A Deadly Promotion

by Melanie Jones Brownrigg

  “This can’t be good. This can’t be good,” he muttered over and over to himself.

  The distance closed between him and Lisa. What had she said? What did she even know about him? He felt a sense of panic, urging him to run and hide, disappear from the face of the earth. Sweat popped up across his forehead and his hands turned clammy. With each step he felt his throat closing in.

  “David,” Lisa said in greeting as she met up with him.

  “What’s this about? Why have we been called in for questioning?”

  “Paige accused me of stealing from the company and hiding cameras in her apartment and office.”

  “Do you know why I’m here?” David asked, fully expecting the police had a video of him killing a stuffed bear.

  “Who knows?” she answered in a huff. “All they had as evidence was a video of me and Angela together in the reception area of the office. I work there. I’m entitled to go in on the weekend. Big whoop.” She rolled her eyes. “And the check on the company theft was made out to Paige Davis. I told the detective he must be blind if he couldn’t figure out where the funds went. My God, the name on check ought to be a clue.” She rolled her whole head this time.

  “That’s all they had?” David made sure.

  “That was it,” she clarified. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks,” David said, watching Lisa go on down the hallway. He took in a huge breath and stepped inside the detective’s office.

  After a few pleasantries, David was asked to move to a small table and watch a video. It was a snippet of David running through the company’s lobby area and him landing under the reception desk.

  “This video was recorded last Saturday,” Detective Sutton remarked when the segment ended. “It was also the same day someone was on Paige Davis’s old computer. Please explain why you were hiding under a desk.”

  “Uh …” David shifted uncomfortably in his chair, unable to look the detective in the eye. “I had anticipated Paige coming into the office to catch up on some work. This is so embarrassing.” He coughed, almost choking on his own saliva. “I like Paige, but I’m … shy. It was my plan to surprise her around lunchtime with some of my famous homemade chili. Then I was going to set up her old computer so we could work together, like we always had.”

  “Okay,” Detective Sutton prompted when David went quiet.

  “She wasn’t there when I arrived, so I hooked up the computer.” He bit at his lip. “I’d heard Julie had accused Paige of embezzling from the company and during an argument in the stairwell, Paige pushed Julie to her death.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and took in a deep breath. “I knew her passcode after years of watching her enter it. So, I logged in, hoping to find something to help clear her of any wrongdoing. I thought she’d see me as a hero and maybe notice me.”

  “Where did you hear this rumor about the embezzlement?” Detective Sutton zeroed in on.

  “Uh, I think it might have been Lidia who suggested it. I can’t really remember for sure.”

  “Okay, so if you were only trying to help Paige, why hide under the reception desk?”

  David groaned. “When I came out of the men’s room, I spotted her heading down a side hallway. When I went to see what she was doing, she screamed for help and then I heard her attorney.” David shrugged. “I freaked out. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I just ran and hid.”

  “No, it really doesn’t,” Detective Sutton agreed, continuing to question David for the next two hours about the company embezzlement. He wanted to know if someone might be trying to frame Paige, or even trying to kill Paige. Then he went on and on about hidden cameras, to which David claimed no knowledge of.

  David thought back to the day he had witnessed, and filmed, Lisa and Angela entering Paige’s apartment, wondering if that was when those two might have planted the electronic recording equipment. But, unbelievably, the detective hadn’t asked him about destroying the teddy bear. Why hadn’t the girls offered over the clip of his violent rage against the bear? Unless, of course, they simply didn’t want to admit placing cameras there in the first place. Well then, he wouldn’t mention his clip of them going in. They were keeping secrets. So, David kept his mouth shut, keeping his own secrets.

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  The employees had already left, and I was wrapping up for the day. As soon as I locked the office door and turned around, I found David standing behind me. A little squelch jumped from my throat.

  “David, you startled me.”

  “I wanted to talk to you, but I didn’t want the others to see us.” He shuffled his feet and wrung his hands.

  “Okay, what is it?” I asked, slightly unnerved at not having heard from Detective Sutton with respect to what David had said, not to mention David was just now showing up for the day … and at a time when everyone else had left.

  “I talked to that detective today. He wanted to know why I … I … I hid under Darcy’s desk.”

  “And what did you tell him?” I asked, curious myself.

  David explained about the chili and hooking up the computer and then freaking out. “I’m shy, Paige,” he admitted, continuing to shuffle his feet. “I know you’re into that attorney. I can’t compete with the likes of him, but I like you.” He swallowed hard and looked at the floor.

  “I’ve always thought of you as,” I wanted to say coworker, but I softened my response, “a brother. I hope you understand.”

  “Of course,” David said with a slight nod of his head, his lips pinched together into a thin line. “We’re just friends. I get it.”

  “Well okay then. I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”

  “Paige, would it be okay if you met my mother? Maybe you could come to the house for supper?” He sucked in a long breath. “She asks about you all the time. She listens to me bragging about you and she wants to put a face to your name. It’d get her off my back.”

  I forced a smile. “Sure, David.” Just then Paul walked in to collect me for the evening. “Paul, we were just leaving.” I gravitated to the common door, ushering them along with me and locking it behind me. David’s face had turned into a deep grimace at the sight of Paul. “Why don’t you bring your mother up to the breakroom? We’ll have lunch together.”

  There wasn’t any way in hell I was going to his house because, right now, I wasn’t getting a good vibe. In fact, his distorted features left me with an unsettled feeling.

  * * *

  “That was weird,” Paul mentioned as soon as David had gone on his way. “He looked like he wanted to chop off my head.”

  “He admitted to liking me, as he put it. I guess he’s jealous.”

  “Well, I like you too,” Paul said with a crooked grin. “I suppose I’m jealous as well if I have competition.”

  We were riding the elevator up to his office. I playfully hit him on his arm. “You don’t have anything to be jealous of, because I like you too.” I giggled, thinking we were acting like lovesick teenagers.

  Once Paul switched a few of his files and checked his messages, we headed out. He walked me to my car, holding the door open for me. “I need to run by my place and pick up fresh clothes. I’ll meet you at Amy’s.”

  “I’m going to run by the grocery store first. I don’t want her to think we’re eating her out of house and home.”

  “Okay, but watch your back.”

  I headed a few blocks over to the nearest fresh food place and grabbed a cart. Jeff would be back from his business trip tomorrow, so we only had the one more day at Amy’s. But I wanted to replace some of the food that Paul and I had eaten and pick up something for tonight. While I was debating between the beef tenderloins and a roasted chicken, I looked up to see Ethel at the far end of the cold food’s aisle.

  She was in a motorized wheelchair, her big thighs spilling over the edges. She pondered over the cheese assortments before selecting a package and dropping it into a basket attached to the front of the unit. Using a joystick, she maneuvered the bulky contrapti
on down the next aisle stocked with breakfast cereals.

  Thinking the polite thing would be to say hello to her, I tossed the steaks into my buggy and headed off in her direction. When I peered down the aisle, she stood up from her chair, easily walked several steps, and then reached for a box of Grape Nuts on the top shelf.

  She was walking … as if there wasn’t a damned thing wrong with her.

  It shocked me to the point I ducked down the next aisle. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t simply continue my quest to say hi. Perhaps she was making a good recovery, but still needed the chair to aid in long distances. Or maybe walking caused her pain. There was probably a reasonable explanation, but something didn’t feel right.

  After Ethel’s car accident, I had heard mixed rumors about her medical condition. Some of the tales claimed she was paralyzed from the neck down. Others had reported her as being wheelchair bound, having completely lost the use of her legs. And then there were stories of her only having broken a leg. But from the looks of it, she was pretty darn mobile.

  A sickening feeling developed in the pit of my stomach, wondering if Ethel was planning on taking back over as the CFO. It would certainly explain why Mr. Harrington hadn’t hired a replacement for my old position. Was he intending to bump me back?

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Observing Ethel’s ability to walk plagued my thoughts, resulting in a harrowing night of sleep. All this time I had feared one of my employees was eager to see me dead so they could step up, when all along, it might be Ethel simply planning her return. And when I thought about it, Lidia had been exceedingly quiet lately. Too quiet. During Julie’s one month as CFO, Lidia gave her hell every day. But she hadn’t mouthed off to me since the day she found out about my promotion. One of two scenarios popped into my mind. Either she was planning on stabbing me in the back the first chance she had. Or, she knew her mother was returning to her old job, and all she had to do was to bide her time.

  “Lidia, how is your mother doing?” I asked bright and early the next morning, putting on my best concerned face. This job was a means to purchase a house for me and I wanted to know what I was up against.

  “She’s fine,” she muttered without eliciting a bit of emotion and she wouldn’t look me in the eye either.

  “I do hope she’ll be able to attend Mr. Harrington’s party,” I pushed.

  “She hasn’t decided,” she answered in a droll tone.

  “Are there any special arrangements I should make to accommodate her condition?” I prodded, not about to give up so easily.

  “No.” Then she eyed me with a suspicious look. “What’s with the twenty questions? You’ve never cared before?”

  “I was simply making sure any specific needs could be met. You know, food allergies, gluten-free requests, special seating arrangements, that sort of thing. I want your mother to feel comfortable. That’s all. If there is anything, you just let me know,” I said in a syrupy voice.

  “She’ll be fine … if she decides to come.”

  Within ten minutes of entering my office, I noticed Lidia was on the phone. I’d bet anything she had called her mother. She knew something. Or she was up to something. But what?

  For the rest of the day, I worked on auditing everyone’s records, hunting for anything that might point directly to who was behind the embezzlement. While I didn’t find any other possible misappropriations, it was discouraging when I didn’t find any answers either.

  As I began wrapping up for the day, I received a call from Detective Sutton. “If you don’t mind, I’d like for you and Paul to come by my office again this afternoon.”

  He agreed to notify Paul and we were set to meet at five-thirty. His tone was back to accusatory and I dreaded what he had to say.

  When I arrived at the precinct, Paul was waiting for me in the lobby. Together we made our way to the detective’s office. Once Paul ushered me in, the detective gestured for us to have a seat while he swiveled around in his black leather chair. After opening a file, he separated the top contents into two piles and handed a portion of them to Paul.

  “These are the tests results from the sandwich Penny ingested. The sandwich was laced with an industrial-grade calcium hydroxide. That’s an alkalinity control agent used in the oil and gas industry. But I’m sure you already know that, don’t you, Paige? And it’s something you’d have had access to within your company … isn’t it, Paige?” His tone was clipped, a sure sign he was back to suspecting me.

  “Yes, but everyone within the company would have the same access.”

  “That might well be. But from what I understand, this is one of your regular monthly expenditures. Therefore, you might be more familiar with it than the other employees in your department. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “No, I disagree. Carter works in the field quite a bit. He may be familiar with it from being onsite at the drilling locations. And part of James’s job includes drilling operations. He might be equally familiar with that product.” He didn’t look convinced, so I added, “And don’t forget, Carter had just found out he was going to be a daddy. He had a reason to get rid of Penny. I didn’t.”

  He shook his head at me, his eyes giving me a stern look. “No, we went over this before. No one could have possibly known you were going to give the sandwich to Penny. No one, except you.”

  “Yes, we have gone over this before,” Paul interjected. “And I thought we all agreed the sandwich was meant for Paige. Why are we rehashing this? Someone tried to poison her.”

  “We’re rehashing it because I found out where the embezzlement check was deposited.”

  “Oh, where,” I asked with a bit of caution in my voice.

  “An offshore account in the Caymans … into an account in your name.”

  “My name!” I screeched, my eyes widening and my heart picking up steam. While the withdrawal had been listed under my name on the payroll, I certainly hadn’t established an overseas financial account.

  He handed another paper across to Paul. “I think Penny found out about this money and you made sure she didn’t talk.”

  “No, that’s not what happened at all,” I disagreed. “Are the funds still there? How would it be possible for someone to have established a bank account, in another country, in my name? This doesn’t make any sense.”

  “The funds have been withdrawn from the Cayman account. We’re still tracking the transfer. At some point in time, we’ll catch up with the funds, and when we do, you’d better hope it doesn’t end up in your name.”

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Irritated, I left Detective Sutton’s office, wondering how I was back on the chopping block. Tonight, Jeff was returning from his business trip, so Paul and I wouldn’t be spending the night with Amy. The mattress at my apartment was still slashed to smithereens so I needed to get it replaced.

  “I’m on my way to purchase a mattress,” I told Paul as we walked side-by-side to our vehicles.

  “No, you are not,” Paul argued. “If you think I’m leaving you alone, you need to rethink it. You’ll stay in my spare bedroom. And we’re going to get Callie. End of discussion.”

  My heart skipped a beat, loving the sound of his alternative. Although, I wondered if we’d be able to maintain our attorney/client relationship. It wasn’t a problem when we were at Amy’s. But alone, it might be.

  Much to my surprise nothing happened. Well, Callie and Freddy slept together on Paul’s couch. But there wasn’t any touchy-feely between Paul and me. We had dinner, watched some TV and turned in for the night, separately. Friday night was much the same, then it was the weekend. The next thing I knew it was Monday morning.

  As it turned out, Paul had an abundance of self-denial. While we had spent time watching TV, taking a stroll along the Trinity River banks, dined out twice and even caught a movie, he hadn’t attempted even so much as a kiss. Each time I gazed into his alluring brown eyes, his handsome face, and checked out at his well-toned muscles, I found it a torturous feat to refrai
n from jumping his bones. At least I knew he had the power to resist, a quality I found equally attractive and leaving me desiring him so much more.

  Monday morning, I had a follow-up doctor’s appointment with Dr. Bakshi where I convinced him that I felt fine – other than being sexually deprived which I didn’t mention.

  “Any problems?”

  He meant hallucinations. “Nope. My vision has cleared up and I haven’t seen any little green men,” I joked.

  “No more men with bats, or men in your room, or women in your room … nothing?”

  “Not a thing,” I emphasized. I wasn’t about to admit to a balloon floating in my room because I was still convinced Lisa and Angela were behind it.

  He flashed a smile, showing a row of short off-white teeth. “Wonderful. I was hoping for a full recovery.”

  After receiving a clean bill of health, I spent the rest of the day running all over town to make sure everything was ticked and tied for Mr. Harrington’s birthday party which was scheduled for this upcoming Saturday night. The tasks bled into Tuesday, focusing on last minute details, including choices of the freshest flowers and several optional menu selections. My afternoon was spent meeting with the ice sculptor and the band leader to set out their locations in the large conference room upstairs.

  By Wednesday morning, I was juggling my workload and still fine-tuning the last party details. Studying the RSVP’s, I hoped to get an accurate headcount to let the food, drink, and chair providers know what to expect. Just after one o’clock, I interviewed the hypnotist to get a plan in place for the entertainment, deciding we would dine first and then he would perform while everyone was enjoying desserts.

  By two-thirty in the afternoon I hoped everything was nailed down and I could get back to work. Luckily, I was able to accomplish a few things, but just after three o’clock, I received a call from Detective Sutton.