Torrid Love - Caught!

by Lorie O'Clare

  “I couldn’t wait,” Aaron had told her on the phone. “I tried calling you, but just got your voice mail. And I even tried contacting Mr. Hall.”

  “And you couldn’t reach him?” Roxanne again wondered what Jordan was doing that night.

  “No. I got his voice mail, too,” Aaron had explained.

  Roxanne stared at her wall clock, and rubbed her eyes. It was almost one in the morning and Aaron hadn’t called her in almost an hour. She had tried to reach Jordan twice but he apparently had his phone shut off. Roxanne knew he forwarded calls to his home voice mail whenever he turned off his cell phone, and she felt aggravation peak when she couldn’t reach him.

  “You own a damn company,” Roxanne mumbled to herself, as she walked barefoot into her kitchen. “I should be able to reach you when I need you.”

  The glow of her refrigerator lit up her dark kitchen briefly, and Roxanne remembered the times Jordan had managed his way into her home without her knowing. She reached for a bottled water, and then turned to look around the kitchen. She walked toward her living room and took in the contents of the quiet and dark house before accepting the fact that she was alone in her home. Jordan had not sought her out that evening. But that was okay, he needed to quit trying to control her life, and maybe he finally had seen that she would be happier without him.

  Roxanne settled back in front of her computer, and moved her mouse to make the screen reappear in front of her. The monitor buzzed to life just as someone knocked on her front door. Roxanne turned quickly to look at her closed curtains.

  “Who in the hell could be here at one o’clock in the morning,” she mumbled, and wondered if it was Jordan.

  If it was Jordan he wouldn’t knock. He would come on in like he owned the place.

  Unwelcome tingles crept down her spine. She was too jumpy after playing detective all evening. Entering the living room, she flipped on the porch light and pulled the curtain aside an inch from her living room window. She didn’t recognize whoever it was who stood at her door. But she knew one thing—it was not Jordan.

  Roxanne slipped the chain lock into place then opened her front door an inch to see a small and very pregnant lady standing in the glow of the porch light.

  “Roxanne?” the woman asked.

  Roxanne slid the chain back out of its lock, and pulled the door open to stare at a young woman who stood clutching a purse to her protruding belly. “May I help you?” Roxanne could tell the woman was very upset, and obviously had been crying.

  “Roxanne, I’m Jeannette, Aaron Tipley’s wife. He’s been arrested, and I need your help.”

  “Aaron has been arrested?” Roxanne pushed the screen door open and beckoned Jeannette inside.

  “He just called me from a jail in Nebraska.” Jeannette started crying and Roxanne hurried for a box of tissues.

  Returning with an extended hand, Roxanne offered the tissues, and then switched on a nearby lamp. “Please sit down and tell me what’s happened,” Roxanne said, and placed a hand on Jeannette’s back to guide her to the couch.

  Roxanne sat at the other end of the couch but then jumped up and began pacing as she heard Jeannette’s story.

  “He didn’t call me until he was halfway to Nebraska,” Jeannette Tipley explained. “I told him it was too dangerous for him to go alone, but he insisted that if he acted immediately he could find out who was stealing money from his employer.”

  The woman dabbed her eyes and then looked at Roxanne as more tears streamed down her face. Roxanne grabbed more tissues from the box, and handed them to her.

  “He told me he had the location pinpointed where the thieves were, and he could prove it through his printouts and that he planned to go to the police. He promised me that he wouldn’t go after the bad guys without seeking out help,” Jeannette continued through sobs.

  “Well then, what went wrong?” Roxanne glanced at the clock and saw that an hour and a half had passed since she had spoken with Aaron. “When did you last talk to him?” she asked.

  Jeannette hiccupped and placed a hand on her large belly. Roxanne followed the movement with her eyes, and watched as Jeannette glanced at her watch. The young woman was pretty, her pregnancy making her glow, even though she was upset. She had short brown hair that curled under around her neck, and loose strands that she’d tucked behind her ears. Soft brown eyes appeared doe-like as they filled with fresh tears.

  “I guess it was about forty-five minutes ago.” Jeannette looked up at Roxanne. “He said you could help. You can prove that he was working in Hall Enterprises’ best interest, and not stealing from them.”

  “Stealing from Hall Enterprises?” Roxanne stared at Jeannette, not believing what she had just heard. “Who says he is stealing from Hall Enterprises?”

  “That is what he is being charged with,” Jeannette wailed. She adjusted the strap on her maternity jumper, and then shifted on the couch as if she wasn’t comfortable. “They came to the motel room where he was and arrested him. He called me from the jail.”

  Roxanne was confused and sat down on the coffee table in front of Jeannette. “The police went to his motel room? How did they know he was there?”

  Jeannette put her hands over her face, and shook her head.

  “This is really all too much for me,” she whimpered. “I’m sure that I don’t make any sense.”

  “We’ll get this all worked out,” Roxanne reassured her, and ran a hand over Jeannette’s head. “I think the first thing we need to do is contact the jail. Let me figure out all the details.”

  Jeannette lifted her head, and smiled at Roxanne for the first time. “Aaron said you could solve everything,” she said. “He told me that you pretty much run the company.”

  Any other time, Roxanne would have enjoyed such a compliment, but at the moment she had a distraught pregnant woman to deal with, a co-worker in jail in another state, and a boss who was missing in action. Not to mention it was the middle of the night, and Roxanne began to feel that she would be lucky if she got any sleep that night at all.

  It took over an hour to gather information from the small-town jail in Auburn, Nebraska. The night clerk appeared unfamiliar with any recent arrests, and Roxanne had to repeat Aaron Tipley’s name to the woman several times. Jeannette paced behind Roxanne as she spoke with the night clerk, which made Roxanne feel even more apprehensive about her ability to handle the matter in a calm fashion.

  “I’m sure we simply have to work our way through the red tape until we find out where the mistake occurred,” Roxanne tried to reassure Jeannette while on hold with the jail.

  The clock on the wall now read two-thirty in the morning.

  “The mistake is that they arrested him.” Jeannette stopped pacing, and put her hands where her hips probably were.

  Roxanne studied the pregnant form and then attempted a smile at the distraught lady. “You might do best to try and get some rest,” Roxanne suggested. “This can’t be good for your baby for you to be so upset.”

  “How can I sleep?” Jeannette held up her hands in a display of defeat. “My Aaron is up in some small-town jail, and the people who work there don’t even know that he’s there,” Jeannette wailed.

  The clerk chose that moment to come back on the line, and Roxanne gestured for Jeannette to be quiet as she adjusted the phone to her ear.

  “I have the information you requested,” the clerk said through the phone. “Now tell me again who you are?”

  “This is Roxanne Isley,” Roxanne said. “I am an employee with Hall Enterprises, where Mr. Tipley is employed.”

  “Well, it seems that Hall Enterprises is listed as who is pressing charges,” the clerk told Roxanne. “I suggest you contact your employer in the morning. The charges are felonies. Mr. Tipley isn’t going anywhere.”

  Roxanne couldn’t believe her ears. She didn’t dare repeat out loud what she had just been told. The last thing she needed was a very pregnant woman going into hysterics in her living room. She thanked the cl
erk and hung up the phone.

  “What happened?” Jeannette fixed her bloodshot eyes on Roxanne. “What did they say?”

  “We can’t do anything to help him until business hours start in the morning.” Roxanne offered the partial truth. “The best thing for you to do is to get some sleep.”

  “No,” Jeannette wailed. “I want my Aaron home.”

  Roxanne feared the hysterics would start anyway, and approached Jeannette, then placed her hands on the woman’s shoulders.

  “Jeannette, your husband needs you to be there for him.” Roxanne stared the scared-looking woman in the eyes, and hoped her own tone sounded reassuring. “But both of us need to get some sleep so that we can tackle all that bureaucratic paperwork in the morning.”

  Jeannette nodded but didn’t look convinced. “I’m not sure I can sleep without my Aaron,” she mumbled, sounding defeated.

  “Would you like me to give you a ride home?” Roxanne asked. “I can pick you up in the morning, and we can figure out what we need to do to get Aaron out of jail at that point.”

  Roxanne stumbled into her bed shortly after three-thirty in the morning and wondered if she would be able to sleep at all that night. It made no sense to her why Hall Enterprises would press charges against Aaron Tipley. And try as she did, she still could not reach Jordan.

  The alarm clock buzzed and simultaneously early morning radio chatter filled Roxanne’s dark bedroom with too much energetic noise. She groaned and almost fell out of the bed when her blankets twisted around her legs.

  Roxanne slapped at her alarm clock then ran her fingers through her hair as she shuffled to the bathroom. A hot shower and coffee didn’t do a lot to wake her up but Roxanne had a lot to accomplish and she needed to get started.

  The bright morning sun blinded her as she sipped more coffee while walking to her car. Jeannette’s car still sat in front of her house but Roxanne wanted to make a quick trip to the office before contacting her. No one had arrived at work when Roxanne let herself in twenty minutes later.

  While the computer buzzed to life, Roxanne strolled to Jordan’s desk and fingered the papers that lay about. A card caught her attention and she picked it up for a closer scrutiny.

  “Joe Dixon. Private detective,” Roxanne whispered, as she fingered the engraving on the card. “Well now, Mr. Hall, what have you gone and done?”

  “What are you doing here, Miss Isley?” The gruff voice behind her had Roxanne turning with a start.

  Roxanne put her hand to heart and felt it pound through her blouse. “You startled me, Ralph,” she said to the older accountant. “I thought I was the only one here.”

  “I bet you did.” Ralph Layette didn’t smile, and crossed his arms as he leaned in the doorway to Jordan’s office and appeared to glower at her.

  “It’s been a crazy night,” she began, and turned the card over in her hand. “And I haven’t been able to reach Jordan. Do you know where he is?”

  “He’s been busy.” He made no attempt to elaborate.

  Roxanne’s eyes burned, and she felt anxious to gather information and get this mess worked out. The last thing she had time for right now was Ralph Layette’s piss-poor attitude.

  “I don’t have time for this, Ralph. Tell me where Jordan is. I need to talk to him right now.” She crossed her arms, matching his stance. “I’ve been dealing with a very pregnant, distraught lady, and I need some answers.”

  She could’ve sworn that Ralph almost smiled at her comment. But his words didn’t sound pleasant. “I’m sure Jordan will contact you when he’s ready.”

  Roxanne glanced at her watch. “I realize it’s early, but I need to talk to him now. Did you know that Aaron Tipley was arrested last night? The police told me that Hall Enterprises pressed the charges.”

  “Yup.” Ralph pushed away from the doorway, and looked smug. “Once we put our guy on the matter, the situation was wrapped up pretty easily.”

  “But they arrested Aaron Tipley,” Roxanne almost yelled, not liking Ralph’s manner, and feeling grouchier by the moment. “Where is Jordan?”

  “I do believe he’s been in contact with the police.” Ralph took a couple of steps toward Roxanne and she could smell cigar smoke as he approached. “Now, missy, are you going to tell me what you’re doing snooping around Jordan’s desk?”

  “Snooping?” Roxanne narrowed her brow at the man. “I work here, Ralph, and I am not in the mood for your condescending tone. We’ve got to figure out why Hall Enterprises would have pressed charges against Aaron so that we can get him released.”

  Ralph laughed, and Roxanne felt an uncomfortable chill race through her. The man looked almost menacing as he pointed a finger at her.

  “Look, missy,” Ralph growled, “you may have wrapped your legs so tight around Jordan that he can’t see straight, but I am not quite so blind. I’ve been onto your little act for a while now, and the gig is up. You hear me?”

  “How dare you talk to me like that,” Roxanne hissed, and instantly felt a dull throb in her temple.

  She worked on too little sleep, and although Ralph Layette had never been overly cordial with her, he had never used such a demeaning tone with her before. His actions made no sense and his words were rude. “My personal relationship with Jordan is none of your damned business, and if you can’t help me with a work-related issue, then I will thank you to leave this office immediately. And once I have the authorization to do so, I will see that you are written up for such sexual slander.”

  “Lady, you’ve got some nerve.” Ralph Layette didn’t budge from his spot several feet inside the office. “I’ve done nothing wrong and have been loyal to this company since the day it opened its doors.”

  She didn’t have time for this.

  “I’m sure you’ve got work to do, Ralph. I suggest you get busy on it.” Roxanne turned and walked around the other side of Jordan’s desk, intentionally ignoring him.

  Ralph had moved in on Roxanne without her realizing it, and he now took her by the arm and pulled her from Jordan’s desk.

  “Step away from there, missy,” he instructed in a tone that reminded her of a detective off one of the old-time seventies cops and robbers movies.

  “You will not touch me!” Roxanne snapped angrily as she yanked her arm free of Ralph’s grasp. She pointed a finger in his face and fought to keep herself from doing a little manhandling of her own. “This is my office, too. And I have every right to be in here. You need to be in your office handling matters pertaining to work. Now go!”

  Ralph smiled and rocked up on his tiptoes, then crossed his arms and appeared immune to her rising temper. His actions only infuriated her more. He nodded toward the card she held in her hand.

  “You going to call him?” Ralph asked, obviously ignoring her instructions to get busy.

  Roxanne took another look at the card she held in her hand. “This is the investigator you hired to find out who was stealing the money?”

  “Yup.” Ralph sounded smug.

  “Well he did a crappy job,” Roxanne snapped. “He nailed the wrong man, and now there’s a huge mess to muddle through. Not to mention the real thief is probably laughing at us right now.”

  Ralph held up his hands as if in surrender but his grin appeared almost amused. “It’s your story, lady, but you can tell it to the police.”

  “I plan on it,” Roxanne snapped, and marched around him to her own desk. “Where is Jordan?”

  “He’s with our man there,” Ralph said, and nodded at the card.

  “Jordan is with this Joe Dixon?” Roxanne sat at her desk and reached for her phone. “Well, I tried to reach Jordan all night last night and he isn’t answering his calls. So maybe this Mr. Dixon can shed some light on why they have Tipley in some small-town jail cell.”

  “You go ahead and make that call.” Ralph strolled to the office door. “I’m sure Dixon would love to hear from you.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The phone rang several times before voic
e mail answered. Roxanne listened to the baritone voice explain office hours and how important her call was. She hung up, frustrated.

  Roxanne stood and reached for her coffee cup. She walked over to the cabinet and small sink area along the wall in Jordan’s office and went through the motions of making coffee. Ralph had moved to the doorway but continued to stand there. She wished he would go away.

  She remembered Jeannette Tipley and knew that she would be looking for her soon. Roxanne needed a plan, and she needed one soon.

  “Are Jordan and this detective up in Nebraska right now?” Roxanne asked as she prepared the coffee. She didn’t bother to turn around.

  “Last I heard. I wouldn’t go running to Mr. Hall crying though,” Ralph said. “I doubt he’s going to listen to you, or any arguments you might have. He’s got the facts now. Keep to doing what you do best, making coffee, and whatever other services you offer Jordan. Let the men handle solving the mess this office is in.”

  Roxanne fought for energy she barely possessed at the moment to remain calm, and not to fly at the bastard who stood behind her tossing insults. Taking the man on would only make matters worse and would make it harder for her to think. She watched the coffee drip into the pot.

  “If you don’t have any work to do, Ralph, then take the day off. Otherwise get the hell out of my office and get to work.” She barely kept her cool but was proud of herself for not screaming at him. He wasn’t worth it.

  Roxanne wasn’t sure if Ralph grunted or used profanity. But when she turned around with her steaming cup of coffee he no longer stood in the doorway. She blew on the hot drink and walked back to her desk. It was time for action, she told herself, and sitting there trying to wake up was only wasting time.