Torrid Love - Caught!

by Lorie O'Clare

  Two officers arrived—Officer Rick Houser, and Officer Janet Holten—and Mark explained to them how Roxanne’s computer had been used to transfer money out of one of the accounts with Hall Enterprises, and into a private savings account with a small bank in Olathe, Kansas. The officers took notes, and listened as Roxanne tried to explain how the caller had sounded.

  “I can’t think of another way to describe it other than the voice seemed to vibrate.” Roxanne watched Officer Holten, who sat in the chair across from Roxanne, as the woman used very thin pliers on the inside of Roxanne’s cell phone. “I’m not even sure if the person who called me was a man or a woman,” she added.

  Joe Dixon leaned against Jordan’s desk with his arms crossed, turning his head to focus on whoever spoke at the moment. Ralph Layette leaned against the wall, also listening.

  “That should do it,” Officer Holten told her, and handed Roxanne her phone. “Any call that comes through that phone will be recorded.”

  “Thank you.” Roxanne didn’t know what else to say. The last thing she wanted was every one of her phone calls listened to, but she knew this had to be done.

  “Just make sure if you want to have a private conversation that you do it on another phone,” the officer said, and she smiled at Roxanne. “It’s no fun having your privacy invaded.”

  “I just want this person stopped.” Roxanne watched the officer as she put away the small tools she had used to install the device into Roxanne’s phone. “If that means having my phone tapped, then so be it.”

  “The caller used a pay phone to contact you.” The other police officer, Officer Houser, who stood talking with Jordan, turned his attention to Roxanne, apparently having overheard what she had just said. “Unfortunately that means we’ll have to wait for them to place another call to you, and hope we can trace it.”

  Roxanne didn’t want to hear that vibrating voice again, and cringed at the thought. The more she played the few words her caller had said to her over in her head, the more it gave her the creeps.

  “I’m assuming they wanted me to back off from investigating these crimes,” she said, thinking out loud.

  Roxanne could see the outrage that Jordan tried to suppress and she had to admit to feeling more than frustrated over the thought that a teenager could be responsible for threatening Hall Enterprises.

  “We can question Miss Sonya Wisdom,” Officer Houser mused, “but I’m not sure this is grounds for an arrest.” He studied the printout Mark Dunne had offered him. “Do we have proof it was this teenager who did this?”

  “You have her passwords there. She logged on to the Internet through an ISP that she probably has at her house.” Mark nodded to the papers the officer held in front of him. “But I think if you can lift prints you might have the proof to back all that up.”

  “It won’t take much to verify what ISP she uses at home.” The officer studied the papers again, and the room grew quiet as everyone watched him. “Who all has touched the computer since the girl was on it?”

  Mark Dunne lifted latex gloves he had recently stripped from his hands. “I used gloves,” he said, and smiled.

  “I’m pretty sure no one else has used the computer,” Roxanne offered.

  “We’ll send someone over to dust for prints.” Officer Houser glanced at his partner.

  Roxanne watched the group slowly leave the office, and stood to follow them out toward the lobby. She could only imagine how hard it would be to get everyone to remain focused on work after this little escapade ended. The ladies in the secretarial pool would be full of questions, and all the accountants stood in the doorways to their offices as the officers left the building. A quick glance told her that no clients were in the office at the moment, and for that much, Roxanne gave silent thanks.

  “What is all the fuss about?” Dorothy had stepped around her desk, her earpiece still attached to her head, and sidled next to Roxanne as Jordan escorted the officers out of the office.

  Roxanne watched him through the glass doors as the small group stood in front of the elevators. Dorothy deserved an answer of sorts, and Roxanne thought of a way to summarize everything for the receptionist.

  “The police are helping the investigator that Jordan hired,” Roxanne told her, and then watched Dorothy nod solemnly.

  “They’re figuring out who is screwing with the accounts?” Dorothy asked, and looked like a worried mother as she focused her attention on Jordan and the others through the glass doors.

  “Yes, I think we’ve narrowed it down.” Roxanne watched Dorothy and concluded in a second that the woman had no clue her niece was a prime suspect.

  Dorothy looked worried over the drama in the office and sounded curious as to what had occurred. But she didn’t appear to be prying for information, and her expression revealed no fear that someone she cared about could be arrested.

  Roxanne spent the rest of the day working from her old cubicle in the secretarial pool. She seldom had time to sit, as she helped answer the phone, and hovered from desk to desk, answering questions, mostly work-related, but everyone was curious about the police, and Roxanne did her best to answer their questions.

  Around five, her cell phone rang, and Roxanne felt her tummy spasm when she picked it up to look at the caller ID box. She relaxed when she noticed the Nebraska area code, but decided to take the call privately, and instinctively walked down the hallway to Jordan’s office.

  He looked up questioningly from behind his desk as she entered, but when he noticed her cell phone in her hand he scooted around his desk and reached for it.

  “Who is it?” he demanded, when she put it to her ear instead of handing it to him.

  “Hello?” Roxanne placed a hand on Jordan’s chest, and his arm went around her shoulder as he pulled her into him and leaned his head by hers so that he could hear the caller.

  “Hi sweetie,” a cheerful voice sang out. “This is Emily. I got up town to talk to Betty.”

  “Who is Betty?” Jordan whispered.

  Roxanne glanced up at him, and felt his power saturate through her. Jordan’s protective instincts were on full alert, and Roxanne felt she could take on an army wrapped in his arms.

  “Betty is the librarian?” Roxanne asked Emily.

  “Oh, yes.” Emily giggled. “Sorry. I forget everyone doesn’t know everyone sometimes.”

  Jordan straightened, and ran his hand over Roxanne’s hair. She felt her body respond to his caresses, and worked to focus on Emily when she wanted to cuddle into Jordan, and feel that virile body against her.

  “What did she say about the description you gave her?” Roxanne asked.

  “Betty is pretty sure there was a teenager in here who matched that description,” Emily began. “And we don’t have a lot of teenagers around these parts who are decked out and all.” Emily laughed. “They’d stand out like a sore thumb up here.”

  “Emily, you’ve been a wonderful help,” Roxanne told the waitress.

  “Well, you got to tell me what this all means,” Emily said. “I don’t get much excitement around here. Don’t just leave me hanging like this.”

  Roxanne smiled. “I’m not sure what it means yet. But I promise that when I know for sure, I will call and tell you.”

  Emily consented, and the two women said goodbye to each other.

  “It sounds like Sonya made a trip to Nebraska.” Roxanne placed her cell phone on her desk and faced Jordan.

  “Well, your phone is tapped so the call was recorded.” Jordan turned from her and moved to his desk, then punched a button on his phone. “Dorothy, see if you can reach Officer Houser for me.”

  Roxanne’s cell phone rang again, and Roxanne turned with a start to stare at it. Jordan reached it before she did, and picked it up to stare at the little caller ID box. “Do you know that number?”

  Roxanne sighed, and put her hand over her heart, feeling it pound under her dress. “It’s Joanie,” she said, and reached for the phone.

  “Hi, lady,”
Roxanne said, as she answered the phone.

  “Hi, yourself,” Joanie said. “How’s your day going?”

  “Don’t ask.” Roxanne laughed, trying for a light tone.

  “Well that doesn’t sound good,” Joanie said. “I called to see what you’re doing tonight. There’s only a week until my wedding, you know. And I wondered if you wanted to help me go through everything tonight, and make sure I haven’t forgotten anything.” Joanie sounded nervous.

  “Of course I can do that.” Roxanne hadn’t looked forward to going home alone anyway.

  She looked at Jordan, and he raised a questioning eyebrow at her. His phone buzzed, and Roxanne heard Dorothy tell Jordan that she had one of the officers on the line.

  “Great.” Joanie sighed. “Can you come over after work?”

  Roxanne agreed to be there and then hung up her phone. She faced Jordan and listened while he talked to the officer on the other line, and then waited after he hung up the phone for him to fill her in.

  “The police department is contacting the Auburn library,” Jordan told her. “If they can fax a picture of Sonya to the librarian, and get confirmation, then they will pull the girl in for questioning this evening.”

  Roxanne blew out a puff of air, and stared into those raven black eyes that studied her. Jordan still remained such a mystery to her, and she accepted the fact that that bothered her. She wanted to know his thoughts and his feelings, but worried the man didn’t have it in him to open up to her and share enough of himself for them to truly have a relationship. At least the type of relationship Roxanne wanted.

  “What did your girlfriend want?” Jordan asked.

  “Her wedding is a week away, and I’m going to go over there and help her make sure everything is in order.” Roxanne felt better letting Jordan know her plans, and realized she liked him knowing what she was doing. She felt protected somehow, and cared for, and it was a good feeling. If only she could get the man to commit to her.

  “And how do you plan on getting there?” Jordan took his attention from her, and began organizing the items on his desk, then reached for his briefcase.

  Roxanne realized it was five, and he was gathering his things to leave. She wondered what he planned on doing, and felt a loss that he didn’t see the need to share his itinerary with her.

  “I’m going to drive over there as soon as I leave here,” Roxanne told him. “I guess I’ll stop by the house first and change clothes.”

  Jordan snapped his briefcase shut and stood up. “You’re not going anywhere by yourself.”

  Roxanne opened her mouth to respond, but Linda appeared in the doorway behind them and spoke, and Roxanne turned to face her.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt,” Linda began, and Roxanne turned to see the processor smiling at the two of them. “I wanted you to know that the Bradford file is done, and I left it on my desk for you to go over, like you asked,” Linda said to Roxanne.

  “Thanks, Linda. I’m sure you did everything just fine.” Roxanne walked toward Linda, realizing her purse was out at her old cubicle in the secretarial pool. She turned to grab her cell phone, but Jordan picked it up for her.

  “We have no way of knowing how serious this prankster is who called you,” Jordan said to her, after Linda had left the doorway. Jordan held the phone up in front of Roxanne. “Having your line tapped isn’t enough insurance to protect you.”

  Roxanne stared up into Jordan’s dark eyes and watched his gaze lower to her mouth.

  “I’ll be careful,” she whispered, feeling his predatory instincts engulf her and wanting desperately to submit to him.

  “You’ll be with me,” he growled, and met her gaze.

  Roxanne reached for her cell phone, which Jordan released to her, but then put his fingers under her chin and tipped her face to his.

  “Don’t fight me on this,” he told her, in a softer, less gruff tone. “Someone has threatened you.”

  Jordan consented to driving Roxanne to Joanie’s apartment, although Roxanne could tell he didn’t like the idea of leaving her there.

  “She’s nervous about her wedding, and I’m her best friend,” Roxanne had told him.

  He left her at the edge of the parking lot closest to Joanie’s door, and Roxanne noticed he didn’t drive off until Joanie had answered the door.

  The two women chatted about the wedding, as they organized everything to be hauled to the chapel the following weekend. Roxanne could see how nervous Joanie was, but at the same time her best friend glowed with excitement. Every time David appeared to help with something, or just to see how they fared, Joanie wrapped her arms around him and showered him with kisses. David had a hard time keeping his hands off his soon-to-be wife too, and Roxanne enjoyed seeing real love on display.

  The three of them ended up on the patio, enjoying the night air, after Joanie announced that she thought everything on her list had been checked off.

  Roxanne told her friends about her day, and the prank call she’d received.

  “I’m going to have to agree with your boss on this one,” David said, after listening. “You shouldn’t be alone.”

  Joanie nodded her agreement. “You’re welcome to stay here if you want.”

  “Something tells me that Jordan wouldn’t be thrilled by that idea.” David patted Joanie’s hand, and she squeezed his fingers. “You’ve got to realize, darling, he doesn’t know us yet.”

  “I don’t answer to him,” Roxanne protested, but knew in her mind that she would let Jordan know if she did plan on staying with her friends.

  “Is he planning on picking you up and taking you to your car?” David asked.

  “I don’t know.” Roxanne had forgotten that her car wasn’t here. “We didn’t discuss it.”

  “I have no problem taking you to it,” David said. “And you’re welcome to stay here. But you might want to call Jordan and discuss it with him.”

  As Roxanne reached for her phone, David and Joanie’s doorbell rang, and the three of them turned to look through the sliding glass doors into the apartment.

  “I’ll get the door.” David went inside, and Roxanne helped Joanie gather their glasses so they could return inside also.

  Roxanne entered the apartment and then stopped in surprise when Jordan stood inside the front door, shaking hands with David. David turned when the women entered.

  “And I would like you to meet my fiancée, Joanie,” David said, and held his hand out as Joanie walked forward. “This is Jordan Hall.”

  “I think we’ve met in passing at the office once or twice,” he said, shaking Joanie’s hand but then turning his attention to Roxanne.

  “Is the wedding all organized?” he asked, walking over to her and pulling her into his arms.

  Roxanne nodded, distracted by the strong scent of man that overwhelmed her as she stood in his arms. Everything around her seemed to fade, and she grew very aware of the powerful arms that held her so gently. She reached up and ran her hands over his biceps, wondering if they would ever have the happiness that Joanie and David had found.

  “I think these two could organize weddings for a living,” David joked, and Joanie smacked his chest with her hand.

  David grabbed Joanie, and wrapped his arms around her stomach, pressing her back up against his chest. He rested his chin on her head, and his expression grew serious. “Roxanne told us about her disturbing phone call earlier today. I don’t blame you a bit for not letting her out of your sight for long.”

  “Have there been any new developments?” Roxanne asked, adjusting herself in his arms so that she could look up at him.

  “I just got a call from the police,” Jordan told all of them, and Roxanne looked up to see him focusing his attention on her. “They’re getting ready to make an arrest.”

  “They’re arresting Sonya,” Roxanne said, more than asked.

  It was such a shame to see a young lady throw her life away like that. The criminal charges that would be pressed against her would be steep.


  Jordan nodded. “Apparently they sent Sonya’s picture to several libraries today. Two librarians will testify that they have seen her. Fingerprints match up on your computer with the prints lifted at one of the libraries, and they’ve already seized one bank account where money had been transferred.”

  Roxanne lowered her gaze, and then looked over to Joanie. “This will devastate Dorothy, Sonya’s aunt. I’m sure she had no idea her niece was doing more than cleaning the office.”

  “She was cleaning us out,” Jordan mumbled.

  “I can’t imagine why she did it.” Roxanne continued to focus on her best friend. “I’m pretty sure she comes from a good family.”

  Jordan stroked Roxanne’s back, and she tingled in reaction to his touch.

  “Why don’t we all go back out to the patio?” Joanie suggested, and pulled away from David as she headed for the kitchen. “What can I get you to drink, Jordan?”

  “You’re kind to offer,” Jordan said, and Roxanne watched Joanie grin like a schoolgirl. “I stopped by to see if Roxanne was ready to go. If she is needed down at the police station, I want to be with her.”

  “We completely understand.” David nodded.

  Roxanne gathered her things, and hugged her friends goodbye. Jordan assured Joanie that the four of them would get together soon, and then escorted Roxanne to his car.

  “Will you take me to my car?” Roxanne asked, as she walked through the parking lot with Jordan.

  “There’s no harm in leaving it there for the night.”

  Roxanne realized Jordan intended for them to spend the night together. Need for him sizzled through her and she imagined Jordan planning an erotic adventure for the two of them.

  “I don’t want any of your employees noticing it parked there if they arrive before I do in the morning.” Roxanne forced herself to focus, and not dwell on the wicked sensations Jordan sent through her when he ran his hand down the back of her head to her rear end. “It won’t look good if my co-workers believe I’m sleeping with the boss.”

  “You are sleeping with the boss,” Jordan teased, and gave her rear a playful slap.