by Mimi Barbour
“They sold their house. Patricia and their fourteen-year old son, Danny, moved to a duplex in Queens. She’s worked at the same construction company as accounting manager for the last ten years and is highly appreciated.”
“What about her ex?”
“At first I couldn’t find any trace of him. Stan Garett left the trucking company where he worked as a long-distance driver. I asked Detective Zach to locate him. Guess what? The guy moved to Boston last month.”
Josh frowned. “He’s here? Doing what?”
“His brother Scott hired him at Speedy Auto shops.” The information hit Josh like a baseball bat. Now Emma would have to contend with both men.
“That’s all I got. You have all the details and sources of information on the flash drive.”
“Great job. Thank you, Charlotte. Your turn, Colin.”
Colin consulted his phone. “The Speedy Auto shops have a continuous flow of customers and have increased the number of mechanics. Scott put Stan in charge of the small auto body shop while he takes care of the other one.”
“Interesting.” Another piece of information Emma must not know about. Quite scary for the poor young woman. Good thing she’d been too busy with her new job, and before with her stepmother, to visit her auto shops. Josh didn’t want her anywhere near those two shady characters.
“I used Detective Zach’s help,” Colin continued. “He’s so good with computers. We visited the Newton shop at lunchtime while Scott was away. I distracted the two mechanics present with a job to be done on my car and Zach accessed the computer. There are two accounts, one for Speedy Auto Shops with low savings in it and another in the name of Brighton Management Inc. with close to eight hundred thousand dollars in it.”
“That’s what I suspected. Scott Garett has been embezzling the auto shops’ profits.” And claiming that the business had dwindled or clients were not paying every time Emma had asked him for money.
“We checked at the bank and found out that the Brighton account was opened three months after Victor Cassiero passed. His daughter Emma withdrew her last check from Speedy Auto Shops account just about that time. They’ve been robbing her blind.”
“She’s such a sweet girl. Can we help her now that she works for us?” Charlotte already commiserated with her new colleague.
“Let me go through these flash drives and your reports. We’ll meet again tomorrow to discuss a plan of action on how we can help Emma regain her shops and their revenues. You did great. Thank you, guys.”
After they left, he inserted a flash drive in the USB port of his laptop, opened the files and started reading. Eventually, he’d have to talk to Emma. Where could he take her to discuss his lawyers’ findings in complete privacy?
His phone rang. It was his father. “Hi Dad.”
“Hi, can you come here tonight?” His father didn’t seem to be in a good mood.
“Too busy tonight at the office.” He absolutely wanted to finish reading the Speedy reports.
“Tomorrow then?”
“Fine. Anything wrong?”
“It’s not an emergency, but we need to talk.” Dad’s stern voice didn’t bode well.
“See you tomorrow after work. Probably late, around nine. Don’t wait for me to have dinner. I’m too busy.” Josh didn’t have time to listen to his father’s complaints about the progress of his campaign. He’d kept his word and stayed away from the limelight. No paparazzi had been able to catch him in a public place, for the simple reason he’d locked himself in his office for the last month. Knowing Emma was just a call away had sweetened his lot.
“Come anytime you want. There’ll always be something to eat in the fridge. We’ll be at your sister’s. Give me a call when you arrive and I’ll return home right away.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Back to his reading, Josh studied the references mentioned in the files and wrote his own comments. In need of a drink to change the gloomy thoughts invading his mind, he collected his laptop and flash drives, threw his jacket on his arm, and locked his office.
A brighter light in the corner of the faintly lit cubicles area attracted his attention. He craned his neck and realized Emma hadn’t left yet although it was already seven o’clock. He strolled to her office. “Still here?”
He usually avoided coming to his staff’s cubicles and preferred to call them to his office. She’d done a nice job decorating her work area. Glancing around, he noticed the frame with her father’s picture on the credenza, a monkey-shaped cup containing several pens and pencils, and other cute objects reflecting her personality. The book case exhibited her law school books, a miniature sailboat, and her graduation picture with her parents. A pot with a greenish red plant sat on the top shelf giving the little office a lively look and faint sweet fragrance.
“I’m about to leave. I’m done with the Hamed case. I just emailed you the file.” She closed her laptop, stood, and collected her purse. Her maroon pantsuit molded her figure in an elegant yet professional way and he liked the way her hair cascaded down her back in wide curls.
“Good job. I’ll walk you to your car.” They all parked in the basement garage that was gated and well-lit day and night. “How do you like it here, Emma?”
“I love it. We don’t have much time to socialize, except at lunch, but people are easy to work with.”
“That’s how it’s supposed to be. You’re staying late tonight? Are things okay with your stepmother?”
“So far, so good. The aides are taking great care of her. Usually I leave at five thirty or six. Tonight I wanted to finish my case to be able to discuss it with you tomorrow.”
He appreciated her extra effort. But couldn’t get himself to share the gloomy news about her shops. Not here at the office, in a quick announcement before she went home. He should relate it slowly and be ready to gather her in his arms to reassure her he’d be at her side to fight the people stealing her income.
His father’s request to visit popped into his mind. His parents’ house would be the perfect place. Especially if they weren’t home. Josh could enjoy a couple of hours with Emma before he called his father to tell him he’d arrived.
“If you can leave the office around five tomorrow, I’ll take you to dinner at my parents’. Dad summoned me.” Josh smiled. “I need your support to face him.”
“Troubles?”
“Not on my part. We’ve been so busy here I haven’t had a chance to mess up.”
They both laughed.
“Maybe Senator Howard needs your advice for the campaign.”
“Maybe. I’m not sure how long we’ll stay there. Could be an hour, could be more, so I’d rather not inconvenience Maria.”
“She doesn’t like to go out at night. It requires a lot of effort on her part to dress up for a visit.”
They’d arrived at her car which looked spotless although the model was obviously several years old. Emma took good care of her small practical Chevy. She unlocked her car, climbed inside, and lowered her window. “I’m looking forward to seeing your parents again,” she said with a bright smile.
He caught her gaze and returned her smile. “I’ve missed you.”
Her lips parted, mesmerizing him. “Oh Josh,” she whispered.
He quickly glanced around. No one was in sight and the surveillance cameras didn’t reach this lane. He leaned inside her window and captured her mouth for a brief and so-needed kiss.
“Drive carefully and have a good night.”
She kept staring at him for a moment, her eyes full of longing.
“Please go, Emma.” He didn’t want to snatch her out of her car and into his arms, his car, his house. There was a limit to his endurance and he had probably reached the last shred of it. “Good night, go now.”
She started the engine and backed up out of her slot. He watched her reverse direction and roll out of the garage, then he strode to his own BMW and drove home.
Unable to think straight, he left his laptop on the kit
chen table and fixed himself a scotch on the rocks. The burning liquid stirred him out of his daze.
Dropping on his sofa, he switched on the TV, browsed through several channels, and turned it off.
This was going to be a long night.
His phone chimed and he grabbed it impatiently to check the caller ID: Annabelle.
He frowned, sure that he hadn’t set a date with her or anyone. It rang for a few seconds and then he heard her message. “Hi lover boy. Miss you. Want to come over?”
No, he really didn’t want to see Annabelle, or Tammy Burt or Brooke or any of his former dates.
He wanted Emma in his arms.
Chapter Five
The Dutton’s Mansion hunkered like a dark block at the end of the driveway, not a single light in sight. Her hand in Josh’s, Emma strolled from his car to the backyard and kitchen door which Josh unlocked with his own key. They entered the dark kitchen and he switched the light on.
Josh had picked her up from home half an hour after she arrived from work, barely giving her time to brush her hair and refresh her makeup while talking to Mom who couldn’t hide her excitement at the thought of Emma accompanying Josh to his parents’.
“I think he likes you,” Maria said with a nod of approval.
“He’s nice, but don’t forget he’s my boss.”
Emma had never confided sharing a couple of hot kisses with Josh the same day she’d met him. Although she’d fantasized about their intimate scene for the last four weeks, every night without exception, she couldn’t get herself to talk about it.
Josh checked his watch. “Six-thirty. Nice and quiet here.” He silently closed the door.
“Are you sure they are expecting us for dinner? I mean expecting me?”
Josh shrugged. “It’s not important. There’s always a lot of food in this house. Let’s make sure they’re not here.” They checked the family room, living room and office. No one answered their call in the silent house.
Embarrassed to roam around in the owners’ absence, Emma wanted to leave. “Maybe we should go.”
“No way.” He returned to the huge kitchen, opened the fridge, and uncovered a plate of veal Marsala and a pan of sweet potatoes. He shoved both into the microwave. “In two minutes we’ll share a delicious dinner.” His eyes twinkled with satisfaction. “En tête-à-tête.”
“I feel bad, eating dinner in their absence.”
“Don’t. My parents always tell their children, ‘You’re not guests here. This is still your house.’ They never mind when we come anytime, to eat or sleep, or bring a friend.”
“If you’re sure—”
“I’m sure.” He chuckled and set the plates on the mahogany kitchen table and opened a bottle of Merlot. “Cutlery in this drawer. Napkins in the one beside it.”
While Emma got the forks, knives and napkins, and placed them around the plates, Josh poured the wine.
“Cheers.” He raised his glass and clanked it against hers.
“Cheers.” Warmth rippled through her. A dinner with Josh in the privacy of this splendid kitchen topped any outing to an expensive restaurant. She couldn’t hold the smile dancing on her lips.
“Hmm, this is good. Our Roberto is an excellent cook.” Josh ate fast, like a man deprived of home-cooking.
“Delicious.” She kept staring at Josh, at his sun-streaked hair and his deep-ocean blue eyes. Her gaze slanted to his lips and her hand stalled mid-way to her mouth. She wasn’t very hungry anymore, at least not for food.
He caught her eyes, swallowed his last bite, and stood. “You didn’t eat much.”
“I’m full.”
“We’ll eat dessert later.” He gathered both plates, rinsed them in the sink, and set them in the dishwasher. “Let’s go to the office.”
Senator Howard’s office? Talk about a mood-killer. She almost grimaced but didn’t dare voice her disappointment.
Holding her elbow, he led her to a small hallway behind the kitchen and a back staircase with a wood banister. Surprised, she climbed up silently and stopped at the second floor landing with three opened doors.
“This was our study wing with three rooms where we kids spent long hours on homework. On the left was David’s office which he always locked so the young brothers wouldn’t mess it up or play pranks on him. The middle one was Julia’s girly room. Ethan, Brian and I shared the big study room on the right.” He smiled fondly and raised his hand to invite her in this student haven. “Dad wants to sell the house that’s now too big for two people. But Mom can’t let go. This place is full of happy memories.”
The walls covered with football and basketball posters gave her glimpse of the athletic teenagers who spent time in this room. Multiple trophies lined several shelves of the double bookcase and various framed diplomas hung between the posters. Three desks with bulky old computers sat against opposite walls and a sofa occupied the middle one. Dark stereo speakers cluttered two corners of the room.
“Your mom left the place intact.”
“She hopes the grandchildren will use our study wings. After we all left to work or go to college, the noisy, cluttered place turned to so quiet. Mom used to come here and cry or pray for God to give us a good future.”
“Nancy is such a wonderful person.” Maria had been a loving mother, but always reticent at distributing hugs. “I’m glad you showed me your ‘office’.” She made quote signs with her fingers and then approached a desk to look at the bunch of pictures stuck all around the monitor. A young Josh playing tennis, receiving a baseball trophy, riding a bicycle, three boys pulling their tongues, diving in a pool. Ah here was a seventeen or eighteen year old Josh with a pretty girl, and an older Josh with another girl, and another girl, and...
“Wow you had a lot of girlfriends. Did you bring them here?” Curious, she raised her eyebrows
“Rarely. Mom had strict rules because of the good example we had to give Julia.” He scoffed. “But Dad allowed us to bring our girlfriends on the weekends that Julia spent at our grandparents with Mom.”
She spun toward him, arms crossed over her chest. “And you fooled around with them in the privacy of your study?”
He gave her a lopsided grin and shrugged. “Sometimes, the way you fool around in college and learn about life.”
Why hadn’t she learned from him? The couple of boys she’d dated briefly had disappointed her. “And later after graduation?”
“I had my apartment.” He’d smartly avoided answering her question.
But who cared? The number of his girlfriends had probably escalated with the years. Could he ever stick with one woman? Fall in love and commit?
“Why the sad expression?” He tilted her chin up with the tips of his fingers.
Darn, she hadn’t realized her face would transmit her thoughts so easily. She immediately smiled. “Sad? Not at all. I’m having a great time. Dinner was delicious and seeing your room...”
She couldn’t say more. With his lips drawing near, brushing her cheek and enclosing her mouth, and his lemon scent enveloping her and numbing her brain, she just sighed. And wrapped her arms around his neck. Her heart pummeled her breastbone and she closed her eyes to enjoy the kiss she’d been dreaming of for several weeks.
He released her mouth and trailed tiny kisses on her jaw and throat. “Emma,” he whispered.
“Hmm...” Keep kissing me, she answered in her head, but he pulled her to the sofa and sat with her. The heat in his eyes mirrored her own desire, yet a frown puckered his forehead. What had gone wrong?
“Emma, I need to talk to you.”
Her stomach clenched and she wondered about his sudden change. “About what?”
“About your shops and their manager.”
The words sounded clear but didn’t register.
“As your lawyer I ordered a thorough investigation. You’re not going to like what we found out.” His knuckles gently brushed her cheek.
“An investigation?” She slowly repeated to better understand.
“Please tell me. I need to know.” A shudder skittered down her spine. “I never trusted Scott Garett.”
He enclosed her hands in his palms and started explaining. His tone turned professional and dispassionate as he informed her of Scott’s dealings, Stan’s divorce and move to Boston, and the creation of a new account, Brighton Management Inc., where the brothers shifted the shops’ earnings.
“Good God, that’s worse than I ever imagined.” Her throat slammed shut and blood pounded in her ears. “All that time I worked two jobs at night while he and his brother stole the money that could have helped my mother. I’m going to the police right away.”
“Patience. You can’t make claims like that. We need tangible proof before we accuse them. Colin McFarell and Detective Zach investigated one of the shops last week. They suggest you hire a forensic accountant to audit the computer files and accounting books.”
“I doubt that Scott will let an auditor work in peace while he’s there.” Biting her lip, she grappled for control and fought to even her ragged breath.
“That’s why Zach suggested we do the audit at night. Do you have the keys or code to enter the shops?”
“Yes of course. My father set the code. It was still the same the last time I went three months ago.”
“Scott couldn’t have changed it without asking you for some private information. Any surveillance camera?”
“None that I know of. Dad didn’t believe in them. Plus he practically lived at his shops. Nothing escaped his eyes.”
“Once we receive the forensic auditor’s report, we’ll decide about the next step. We may need you there at that time, just in case someone shows up and asks questions. You’re the owner. You have the right to be in your shops.”
Dread coursed through her as she remembered how Scott had grappled her and tried to kiss her. “I can do that,” she said with a voice she wanted firm. She’d do anything to frame the man and punish him for dismissing her father’s loyal staff. Maybe the audit would reveal some useful information.
Josh squeezed her hands. “I know you can, Emma. I’ll be with you and I’ll make sure you’ll be well surrounded. We want Garett and his brother returning what they owe you. We want them behind bars.”