And on top of that, I still have my usual day-to-day tasks to complete.
Kellan must see me looking stressed, because he comes over and starts massaging my shoulders. I slap his hands away. “As much as I need that right now, we don’t want anyone reporting us to HR…”
He stands back, hands up in surrender. “Sorry. But you know, I’d offer a massage to anyone in this office if they wanted it.”
Charlie pipes up from her desk. “Did someone say ‘massage?’”
“I was just talking to Kellan about the spa facilities in Singapore,” I fib, shooing him away.
He beams and goes back to his desk, which he has now moved between mine and Charlie’s at the narrow edge of the partition. “Will there be any downtime over there? Because I could really use a massage.” He then mouths the words from you at me.
I pretend not to notice that last part. “Actually, we have a pretty packed schedule, but there should be an hour or so in the mornings and then the occasional evening where we finish early. But I often find myself networking at the bar with the people I don’t get to see regularly.”
“Is there anything I can do to help prepare right now?”
“You can confirm the catering for the awards lunch on the final day. That would be a big help.”
“Consider it done.”
I have to admit, it’s quite fun having a clandestine relationship with Kellan at work. It’s been a couple of weeks since he suggested we be ‘exclusive,’ and I still get butterflies every time I think about that day. Kellan is absolutely perfect, and I’m lucky to have him. And considering he only goes to Heaven Sent two nights a week, it’s such a tiny part of who he is that it’s inconsequential to us. He’s doing really well here at the office, absorbing everything he’s told like a sponge. I think he must have a photographic memory or something, because he remembers every tiny detail about everything. It’s quite impressive.
Today, I need to send some samples to a couple of potential new clients. We keep a stockpile of them here in the Brisbane office, and I need to see if we have enough.
I go into the cold room and look for the vials I need. But once in there, I discover we’re drastically low on supplies.
I search out Kellan. “You booked in all those samples recently, didn’t you?” I ask.
“Yeah. You mean the growth medium for organoids? There were a bunch of the intestinal ones and the mouse pancreatic exocrine ones.”
“Can you show me where you put them?”
“Of course.” He follows me into the cold room. “This isn’t just some ploy to get me alone, is it?” he teases.
“Ha. No. There’ll be plenty of time for that later.”
He looks over the shelves. “I’m pretty sure I put them there.” He points to an empty shelf to our left.
“Do you know if Charlie or anyone on her team might have taken them?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve been doing all her admin. I’ve logged out other samples, but not those ones.”
I feel unsettled, although I’m not sure why.
“Did you ever hear anything about your stolen phone or wallet?” Kellan asks.
“No, not yet. I’ve been meaning to follow up with the police. Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. I was just wondering.”
Something triggers in the back of my brain. “And you never figured out what happened to that cash you lost at Oktoberfest?”
“No, I just assumed I spent it. Why?”
I’m quiet for a moment. “You know, if you count the missing samples, there’s one thing, or should I say, one person, in common with all three of those occurrences.”
“Who?”
“Elijah.”
His eyes widen. “You think Elijah is stealing stuff?”
“I…I don’t know. Probably not. It’s probably just a weird coincidence.”
“What’s a weird coincidence?”
I spin around, and my heart starts pounding. Elijah is standing at the entrance to the cold room with a strange look on his face.
“Uh, nothing.” Shit. How long has he been standing there? Did he hear his name mentioned? I quickly scramble around for something to say. “I, uh, just thought it was interesting that Kellan has the same birthday as Joan in accounting.”
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Well, if it’s all the same with you, I’d prefer you both get back to work.”
“Of course. Did you need anything?” I assume he came over for a reason.
“Not right now.”
He retreats to his office, and I give Kellan a worried look.
He gives me one in return. “We’ll talk more later,” he says quietly.
I try to focus on my work, but I can’t concentrate. What if Elijah heard us suspecting him of theft?
I don’t feel good about this.
THIRTY
Beatrix
I’m jumpy for the rest of the day. I keep looking over at Elijah’s office, wondering if he’s planning something, or if I got it totally wrong earlier, and he didn’t hear what I said. I really hope it’s the latter.
I leave at the end of the day, never so glad to be away from the office.
But when I get home, my phone beeps. It’s a text from Elijah.
Check your email.
I open Outlook and find a message.
Beatrix,
It has come to my attention that you have engaged in an interoffice relationship with a new employee. As you are aware, this is grounds for termination, so we are letting you go. You will be paid for your work to date, but if you attempt to enter any of our buildings from this moment forward, you will be escorted from the property.
Regards,
Elijah.
I stare at the email in disbelief. What? At least I now know he must have heard the accusations. But his ‘official’ reasoning for my termination is pretty crappy. And hypocritical too, considering the way he acted on the night we went to the casino. He didn’t seem to care at all if staff had relationships then. So this means he’s probably guilty of stealing after all, and by having me fired, it takes away all my credibility if I were to complain about him.
I’m so upset, I throw my computer mouse across the room. It lands on the couch, which is unsatisfying, but also a relief. Without a job, I won’t be able to pay for things like frivolously destroyed computer equipment.
And then I wonder if Kellan was fired too. I quickly phone him.
“Hey, it’s me. Have you been fired?”
“What? No! Why?”
“Because I have! For having a relationship with you!”
“You’re joking.”
“I assure you, I’m not. But the fact you’re still employed confirms that Elijah was trying to get me out of the way, because I suspected him of theft.”
“You really think that’s true? But why wouldn’t he punish both of us? I was part of that conversation too.”
“I don’t know. Maybe he thinks you’re easier to control, since you’re new.”
“This is crazy. What do you want me to do?”
“I guess we need proof. But if he stole my phone and wallet at the casino, he probably would have spent the cash and pawned the phone, and then ditched everything else. And if he stole your cash at Oktoberfest, there’s no way of proving that either. I doubt they would have had surveillance covering the entire place.”
“I’m not sure he stole my money at Oktoberfest…”
“But it makes sense! And those samples you logged in are worth a lot of money on the black market. I’m going to call the police station and see if they have surveillance from the casino the night I was there.”
“Okay. You want me to come over?”
“No, no. I don’t want to make things worse. If anyone finds out you’re here, it will confirm the reason I was fired and possibly put your career in danger too.”
“Okay, I’ll call you tomorrow and check in.”
“Thanks, Kellan.”
I ha
ng up and dial the police station.
“Glen Traeger, Brisbane City Police.”
“Oh, hi. My name’s Beatrix Mackenzie, and I recently reported my phone and wallet stolen at the casino. I was just wondering if you had any luck tracking down surveillance that might show who took them?”
“Do you have a case number?”
I find the scrap of paper I’d scrawled it on and read it to him.
“Just a moment, please.”
I nervously wait. I don’t know what I’ll do if they can’t prove Elijah did it. I wonder if I can dispute the relationship claim. Surely there should be some sort of warning system that needs to be implemented before you fire a person. And it’s not like Kellan and I were flaunting our relationship in the office. Yes, Elijah probably saw us flirting at Oktoberfest, and there’s a chance he saw Kellan giving me a massage, but as Kellan pointed out, he would do that for anyone.
Glen comes back on the line. “I’m afraid we haven’t been able to locate sufficient footage of the theft. The casino has dozens of surveillance cameras, but in your case, the closest one was pointed at the roulette table you were standing near. We’ve examined the footage, and we were unable to determine who might have stolen your things. Because of the angle, and the fact you were surrounded by several people, we couldn’t obtain the necessary evidence to bring anyone in for questioning. I know this is probably not what you were hoping to hear, but we are suspending the investigation for now.”
“So that’s it? They just get away with it?”
“Not necessarily. If this is a repeat offender, they’ll eventually be caught. Often, we’ll conduct a raid and find dozens of wallets and stolen items that we can return to their owners, even several years down the track.”
I sigh. “That doesn’t help me now.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I assume you’ve cancelled all your bank cards?”
“Yes, but I was hoping…” I realise I shouldn’t be accusing Elijah of any wrongdoing to a police officer before I know anything for sure. “Never mind. Thanks anyway.”
I hang up and text Kellan, letting him know I didn’t have any luck with the police.
He writes back. Leave it with me. I’ll look into it.
Me: How will you do that?
Kellan: I don’t know. But I’ll think of something. I’ll keep you posted.
I send him a kiss emoji and sigh.
This is insane.
***
Kellan
I can’t believe Beatrix has been fired. That woman dedicates her life to this place, and now because of me, it’s all been taken away.
When I arrive at work the next day, I see her empty seat. This is all wrong. Why wasn’t I terminated as well? I go into Elijah’s office and tap on the already-opened door to get his attention. “Excuse me, do you have a moment, Elijah?”
He looks up as if just noticing me. “I’m busy. You have two minutes.”
“I wanted to talk to you about Beatrix.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. She conducted an interoffice relationship, and we have a strict policy that expressly forbids that.”
I swallow. “Yes, but I’m assuming you know that the relationship is with me? I should be fired too, then.”
He stares at me. “Beatrix was your superior. You were put in a position where you were unable to turn away her advances without risking negative consequences for your employment. You should not be punished.”
I frown. “But…”
“I’m sorry, Kellan, but I’m busy. I’m sure Charlie will have more than enough work for you to do if you see her.”
I want to protest further, but Elijah picks up his phone. “Meredith, can you please put me through to Max at GenoWay?”
I slowly back out of the room, confused. Something feels really wrong about all of this. It’s looking like Beatrix was right about why she was fired. I mean, I didn’t exactly doubt her before, but I’m even more sure now.
When I get back to my desk, Charlie is waiting there anxiously.
“What were you just doing?” she asks.
“You heard about Beatrix?”
“Yeah, she called me last night.”
“I was just trying to get her job back.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t lose your own.”
“See, that’s the thing. Elijah didn’t seem worried about me being part of the relationship. He said because Beatrix was my superior, I didn’t have a choice about being a participant.”
“So he’s punishing her for suspecting him of theft.”
“Yes. But I was part of that conversation too. I don’t get it.”
“Maybe he thinks she has more sway with the company. And I suppose he thinks he can still fire you if it all gets too much.”
“Beatrix does not deserve to lose her job over this.”
“I think the ban on interoffice relationships is stupid anyway. Just because one woman had a meltdown two years ago, everyone else has to suffer. Beatrix should be given the benefit of the doubt.”
“Agreed.”
“Now, we have to figure out a plan.” She rubs her chin. “And I think I know where to begin.”
“Should I tell Beatrix?”
“No. We don’t want to get her hopes up. She’ll just have to sit tight for the moment.”
Charlie picks up her phone. “Hi, Joan? I was wondering if you’d be interested in helping me plan a little office gathering?”
***
I have to hand it to Charlie. She somehow managed to convince most of the office to show up at Elijah’s house immediately after work. She even hired a minibus for the occasion, so we all arrived before Elijah himself.
“Are you going to tell me what we’re doing?” I ask.
“Wait up, I’ll explain to everyone at once.” She claps her hands together. “Hey, people. I want to apologise for the late notice. This thing was organised several months ago when Steve was still in charge, and I forgot to send out reminders once Elijah took over. But tonight is part of a new initiative called ‘Get to know the boss,’ where we all visit our employer’s home. The aim is to set up a casual environment that will foster a more even playing field in order to temporarily negate the corporate hierarchy. We hope that this will allow an easier flow of ideas and communication that will benefit the office in the long-term. We have pizza coming in half an hour, but I’m afraid because this is technically a work event, there will be no alcohol.” She glances at the road. “Oh, here comes Elijah! Remember, please feel free to share as much information as you like. The more, the better.”
Elijah gets out of his car, looking shocked. “What is going on here?”
Charlie pushes her way through the crowd and stands in front of him, hands on hips. “Elijah! Did you forget about our annual ‘Get to know the boss’ evening?”
He scans the crowd, confused. “Sorry, what?”
“Never mind. I know you get a ton of emails. It must have gotten lost in your TBR pile. Lucky for you, everything is taken care of. All you have to do is provide your house, and we’ll do the rest.”
He looks around nervously. “I haven’t tidied up or anything.”
“We don’t care about that kind of thing. That’s the whole point. We’re supposed to see you in your natural environment. Steve thought of the idea ages ago, but obviously he’s no longer our employer, so you’ll have to take over.”
“Can we reschedule for another night?” he tries again.
“I’m afraid not. Everyone cleared their calendar for this, and it’s important we do it before Singapore. Besides, we don’t want to have to rebook the bus and pizza. All that waste wouldn’t reflect well at head office.”
He sighs. “Okay. I suppose you can come in.” He raises his voice a little louder. “But please stay in the living room. The rest of the house is off limits.”
I raise an eyebrow at Charlie. She’s good at this.
THIRTY-ONE
Kellan
Everyone piles into
Elijah’s house. To be honest, I expected something a little nicer from the boss. He lives in a small two-bedroom house that looks like it was built in the sixties and never renovated. Inside is sparsely furnished. The guy doesn’t seem to have any stuff, apart from a couch and a table with two chairs. There’s no TV or appliances, or things that usually clutter up a home.
“What’s with this place?” I whisper to Charlie.
She looks around. “I know. It’s weird. It feels like a motel room, only even more minimalist.”
“Uh, take a seat,” Elijah says awkwardly. “I’m not exactly sure what we should be doing here.”
I give Charlie an I’ve got this look. “Actually, I think Gavin would like to talk to you about beefing up the work server’s security.” I turn to Gavin. “Did I hear you say something the other day about a new encryption system you were researching?”
Gavin’s face lights up. “Yes!” He hurries over to Elijah and starts rattling off terms like brute force attack and salting.
I head over to the edge of the living room and stand near the hall leading to the bedrooms.
Charlie comes over. “Okay, stay here and keep an eye out while I go see if I can find anything unusual.”
“Do we need a codeword in case Elijah catches on?”
“You mean like a safe word? My usual one is red, the same as in Fifty Shades of Grey.”
“No, I don’t mean a safe…” I stop. “Wait up. Your usual one?”
“Hey, I’m just as prolific in the bedroom as you, mister. Well, as far as your reputation goes. Although, I suppose now, you’re going to get all boring since you’re with my bestie.”
I laugh. “Boring is the last word I’d use. But anyway, we’re wasting time. Red it is. I’ll let you know if Elijah manages to escape Gavin’s clutches.”
Mind Reader Page 14