«Lucy, I don't have anything against Cormann, if you ask me. He played by the rules. The complaints he has submitted so far have been formally correct, and he's been always polite. Off the record... I'd raise hell for that kind of money. Anyway, credits are credits, so it's always up to you to decide how we go about this.»
Lucinda stared into space with her arms folded, unable to find her way. She evaluated two or three options, but rejected them at the speed of light. She even thought of repaying the amount, but, even if she wanted to, she did not know where to get the money at that moment.
«There might be another way», Zephra alluded. «We could refer to strong and explicit sexual advances in the pre-contractual stage. After all, he came to discuss the hiring in person, we have the footage. He could be induced to give up, though, I have to admit, it's not exactly the best solution.»
Lucinda did not answer immediately. As absurd and mean as it might sound, it was still an alternative. She visually inspected the audience to test the mood and noticed several puzzled looks. Candice Moriansky, in particular, was shocked at the idea of resorting to such an unfair expedient. So, Lucinda decided to desist from putting it into practice and that, as an agency, they would maintain a professional manner.
«Negative, girls. We'll go straight. And I don't want Candice to take it too hard, by the way», she said slyly. «So, any other ideas?», she added, lighting a cigarette.
«A friendly transaction? A big discount on a future contract?», Janine ventured.
«We're not at the fish market», Lucinda stopped her immediately. Janine bit her lower lip.
All the faces in the room betrayed great uncertainty, so Lucinda realized it was better to do it herself.
«All right. Candy, we'll do it like this: ten percent right now, another ten percent within one month and the rest within ninety days. If it's not okay with him, he can sue us. Got it?»
«As you wish», Candice nodded.
«Oh, and one last thing, Candy: I need you to be tougher, understand?»
Candice nodded again, saying nothing. Then she stopped the video chat.
«Janine, I'll take the rest of the day off», she notified her assistant right after that. Then she retrieved her jacket and left the office, with a labyrinth of thoughts in her mind.
Lucinda passed Liberation Square and walked on, without a particular destination, with the sole intention of clearing her mind. She needed to get a breath of fresh air, she felt like suffocating. Too much stress, too many things to think about. William had his own share of the blame, too. Sometimes he got too pushy for her taste. She turned to Maribor Street and slowed down to admire a diamond necklace exhibited by “Estrella's”. There were not so many retailers left of that kind. Trivial things were frowned upon by Scarlet Militia; therefore, many people had got out of that business to prevent future problems. That jewel was so shiny and beautiful that took Lucinda's breath away. Unfortunately the price had a bunch of zeroes, so she grimaced angrily and turned away.
She stopped at the intersection between North Western and Madison Street. She picked up a packet of ginger cigarettes from a vending machine and rested on a bench. She smiled at a little girl who with her left hand was trying to hold her balloons and with the right was clutching her mother's pants. One of the balloons depicted a happy militiaman. Lucinda shook her head. A gust of wind sent a shiver running down her spine. She shook her head again. Summer's nearly over and I didn't really notice it... She began to fiddle with her lighter and almost burned a finger. She took a quick glance at the whole area: it seemed quiet, there were not many people. She tried not to think of anything and simply enjoy that moment. Very easy to say. Sarkov, William, money, arguments, William again. Always William. Sometimes she had scruples and thought she had to be more understanding with him. In other cases she was convinced she had made that decision for his sake. She only had a few flirts after him, no important relationship. Yet she had tried, but she was not able to really betray him. She was not proud of it, she had always tried to be determined and not to be influenced by people, but she was not that good. Every time there was something that led her to retrace her steps and not go further.
A group of officers from some guild passed in front of her. One of them seemed to have a familiar face. That feeling was probably mutual, in fact the officer stared at Lucinda, too, combining a dazzling smile with a slight nod. Lucinda returned the courtesy and smiled back. Where could she have seen him before? Not certainly around the neighborhood, she would have remembered. She made a quick list in her mind, but that guy did not seem to emerge from the sea of her acquaintances or relationships.
After passing her, the small group slowed down and stopped, but kept talking emphatically. The familiar-looking officer took a few steps back, then turned and reached Lucinda.
«Good evening miss. Do you have a light, by any chance?»
Lucinda blushed and her heart started beating fast. She said nothing, just put the lighter close to his mouth and lit the cigarette. He looked at her eagerly and proudly.
«Where have I seen you before?», the man in uniform asked her, inhaling with satisfaction.
«I wouldn't know that. I don't walk often around here», Lucinda replied, with a little shame. Hey, not bad, she thought.
«Allow me to introduce myself. Anthony Julian Ferronetti.»
Lucinda looked at his uniform to try to figure out who he might be and Ferronetti dispelled her doubts.
«I am a Third Degree Officer of Guild of Transportation, at your service.»
He held out his hand with the palm upwards for a hypothetical kiss, but Lucinda just shook it, judging that gesture too intrusive.
«Lucinda. Lucinda Merritt. Nice to meet you.»
«Hmm. Now I remember where I saw you. In a dream. Yes, certainly in a dream.»
They both laughed. Lucinda noticed that, although his words sounded funny and bold, Ferronetti's eyes had a strange, cold light. The officer continued to X-ray her, without taking his eyes off her for a moment.
«It's getting dark, you shouldn't walk alone, Miss Merritt. Don't you know how many rogues roam around?»
Lucinda's face darkened for a moment.
«Yes, of course... thank you Officer. You're right. I'll keep that in mind.»
«Tony. Call me Tony.»
That light in his eyes again. The situation was making her uncomfortable. She had a slight tremor and thought it was time to go home. However, so as not to cause problems, she preferred to play along for a while longer.
«All right, Tony. You can call me Miss Merritt, instead», Lucinda replied, using humor as a remedy to conceal the discomfort she was feeling. Ferronetti didn't laugh. He waited a few seconds, then slightly stretched his lips, keeping them closed. Lucinda then looked away and opened her bag, pretending to look for something to keep herself busy.
«Do you work near here? Are you taking a break?», the officer asked, as if he already knew the answer.
«What? Oh, yes of course, I mean, no... I... I left a little earlier... I had things to...»
Lucinda began to stutter, so the officer considered it appropriate to not bother her anymore and let her enjoy the break.
«Well then, goodbye Miss Merritt. And get home safe.» The officer stood at attention and saluted her, then finally left. Lucinda returned the greeting and watched him carefully leave all stiff, then folded her arms, pervaded by chills. Something in Tony's words somehow disturbed her. Get home safe. Why did that expression strike her? She could not understand, but she surely would not lose sleep over it. She got up and lit another cigarette, then walked towards the social carrier Line 2 stop.
The communicator rang. Nothing interesting, same old commercials. She secretly hoped it was Bill. She didn't believe he'd take that seriously the deal to keep in touch just once in a while. It was certainly the best choice to overcome that turbulent time of her life and she had nothing to reproach herself with, yet William was always able to make her feel important, even whe
n he put pressure on her to the point of forcing her to retreat. She couldn't erase him definitively, and although she would never admit it, that bit of fire and ice in their relationship was just what she desperately needed to feel alive.
Chapter IV
It was September 27th and six days had passed since the interrogation. William had cheered up a little, but he could not avoid mulling over recent events and being extremely mad at Minneman. Why did they accuse him? He had always acted in compliance with the rules, without complaining or making troubles. He could not believe they would go that far. Sabotage? Theft and sale of confidential information? He did not accept it. He became withdrawn at work and did not want to talk or open up to anyone. He spent a lot of time collecting data and news on Minneman and read up all he could about it. He noticed, for example, that in the last year they had had a 27% drop in turnover and that several executives had been fired. Moreover, other competitors sued them for violation of the principle of free competition. He also learned that Ralph Minneman's son, Riley, had been diagnosed with an incurable disease. So what? How would he use all that information? First, it was news in the public domain, nothing he could use to scare the company and stop it from continuing with the legal action against him. Second: if he managed to find some dirt to use to his advantage, how would he do to put his plan into action? Minneman was well connected to Militia, by Patrick Rea's own admission, by the way. It would not allow him to move an inch and it would be on him without giving him a breather. No, he needed a different strategy, but which one? It was hard to focus when the dependence on Sefinol clouded his mind and didn't allow him to think clearly.
There was something really fishy about that story and he was conscious of not being able to deal with it alone, yet he would never ever get Lucinda involved. He decided to keep her in the dark and not to worry her for no reason. It did not matter that they were no longer together, he still wanted to protect her.
Charlie. Sure, he could talk about it with Charlie DeClerk, even though his good friend knew about legal aspects as much as William knew about rhythmic gymnastics: nothing at all. Charlie could have the insight he needed, a different point of view. Yes, he would talk to Charlie. He had to talk to someone about it. His head was bursting. He had to face both an external and internal evil. An unequal struggle, he thought.
The office door snapped open. He was still at work, he didn't have to forget it. If his investigation distracted him too much, it could attract the attention of his colleagues and draw suspicions on him. He had to be careful if he wanted his own battle to remain secret.
«Deveux, isn't that report on Stravinsky Bank ready yet?»
William did not answer.
«We're late and Hutchinson wants it by today», Katherine Spender urged. William remained silent.
«What's wrong with you? Are you sick?», Katherine asked.
«Yes.» He paused. «Yes, definitely.»
«Sorry, can I get you anything? An analgesic?»
William, without looking directly at her, raised his right hand.
«Nothing, thanks.»
Katherine then slowly got closer to his desk and sat down in front of him.
«Willy, we should try to complete it by the end of today, otherwise Hutchinson gets angry. Let's prevent troubles, where possible...»
William had a lot of other things to worry about rather than respect Jon Hutchinson's schedule. He had that kind of world-weary look in his face, with dark circles under his eyes. He felt exhausted. Even worse, he felt lonely.
«What happens? Do you want to talk about it? », his colleague suggested.
William, given her persistence, curled up like a hedgehog.
«Work? Health? Money?... Love?»
William smiled slightly.
«So, it's a matter of the heart? You could have just said that!»
Katherine spread her arms like a bird. William got evasive and minimized.
«Maybe part of it... It's one of those times...»
«There's always a trigger for everything», Katherine firmly said. «We accumulate tensions, then something happens and makes us burst with anger. You should talk about it.»
William was silent.
«How are your headaches?»
William narrowed his eyes and nodded.
«It feels like they're getting worse. At least that's my impression.»
He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, as if to get something off his chest. Katherine looked down and started to twiddle her thumbs.
«You can let off steam if you want, you know.»
William nodded again. He had been sitting there for more than one hour with data to be analyzed and every now and then he was forced to stop and start all over. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't focus. He lost his temper and hit the table with a fist.
«They want to send me to jail, Kate. To jail!»
Katherine Spender gasped and blanched.
«Minneman! Those bastards!», William shouted. Soon after he realized it was not a good idea to inform the whole building and he fell silent again. He turned his eyes toward the door to make sure no one heard him scream.
«What do you mean, is there any news? What do they want now?»
William shook his head.
«They had me interrogated for hours by Militia. They treated me like the worst of criminals.»
Besides Jon Hutchinson, just a few knew the details about the Minneman case; most colleagues had only heard rumors. Katherine Spender, who fit into the second category, listened to William's story stunned. She wondered if Leigh Madison Enterprise could side openly in his favor, relieving him of responsibility. William acted in the name and on behalf of the company, so only the latter, as a whole, could be found guilty. Katherine's enthusiasm cooled off when William explained that, with a direct and formal accusation of sabotage, his company could never fully support him, unless it admitted its own faults and, therefore, incriminated itself. Even contacting a private legal advisor was not, in fact, a viable solution, due to the exorbitant tariffs set by law. Scarlet Militia had made it impossible to appoint independent lawyers, so there was nothing left but accept the appointment of a public defender chosen by Militia itself.
That bad story left Katherine Spender shocked and very sorry. She had considered it, until then, a routine matter, one of several controversies in the world of work. She would have never suspected such a backstory. Now it was clearer why William's mood swings got so much worse lately. She was usually polite and very discreet towards him, but on that occasion she wanted to go further, giving him a chance to blow off some steam and trying to cheer him up. She also tried to play down, to the extent possible, and eventually succeeded, putting a smile on William's face. A smile that led to a joke and, in a few seconds, they found themselves joking and teasing each other. When that pleasant moment ended, engulfed by the sense of duty that called them to order, Katherine left him with the promise that she would keep the strictest confidence on that matter. He thanked her for everything and wanted to point out that he would rely on her discretion. William did not know who he could trust completely, after all, and could not exclude the possibility that someone at Leigh Madison was involved in that dirty business. It was therefore necessary to prevent news from spreading like wildfire, at least until things seemed clearer. William didn't even completely trust Katherine Spender, actually, yet he could never bury the whole story under a blanket of snow. Sooner or later things would become public, in any case. Would Katherine prove to be a sincere friend, a worthy ally? Nothing was taken for granted. However, casting a net could be a good idea, he might find some trail to follow and who knows where it would lead him. Better than nothing.
William walked the colleague to the door and held her hands to show her how much he enjoyed that break, then returned to his seat, hoping to complete that damn report within the X hour scheduled by Hutchinson.
The warm water flowing on her skin gave Lucinda a feeling of bliss, of pure relaxation. She alwa
ys took it easy, took advantage of it to isolate herself from the world outside, to think. Light sprays toned her body, she massaged herself gently, as she looked at her figure to make sure her body was the same as ever: attractive, young. She was wary, but at the same time, she wanted others to have a good opinion of her. She also enjoyed teasing William a few times, kept him hanging on. She made him desire her and wanted other people to be attracted to her, but in the end it was just an act. She considered herself rather clumsy, the very opposite of a huntress.
While she was drying, she kept an eye on the communicator lying on the bed. Perhaps an unconscious gesture, which clearly indicated that she expected to hear from him again. She could not eradicate him from her life. She could push him away, that yes. She could limit him, at most, but she wouldn't be able to completely deprive herself of him.
She picked up the communicator. She looked at it, started to sift through information, old messages, scroll through contacts in the address book.
William flopped into the armchair with the communicator in his hand. He wanted to call his friend Charlie. He hesitated. He wanted to hear her voice first. With no particular purpose. Just to hear it.
She scrolled up and down the address book and ignored the name “William Deveux” a couple of times. Would she contact him then? Would it be a good idea? She put her forefinger in her mouth and began to gnaw the nail.
He stared at Lucinda's name on the screen for more than one minute. In some moments he was crossed by spasms of childish excitement, in others his stomach was in knots and he thought it was a bad idea.
The Ruling Impulses Page 7