by Robin Mahle
“I’ll catch me a few zees, I imagine. These night shifts are hell on the old biological clock, but I suppose after this many years, I’m pretty used to it. My favorite part of the day is the occasion that I get to see you before I leave.”
“Me too, Jim.” Claire gave him a warm, genuine smile and headed towards the elevator.
As she waited for the doors to open, Claire couldn’t think of anything else but Lucas. However, unless she wanted to risk exposure, she’d have to be diligent around him; careful not to say anything that might make him suspicious. She was glad to be moving to the seventh floor soon. That would mean it was less likely she’d run into him. Of course, that also meant she wouldn’t be able to keep such a close eye on him either.
The best she could do was hope that Agents Sanchez and Huffman would find something on Beth’s computer that would prove her innocence or, at the very least, learn the identity of the account holders where the money had been deposited. There wasn’t a chance in hell Beth’s name would knowingly be on that list. Then Claire would be free of all this and she could focus on her new job.
The elevator doors opened and, to Claire’s surprise, Evan Winters was standing in front of her, inside the car.
“Good morning, Claire. You’re in very early. That’s my girl.” Evan stepped out and patted her on the shoulder.
A cock-eyed grin appeared in return, as she hadn’t expected to see him. But just as the doors were closing and she was inside, she blurted out, “Thank you, Mr. Winters.” The doors shut. “Brilliant response, McKenna.”
One thing that struck Claire as odd, now as she was walking towards her office, was the fact that Winters seemed little affected by the fact that an employee, or employees, were stealing from his clients and, by default, stealing from him. So it wasn’t all that much money in the grand scheme of things, but she wondered how it could just roll off of him.
She considered the possibility that he didn’t want his staff to see him rattled in any way. After all, he was a self-made man, running a multi-million-dollar company. He still had shareholders to consider and she supposed he had to seem unflappable through it all.
In the end, her main concern had to be to help Beth clear her name, which would begin this morning. Her office lit up again on entry and she pressed the button to fire up her computer.
“What do I do now?” she asked herself, staring blankly at the screen. Claire glanced out into the corridor, wondering if Lucas had come in yet. The hall still looked to be fairly dark; a trickle of light reached her from the opposite end, but not in the direction of Lucas’ cubicle.
Claire pressed her palms on the edge of the desk and leveraged into a standing position. Her eyes blinked hard as she considered her next move. It’s too risky; what if someone sees me? But she could hear Beth’s words replaying in her mind. “Thank you, Claire. I don’t know what I would do without you. You’re such a good friend.” as she dropped her off on Friday night.
Beth’s state of mind was fragile; hopeful, angry, and very afraid for herself, her kids, and Claire. It was a combination that could push even the most stable person over the edge and send them tumbling down into the depths of distress. And, since Beth’s divorce last year, she hadn’t quite regained her footing. Now she faced the unthinkable.
The decision was made. Claire walked down the hall and into the sea of cubicles towards Lucas’ station. She checked her watch. 7:00. Still possibly some time before the first arrivals, if she was lucky.
Most people came in early on a Friday in hopes of starting their weekends early. Monday was a day to either call in sick or show up late. It would be too much to ask for the latter, in Lucas’ case, but she could hope that he’d had an overly exhausting weekend, what with his bachelor lifestyle. It wouldn’t be impossible to consider the man might be late. He wasn’t, however, the type to call in sick. She’d worked with him for the past three years, and couldn’t ever recall hearing he’d missed a day due to illness or a hangover.
The idea that someone might catch her rifling through his desk gave her pause, although it wasn’t unimaginable for her to be “looking for an important file,” should the story need to be told.
One step at a time, Claire made her way towards his desk. The morning light had found its way into the bullpen where the cubicles were laid out in a complex puzzle. The windows along the east wall filtered the sun’s rays in a hazy glow, the particles of dust floating around in the light shafts. But as soon as Claire entered the room, the LED lights in the ceiling illuminated on command. She cursed the heat-sensing fixtures as they seemed to put a spotlight on her intentions.
Lucas’ cubicle had little personality, not surprising as that seemed fitting. Where most people would have pictures of their families or friends, maybe even a poster or two with cats hanging in precarious positions, Lucas had nothing. In fact, the only indication that this had been where he spent eight hours a day was a card holder engraved with his name and a calendar pinned to one of the fabric-covered cubicle walls. The calendar contained images of video games that Claire recognized from the ones her son played.
It was as if he was prepared to bolt at any given time; disappear if things got out of hand. She wondered if he kept a “go bag” in his car. Maybe she had seen too many movies.
The file drawers glided quietly along their tracks as Claire pulled them open, one by one. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a few client files that contained his timesheets and copies of receipts; parking garages, client lunches, etc.
What was she hoping to find—cold, hard cash? She thumbed through some papers in a wire basket, marked “In Box.” Nothing but client emails he’d printed, presumably to file away. His desk was virtually spotless. In that respect, he was very much like Claire. An unorganized desk was a sign of an unorganized life, in her opinion. But then, she knew she was a little OCD, which sometimes got her into trouble, mostly with Colin.
She stared at his keyboard for a minute. It was sleek, black, and just a little off-center. Her head tilted as she considered this minute detail that could easily be overlooked, her OCD kicking into overdrive. Claire lifted the keyboard’s corner and spotted a yellow sticky note underneath. The writing was difficult to read, as if the person who scribbled on it was in a hurry. But she could just make out the letters.
“Well, good morning, Claire.” The deep voice reverberated in her ears.
She dropped the keyboard and bolted straight up. Lucas was about ten feet behind her and approaching quickly, his eyes casting a challenging look in her direction. Claire was never very good at lying. Her cheeks always flushed; must have been a Scandinavian thing. And this time was no different, except that Lucas’ expression sent a chill through her, as if he knew exactly what she was doing and why, and she was filled with the instinctual urge to protect herself. She quickly found control of the rising heat in her neck and gained composure. “Good morning, Lucas. I was just looking to see if we’d gotten the paperwork from Admin yet on the scope of work for Mt. Helena Hospital. I can’t seem to track it down.”
Lucas, coffee in one hand, placed his arm on the top of the cubicle wall and leaned in. “I don’t think I’ve seen it yet. If I had, I would’ve put it on your desk.”
“Of course. I just wanted to get a jump on it this morning since we’re meeting with them later today.” Claire pulled that one out of thin air.
Lucas moved in close and was only inches from Claire. She stood firm and unwavering, knowing any uncertainty on her part could give her away.
“Excuse me.” He brushed past her, close enough to have grazed her breasts, and sat in his chair. “I’ll email them to find out where it is and get back with you.”
“Great. Thanks.” She turned to leave and released what breath she’d held onto. “Oh, how was your weekend?” There was a way to salvage the awkward confrontation.
“Good, thanks. And you?” Lucas didn’t return a look, only began typing on his keyboard.
“Very nice, thank you. Took
the kids to a movie; you know, parental stuff.” She’d already lost him, as was her intention. He often glazed over when she began talking about her kids. “See you later.”
***
The morning had fallen away much too quickly and it was already approaching noon. The skies were clouding over, eradicating all color except grey from view as Claire looked out of her office window.
She repeated the combination of letters and numbers she’d seen on that sticky note and finally decided to put it in her phone, under password protection, just to be safe. Claire knew it was a password, but whose? His? Not likely. Lucas wouldn’t have difficulty remembering his own password. No, it had to be someone else’s, and she thought she might know whose, but that would have to wait until tonight, when she would be assured of privacy.
“Claire?” Her speakerphone burst into life, startling her back into the moment.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Winters would like to see you. Do you have a moment?”
She hoped it wasn’t for another lunch date, recalling the uncomfortable conversation on Friday regarding Beth. “Of course. I’ll be right up.” Maybe it was to talk about the Envirotech account? But that would mean Charlie would be involved and she knew he was out of the office today, having traveled to Salt Lake. He wasn’t due back until tomorrow.
Her own work was beginning to fall behind as she tried to transition into her new role and didn’t know how long this impromptu meeting with Winters would last, but she couldn’t exactly say no.
She grabbed a notebook and continued towards the fifteenth floor, passing Lucas along the way. He didn’t acknowledge her.
***
“Hi, Sheri. I’m here to see…”
“I know. I’ll tell him you’re here.” Sheri buzzed into her boss’s office and motioned for Claire to have a seat by her desk while she attempted to contact him.
After waiting for at least ten minutes, Sheri’s speakerphone filled with the sound of Winter’s voice, indicating he was finally ready to see Claire.
“Go on in, honey,” Sheri said.
It bothered Claire when men would say such things. She felt it was disrespectful. But coming from Sheri, a woman in her late fifties, big Texas hair, bleached blonde to cover the gray, well, it just felt like old-fashioned Southern kindness.
“Thank you.” Claire opened the door to the now familiar surroundings of Evan Winters’ office.
“Claire, good morning.” Evan glanced at the time on his phone. “Or should I say, afternoon? Hey, are you hungry? I can ask Sheri to order some sandwiches?”
“No, I’m fine. Thank you, Mr. Winters.”
“Please, it’s Evan.”
“Sorry about that.” It still put her off to call him that, but she obliged. Claire sat down in the same spot she had on Friday, speculating what he wanted from her this time.
“I was wondering what your week was looking like. I know you’re probably swamped, trying to tie up loose ends, but if at all possible, I’d like you to come with me to San Francisco tomorrow morning. It’ll only be for the day, although I don’t think we’ll return until fairly late. I’d like you to come with me to meet the president of Envirotech, Paul Higgins. Do you think you can fit that in your schedule?”
When he asked if she could fit it in, he really meant, you need to figure out how to make it work. “Yes, I’ll rearrange anything I’ve got on my schedule for tomorrow. I’m sure Lucas can handle any urgent matters in my absence.”
“Fantastic.” Evan tossed a large accordion file onto the desk. “I’d like you to review their contract and get to know the players. I know Charlie is out today and most of tomorrow and it would be helpful for you to sit with him on this one, but it was a last-minute deal and I’ve made him aware you’ll be coming along in his place.” Evan stood up, turning towards the view of the harbor. “You sure you don’t want to grab a quick bite or something? I’m starving.”
“Thank you, Evan, but I suppose I ought to clear my schedule and start taking a look at this file. I’ll head down to the cafeteria and get a sandwich. Thank you, though. It was a kind offer.”
“Okay, suit yourself.” Evan turned back around, hands thrust into his pockets. “Looks like it might start raining anyway. Maybe I’ll just have Sheri order me something. So, I guess I’ll see you at the airport at 6:30 tomorrow morning?”
“Of course. Thank you, Evan. I’m really excited to have this opportunity and I won’t let you down.” Claire got up and began walking towards the door, file in hand.
“I know you won’t. I’m quite confident in that.”
CHAPTER 7
THE DAY ENDED with virtually nothing have been accomplished, considering Evan insisted she go on this trip to San Francisco in the morning. Fortunately, coordinating her schedule and tasks with Lucas had fared better than expected. He seemed to have gotten over the awkward exchange from earlier. In fact, he seemed happy she had delegated her workload, or maybe it was because she would be out of the office tomorrow.
Her car emerged from the parking garage and out onto Fifth Avenue. Claire tried to reach Beth, but pressed the end call button on her steering wheel when it went to voicemail. It seemed she would be left to her own devices to figure out what that password was for that she had found in Lucas’ station. For a moment, the thought crossed her mind to reach out to Agent Sanchez, but she didn’t know what she had. It could be absolutely nothing.
The thought that Colin might not be completely thrilled with this San Francisco trip also crossed her mind as she arrived home. He was already wary of Evan, but this was part of her job now. Colin couldn’t be upset with her for that. “I’m home.” She hung her keys on the little wooden dowel, shouting to an empty room.
***
The carryon case was tucked away in the back of the closet she shared with Colin. It was a large walk-in that was organized with high-end cabinetry and even a velvet-lined set of drawers for her jewelry, of which she had little. Another expensive upgrade they’d decided would easily be recouped in the booming housing market.
“I told you, honey, it’s a flight out and back, same day, nothing more. I have to meet with the president of Envirotech. You remember me mentioning that they were now my biggest client?”
“Yes, I remember.” He took the bag from her and tossed it on the bed. “Why are you packing a bag if it’s only for the day?”
“I’d rather be prepared if there’s an impromptu dinner.”
“Sure, I suppose that could happen.” Colin’s borderline sarcasm wasn’t helping matters.
“You know I’ll be home late tomorrow night, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Before she said something she might regret, Claire took a breath and tried to address his growing insecurity. “What is it?” She turned her attention to him and waited.
“This just all seems a little fast, doesn’t it? I mean, you get promoted,” he paused for a moment, “which is great; don’t get me wrong. But then, you get this huge account and now you’re off to San Francisco with the president to meet with another president.”
“Are you not okay with me going to meet a client? Something that I do all day, every day because that’s my job.”
“It’s not that. I know that’s part of your job; it’s just that you don’t usually travel with the man who runs the place.”
Jealousy, plain and simple, which surprised Claire because never once had she given him cause to be jealous. And with everything else that was going on, this would only compound her troubles.
“What do you want me to do, Colin? Turn down the promotion? You know as well as I do how much this money means to our family. Isn’t this what I’ve been working towards? Now, I finally get it and you’re jealous of my boss?” This topic of conversation was beginning to wear on her nerves, but she tried not to disparage his feelings. It would be something they would have to work through, as they always did.
“I’m not jealous.”
“Then what is i
t?” She’d laid it out on the line now. He was either jealous of the fact that she would now be pulling in much more than he did, or he was jealous of Evan Winters. Neither one seemed acceptable to Claire, but she waited patiently for his reply.
“Maybe I’m just a little worried that you might get carried away. Start working crazy long hours or flitting off to big cities to meet new clients.”
“Flitting?”
“You know what I mean.”
“No. I don’t think I do, actually. Look, I’ll do what it takes to be successful in my new role. Would you really want me to be any other way? And yes, I might need to put in more hours, at least initially until I get my hands around the job. But, since when do I not have your full support? Haven’t we been partners through the good and the bad? Well, I consider this to be a good thing and I thought you did too.”
“Of course I do.”
But before he could continue, she stopped him. “Then, please, support me here, okay? I’m terrified I’m going to screw this up and I need you by my side. Not to mention this mess with Beth. I can’t do this alone, Colin.”
He moved in close and wrapped his arms around Claire. “I’m sorry. Of course I support you and of course I’ll help in any way I can.” He pulled back and held her at arm’s length. “Maybe I am a little jealous of Evan Winters, but that’s my own hang up and I’ll work on that, I promise.”
She kissed his lips, placing her hand against his warm cheek. “You have no reason to be jealous, you know that. Sure, the guy may be a millionaire, hell, maybe even a billionaire, but if I was interested in a man with money, I wouldn’t have married you.” She tossed her head back in laughter and Colin soon joined in. The tension was gone.
“Oh yeah, you’re in for it now, lady!” He pushed her backwards onto the bed, straddled her, and began smothering her with kisses.
It wasn’t long before Anna skipped into her parents’ room, wondering what all the noise was about. “Dad. Stop kissing Mom! You’re grossing me out.”