A Deadly Promotion

by Melanie Jones Brownrigg

  “Yes, but you see, I’m friends with Ian, the forensic expert in electronics. When the police told me to bring in your purse, I considered you might need the contents of your phone. Ian was kind enough to bring up the data on your phone and duplicate it to the burner. So, you see, you have your numbers, including mine, which I’ve added as one of your favorites.” He smiled big, showing a neat row of brilliant white teeth.

  My face lit up like a beacon. “Oh my gosh. Thank you.” I wanted to kiss the phone, but knew it would look lame. “I can’t believe you had the foresight to do this … or the connections.”

  “I’ve known Ian for a while. My job causes us to encounter each other on numerous occasions. I’m a defense attorney, and many of my previous cases have involved Ian. In fact, I was in court all day on a case involving computer hacking. Last night I was still in the building because I was going over my case notes. The State had rested, and I was reviewing my first witness’s testimony. I would’ve been here sooner, but by the time I got out of court, dropped off your purse, and picked up the phone and flowers, the time was away from me.”

  “A defense attorney,” I latched on. “Are you any good?” My face immediately flushed, embarrassed at how rude my comment must’ve sounded. “Uh … I meant do you have a list of references?”

  “I’m a great attorney,” he boasted. “But if there’s a mountain of evidence against someone who’s guilty, there’s not much I can do. However, I’m a firm believer in advocating for the best possible results. I’ve never hung any of my clients out to dry. Instead, I try to steer them into accepting the inevitable consequences for their actions and obtain the most lenient of sentences. On the other hand, if I believe in their innocence, I’ll fight to the bitter end to prove it.”

  “Would you consider representing me? I asked. When it came right down to it, I didn’t know any attorneys. Even if I’d spent the day calling around, how could I be sure of hiring a good one? At least Paul cared enough when he found me to get help and he’d stayed with me during my surgery. He’d kept up with my purse and he’d been kind enough to not only come visit me, but he’d also brought me flowers and a temporary phone.

  “I thought you’d never ask,” he teased with a cute grin. “I’d love to.”

  I swallowed hard, finding that frog back in my throat. “Paul, before you so willingly accept the challenge … there’s something I need to tell you.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Just need to check on you,” Nancy the nurse said as she returned for her evening shift. Her eyes bounced back at the guard in the hallway and I wondered how fast hospital news of my arrest had traveled. For a moment I considered lying and telling her he was here to guard my life because of the man who came in last night and tried to kill me. But then again, I wasn’t much for lying and she thought I had been hallucinating anyway.

  “I’ll just step into the hallway,” Paul offered while the nurse made notes in her chart.

  “How are you feeling?” Nancy asked, noting the heart and oxygen machines hadn’t been reconnected after I had been taken in for testing.

  “I’m tired,” I admitted, my lack of sleep catching up to me. “And maybe a little hungry.”

  “Your dinner should be here shortly. In the meantime, if you need anything, just let me know.”

  She made some notes and left. Paul’s head peeked inside. “Okay for me to come back in?”

  “Yes, please,” I answered, my nerves expanding with trepidation of what we were about to discuss.

  When he entered, he made sure the door was completely closed. Then he returned to his chair, took a seat and cleared his throat. “You were about to say something?” he said with an expectant look.

  “Yes.” For hours I should’ve been practicing what needed to be said. Instead, I felt myself searching for words, ones that didn’t enlarge my already guilty impression. “First off, what I’m about to tell you wasn’t mentioned to the detectives. They never asked me what Julie and I were discussing immediately prior to the incident. And I didn’t volunteer it.”

  “Good. That’s good. You probably shouldn’t have said anything at all to them and requested an attorney from the get-go.”

  “Well, even though I didn’t remember either of us tripping and trying to catch the other, or even someone pushing us, it never occurred to me I would be accused of murdering Julie. Actually, I was surprised when everything pointed back at me.”

  “That’s understandable,” he agreed, bobbing his head up and down. “Now, I’m going to begin by asking you the hardest question, and I know you’ve said you don’t remember what happened, but I need for you to be truly and fully honest with me. It’s vital for me to know everything to properly defend you, so don’t hold anything back. We can’t afford any surprises, or even any changes in your story. So please, consider your answers carefully.” He paused, keeping his eyes on me. “Did you push Julie, or were you instrumental in any way that resulted in her death … even an accidental shove?”

  “I understand. Right now, I don’t remember what happened. But with every fiber of my being, I know I wouldn’t have pushed Julie down those stairs. Something else had to have happened.”

  He slightly nodded his head and shifted forward in his chair. “Okay then, tell me what the two of you were discussing immediately prior to the incident.”

  My eyes closed for a moment, taking myself back in time to the end of the workday. “To begin with, Julie and I had always taken the stairs in the afternoon and walked together to our cars. I was ready to leave before Julie. When I went to wait for her in her office, she was putting something into a file in the lower drawer on the left side of her desk. In hindsight, when she first noticed me, a startled look crossed her face. It’s possible I’m reading something into her expression that wasn’t there, but now I’m wondering about it.”

  “Okay, go on,” he prompted.

  “I was anxious to leave because I was beyond tired. For at least two hours before quitting time, I was having an unusually hard time keeping my eyes open.”

  “Were you out late the night before? Or having trouble sleeping?”

  “No. And I had felt fine all day … until the last couple of hours. But honestly, it was to the point I could barely hold my head up.”

  “This is good. This is really good. If you were abnormally tired, then it’s likely you’re the one to have missed your footing. Julie must’ve grabbed at you to keep you from falling and instead, she lost her balance.”

  “Possibly, I really couldn’t say for sure.” I paused for a moment, recalling the event to the best of my ability. “No, if I lost my footing, it was probably because I was upset and not paying attention.”

  “Okay, so what happened?”

  Taking in a deep breath and trying to relax, I began. “Julie accused me of stealing money from the company. She said she’d been going through the business records and found information indicating I had syphoned a large sum for my own personal use. I was appalled she’d even think such a thought. We’d known each other for years and her accusation came at me from out of left field.”

  “Go on,” he encouraged.

  Realizing the admission was more difficult than I previously imagined, subconsciously I picked aimlessly at a loose thread on the sleeve of my gown. “Okay, well, no one has ever accused me of theft before and my immediate reaction was shock … then anger when she said the information was blatant and I hadn’t even been smart enough to cover my tracks. When I demanded to see what evidence she had, she told me I needed to discuss the issues directly with Mr. Harrington. He was the one I needed to explain myself to. My emotions ratcheted up several notches, knowing if that happened, I’d likely be fired before I even knew what hit me. This whole time, we were walking down the stairs, side-by-side, and I was totally engrossed in our argument. A tornado could’ve come up behind me and I wouldn’t have noticed.”

  “What’s the last thing you remember? Think hard.”

  “I was vehem
ently denying having done anything wrong and telling her I needed an opportunity to either explain what she was talking about, or at the very least to defend myself so I wasn’t blindsided when Mr. Harrington called me into his office. She finally agreed to show me the documentation – proof as she called it – the first thing in the morning. It was about that time when I thought I heard a grunting sound coming from behind me. The next thing I knew, I was waking up mid-landing between the 11th and 12th floors.”

  “Where was Julie?” he asked.

  “My initial impression was that I had taken a tumble and hoped, despite her anger at me, Julie had gone for help. After waiting for a while and checking the time, I thought she had been so mad at me that possibly I had tripped or she had pushed me, but either way, she had just left me there. Realizing I was on my own, I tried to stand, but when my balance was too unstable, I began scooting my way across the landing and then down the stairs. When I turned down the remaining one-half flight, I saw Julie at the bottom. My vision was blurry at the time, but I could make out a figure and the color of clothing she was wearing. I hurried the best I could to the bottom, but she was already dead. After managing to get to the elevator and then down to the lobby, I dragged myself into the hallway. A short time later, you found me.”

  “And you don’t recall anyone coming up behind you?”

  “No,” I answered again, the same as I had each time when I had been asked that same question. “At first I was too angry to notice anything and then I was trying to get Julie to show me what evidence she had. I was completely distracted … she would’ve been too.”

  “Do you think she shoved you, and then, in her panic, she raced down the stairs and accidentally fell to the bottom?” he posed.

  “I really couldn’t say,” I answered. “I suppose it’s possible. But for sure, I know I didn’t push her.”

  “Do you have any idea what theft she was referring to?”

  “No. I never took any money. My job is to issue payments when invoices come in. There was never a time when I manipulated a real invoice or made up a phony one. As far as I’m aware, every payment I ever made was legitimate and, I guarantee you, nothing ever went into my checking or savings account that didn’t belong to me.”

  “So, you have no idea what she was referring to.”

  “No. And of course I wanted to find out before I was fired and escorted from the building.”

  His phone signaled a text. He frowned and pulled it from his pocket. “Excuse me,” he apologized. After punching out a response, he turned his attention back to me. “You said Julie was only recently promoted to this position. Do you think she could’ve been completely mistaken, considering she was so new to the job?”

  “Yes, she must’ve been looking at something wrong. It’s possible there was a double entry from one of the other employees. It could be I paid an invoice presented to me as an equipment purchase and, at the same time, James Pierce also paid it with the understanding it was an equipment rental. Somewhere there must be a mistake. But I really couldn’t begin to know without seeing the documentation.” We talked for a few minutes about how the financial department was broken down into segments, with each employee dealing in a specialized area.

  His face relaxed and he leaned back in his chair. “I’ll bet you’re right. Someone must’ve incorrectly encoded an invoice and it was accidentally paid twice. Once it’s figured out, a refund will probably be issued and this whole mess will be resolved.”

  “Except for what happened to Julie,” I reminded him. “Even if there was a mistake, it’s not going to take away her death. Everyone is still going to think I lost my temper and pushed her.”

  “Yeah, but you were badly hurt. The way I see it, this case is going to boil down to pure speculation. There’s no proof you shoved her and even if there was, because of your own injuries, we can claim self-defense.” He nodded firmly at me. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

  “Even so, I didn’t steal from the company and I didn’t kill Julie. I’d like to clear my name and keep my job in the meantime.”

  Another text came across his phone. “Shit,” he cussed and picked up his phone. After banging out another response, his eyes shifted back to me. “Sorry,” he apologized. “You were saying you wanted to clear your name and keep your job. I believe the first place to begin looking is to see if there are any misappropriated funds. Perhaps someone is embezzling from the company and trying to pin it on you. I’ll find out what evidence the police have and maybe even do some digging on my own.” He pushed up his shirtsleeve and checked his watch. “It’s getting late and you look like you’re barely holding your eyes open.”

  “I am tired,” I said with a small smile. “Thank you so much for representing me, and for the flowers and the phone and keeping up with my purse and saving me.”

  He stood from his chair and gathered his jacket. Throwing it around his shoulders and stuffing his arms inside, he leaned over and said. “You’re welcome. Now get some rest.” Before he cleared the door, his phone was registering another ping. I watched as he pulled it out and began returning a text.

  As soon as the door closed, I was on the burner phone, placing a call to Amy.

  “You’re what!” she screamed into my ear. “Did you say hospital?” It took a few minutes to explain everything and then, after she finally calmed down, I was able to tell her what all had happened. “Oh Paige, you poor thing. I’ll come over and keep you company.”

  “No don’t. I haven’t slept in forever. I’d just like to get some rest.”

  “Okay, I understand. I’ll come by tomorrow and see how you’re doing.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Next, I put in a call to my mother.

  “And you’re just now calling me!” she screamed in the dramatic flair only my mother could produce. “Oh my God, honey, we’ll be right there.”

  I cringed. “Mom, it’s already late in the day and I’m beyond tired. Please, just wait until the morning.”

  “I wouldn’t hear of such a thing. Your father and I have already headed out the door. Honey, we’ll be there in a flash. You just hang in there. You hear me now. We’re on our way.”

  Click.

  And to think, I wanted a phone all day so I could call her.

  Chapter Ten

  My parents lived a good twenty minutes away. They showed up twelve minutes later.

  “Oh my God, honey, we got here as soon as we could. Are you alright dear? Can I get you anything?” This was all as my mother walked in the door.

  My dad slowly strolled in behind her. “Your mother drove,” he explained in his usual calm voice.

  “Let me fluff your pillow.” She made a beeline toward me and yanked my pillow from under my sore head, fluffed it up, and then stuffed it back under me. “There, there. That should be better.”

  “For goodness’ sake, Ellen, let the poor girl breathe.”

  “Charles, our daughter has suffered a traumatic event. She needs us right now.”

  “Mom, seriously, I’m fine.”

  She tsked. “How can you be fine? Your coworker is dead, you’ve been arrested and there’s a guard outside your door.” She screwed her face up into a tight ball. “A policeman – in a uniform – because you’ve been accused of,” she lowered her voice and whispered, “murder.” Then she looked all around the room to see if someone else might have heard her. “It’s just incomprehensible.”

  “Tell me what happened,” my dad said, plopping down in the only chair remaining in the room.

  “Yes, start from the beginning,” my mother agreed, bouncing her butt down on the end of my bed. “And don’t leave anything out.”

  Once again, I told the same story I had told several times between the doctor, the detectives and Paul … and without leaving anything out.

  “That Julie! Of all the nerve. How dare she accuse my baby of theft,” my mother griped. “She got what she deserved.” />
  “Mom!”

  “Ellen!”

  “Well, she did,” my mother argued.

  “Mom!”

  “Ellen!”

  “Oh, alright,” she acquiesced. “Of course, she didn’t deserve to die. But the nerve of her!” She sat fuming for a moment while I enjoyed the silence. “It’s too bad it was Julie though and not Lidia, or that hateful mother of hers. I never really cottoned to either of them. They both think they’re so high and mighty.”

  I couldn’t disagree with my mother on that one. Ethel and Lidia thought they ran the show at Harrington Oil & Gas. Whenever my mother came by the office so we could grab a quick lunch together, Ethel always reminded me of when my lunch hour would end. And Lidia never failed to check what time I returned.

  Then there was the time when my mother attended a surprise 50th birthday party for Mr. Harrington. Ethel told her to fetch some more napkins from the breakroom. I supposed Ethel thought my mother was helping me since I had organized the event. But it flew all over my mother and she told her to fetch them herself. From then on, there was a silent hate between the two women. Truth be told, I could barely stand Ethel or Lidia. They were both tyrants. But even so, I didn’t wish for either of them to be dead.

  “I’ll ask Leroy if he knows a good attorney,” my dad offered. Leroy was Dad’s longtime fishing buddy who was also an attorney. But Leroy’s firm specialized in personal injury, not criminal.

  “I’ve already hired someone. Paul Williams. He works in the same building as me and he’s the one who rescued me.”

  “Is he married?” my mother posed without knowing any details whatsoever about him, other than he was an attorney. My mother thought for sure I was going to end up an old maid, which apparently was at the age of thirty. I was twenty-nine and, coupled with the fact I hadn’t had a steady boyfriend in two years, my mother had gone into panic mode.