After a restless night, Diane awakened early and stepped quietly out on Liz’s back, secluded deck, trying to shake off the oppressive melancholy that gripped her overburdened heart. The sun had barely risen and shone resplendently through the trees as the wind quietly rustled the thick, heavy leaves about her. She could hardly enjoy the peaceful ambience. She sat down on a deck chair, trying to filter out the feelings of hopelessness that continually bombarded her, when she turned, startled, as the deck door slid open. Liz stepped outside, her hair tousled and her eyes still puffy from sleep. She had wrapped herself in a huge robe, her large figure appearing almost vulnerable in the heavy folds. “We need to talk,” she said. She paused for a moment as she looked at Diane. “How are you holding up?”
Diane stared at her, taken aback. For a moment, she couldn’t answer. There had been no emotionally-tainted overtures in the whole time they had been together and the suddenness of this one surprised her. “I’m not doing well,” Diane admitted stiffly. “I have no idea what to think right now. I have no idea what you’ve been doing or what you’ve found out. I don’t know where I stand in your eyes. You’ve hardly said a word to me this last week. For all I know, you’ve contacted the police and you’re subtly trying to glean more information before turning me in.”
Liz pulled out another deck chair and sat in it. “I haven’t called the police although I can’t deny that I’ve been tempted a few times. I’ve had some serious misgivings about your innocence.”
“That hasn’t been hard to tell.”
“During these past two days, I’ve uncovered a few things that are beginning to change my feelings about your guilt. It’s reporter’s instinct, part of it, but some of it is based on solid evidence.”
Diane straightened immediately. “You found something to help me?”
“I discovered, for one thing, that you spent quite a bit of money from your personal account right around the time your grandmother died. The money had been there for several years.”
Diane slumped back in her seat. “I told you that.”
“I had reason to doubt you, remember. Had you taken as much money as they claim you took, why would you have needed any money at all from your personal account?”
Diane glanced at Liz. “How did you get in to see my records?”
“I had an ‘in.’ A friend of mine works at your bank. I had to twist his arm, though. Your account has been frozen, by the way, pending resolution of the charges against you. The money you took from your account last week does not help your case.”
“I didn’t know what to do. I...”
“I realize that,” Liz cut back, halting her flow of words. “I believe had you swindled money from the R & J, you would have never had reason to use funds from your own account. The total amount fits in with what your grandfather remembers you spent on your grandmother before she died.”
“You talked to my grandfather?” Diane asked.
“I didn’t pose as a reporter, only as a close personal friend,” Liz told her. “He knew I worked with you and he was extremely lonely and anxious to talk. I easily drew him out.”
Diane looked cautiously at her companion. In coming here, she had known Liz could be a valuable ally if she chose to help her but even Diane’s expectations were being surpassed. In reality, her grandfather had never been easily drawn out. He was a private, reserved man who kept to himself. Surprise must have shone in Diane’s eyes for Liz commented, “The information didn’t come out all at once. I spoke with him for over three hours.”
Diane sat still in her seat, yearning to ask more about her grandfather’s welfare but not ready for the answers she knew would come. She therefore remained silent.
“One thing had me worried for awhile,” Liz admitted. “Your grandfather mentioned that you might have spent some money on a doctor who recommended an unconventional approach to your grandmother’s sickness, a holistic doctor your grandmother had wanted to see,” Liz continued. “I decided to check that doctor for any records whatsoever on your grandmother. There were none.”
“No,” Diane concurred. “Grandma tried to persuade me, without my grandfather’s knowledge, to take her there. It was too late. I think she knew it, as well. It was her last futile attempt to live.”
Liz nodded, seemingly more receptive to Diane’s explanations now. Diane found herself slowly, almost imperceptibly, relaxing as some of the tenseness eased out of her shoulders.
“Finding out about the money changed my mindset about this whole affair,” Liz continued. “It was with that perspective that I approached the man who is pointing fingers at you now, Mr. J. D. Keaton. I questioned and re-questioned him about what he knew regarding you. His willingness to see me—he knew I was a reporter who worked with you—made me suspicious from the start. If he, as he claimed before, felt hesitant to expose you, why is he doing it unreservedly now? He blamed, criticized, attacked you and even mentioned I could print whatever he said and quote him verbatim.” Liz sighed at the recollection. “He rattled off names and dates as if they were well-rehearsed and planned. Even you had a hard time pinpointing dates when we talked. That struck me.”
“What did Mr. Keaton say?” Diane questioned her.
“That you set up phony claims and took the money from them.”
“That’s impossible,” Diane said bitterly. “He was my supervisor. He had to review every single claim that went through our department.”
“He insinuated that your schemes were so ingenious that it took him awhile to catch the discrepancies. He said by then he didn’t want to further upset you after your grandmother’s death so he asked for your resignation.”
Diane stiffened. “He’s lying. He never asked me to quit. I quit because I found my new job.” Diane shook her head in frustration. “Is Mr. Keaton the one who supposedly told Rick about my taking the money?”
“No. Rick found out from someone else. It wasn’t Mr. Keaton but Rick said it was a reliable source. You were right. Rick didn’t discover the money being taken on his own. Someone pointed it out to him, which makes me believe you might have been set up.”
“I know I was.”
“Now,” Liz concluded, “I’m beginning to believe you.”
Diane felt more hopeful at the news but rubbed her forehead tensely. “Did you find out any more information from Rick?”
“He was the most reluctant to talk out of all my interviews,” Liz admitted. “I finally told him I was a personal friend of yours and wanted to know the story for myself and not the paper. He did tell me a few things but not much. The most I could glean from him is that the current evidence is confidential and being held pending trial. He says he’s not adamant about seeking punitive damages. He seems anxious to get everything over with.”
“Over with?” Diane said. “He brought the charges in the first place.”
“Only because he felt he needed to. Your article had become explosive. Which, by the way, is another reason I’m beginning to believe in your innocence. Rick thought your article might be a cover-up, a way of getting him out of the picture and out of town so you wouldn’t be hurt if he uncovered what happened in the past. I had to consider that as a possibility but why would you muddy up the waters when doing it would bring unwanted attention? I’ve reached one conclusion. I believe you wrote that article against Rick’s company more as a personal vendetta than anything else.”
“A personal vendetta?” Diane repeated. “Perhaps. The past definitely played a part in it. I wanted Rick to pay, I guess—hurt him in some way as I’d been hurt. I admit I have not been completely objective.”
Liz interlocked her fingers, sitting silently for a few moments before she spoke again. “I think you were right about Rick feeling you betrayed him. Have you considered the possibility that he left because he loved you?”
“Loved me?” Diane echoed incredulously. “You call believing me guilty of fraud and then leaving me ‘loving’ me?”
“He cared for you enough not to tr
y to make you pay back the money. He kept quiet about what he believed you did. He never told his father what he believed. He left rather than expose you. Even now I sense a real concern for you and your grandfather.”
Diane shook her head, unable to give any credence to Liz’s words. “If Rick had truly loved me, he never would have left town without trying to work everything out. If he had loved me, he would have never believed me capable of doing something as awful as what he claims I’ve done.”
“There were a lot of things going on at the time. He believed you loved your grandmother enough and felt desperate enough to help her in any way you could. He remembers the trips and the gifts. He recalls the talk of going to another doctor. He believes your only desire was to help. No, I think he left because he loved you. He didn’t want to hurt you further and get you in trouble with the law.”
“Whatever his motivation, then or now,” Diane countered, “it doesn’t change circumstances or what’s happening to me now.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Liz replied, “but Rick’s position has helped me form my own hypothesis about this whole situation. Would you like to hear it?”
Diane locked her eyes on Liz’s darker ones. “Yes.”
Liz stood from her chair and began pacing as she had when Diane had first come to her house. “This is how I see it. I believe J. D. Keaton and someone else are the ones to have embezzled money from the company.”
“Do you believe I’m the ‘someone else?’” Diane confronted her.
Liz paused, her eyes boring into Diane’s for a moment. “No. I believe you were a convenient cover-up. The evidence against you is so strong and watertight that someone knowledgeable had to have a hand it. What I’ve come to believe,” she continued, her tone becoming almost animated, “is that Rick must have been close to discovering the fraud back when you and he were dating. Someone knew you two well enough and knew your individual circumstances well enough to set you up as the culprit. Whoever he, she—or they—were, they had no idea how effectively they’d covered their tracks. Rick left, leaving the business alone, and you left soon after. They were perfectly safe. And in my mind, that left them open to continue their fraud, unimpeded by any outside influences.”
“Who would do that?” Diane questioned. “Who besides J. D. Keaton could it possibly be?”
“I don’t know,” Liz replied, shaking her head. “I am convinced someone else is in on it. Who is the ‘reliable source’ that informed Rick about the theft in the first place? I think that would be our first clue.”
“You believe the perpetrators continued the crimes after I left?”
“Why not?” Liz said. “They had every conceivable opportunity to do so. If there was some way…” She stalled, her voice trailing off.
“Some way to what?” Diane pressed her.
“If there was some way to prove money had been taken from the company after you left the R & J, that would give us a leg to stand on in proving your innocence.”
“That would be virtually impossible,” Diane responded, crestfallen. “We would need access to company records and time—lots of time.”
“After what I’ve discovered, I’m willing to give you the time you need.”
“But what about access to the company’s records?”
“Do you know where they’re stored?” Liz asked.
“Yes.”
“Well,” Liz countered, undeterred, “we’ll have to find a way to get you in and search them until we can find some type of lead.”
Diane stared at Liz in consternation. “You mean break in?”
“That would be too dangerous. We’ll have to find some other way.”
“There are people who work there who knew me,” Diane argued. “I’m sure they would recognize me if I ever set one foot inside that place.”
Liz stood, chewing her bottom lip as she thought it over. “We’ll have to find another way.”
Both were silent for some time. Diane felt discouraged and worried, not in the least sharing the determination Liz seemed to feel. “There’s one other question we need to answer,” Diane said. “How did Rick find out about Mr. Keaton’s involvement? Mr. Keaton wouldn’t have told him.”
“The answer to that,” Liz said, “would help us in our investigation. It might just be the person—or persons—working in partnership with Keaton. That’s something we need to find out.”
“This all seems impossible,” Diane said hopelessly. “How can we go about doing any type of investigation without Rick getting suspicious?”
“I don’t know,” Liz said, “but we’ll find a way. We have to find a way.” She suddenly turned. “I’d better go get ready for work. Carl’s been getting testy lately because of my inattention. I’ll call you some time later this afternoon.”
Diane nodded as she watched Liz go, wishing she could feel some of the confidence Liz seemed to harbor. Although relieved with Liz’s new position, she still felt troubled about being able to clear her name. How could she ever free herself from the damaging evidence that seemed to abound against her, evidence that Liz had called “watertight?”
Diane stayed outside for over an hour, thinking about everything and rehashing the conversation with Liz. At least Liz seemed to be on her side. She had to consider that as one crucial step in the right direction. If only the road ahead didn’t seem as long and foreboding. Diane tried to shake off the burdensome gloom before she summoned the energy to face the work that waited for her inside.
Chapter Four
“Listen to this,” Liz said the moment she stepped in from work later that evening. “I think we’ll be able to move forward with our investigation. I’ve been able to find a way to get you into the R & J.”
Diane froze, eyeing Liz with cautious hesitance. “You can get me in? How?”
“The cleaning crew. They had an opening for the night shift and I secured it. As myself, of course. I went in for an interview today.”
“How does that help me?” Diane asked.
“I told them I work another job during the day and can’t show up to clean until after ten at night. You can go in and do the work and begin your search through the records. You’ll have the place all to yourself.”
Diane shook her head. “How will that work? Someone is sure to notice I’m not the person originally hired. And what about training?”
Liz shrugged. “I gave them the spiel that I’ve been a professional cleaner for two years running and they hired me on the spot. You’ll basically be on your own. They trust that I’m experienced enough to work without supervision.”
“You’re serious about this,” Diane said.
“Absolutely. It’s the only way we’ll ever have a chance to get into the R & J unnoticed.”
“Unnoticed?” Diane repeated. “What about late-night workers?”
“You’ll have to be careful, certainly. But we’ll get you something—dark glasses, whatever—a few things to change your appearance. Chances are you won’t run into anyone.”
Diane felt uneasy at the prospect. “This seems risky.”
“It’s not as risky as doing nothing,” Liz countered. “This way we’ll have the chance to look through company records. We have nothing to lose.”
“What about security?” Diane questioned.
“You won’t have to get past them. They gave me a key to a side door,” Liz said. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know,” Diane replied, still hesitant.
“The job starts tomorrow. I told them that was when I could begin. I wanted to get you going as soon as possible. If you’re not willing to do it, you’ve got to let me know right away. I’ll have to tell the manager immediately.”
Diane let out a long, slow breath. “Do you really think it’s the best option?”
“It’s the only option I see that we have. I don’t think we’ll have any others.”
“All right,” Diane capitulated with a heavy breath. “I’ll do it. I just hope I don’t run into anyone I kn
ow.”
Diane felt more nervous going to her first night of janitorial work at the R & J than she had covering her first big story. She had taken precautions in dressing, disguising herself as best she could in a pair of Liz’s baggy jeans and an old T-shirt. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and topped her head with a band before completing her masquerade with a pair of dark glasses. The lenses effectively hid her eyes and brows and Liz had nodded in approbation when she had seen her. “Perfect,” Liz had said.
Diane now fumbled with the key at the side door of the R & J, cringing with every sound she made. As Liz had mentioned earlier, a sheet of cleaning instructions and directions to the custodial closet had been taped inside the door. Diane grabbed it, nervously peering through her dark glasses for any onlookers. She could see no one. The place lay deathly still and quiet. Diane took a deep breath before scanning the paper in her hands. She had been assigned to clean the restrooms and complete the vacuuming on both floors. In Liz’s exuberance to secure the job, she had forgotten to tell Diane it included the two most troublesome tasks in her own cleaning regimen. This plan, she decided in discouragement, did not come without glaring flaws.
Diane slipped through the door, the silence surrounding her almost eerie. She quickly made her way to the cleaning supply closet, scanned the contents, made her selections and then escaped into the women’s restroom, for the first time feeling somewhat relieved. The possibility of running into someone made her jittery. With a heavy, reluctant sigh, she set the supplies down and began to work.
To Diane’s chagrin, the cleaning of the restrooms took more than two hours to complete. By the time she had finished, she felt hot, sweaty and discouraged. Thoughts of the job she had unwittingly let go plagued her as she worked. The realities of her predicament seemed more overwhelming than ever. What if she and Liz could not find any evidence to show that Mr. Keaton had been involved in other fraudulent activities? Would she be spending the rest of her life cleaning toilets? She dragged out the vacuum with a growing sense of melancholy. Would she even have a chance to search through any records if she had to work all night? By the time she finished, employees of the R & J would probably be arriving for work.
Where Lies End Page 5