by F J messina
“I don’t know,” Jet tossed the piece of straw to the ground. “but I do have to say it kind of creeped me out. It was almost like he felt she owed him something, you know, like spending time with him, and she wasn’t keeping up her part of the bargain.”
Sonia ran her fingers through her hair. “Weird.”
“Weird.”
By then they had reached Jet’s car and were slipping into their seats, each one taking a final look at the beauty that surrounded them. Jet fired up the Camry and started down the drive, heading for their offices. Things were silent in the car for the next few moments.
Eventually, Sonia spoke. “So, you got the feeling that Limey was ticked off at her for pulling away from their friendship?”
Jet glanced over at Sonia, then back to the road. “Pulling away, not having time, something. Something about what she was doing was bothering him, making him feel cheated.”
Sonia shook her head. “Wow, I sure wish we knew more about what that meant”. She took a deep, slow breath. “Hey, you hungry? I’m starving. I didn’t get anything with my coffee this morning.”
Jet looked at her watch. “Eleven thirty. That’ll do for an early lunch. Want to stop at Windy Corner.”
“What’s that?”
“What’s that?” Jet’s voice rose. “Just a fabulous place to eat that’s right out here in the middle of horse country.”
Sonia shrugged. “Never heard of it.”
Jet gave her a big smile. “You have now. And do you remember those great Sorghum Crinkle cookies we had at The Midway Bakery? Well, Windy Corner is owned by the same lady and her husband. They own a bunch of really neat places all over Lexington and Midway. She’s the chef. Been on national TV and everything. And I believe I’m-a hankering for one of her shrimp po’ boys and a nice cold Ale-8-One.” She grinned. “It’s a Kentucky original, you know.”
Sonia had never had one of the popular ginger/citrus sodas produced in Winchester, Kentucky, but she figured it was a good day to try her first. “Well, if you’ve got a hankering, who am I to stand in your way? Windy Corner it is.”
22
Just after seven-thirty that evening, the girls met back in Jet’s office. It was April, but the evenings were still cool, almost cold. Sonia zipped up her spring jacket. “Ready to go?”
Jet did the same. “You know me. I’m always ready to roll.”
“Okay then. I told Steven Brownlee we’d meet him outside his place at eight. It sure is nice to know we don’t have to worry about breaking into the place . . . or Oakley’s office either.”
“Oh.” Jet put her wallet and keys in her jacket pocket, leaving her purse on the floor next to her desk just as Sonia had. “So, now we’re glad we don’t have to bother to break into some building? And me with black clothing and a ski mask in the back of my car.”
Sonia just chuckled. They moved through the waiting area and down the steps. As they turned the corner and walked toward her car, Sonia noticed a figure standing near the back corner of the optometrist’s building on the other side of the parking lot. She peered through the darkness. Tall. A man she assumed. Strange. Within moments, they had reached Sonia’s Subaru. Sonia looked back. He was gone. She dismissed the thought, slipped in, and buckled up.
Jet looked over her shoulder as Sonia backed out of the parking space. “Lead on Captain. We’ve got work to do tonight, and you’re the one that’s up at bat.”
It was a short drive to the offices of Bronson/Brownlee and they could see Steven Brownlee’s car in the parking lot as they turned in. As soon as they pulled up next to him, Brownlee got out of his car to greet them. The girls slipped out as well.
As they walked to the building, Brownlee pulled his huge ring of keys out of his pocket. “Thanks so much for doing this tonight, ladies. I know that I had my suspicions, but when Burnett said that Michael is cheating me I just found it hard to believe.” He put his hand on the door, holding the proper key just inches away from its destination. “I mean, why would a young man with a bright future have to do something like that? I gave him a good job and a good salary. Couldn’t he have been patient enough to work his way up like we all do?”
Jet put her hand on Brownlee’s shoulder, in an almost manly fashion. “Just the way it is nowadays. Some young folks think that anyone older than thirty is too dumb to figure out what they’re up to. And they think that if you can’t catch them at it they have every right to do it. But don’t worry, Steven. We’ve already caught him at it, and soon we’ll be proving it as well.”
Brownlee slid the key into the door and spoke, shaking his head slowly. “I know. It’s just sad, isn’t it?” He opened the door and went in quickly. He headed to an electronic touchpad on the wall to the left in order to get to the alarm before it went off.
Sonia and Jet followed Brownlee into the building, then down the hall to Michael Oakley’s office. Brownlee opened the office door and waved the girls in. “There you go. It’s all yours.” He followed them into the room.
As they walked into Oakley’s office, Sonia got a spooky feeling. Everything looked almost exactly as it had the last time they had been there─the desk absolutely clear of clutter, the twenty-four-hour security feed from several cameras rolling on the monitor overhead, the only sound in the room the hum of the heating system. It struck her that it was always weird to be in someone else’s space when they didn’t know about it.
Sonia sat down at Oakley’s desk and turned on his computer. She used the password to get in. As she did, it was the “old fool” part that really galled her.
As soon as the computer was fully running, Sonia stuck her flash drive into the appropriate port and began downloading a keystroke program that hides in the computer’s operating system and intercepts keystrokes. The program had software that enabled Sonia to log into Oakley’s machine via the internet. With that access, she and Burnett could look directly into data logs stored on Oakley’s machine and Burnett could interpret the financial implications of that activity. And, if Oakley used his office computer to transfer money out of that account to his own, Burnett would be able to see that as well. They would have him for sure.
It was a large program, and Sonia knew it would take several minutes to load. As they waited for the program to infiltrate Oakley’s computer, Sonia and Jet spoke softly, surreptitiously, while Brownlee waited patiently. A moment later, Sonia saw a strange look on Jet’s face. “What? What is it?”
Jet pointed at a security monitor. “We’ve got trouble. Someone’s coming in the front door. That’s the front door, right, Steven?”
Brownlee looked up. “Yes, and darn it, that’s Michael Oakley. He’s coming right here. I’ve got to stop him.”
As Brownlee scooted out the door and closed it, Jet stepped quickly to the light switch and turned it off. It was just a moment later that they heard Brownlee in the hall, his voice loud and friendly. “Michael, what are you doing here so late?”
Sonia could sense that Oakley was still coming right toward them as she heard his voice grow louder. “Mr. Brownlee. I could ask you the same question.”
“Shithook,” Jet whispered softly.
“Oh, you know.” The tone of Brownlee’s voice was almost lilting. “Now that my wife is gone, sometimes it gets lonely at home at night. Some nights I just like to come in and walk around the place.” Sonia could hear him fiddle with the large ring of keys in his hand. “Kind of makes me feel close to ol’ Bronson. I’d bet he’d be surprised we’re still at it.”
Sonia and Jet exchanged a look. Then Jet whispered, “Good job, Steven. You’re spinnin’ a good yarn there, buddy.”
Sonia moved in closer to Jet. She was staring at the monitor, trying to get a real sense of Michael Oakley, the man. From what she could see on the screen, he was a slight man with darkish hair and a somewhat odd-looking goatee. Though he was dressed in jeans and a sports jacket over a tie-less oxford shirt, there were clear indications that a premature middle-aged spread was taking hold o
f the young man’s midriff. She whispered, “Do you think he’ll buy it?”
Jet started to answer. “I don’t . . . oh shit. The computer.”
“What?”
“The computer. The glow from the computer. He’ll see it under the door.”
Sonia turned toward the computer, still whispering. “I can’t stop it. I don’t think there’s a separate switch for the monitor, and I can’t stop the program in mid-stream.”
Jet pulled off her jacket. “Quick. Give me your coat. Quick. Quick.”
Sonia watched as Jet slid both jackets under the edge of the office door.
Jet stood up, relieved. “That should do it.” But almost immediately Sonia saw the look of panic return to Jet’s face; she knew why. They could hear Oakley continuing to make his way toward his office, Brownlee apparently walking with him.
“I know Mr. Brownlee, but this will just take a minute. I’ve just got to get this one item paid so that when they open their account tomorrow the money will be there.”
It was at that moment that it struck Sonia. Oakley’s door. It was unlocked. She lunged for the door, grabbed the deadbolt lever and then froze. Gently, as quietly as she could, she slowly, slowly, slowly slid the deadbolt, waiting for the soft but tell-tale click that finally came. She stood there motionlessly.
Sonia’s mind was scrambling. What if he comes in. Should we hide? Where would we hide? We can’t hide. The coats. Grab the coats. No, they need to stay there. C’mon program, load, load.
Brownlee’s voice came to them through the door. “Now Michael, I insist.” The voices stopped coming closer. “I’ve given my whole life to this business. Been here every day for years, and too many nights. You know, I heard this thing once. When you ask a man at the end of his life, what is it that he wished he’d done more of? Do you know what the answer is? Well, I can tell you one thing, it’s never, ‘I wish I spent more time at work and away from my family and friends.’ Now you go home, Michael. You go home and do whatever it is that makes you happy. That money will be in their account when it gets there. We’re paying our bills. They can wait one more day if need be. Now go on, get out of here. Go have a life.”
Sonia and Jet waited breathlessly for Oakley’s response. Finally, the words came. “Okay, Mr. Brownlee. Thanks. Maybe I’ll go have that beer with my friends. You have a good night.”
“You as well, son.”
Sonia turned to Jet, still whispering. “Holy crap. That was close. Thank God he never opened that door.”
Just then, they heard Oakley’s voice coming to them from farther away, down the hall. “Just one question, Mr. Brownlee. Whose car is that next to yours in the parking lot?”
Jet whispered. “Damn it.”
Sonia held her breath while silence filled the hall outside Oakley’s office.
Brownlee spoke. “You know, Michael. I was wondering the same thing. It was here when I got here tonight, so I parked right next to it. I swear I don’t recognize it. Do you?”
Sonia heard no response. Is he just shaking his head? Is he coming back? What do we do if he comes back?
Finally, Oakley spoke. “You haven’t seen anything on the security feed, have you? Maybe we should go look at that.”
Brownlee was quick to respond. “No. No. I’ve already checked that. It was the first thing I did when I got in the building. It’s fine. No one else is here. I’m sure of it.”
Oakley pressed. “Are you positive? We could go look at the recording of the last few hours.”
There was another moment of silence, the girls’ ears straining to hear. “No, I’m sure. I’ll tell you what. If we find something amiss in the morning we’ll check the recording then. For now, why don’t we both just go home.”
“Okay. But I want to walk with you to the cars. I wouldn’t want someone to be hanging around the building, waiting for an opportunity to sneak in, or worse, to do something to you.”
Jet gave Sonia a look. “Dirtbag.”
Brownlee was silent for a moment. Then he spoke, more loudly than before. “Sure. Okay. That makes sense. Let’s you and I go right now. I’ll reset the alarm on the way out.”
Jet and Sonia stood there in breathless silence, listening for footsteps either coming closer or fading away. After more than a minute, Jet looked at Sonia. “I guess they’re both gone.”
“Wow. That was close.” Sonia glanced at the computer. “Okay, the program’s loaded.” She ejected the thumb drive and shut down the computer. “Let’s get out of here.”
Jet looked at her and started to quietly laugh. “You want to get out of here now?”
Sonia looked at her, her brow furrowed. “Yeah. Right now.” Her voice was more than emphatic. “C’mon. I’ve had enough of this place for one night. Let’s go.”
“And exactly how are we going get out of here with the alarm on?”
Sonia froze. She turned to Jet. “We’re trapped in here?”
“Not sure my friend. But it looks like we may be spending the night sitting in this very office. You didn’t by any chance bring a flask of something smooth and warm, did you?”
Sonia let out a huge sigh and plopped back down into Michael Oakley’s chair.
23
Sonia and Jet spent the better part of two hours waiting in Michael Oakley’s office, afraid there might be motion detectors in the hallways and hoping that Steven Brownlee would come to rescue them. Sonia asked Jet to call Brownlee on his phone, but it turned out that Jet didn’t have his cell number, she had only spoken to him on his office phone. Finally, a little after eleven o’clock, they noticed some movement on the security camera monitor. It was Brownlee.
Jet slipped on her jacket. “It’s about damn time.”
Sonia did the same. “Look, at least he’s here.”
Brownlee finally turned the key, opened the outer door, and walked into the building. It took him another minute or so to turn the alarm off and get back to Oakley’s office. “Sorry ladies. I had to be absolutely certain that Michael wasn’t sitting somewhere watching, waiting to see if I came back. After two hours, I thought the coast was probably clear.”
Sonia walked up to him and gave him a smile and a little hug, patting him on his back. “At least you came back for us. We were afraid we were going to spend the whole night here.”
Jet put her hand on his shoulder. “Just glad you came back. Now don’t forget to go back there and lock Oakley’s door before you leave. And you’d better wipe that security tape as well. I’m afraid we’re all over it. We’ll meet you at the cars.” At eleven-twenty-five, both cars left the parking lot and the night finally came to an end.
Just after four o’clock Friday afternoon, Sonia walked into the BCI offices looking somewhat glum.
Jet looked up from her desk and spoke loudly enough to be heard in the waiting area. “Well, look what the cat drug in. Hard day today, lady?”
Sonia trudged across the visitor’s area and into Jet’s office. She stood in the doorway. “Not terrible, but not great.”
“What’s going on?”
“I spent the afternoon trying to close the case of the cheating husband who works at night then goes next door in the afternoon to mess around with his young, attractive neighbor.”
Jet looked up from her computer. “You get some shots?”
“Oh, Mr. Afternoon Delight did get together with his happy, home-making hussy, but I got nothing that was really worth using.” As she took a seat in the red, padded chair, Sonia’s eyes scanned the rubble on Jet’s desk, hoping there was a cup of something from which she could sneak a sip. She saw nothing. “So, did you accomplish anything today? Is that why you’re in such a good mood?”
Jet leaned further back, stretching her arms above her head and then relaxing them. “As a matter of fact, I did. Listen up. I think you’ll like this.”
Sonia sat up taller. She was hoping that what Jet had to share would make up for the frustration of the morning and, more importantly, for the lack of progress
they’d made so far on Mariana’s case.
Jet pointed to a yellow pad on which she had a list of names, mostly crossed off. “You know that girl I told you about, she was on some wilderness adventure out west and I couldn’t reach her?”
“I remember.”
“Well, she’s back and I reached her this afternoon.”
Sonia yawned. She was interested, but it had already been a long day. “You get anything from her?”
“You’re not going to believe what I got from her.” Jet’s smile was sly. “Seems like that goofy Professor Andersen doesn’t have as good a memory as he thinks.”
“What do you mean?” Sonia’s attention was piqued.
It was Jet’s turn to sit up and become more fully engaged. “So, I talk to this girl, Allie something. She says she has no idea where Mariana might have gone.”
Sonia’s eyes went to the ceiling. “As usual.”
Jet leaned in. “But here’s the thing. She says, she’s sorry she can’t help, but if anyone would know where Mariana might go, it would be these other two girls.” Jet looked down at her pad to find the new names. “Let’s see. Penny Rey Nelson and LaKiesha Washington.”
Sonia sat forward in her chair as if she were trying to read the names on Jet’s list upside-down. “And those names. They weren’t on your list before?”
“Nope.” Jet shook her head broadly. “Seems like Professor Smarty-Pants missed a few. This Allie said that Penny Rey and LaKiesha were real tight with Mariana. Real tight.”
Sonia smiled. “Excellent. Good work, Kimosabe.”
Jet simply leaned back nodding her head in self-congratulation.
“So, have you contacted either one of them yet?”
Jet held up her hands as if to cool Sonia’s excitement. “I’m still trying to track down phone numbers for them.” She dropped her hands. “Based on what this Allie said, I’m pretty sure they’re both working in the horse industry. Probably right here in Lexington.”