisies.

  “Charles expects that TV ad schedule for Jennings by end of day, you know that right?” Lori Kay asked Lauren.

  “What are you, Charles’ enforcer now?” Lauren sneered.

  “He trusts me to get things done, Lauren.” Lori Kay turned her sights to me and smiled like I was supposed to take her side on this.

  “You get a lot of things done for him, don’t you, Lori Kay?” Lauren snickered and Lori Kay went pale.

  “I don’t know what you’re implying, Lauren, but it's very inappropriate. I'm married.” Lori Kay’s voice had gone up a few octaves. “Is that what you two are doing here, making up rumors about me? That so figures. If you can’t outperform me, make up nasty rumors.” She glared at us both and stalked off. Lauren broke out in a fit of laughter, not waiting until Lori Kay was out of earshot.

  “Bet you’d rather be back up on the VIP floor,” she said as she walked away. I couldn't figure out if she had done that to show me Lori Kay could be stood up to, or to cement my position as an enemy to a female who practically ran this department because of her pull with Charles. Either way I was screwed. I hoped my little ploy with the hidden cameras played out before I crashed and burned.

  10

  Dirk Delivers

  “Damn, were you right about the copy room.” The IT guy caught me in the hall coming out of the bathroom like he had been stalking me. Wonder if there were cameras in there? That was rather creepy to think about.

  “Was I?” I said, glancing over my shoulder to see if there was anyone around.

  “OMG, yeah!” He actually spelled out O M G like a teenage girl. It was cute. “C’mon, you gotta see this.” He led me down the hall and to the darkened rooms that were the IT department. He typed something into his keypad and a screen popped up. I should have blushed, but instead I smiled. This was all I needed to close this case.

  “This is live. When I saw this, I had to find you and show you.”

  "Live? They're there right now?"

  I didn’t think Charles was even in the office, but there he was with his pants at his ankles and Lori Kay kneeling in front of him. She was taking him down like a champ. The picture was even clear enough to make out a cute little cherry tattoo on her upper thigh, clearly seen since her skirt was raised up to her ass, the bottom of her pink thong revealed for the camera.

  “What should I do with this?” The IT guy looked at me like I had all the answers.

  “Do you like Charles?”

  “He’s a dick.”

  “Lori Kay?”

  “She’s kind of hot, in a mom way. But really bitchy.”

  “You think it would get a lot of views on your page?”

  “I’d have to post this shit total anon,” he said. “Couldn’t trace it back to me.”

  “Who else would have access to the vid?” I asked, knowing he would get busted either way.

  “The whole IT department, that’s about ten of us.”

  “Maybe not a good idea to post it online, but maybe show it to a few people. They gotta see this,” I said, my eyes drawn back to the screen as Charles was obviously finishing up.

  Lori Kay stood and straightened her clothes with quick efficient movements as Charles lounged back on the copy paper, looking like he had been smacked. He reached for her, and she let him pull her closer. We watched as he reached under her skirt and tried to take things further.

  Lori Kay slapped his hand away and said something to him which I couldn't catch. Charles looked pleadingly at Lori Kay, but she left him, dick still in his hand. She had satisfied him, but not really.

  "That's cold," IT guy said, eyes on the screen.

  "Typical Lori Kay." I rolled my eyes.

  “You’re right, I can't post this online, but I gotta show this to Kranston at least,” he laughed.

  “Can you send it to his phone? Like from some anon number?” I asked.

  “Oh yeah, that's child’s play. But he'll know it's me. He and I go drinking sometimes.”

  "But if he passes it on, the original will be anon, so no
harm no foul."

  "I might send it to a few people," he laughed.

  “You’re so bad, Dirk.” I put a hand on his shoulder and he looked at me with the same kind of smacked look Charles had given Lori Kay.

  “You know my name is Bill, right?”

  “Of course,” I laughed and he sagged under my touch. “But I like to call you Dirk.”

  “Yeah, I like when you call me Dirk.”

  11

  Big Fat Liar

  I expected the vid to get around the office as quickly as the news of Phillip’s demise had, but it didn’t. I even tried to chat Kranston up to see if he’d reveal what was flashing around on his phone, but nothing, he was working his tail off. Everyone was still in crisis mode. I left the building at the end of the day feeling disappointed and like I had failed. Even worse, another one of my reports had come back all messed up, along with Lauren’s ad schedule. My days were numbered. I even tried to show my originals to Charles, the ones with the right numbers. He didn't want any part of it. All that mattered was the shared file.

  "Why would anyone mess up your file, Cassidy? I'm just hearing excuse after excuse. Miriam was wrong. You aren't cut out for this position."

  When I left his office, Lauren was waiting outside, next in line for her ass chewing. She looked pissed. I couldn't blame her; my feelings weren't sparkly or happy either.

  “Good luck,” I mouthed to her and she flipped me off. I hated this place. I needed to get the hell out of here. My high from lunch hadn’t worn off yet, so I was still in good spirits, even though the vid hadn’t panned out. Maybe Kranston had deleted it. Or Bill hadn’t shared yet.

  My phone chirped in my pocket as I was leaving the elevator. There was an incoming call from an unknown number.

  “Hello.”