“Thanks, I will.”
Pennington raised a hand and gestured for someone to come and take his order. He ordered a double order of fries and a triple decker burger with cheese sauce on everything, together with a beer.
“You ordering?” Pennington asked Keaton and the other man.
“No, I’m good. You?” Keaton asked the investigator.
“Just some coffee, thanks.”
When the waitress had gone, Pennington sat forward on his chair and stared at Keaton.
“How did you find me?”
“You were hiding?” Keaton asked, avoiding the direct question.
Pennington grinned and Keaton got a glimpse of what he must look like when he wasn’t jet-lagged. Yeah, the guy had a certain charm, which was obviously what had appealed to Tami. That and the fact they’d been working together for what she’d believed was the common good would have made him all the more likable as far as someone like her was concerned. An unexpected anger boiled up deep from inside Keaton and he forced himself to tamp it down. Pennington would get his just deserts.
“You could say that. I might have pissed off a few people.”
Keaton smiled in return, remembering Hima’s comment about trapping a rat by being like one. “That’d be the Our People, Our Homes board and management, I imagine.”
“Oh, you heard about that?”
Pennington cast a considering look at Keaton and looked uncomfortable for a moment. As if he was debating getting up and leaving. But Keaton kept his expression as bland as he could.
“I have my spies,” Keaton said with a conspiratorial smile. “Nice work on that one.”
The words tasted like sawdust in his mouth but they did the trick and Pennington relaxed in his seat again. A smug expression formed on his face.
“Yeah, that was a good one. With some interesting side benefits along the way,” Pennington said with another grin, this one definitely heavy on the sleaze.
Side benefits? Was that how Pennington had viewed his relationship with Tami? Keaton forced himself not to make two fists and give the guy what he had coming to him.
“So, the side benefit. That would have been the woman you worked with?”
“Yeah. Nice enough, good body, but a bit too heavy on the good works and kindness for my liking. I prefer my women with a bit of mean in them.”
“But mean is less malleable and a whole lot less trusting, right? You wouldn’t have been able to fool a woman unless she trusted you.”
“Sure, sure. Tami was a sweetheart. Enough to make your teeth rot, to be honest.”
Again Keaton had to fight the urge to smash the guy into the next century. The way he spoke about Tami, the way he denigrated her. She deserved so much better than that.
“So she knew nothing about what you were doing?”
“Nah, of course not. If she’d had any idea she’d have gone straight to the police. What’s it to you, anyway? That doesn’t have anything to do with us.”
“True, I was just wondering if you’d had help pulling that off. If you had, I’d be withdrawing my offer. I don’t want someone who needs someone else to make them successful. So tell me, with all you took from that charity you’d have been nicely set up in Nauru. What made my offer so attractive to you?”
Pennington shrugged. “Money is money, right? Can’t ever have enough.”
“And you have no scruples about how you get it?”
“None whatsoever.”
The creep even looked proud of that fact.
“Sounds like you’re just the kind of man I thought you were,” Keaton said sardonically.
“I’m the man you want for the job, that’s for sure. You give me those banking passwords and I can work wonders. Even split between the three of us, you said?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Keaton saw Hima and his partner rise from the table near them and walk over to Pennington. Hima put his hand firmly on Pennington’s shoulder.
“Mark Pennington?”
“Hey, what’s this?”
Pennington tried to rise from his seat but was firmly pushed back down by Hima, who was removing a set of cuffs from his belt.
“I’m arresting you in relation to the theft of two and a half millions dollars from the Our People, Our Homes charity.” He continued to read Pennington his rights then helped him from the chair.
Pennington turned to Keaton, his face feral. “You bastard! This was a setup?”
“It was,” Keaton said with no small amount of satisfaction. “And your disgusting greed allowed you to fall for it hook, line and sinker.”
Hima’s partner began to escort Pennington to the front door, the other officers following in support. Hima stayed back a moment.
“Richmond, thanks for your help, and you, too, Jones.” He shook both men’s hands. “Let me get that gear off you and I’ll be on my way.”
Hima helped remove the wire from under Keaton’s clothing.
“What’s going to happen to him?” Keaton asked.
“He’ll be charged and held pending a hearing. He’s a flight risk so bail will be set high. A lot higher than what he’ll have access to, anyway.”
“And the money?”
“Steps are being taken to recover it as we speak. Eventually it’ll be returned to the charity, but that’ll take a while.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear it,” Keaton said.
After thanking Jones, he called a ride and traveled back to his apartment. By the time he arrived there, he was still pumped from the encounter. While not having actively enjoyed himself, there was an echoing sense of satisfaction in knowing he’d helped bring that thieving piece of work to justice. He hoped they threw the book at him. Stealing was bad enough, but stealing from a charity? That took a whole new level of low. And the way Pennington had unscrupulously used Tami was a burr under Keaton’s skin. She deserved better than that. At least he’d helped clear her name with Our People, Our Homes.
That brought him to wondering how the charity would be able to continue to function without its operating capital until it was returned. He had no idea how long that would take. At least he knew that Tami would be cleared of any involvement. Pennington’s words had fully exonerated her. And she’d know in due course. The police would be able to officially strike her from the investigation.
He wondered if that meant she’d stand a chance of getting a job back with them. Yes, she had breached their security process but it hadn’t been a willful act and the funds would be returned, eventually. Maybe he could find out. Not that it was his business, but he wanted it to be. And he wanted to ensure that the charity didn’t miss out, either. From his mother’s work he knew how hard it was for these organizations to remain afloat unless they received grants. An idea began to percolate and he reached for his phone. It was time to pull out the big guns. His mom would know exactly what to do.
* * *
Tami set down the skein of lime-green yarn she’d offered to knit up for Keaton with a heart that felt as though it was made of lead. Try as she might, she couldn’t bring herself to knit it up into a puppy jacket, despite that being her original intention. Keaton would have looked cute in one of her beanies, especially lime-green, she thought with a poignant smile.
Beside her, her mobile phone began to chirp. She recognized the number on the screen immediately. Our People, Our Homes. Who would be calling her from there, and why? She answered the call, surprised to hear the voice of the chairperson of the board on the other end.
“Tami, is that you?”
“Yes, Philippa. What can I do for you?”
“Well, actually this call is more about what we can do for you. First up, now that due processes have been followed with the investigation into yourself and Mark Pennington, we have reconsidered the termination of your employment.”
“Reconsidered?
We both know I was in breach of my employment and user agreements when I let Mark use my laptop.”
The other woman made a shushing sound on the other end of the phone.
“That’s true, your judgment regarding Mark Pennington was flawed, as was ours. However, we’ve received information from the police that clears you of any involvement in planning the theft of our operating funds.”
“Seriously? That’s fantastic!” Tami couldn’t believe her ears. “How? What happened? Have you got the money back?”
Her questions tumbled one over the other and she heard Philippa laugh.
“I see you’re still the same. It’s good to know. We’ve missed you here. In answer to your questions, Mark was arrested three days ago and charged with theft. He’s in custody. His statement to the police has cleared you from any wrongdoing.”
“He came back? Why?”
“They didn’t go into the exact details with me but they did say he was lured back in a sting operation. He had an ego, that man. He thought he could make it into the country and out again without the warrant for his arrest being activated.”
“An offer?”
“Look, I don’t know all the details, but suffice to say he’s where he belongs, behind bars, and let’s hope they keep him there for a very long time. Now, as to your last question, no, we don’t have the money back, but we’ve been assured that after due process most of it will be returned to us. In the meantime, we’ve been granted a windfall from another source.”
“How much of a windfall?”
“Five million dollars.”
“Five—”
Tami’s voice choked on the rest as emotion began to overwhelm her. She blinked back the tears that burned in her eyes. This was incredible. What they could do with this would make such a difference to so many people. But then she remembered, she was no longer a part of Our People, Our Homes. She would be forced to watch from the sidelines rather than be a true participant in the many great projects they could fund with this much money.
“It was totally unexpected,” Philippa continued, “but there was one condition attached to it.”
“A condition?”
“That you be reinstated to your previous position. Obviously that would be without the banking access you previously held, but your role would essentially still be the same.”
Tami stiffened. Who would make such a stipulation, and why? Having been used not once but twice, recently, Tami was wary of the offer.
“Who made the donation?” she asked carefully.
“We don’t know. It’s been handled by a legal firm and the donor does not wish their name to be known. We’re not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, however, so I would like to formally and officially invite you back, Tami.”
Would they have invited her back if that condition hadn’t been attached to the donation? she wondered. She’d accepted they had to fire her before, when she’d looked guilty, but this offer to return being tied to a large donation put her between a rock and a hard place. She didn’t want to go back if it meant her earlier mistake would mean they’d constantly be monitoring her over her shoulder. Trust, once broken, was hard to win back, as she knew only too well.
And then there was her trust fund to consider. She’d been considering transferring it to Our People, Our Homes, anyway. She didn’t need the money and she’d always wanted to do good with it rather than spend it on things that had no meaning to her. Just because she’d been exonerated from involvement with Mark’s deception hadn’t changed her desire to put that money to use where it would be most helpful.
“Tami?” Philippa prompted.
“I’d like to take a few days to think it over, if you don’t mind.”
“I understand,” Philippa said. “Will you call me as soon as you’ve made your decision?”
“Of course.”
Tami ended the call. She had a lot of thinking to do.
Thirteen
This was the kind of work that left her most fulfilled, Tami realized as she helped serve at the shelter she’d continued to volunteer at three nights a week. This was hands-on genuine support. All the administration she used to do had its purpose, but here she could really see and feel the difference she could make to someone else’s life.
It was as different to her role at Richmond Developments as chalk was from cheese, and she didn’t have to dress up in ridiculously expensive suits, either. Still, it had felt good, sometimes, to make that extra effort, especially when she’d seen a gleam of approval in Keaton’s eyes. She clamped down on that thought as quickly as it hovered in the periphery of her mind. She couldn’t allow herself to go down that road. She’d been doing so well in terms of getting on with her life. And, while she hadn’t made her decision yet about whether or not to return to her role at Our People, Our Homes, she’d managed to keep busy with her volunteer work. By day she’d helped at the animal shelter, losing her heart to each and every abandoned dog or cat who’d been brought in. It was a no-kill shelter, but even so it was still, at times, heartbreaking work. And her evenings were either spent here or at home furiously working her needles and yarn into garments to donate.
But Tami knew all of this was merely a stopgap. She’d have to make a decision soon. She focused her attention back to passing out bread rolls to go with the stew that was on offer for dinner tonight. It was simple fare, but hearty. Tami smiled at the man in front of her. She only knew him as George, and knew he slept in doorways at night. Recently, he’d developed a hacking cough that worried her deeply. He’d refused medical help, but she was determined to try again to persuade him to attend a clinic. She was about to say something, but all of a sudden she felt a shift in the air. Several heads turned to the newcomer at the door.
All the hairs on the back of Tami’s neck stood to attention and she slowly followed everyone’s gaze. Keaton. She blinked, as if, after thinking about him and conjuring him out of thin air, she thought she could rid herself of his image on her retinas, but no, there he was and he was walking toward her.
“Expecting company?” George asked.
“No, I’m not.”
“Looks like he’s here to see you,” the old man said with a raspy chuckle that set him off on another bout of coughing.
“George, you really need to let me take you to the clinic to get that cough seen to.”
“Nah, I’ll be fine.”
He took his tray and turned away from her to join a group at one of the tables. Tami watched him as he settled down to eat. At least he still had an appetite, she observed. She turned back to the line of people waiting to be served and was shocked to see Keaton standing square in front of her.
“Why haven’t you taken your old job back?” he demanded.
“What? No ‘hello’? ‘How are you, Tami?’” she responded and directed her attention to the young girl standing next to him and offered her a roll.
“Tami, please. Answer the question.”
Slowly, it dawned on her that he must be behind the five million dollar donation. But why? A whole lot of questions burned on her tongue but she couldn’t deal with this right now.
“I’m busy right now. If you want to talk to me, see if you can find yourself something to do and when my shift is ended, if you can wait that long, we’ll talk.”
“Fine,” he answered in a clipped tone. “What can I do?”
Tami looked around, spying a small family who’d appeared with the newcomers this evening. They were seated against the wall, as if trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.
“Over there,” she said, and nodded. “Jerome and his daughters need a hand. He can’t feed both of them and himself at the same time. Go help him.”
She was surprised when Keaton did just that.
“Miss, may I have a roll, please?”
An older lady, whose well-fitting fine woolen coat sug
gested she may have known better times, interrupted her and drew her attention back to her duty here. It grew busier from then on and it wasn’t until the kitchen closed and she’d gone out back to help with the cleanup that she thought about Keaton again. When she came back into the main room, there he still was sitting by Jerome and with a sleeping one-year-old nestled in his arms. A group of men and women had gathered around them, all listening intently to whatever it was he was saying, but the instant he looked up and saw her standing in the kitchen doorway he said something to Jerome and handed off the baby back to her daddy.
Tami watched him as he walked toward her and she felt a frisson of awareness track down her spine. There was a lean, confident, animal grace to the way he moved and she wasn’t the only one noticing it. There were appreciative glances from several of the people there.
“Are you free to talk now?” he asked.
“Thank you for staying with Jerome. It’s his first night at the shelter. His wife died of influenza this winter and he lost his job because he had to stay home and care for the kids. And with the loss of his job they lost their accommodation, too. The baby, Lucy, has asthma and he’s terrified she’ll get sick.”
“Do you know everything about all the people here?” he asked, cocking his head slightly.
“It’s my business to know their business, Keaton. How can I best help them if I don’t understand where they’re coming from?”
“Good point. And, as to Jerome, I’ve offered him work on a small local restoration project that Logan’s team is managing. Did you know he’s a cabinetmaker by trade? He showed me photos of some of his work on his phone. We’re always looking for craftsmen of his caliber. There’s a reputable day-care facility nearby where he can leave the girls and I’ve offered him an advance on wages so he can secure accommodation for them all somewhere near to the project.”
She was stunned. All that in one evening?
“Did he accept?”
“He did—he seemed excited about it. From what he’s saying, it’s the first time in a long time they’ve had something to look forward to.” He looked back at Jerome, who was talking and smiling with the people around him. “I see what you mean about not just throwing money at a situation. You were right. People need the opportunity to take ownership of their lives.”
Scandalizing the CEO--A Workplace Romance Page 15
