A Deadly Promotion

by Melanie Jones Brownrigg

  Lisa hung up the phone and pushed up from her chair. She smiled at Carter as she approached him. “Hey, that detective wants to talk to me again. Probably just loose ends. I should be back before lunch. Until then, I’ll miss you.”

  Carter sucked it up and said, “I’ll miss you too.” He faked a smile at her, thinking he couldn’t spend another night with her. He hoped when she got to the precinct she’d be thrown in jail and the key would be thrown away.

  “Knock, knock,” Lisa said as she knuckled Paige’s doorframe and then went on in. “I have to go talk to that detective again. Probably loose ends. I should be back soon.”

  All the way to the precinct, Lisa chanted, “It’s just loose ends. It’s just loose ends.” But if it wasn’t, she was throwing Angela under the bus.

  After a grueling hour of questioning, Lisa walked out of the detective’s office. Her hands were shaking all over. David had the goods on her and Angela. So, she did what she had to do. She handed over the goods on David. And it didn’t hurt her position when she had pointed a finger at Angela in the process.

  Two more hours later, Angela walked out the door to the detective’s office. David may have thought he had the goods on her and Lisa, but she had better goods on David. And it didn’t hurt her position to have pointed a finger at Lisa in the process.

  The only thing left now was to see who had slung the most mud.

  Chapter Sixty

  Two other detectives from the police department had swooped in and searched the contents of David’s desk and then taken his computer. In the aftermath, I had spent my day periodically glancing at the empty surface of David’s workstation and his vacant chair. It was hard to imagine David as a killer. He was the quiet, shy type. Then again if he had a bloody bat, logically, he must have attacked me and Julie.

  But how did Lisa fit in? Why was she called back to the station? Her interview must not have amounted to much since she wasn’t gone long before she returned to the office. And so far, a warrant hadn’t been presented to search her desk and computer.

  While I worked diligently to pass the hours away, I kept wishing my phone would ring with an update from Detective Sutton. Finally, I was rewarded with a buzz late in the day. “Good afternoon, Detective Sutton,” I answered, knowing it was him after adding him to my contacts.

  “I have more to go over with you,” he began, skipping the preliminary greetings. “Paul can’t be here until five, so let’s meet then.”

  It was another long hour before I joined Paul in the detective’s office. “What did David have to say about the bat?” I asked, unable to curtail my anxiousness.

  “Have a seat.” He pulled out a pad of paper. “This is so convoluted that I’ll need to refer to my notes.” He laid out the entire sordid story about David’s stalker history, his detailed account of finding me in the stairwell, and why he had blood on the bat.

  “Do you think he’s telling the truth?” Paul asked.

  “I know he’s forever had a crush on me,” I acknowledged. “I’ve always been nice to him, but I’ve never led him on.”

  “Clearly, he’s stalking you.” Detective Sutton presented thousands of photos, all of me, taken from varying distances away and from every place I’d ever been.

  “That’s creepy shit,” Paul commented, giving me a concerned look.

  “It gets better. Wait until you see this.” We were once again positioned in front of his laptop at the small table. He mashed the button to send the video into action. I watched in horror as David stood over my own bed, in my own apartment, and stabbed my bear, over and over and over. “That’s a lot of rage,” Detective Sutton brought up once the clip ended.

  I couldn’t even find my voice and felt my eyes blinking rapidly.

  “How did he gain access to Paige’s apartment?” Paul asked, breaking the shock I was experiencing.

  “About a year ago, while you were in the hospital after a car accident, he went through your purse when you were asleep. He made copies of your keys then.”

  “Has he used them before?” I asked, imagining him sniffing my lingerie.

  “He said he had never used them before, but you definitely need to change the locks.”

  “I changed them the next day after overhearing Lisa and Angela,” I responded. “My office too,” I added.

  “But this video … of the bear mutilation, where did it come from?” Paul asked.

  “Just like Paige thought, Lisa and Angela were behind it. I found this on David’s phone.” He played a recording of Lisa and Angela entering my apartment, then he turned to look at us. “I had them in here today and both sang like canaries.” He referred to his pad. “Lisa pointed the finger at Angela, claiming Angela was behind swiping your keys from Paul’s gym locker and setting up the hidden cameras, all except for Lisa wanted them in Carter’s house. According to her, Angela hates you for stealing Paul, and will stop at nothing, including you being dead.”

  I gasped. “I thought she was only stalking Paul.”

  “That’s what I thought too,” Paul agreed. “She’s still sending me texts, emails and voice messages.” He pulled his phone and went through so many electronic communications my head began to spin.

  “What time frame is this?” Detective Sutton inquired.

  “Ever since I started seeing Paige. She averages between fifty and sixty each day … every day,” Paul answered.

  “Paul,” I called his name with a tone. “Why haven’t you told me?”

  “Because they’re all directed at how much she loves me and wants to get back with me. None of them are directed at killing you. I didn’t think there was any reason to worry you. You’ve had enough on your plate without adding Angela to the mix.” He turned his gaze to Detective Sutton. “Besides, Angela didn’t know Paige at the time of the stairwell incident. She couldn’t possibly be involved in that aspect.”

  “True,” the detective agreed. “But she’s certainly out to get her now … if you believe what Lisa claims.” He paused for a moment. “One other thing, Lisa claimed Angela went to see you in the hospital because she wanted to know who Paul was spending his time with. She was the woman you saw.”

  “So, I wasn’t hallucinating.” For some odd reason, this made me extra happy.

  “No, you weren’t. Not even about the man. David admitted to going to see you too, supposedly he wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “Jesus,” Paul muttered beside me and I felt his hand grasp mine.

  “Exactly,” the detective responded with a shake of his head. “Now let’s talk about what Angela had to say. According to her, she would never hurt Paige. She only wants Paul back. But she said Lisa hates you and thinks she would become the CFO if only you were out of the way. It’s supposedly the reason why Lisa deleted your work product. She was planning to do it on a repeated basis to make you look inept, and to ultimately get you fired. But, one way or the other, they both wanted you out of the picture. Their master plan was hoping David would kill you for them. But failing that, Angela thinks Lisa wanted to kill you and frame David.”

  I blew out a big sigh. “So, everyone wants me dead.”

  “Pretty much,” he agreed. “David was in the stairwell with a bat … and let me add, he knew to go in and out on the twelfth floor. I find that tidbit hard to overlook. He’s clearly a stalker. When you add it all together, there’s a possibility things could end badly … either with him killing you because, if he can’t have you, then no one can, or alternatively, he might consider killing Paul, thinking if he were out of the picture, David could have you.” He shrugged. “In a good case scenario, he might realize his affection for you will always be from afar. Or, he might replace his obsession with you for someone else.”

  I sighed, realizing David was a crapshoot.

  Detective Sutton let everything sink in before continuing. “Then you have Angela, who is Paul’s stalker. She’s angry because you’ve taken Paul away from her. Who knows where she will stop? The same end resu
lts of David’s stalking apply equally to Angela.” He shook his head. “Finally, there’s Lisa, who could have been in the stairwell. And, while she’s denied having anything to do with the missing monies, she does work in payroll. And she wants your job. Again, who knows where she will stop?”

  “I take it you haven’t had a chance to trace the money yet?” Paul asked.

  “No, at this point, it looks like someone came into the Cayman bank and withdrew the funds in cash. We’re trying to get the institution to turn over the video, but there’s a lot of red tape involved when it comes to compliance from foreign countries.”

  “What about the guard? Have you talked to him?” Paul questioned.

  “I just received the employee shift logs today. We haven’t had a chance to set up an interview yet.” He flipped through his file. “Guy’s name is Edward Ratcliff. Goes by Eddie.”

  “I don’t recognize the name,” I said.

  “Here’s an employee picture of him.” He pulled out a photo, showing me a skinny man with a thin face and a full mustache.

  I nodded, recognition clicking into place. “I do recall seeing him. But I still don’t know who he is.”

  Paul examined the image. “Yes, I’ve seen him before too, but only in passing.”

  “Well, I’ll let you know what he has to say once we’ve interviewed him.” He flipped his file closed and tossed it onto his desk. “Now, let’s talk about this birthday party you’re hosting. If you don’t mind, I’m planning on crashing, along with Detective Andrews who will be back in town.”

  “No, I don’t mind at all. I’ll plan to have both of you seated at our table.” I nodded between myself and Paul.

  “I also think it would be a good idea to have two undercovers seated somewhere in the back of the room. I’ve arranged for Detective Jackson Barnes and Detective Rob Brown. They’re rookies in the detective division, but they have years of experience in undercover work.”

  “Yes, those arrangements can be made,” I agreed, feeling much safer.

  “In the meantime, you need to watch your back,” he warned yet again.

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Detective Sutton was leaning toward arresting David and dropping the charges against me, but he wanted to wait to talk to the security guard first. And too, he was hoping to get a hit on the missing company funds.

  The next morning, Friday morning, I called David and told him to take the day off since his computer wasn’t here. He sounded upset.

  “Paige, I know the stuff with the bat and the bear looked bad, but I hope you know I would never, ever, ever hurt you.”

  “Well, I’d hope you wouldn’t,” I said, making light of his comment, but secretly wondering whether he could kill me and Paul both. “I’ll let you know when your computer has been returned.”

  It was bad enough to have Lisa staring at me through the glass panes of my office. I didn’t think I could handle David too. With the thought in mind, I had persuaded Detective Sutton to hold David’s computer until after he interviewed the security guard.

  It was the day before Mr. Harrington’s sixtieth birthday celebration, and I had my work cut out for me. My first measure of business was to touch base with him to let him know everything was going smoothly, and I needed to tell him about the missing money. I had held off, hoping the money could be traced.

  “Good morning, Mr. Harrington,” I addressed, taking a seat in front of his large desk.

  “How’s the party coming along?” he asked, enthusiasm radiating across his face.

  “It’s going to be spectacular,” I assured him, going over the finer details of what was planned.

  “It all sounds wonderful. I’m so excited, I can’t see straight.”

  “There are a few other things having come to light,” I said, pulling out a copy of the one-hundred-seventy-five-thousand-dollar check made payable to me. “In auditing Lisa’s payroll records, I found this entry. I’ve checked the bank statements and the funds were withdrawn from the company’s bank account.”

  He leaned over his desk and grasped the paper, lowered his readers and studied it for a moment. “Did you take this money?” he asked simply.

  I gulped, trying to swallow an instantly formed lump in my throat. “No, of course I didn’t. Do you think I’d bring it to your attention if I did?”

  “Then who?” he asked. “Tell me, who is behind this?”

  With a shrug from my shoulders, I told him, “I don’t know yet. The police have traced the initial deposit to the Caymans. The account was listed under my name, which explains why Julie thought I had embezzled the money. From there, it looks like someone walked into the bank and withdrew the funds in cash. The police have requested a copy of the security video, hoping to get an identifiable image of the person who retrieved the funds.”

  He leaned back in his chair and rested his hands behind his head. “Well, you’ve made a lot more progress than Julie did. I’ll give you that. And you’ve got the police involved.”

  “Excuse me? You knew about the missing money?” I was shocked beyond belief.

  He withdrew his hands from his head and leaned forward. “Yes, of course, I did. Do you think I don’t look at the monthly bank statements? Did you think one-hundred-and-seventy-five-thousand dollars would pass before my eyes without being noticed? Large withdrawals stand out when it comes out of your checkbook … company account, personal account, believe me, I pay attention.”

  My brows pinched together. “Then why didn’t you say something? I’ve wasted days hunting for this information.”

  “Because, if you took the money, you would’ve never presenting this information to me.” He waved the check around.

  “You were testing me?” I asked, realizing I was being investigated.

  “Please don’t take it personally. I just knew someone gained access to the payroll account and helped themselves. Your name was on the check. But at the same time, I couldn’t believe you’d leave such a blatant trail. That lead me to believe Lisa may have written herself a check and simply pointed the finger at you.”

  “Have you investigated Lisa?” I went into a long explanation about the hidden cameras, both in my apartment and my office.

  “So, Lisa was behind your deleted files. It wasn’t a computer glitch.”

  I nodded. “Yes, her friend, Angela has said as much.”

  “Okay, then she’s still a suspect. I thought Julie had eliminated her … but maybe not.”

  “I confronted Lisa about sabotaging my work and warned her it would probably get her fired, or at least transferred.” I had to defer to Mr. Harrington. She was his employee.

  “Well, for now, keep an eye on her. We’ll reevaluate once we find out who was behind cashing that check.”

  “Yes, sir,” I agreed, wondering if he still suspected me. “Did Julie tell you I took the money?” I asked, my eyes blinking too much. Did I look guilty?

  “Well, it was your name on the check … Julie thought it had to be you. The money was withdrawn during the time Ethel was in the hospital and Lidia was holding down the fort. But it was also when Lidia had taken some time off to care for her mother. Julie felt like it gave them an alibi. I never agreed with her and it was the main reason I didn’t want Lidia continuing her temporary position as the CFO. For those reasons, I opened the position for applications. When I hired Julie, I asked her to research the withdrawal. Inefficiently, she never made it past your name on the check.”

  “Did the police know all along?” I asked. It really irked me that Julie pretended she found the missing money and was taking the news to Mr. Harrington. All along she had been tasked with finding out who was behind it, and yet she never gave me an opportunity to explain myself.

  “No, I didn’t want to make a public stink of the situation. But then the stairwell incident occurred, ultimately involving the police anyway. After speaking with the detectives about Julie’s death, I informed them of the embezzlement. That’s why they confiscated the computers.
I was hoping they’d figure out who was truly behind it.”

  “Well, I didn’t take it,” I said firmly.

  “Then someone gained access through deviant measures … like Lisa getting into your office. Find out if she did it … or whoever did it. I want to know.”

  “I’m working on it,” I assured him. “Would you think David might have taken it?”

  “David!” he screeched. “He’s the quiet, shy type. Do you think he has an ounce of vindictiveness in him?”

  After I told him about the bat, the bear, and the stalking, his face cemented into a deep frown. “Jesus, I never would’ve thought.”

  “He also knew to use the twelfth floor to go in and out of the stairwell.” I explained about the loop in the security footage.

  “Find out if David had a connection to the security guard. He must’ve had an inside man to have manipulated the recordings.”

  “The detectives are working on it. They’re trying to set up an interview with the guard on duty. His name was Edward Ratcliff.”

  “Edward Ratcliff … Edward Ratcliff.” He rubbed a hand all over his face, passing over a few age spots and the wrinkles around his eyes. “How do I know that name?” He squeezed his eyes and pondered silently for a moment, then looked back at me. “Darn it, I know that name. I just can’t recall from where. Shoot,” he muttered after another long pause. “It’s right on the edge of my brain, but just won’t materialize.” He sighed and let it go. “It’ll come to me when I least expect it.”

  “He’s a tall, skinny man with a thin face and a mustache,” I described, thinking it might help him.

  He shook his head. “Nope, doesn’t ring a bell.” He waved a hand, dismissing me. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, at the party.”

  “Yes sir. I’m looking forward to it.” I stood to make my exit. “One other thing – and I know this is in left field – but are you planning on hiring Ethel back?”

  His face turned into a question mark. “Of course not. Ethel wanted to retire after that car accident. I remember you returning that fifty-dollar bill. I have faith in you Paige. I always have. Your position is secure … unless I find out you took the money.”