“That’s not exactly what happened, Steph. Can I call you Steph?”
Stepping up the friendship. Good move. Now for the thing we hoped would open her up.
“No, actually I didn’t get the order. I got something better. When I met the owner he came onto me immediately. Oh, he’s married, but he’s so sexy I couldn’t resist. Anyway, he set me up in a condo, pays for everything and all he asks is that I be there when he wants me and that I do favors for him once in a while.”
Bull’s-eye! Recognition flashed in Stephanie’s eyes. Oh, yeah. Someone was definitely pulling her strings and buying her those designer clothes in exchange for what? Information on raids?
25
UNFORTUNATELY, SHE changed the subject right when I thought we were making headway. Was it my imagination, or did she give me a strange look before saying, “I know what Kate and Kim do for a living, so now it’s your turn, Cameron. Are you in sales, too?”
Why didn’t I just take the easy way out and say she was right? No. I had to get creative, inviting a whole stream of questions that took us away from the main discussion—the real reason we were there. Sometimes I hate that somewhere deep down I must have a frustrated actress gene in me.
Without taking so much as a quick breath, I said, “I don’t think I’d be very good at that. I’m a freelance musician, but I have a good reputation in the industry.”
What a totally dumb move! I know next to nothing about the musician-for-hire industry and less about instruments. I hoped it would end there. Where the hell did that come from, anyway?
If hopes were dollars, I’d really be rolling in dough. No such luck. For some reason, she was clearly evaluating me, and wanted to know more about my supposed career as a musician. I almost lost it when she asked what instrument I played and what kind of jobs I got. Was I a sessions musician on recordings, or what? As she went on and on, it sounded like she knew more about it than I ever would. All I could think was open mouth, insert foot, you fool!
I hesitated, searching for words. Then a miracle rained down on me and I remembered one of my neighbors on the Canal. As glib as you please, I said, “Oh, I play the violin—concerts, you know. I get calls to play with the LA Philharmonic and other orchestras. I’ve done movies, too.” Too much information. Bound to inspire another stream of questions.
Before Stephanie could keep her probe going, Kate took the lead and saved me.
“Stephanie, you don’t want to get her going, or we’ll be sitting through the equivalent of a Music 101 lecture the rest of the night.”
She gave me a pointed look that silently said, “Shut up.”
Then she lowered her voice. A great technique to make it seem we were sharing secrets, but really intended to open Stephanie up even more so she would give us more information.
“Um, you mentioned that you have to do favors for this friend. I don’t know what your favors are, but mine are definitely X-rated. My guy is sooo sexy I don’t even look at it as doing him favors. It’s more like he’s doing me favors, if you know what I mean. Are we kindred souls, or what?” She flashed a wicked smile.
Stephanie consumed enough wine by then that she was really feeling good and apparently had dropped wanting to know more about me. Thank goodness! She sat back, her eyes slightly droopy but somewhat indignant at the same time.
“Well, I don’t know about you Kate. You’re a big girl and it sounds like you enjoy your affair and what comes with it as much as he does. Mine is more of a business arrangement, I guess. We just talk about what I do at work and he tells his contact what I say.” She quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
“Oh no, look at me talking about stuff I shouldn’t. Forget I said that. Yours is a much more interesting arrangement. To tell the truth, I envy you a little. My friend is an older guy, but hot. I’m attracted to him, but he doesn’t seem to see me that way. Any suggestions?”
Kate picked up the thread giving her a quick visual once-over. “For one thing, you’re a beautiful woman. When you get together with this guy, do you ever wear—you know, provocative clothes? Have to show off your assets, you know. When he comes over, do you wear things like that cool camisole you’re wearing to show off your cleavage?”
Our pigeon reached up and fingered her neckline self-consciously, and I knew Kate had nailed it. With a bit of a slur in her words, she said, “Nooo, but I probably should.”
She did have an impressive cleavage.
“Exactly. Now, your hair,” Kate continued. “Always wear it loose, and for heaven’s sake, those are great jeans, but consider going a size too small to really show off your booty. Better yet, invest in a short skirt or a flirty dress. Pretty soon he’ll be thinking more about you than what you did at work.”
And so the conversation went. By the time the evening was over our slightly drunken Stephanie treated us like we were trusted friends. More important, I was sure she was the leak, and by looking at Kate and Kim I could tell they agreed. Whatever information she talked about with her benefactor ultimately was fed to someone with very powerful connections. Nate would be delighted to learn this, even though he’d warned us about getting too involved.
The only thing that bothered me—well maybe annoyed is more the word—was that while she seemed to relate to Kate and Kim, she kept giving me strange looks. As she became higher and higher, she didn’t take measures to disguise them. What had I done to arouse her suspicion, if that’s what it was? I thought I’d covered pretty well with the musician story and although I might have slipped up a little, I figured she was too far gone to notice. Maybe I was kind of paranoid.
I made a pot of coffee when we got back to my house—something we could all use by then. We took our cups out onto the patio to enjoy what was left of the evening. What a night. We don’t have the same city glow in Venice as the main parts of Los Angeles, and the black night sky was studded with stars that twinkled like diamonds on black velvet. A few people walked along the canal, but no one I recognized. Possibly tourists. It was a beautiful night for walking, just cool enough with a little bit of salt in the air from the nearby ocean. However, we had more important things on our mind than taking a leisurely stroll.
I was a little taken back by the tone of Kate’s voice. “A freelance musician? What were you thinking? Your real name! Didn’t you get the signal when I gave a phony name? Oh well, hopefully it’s okay, but I didn’t like the way she switched the conversation to you.”
Thinking about it, she was right. It was a dumb move on my part. I’d have to be more careful as we progressed. Kim agreed to call Nate the next morning and tell him what we’d learned. She would also have a meeting with the Director away from the facility to maintain her cover, because she was supposed to be done with the interviews.
I told myself it did feel good to have something to take my mind off of what could be going on at my office.
Did I say take my mind off of it? Who was I kidding? Nothing was going to distract me enough not to be damned worried. I’d worked hard to build what I have, and now although I put up a tough front, inside I was concerned about what kind of retribution those jerks might be plotting.
Just before nine, Kate said she had to shoot off some emails, Kim was feeling the wine, and me, well I was just plain freaking out inside about my own problems.
26
I SWEAR I WAS GOING to try to get some sleep when I went upstairs, but the next thing I knew I pulled on some jeans and a tee-shirt and drove to Century City alone like I was on automatic pilot. I did consider asking Kate and Kim to come with me, but decided not to. A half hour later I parked in our underground parking lot. Our building is secure and there is always a guard on duty in the lobby twenty-four hours a day. That night it was a middle-aged fellow named Gary.
He greeted me with a smile. “Hey, Miss Harsen. How ya doin’ tonight? Kinda late for you to be working, isn’t it?”
I smiled back as I signed in—even if we are tenants, people entering after-hours are required to
sign in. However, if we work late we don’t have to sign out, because of course, we weren’t signed in to begin with.
“Wouldn’t you know it. I forgot something important when I left today. Won’t be too long. See ya in a bit.”
Some of the elevators are closed off at that hour, so I had to wait a little longer than normal. Then the Up arrow on one turned green and I entered the car. On one hand I hoped no one would be there for me to confront, but I couldn’t shake the bad vibes I felt. On the other hand, a hundred thoughts ran through my mind. If I did catch someone, what would I do? What if it was just some innocent cleaning staff? In that case, I’d probably make a lame excuse for being there, possibly shuffle a few papers to make it look like I really did forget something, and then, as the saying goes, “Get the Hell out of Dodge.”
I didn’t even want to consider the danger if someone actually was in there and up to no good. Logically, the possibility definitely existed that it would come to nothing and no one. But the premonition I had said the opposite. It was a strange heaviness that left me feeling something bad was about to happen.
As the elevator ascended to my floor I wished I had asked Kate and Kim to come, but the decision was such a spur of the minute impulse I didn’t want to worry them. I don’t know what it is with these spurts of intuition, but sure enough when I got to my office I decided to try the door before taking out my key. After all, they always do that in the movies. It was unlocked.
I pushed the door open and slowly stepped into the reception area. I was so scared, I hadn’t even realized I was holding my breath until I heard the hum of a vacuum cleaner in one of the back offices.
I can’t tell you how relieved I was to see our regular cleaner Ramon Garcia and his helper Marisol hard at work.
We had seen each other several times when I was working late, so I knew he was okay. “Buenos noches, Señora Harsen,” Ramon said with a wide grin, flicking off the vacuum.
“Hello, Ramon. I just forgot something in my office and thought I’d pick it up since I was in the area.”
He looked puzzled. “Was it not you in here earlier? When Marisol and I came, the door she was not locked. At first we thought we hear someone else inside, but there was no one. I was surprised to see so many papers spread on the floor around your desk, because you are always so neat. So, I pick them up and put in a pile on the desk. I hope that is not a problem.”
“It wasn’t me, Ramon. Are you sure it was unlocked? And, did I hear you right? There were papers all over the floor?”
“Si. No necessito mis llaves—um, not necessary to use my keys. I am sorry if I disturb your papers.”
“No, it’s no problem. Has this ever happened before?”
He thought for a moment. “One time only, Señora. Last week. I thought maybe you work late and step out for a break when the door is unlocked.”
I thanked him and went into my own office where I sunk into my chair and placed my head in my hands with my eyes closed. My heart still raced like an engine being revved. I hadn’t been wrong. Someone had access to my office and obviously they were looking for something. I assumed whatever it was, they hadn’t found it, since this wasn’t the first time. I definitely had to alert security. A thousand questions tumbled through my mind. Had one of my employees shared their key and the security code with someone? Maybe one of the security officers was paid off to let someone into the office. What the Hell was going on, anyway? Was the door left unlocked because Ramon surprised them?
I shuffled through the stack of papers Ramon placed on my desk. They were all from a file of prospective clients I keep in a drawer in my desk. The drawer was not completely closed. I made a mental note to call Maggie in the morning and ask her to have locks installed on all of my file drawers. She was so efficient, I could trust it would be done. As far as I could tell, nothing was missing. However, one thing I was pretty sure of was that some way, somehow, Reid and Cunningham were involved in these office invasions.
Kate and Kim were fast asleep when I got home. A slight breeze had kicked up and branches from the tree on my patio scraped against the glass making an eerie sound. I hadn’t felt so jumpy since the FACR days. Maybe it was my active imagination, but visions of someone invading the house plagued me. I double checked all of the doors and windows before turning in.
I have to admit, I didn’t get much sleep that night. Every time I dropped off, another bizarre scenario invaded my dreams. In one I was running full speed toward the edge of a cliff, chased by the Road Runner of all things. Everyone knows that character always winds up smashed some way or other in the cartoons. In another, Tyler Cunningham was made up to look like the Joker in Batman. He laughed hysterically as he tore my office apart, dumped all of my files, then advanced toward me with fists raised.
27
IAWOKE WITH A START, threw off my covers and sat bolt upright in bed drenched in a cold sweat. This was getting to be a habit and it was one I didn’t like one bit. A quick glance at the clock on my nightstand told me it was only seven o’clock. I must have looked like a disaster with huge dark circles under my eyes from my lack of sleep. I needed a nice steaming cup of strong, black coffee. To my surprise Kate was already bustling around the kitchen, and at that moment I envied her. She had no right to look so gorgeous and put-together at this early hour. But she did.
“Wow, Cami. Rough night?”
I plunked into a chair and laid my head down on the table.
Kate poured me a very welcome cup of coffee. I wrapped my hands around the warm cup, and lifted it to inhale the aroma. She placed her hand on my shoulder.
“Hey, is it that bad? Come on. Did something happen? Tell me what’s going on. I was so tired last night, I don’t remember anything after putting on my PJs and lying down to read a book. The next thing I knew the sun was streaming through the window and the book had fallen on my face. I can’t believe I slept like that all night without moving.”
I tried to sort out my thoughts. Where to start?
I took a deep breath and said, “I don’t know. I just had this premonition something bad was about to happen at my office, so I drove there after you guys were in bed. I found my office door unlocked. It took everything in me to go in, and what did I find? The cleaning people.”
She looked me straight in the eye. “You’re letting this paranoia take over. See, you could have saved yourself a trip. When Kim comes down, let’s have a brainstorm session and—“
“Wait,” I interrupted. “That isn’t all. I wasn’t wrong or paranoid. Someone was in my office and must have been surprised by the cleaning crew. Ramon, he’s the lead guy, told me there were papers strewn all over my floor. I checked and they were from a file I keep on prospective clients. Not only that, but he said this isn’t the first time this happened. I guess he thought I was messy.”
A nervous giggle escaped. “They’re out for me, Kate. I know they are. It might even be Reid more than Cunningham. As I recall, that man hates to lose and will go to lengths to get even. I’m really worried because I just don’t know what the next move will be. I’m having locks put on all my file drawers, but that won’t stop them from getting in. Even if I have the door locks changed and pick a new security code, without knowing who has been giving out information and a maybe even copy of my key it won’t stop. I hate the thought that someone who works for me is doing this, but I figure it has to either be one of my people or someone in building security. And, if that’s the case, even converting to a numerical keypad for entry won’t stop it.”
My friend tapped her index finger on her chin—a thing she does sometimes when she’s thinking. “Are you sure it isn’t the cleaning crew?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “Pretty sure. Ramon really seemed concerned and I don’t think he would be involved, but I’d bet money that someone is being paid for the information. Paid by Reid or Cunningham. Most likely Cunningham.”
28
WE SAT THERE FOR AN hour or so, the two of us, talking about possibilitie
s of where I could turn for help. Kate had just poured me another cup of coffee when Kim came down.
“Hey, guys, why so serious? It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day. I spoke to Nate, and as we suspected he was a mixture of upset that we went against what he said, but happy with what we found out about Stephanie Kagel. I wonder if she had a hangover this morning. Can’t wait to tell Director Kincaid he was right about her being the mole. Of course, they’ll have to do more checking, but I’m sure they’ll find she’s getting paid for information.”
Kim took a cup from the cabinet and poured herself some coffee. “So, what’s the scoop? Why the long faces?”
It was as though Kate and I were both waiting for the other one to speak. Finally I blurted out, “I went back to my office last night. Someone is definitely getting in after hours and going through things.” I proceeded to fill her in on the details.
Meanwhile, Kate, ever the hostess even when it wasn’t her home, had taken a carton of eggs out of the fridge along with some mushrooms, onions. peppers and cheese. “Let’s not talk about this on an empty stomach. I’ll make one of my killer omelets.”
I cannot tell you how grateful I was that my friends were with me. If I was alone, I’d probably be freaking out by now. “Since you’re the chef this morning,” I said, “there are some bagels in the freezer. You just have to nuke them for twenty seconds to defrost them, and then you can use the toaster oven.”
Kim reached across the table and took my hand. “Look, we’re here. We’ll figure something out. After all, we always do. I have an hour or so before I have to leave to meet the Director. Let’s finish breakfast and go into the living room and watch the news. You know, take your mind off your own problems while you hear what a mess the world is in.”
Payback Page 10
