by K. M. Morgan
Chloe narrowed her eyes. “Why would you bring that up?”
“Because, the day Max was murdered, I saw you run out of his office crying. What happened in that office Chloe?”
Chloe remained guarded. It was clear she was purposefully trying to keep Daisy at arm’s length.
“That’s none of your business,” Chloe hissed.
“Really? I’ll bet the police would be interested to hear about what happened in that office,” Daisy pressed.
Chloe went into full panic mode. “Why are you doing this? They already found Max’s killer. The night maid did it.”
“Then you have no reason not to tell me what happened in that office.”
Chloe was defiant. “I don’t have to tell you anything.”
“I’ll tell you what I think happened. When you found out Max was fighting his wife over getting a divorce, you decided to go into his office and confront him about it. You told him if he really loved you, he should embrace this divorce and devote himself to you. But Max loved money too much to hand over half of his life savings in divorce court. Then you and Max got into a big blowout argument. Am I right?” Daisy asked.
Chloe tensed up. She hadn’t even opened her mouth yet. She didn’t have to. Her eyes were doing plenty of talking.
Daisy knew she was right, whether Chloe was willing to admit it or not. Once again, Daisy’s hunch didn’t steer her wrong.
“You have a lot of nerve,” Chloe said.
“Does that mean I’m right?”
“Mind your own business,” Chloe shot back.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Because I don’t have to. I didn’t kill him.”
That was one of the least convincing denials Daisy had ever seen. If murder was a crime of passion, Chloe sure had it in spades. Daisy just wasn’t sure Chloe was the one to commit the crime.
“Why should I believe that?” Daisy asked.
“I loved him too much to ever hurt him,” Chloe replied.
“He didn’t feel the same way though. He didn’t love you as much as you loved him, did he? Finding that out really hurt you, didn’t it?” Daisy pressed.
Chloe looked ready to erupt. Luckily they were in the middle of the office. Chloe didn’t want to make a scene in front of her co-workers. She also wasn’t about to let Daisy push her any further.
“I need to get back to work. You should do the same,” Chloe insisted.
Chloe then stormed away before Daisy had a chance to respond.
Daisy also didn’t want to make a scene. Even though Chloe was acting highly suspicious, Daisy didn’t have any conclusive evidence to pin the murder on her. At least not yet. Chloe sure didn’t look innocent though.
While Daisy was caught up in her thoughts, Amber Robertson approached her from the reception desk. Amber was wearing another low cut, form-fitting dress. Her attitude however was noticeably different. Her trademark snark was gone. She almost looked like she could even flash a smile.
“Some sweaty guys are here to see you,” Amber said.
Chapter Eleven
The “sweaty guys” in question were workers from the furniture store. They were coming to take out the old couch and chairs in the waiting room and replace them with the new ones Daisy picked out. The workers carried the couch out of the office and towards their truck in the parking lot just as Roland Smith entered the waiting room.
Roland looked just as agitated now as the other day when he’d made a huge stink about his legal bill.
Daisy could see Roland had nothing but trouble on his mind, and she wanted no part of it. She kept to herself in the corner of the waiting room as Roland strode up to the front desk.
“I need to talk to a manager,” Roland demanded.
Amber took a deep breath. “About what?”
“My bill.”
Amber rolled her eyes. “I don’t know if you realize it Mr. Smith, but this really isn’t a good time right now.”
“I don’t care,” Roland fumed.
“Our boss was just murdered a few days ago. Have a little respect. Do you really think this is the right time to be coming in here making trouble about your bill?” Amber asked.
“Actually, I think given the circumstances, this is the perfect time. Now I want to talk to a manager, or the accountant that handles the bills” Roland said.
Amber sighed, then paged Peter over the phone. “Peter, I need you out here right now.”
While Amber waited for Peter to come to the waiting room, Daisy’s mind was racing with suspicion.
Amber seemed like she had a completely different personality all of a sudden. She still had no concept of the meaning of customer service, but her demeanor had changed. She didn’t look so jilted anymore, so bitter, so biting.
Instead relief was on her face. As if a Max-sized weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. It made Daisy wonder, could Amber have committed the murder?
She had a motive. Amber dressed like a woman wanting to sleep her way to the top. Instead her tight dresses got her nowhere. She’d gotten beaten out by Chloe.
Amber didn’t look like the kind of woman that dealt well with being spurned. Nor was working at the reception desk her forte. She made no secret of her misery answering phones and greeting clients.
If the nine to five drudgery wasn’t enough, Daisy also remembered hearing Amber complain about how stingy Max was about giving pay raises. Max told her to be happy with her twelve dollars an hour or take a hike. Amber then pleaded that she needed the job.
When their livelihood was threatened, people did extreme things. Now with Max dead, Amber’s misery was nowhere to be found. Interesting.
Amber wasn’t the only suspect in the waiting room however.
Roland Smith was a wild card. He’d already proven he had the anger to do it. Daisy hadn’t seen him be anything but furious. She wasn’t sure the man was even capable of smiling.
Roland also had a doozy of a motive. Money drove people to do crazy things. Apparently he owed the firm enough that he’d have to sell his brand new pickup truck to settle his debt.
That was a whole lot of motive for one little waiting room. Would he really resort to murder though? The more Daisy thought about the case, the more she realized how difficult it would be to solve.
Just then the new law partner Peter Simpson entered the waiting room. He was none too delighted to see Roland. It was clear Roland was determined to become a thorn in the side of everyone at the law office.
Peter tried to get rid of him as quickly and painlessly as he could. “Oh—Mr. Smith. What can I do for you?”
“Tear up my bill,” Roland said.
Peter scoffed. “Why would I do that?”
“Because I owed it to Max Cash, and he’s dead.”
“First of all, have a little respect. The man was murdered. Second, you didn’t owe it to Max, you owed it to the law office. And I’m running this practice now.”
“You can’t really expect me to pay this.”
“Why not?”
“It’s outrageous,” Roland said.
Peter couldn’t believe Roland’s outlandish bravado.
“You’re lucky you’re not in jail. You should be happy to pay this bill.”
“You’re crazy.”
“It’s better than being behind bars, isn’t it?”
“If I would have known I’d have to sell my new truck to pay this bill, I would have gotten another lawyer,” Roland insisted.
Peter wasn’t going to back down for anyone, especially when money was involved. “Then you definitely would have gone to jail—where you’d have lost your freedom and your truck too.”
Roland snarled. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because you were guilty. You may have fooled the jury, but you didn’t fool me. I helped Max with that case. We earned every penny of that bill. And you’re going to pay it,” Peter demanded.
Roland looked like he could spit fire at that moment.
&n
bsp; Peter held his ground. He went toe to toe with Roland, staring him down. Peter had a killer instinct about him.
Roland was at a make or break moment. Daisy could tell Roland wanted to punch Peter out right then and there, but that would have landed him in jail for assault.
Instead Roland narrowed his eyes. “You ain’t heard the last of me.”
“Oh no. Don’t you come in here again. If you set foot in this office again, I’ll have the police haul you into the station for harassment. And this time, our firm won’t be there to defend you,” Peter said.
Roland stormed away and slammed the door behind him.
There was a tense moment of silence in the waiting room as everyone tried to calm down. Daisy was in shock—not just from seeing the fire in Roland’s eyes, but also the ice water that was in Peter’s veins as he stood up to the hulkish brute.
Peter then turned to Amber to comfort her.
“Are you ok?” Peter asked.
Amber was nearly trembling. She looked so vulnerable. Her voice was nearly quivering as she answered. “He’s not coming in here again, is he?”
Peter shook his head. “He’d better not. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen.”
Peter and Amber then exchanged gazes. She smiled at him.
Meanwhile off in the corner, Daisy couldn’t believe her eyes. They didn’t have the look of two co-workers. That was the look of something more.
Peter then saw Daisy out of the corner of his eye and addressed her. “By the way Ms. McDare, I’m sorry you had to see that. Our clients are usually much better behaved.”
Daisy made joke to try and lighten the tension. “They certainly couldn’t be worse behaved.”
Peter laughed. “Anyway, I should get back to work.”
Daisy was now more anxious than ever to question Peter about the Max Cash murder, but seeing what a killer instinct he had, she knew she’d have to approach him gingerly.
The conversation would have to wait however as the furniture store workers entered the waiting room with the new couch.
***
What an exhausting morning. Daisy was in desperate need of a break. As she stepped outside to get some air, she riffled through her purse for a chocolate bar she’d packed.
Rats.
She must have left it in her car by mistake. With her taste buds calling, she started walking to her car. That’s when she saw the legal assistant Chloe walk out of the building with a cigarette in her mouth. Much to Chloe’s surprise, she wouldn’t be taking her smoke break alone.
She had an unexpected tag along--her ex-boyfriend Jackson Madsen. Chloe didn’t seem very jazzed to see him.
Daisy knew listening in on the former couple’s conversation could reveal some clues in finding the killer. She hid behind a car to remain out of their sight, yet still in earshot of their conversation.
“Need a light?” Jackson asked.
Chloe pulled a lighter out of her purse and lit her cigarette. “I’m good.”
“How are you doing?” he wondered.
“What kind of a dumb question is that? I’m awful.”
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do. I’ll do it.”
“In that case, can you go back inside? I really want to be alone right now,” she insisted.
Jackson grimaced. “Anything but that.”
“Look, I know what you’re trying to do--”
“I’m trying to be there for you.” He opened his arms to hug her. “I know this is a tough time.”
Jackson gave her a hug. He looked so happy to be holding her again. That’s when he decided to make his move.
He then leaned in and gave her a kiss.
Chloe wasn’t having any of it. She pushed away from him and gave him a look of outrage.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.
“Chloe, I love you. I want us to get back together.”
She shook her head. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Why not? Think of all the amazing times we had. It could be like that again. You just have to be willing.”
“I’m sorry, but the answer is no,” she said.
“How can you be so sure? It just feels so right. And now that Max is out of the picture--”
“Jackson, I still love Max--”
“Why are you talking in the present tense? He’s gone. Max is dead,” Jackson replied.
“Don’t you think I know that? Do you have any idea how hard this has been for me?”
“What do you think it has been like for me? I recommended you for the job here, then I lose you to my boss...who by the way, didn’t even love you enough to leave his wife for you.”
“Are you trying to twist the knife deeper? Is it your goal to hurt me?” Chloe fumed.
“No, I just want us to be together again like we used to be.”
“Don’t hold your breath. It’s over between us.”
Chloe then dropped her cigarette and put it out with her shoe before walking back into the office.
Jackson put his head in his hands, then groaned. He looked like he wanted to punch a hole into the side of the building. Instead he trudged back into the building.
Daisy meanwhile stood up from behind the car she was hiding behind with her mind more on fire than ever. The day had proven fruitless in narrowing down the suspects. If anything, everyone looked even guiltier.
Daisy had already gone over Chloe’s motive in her head. She hadn’t spent much time thinking about Jackson until then. He had plenty of reason to hate Max.
Jackson had a rare double motive. He was doing the work of two people while only getting paid the salary of one. Even more than that, he had lost the love of his life to Max.
The man was an emotional hot mess. Not to mention, judging by the conversation Daisy just witnessed, he clearly thought Max’s death would pave the way for him to get back together with her. Boy was he dead wrong.
In all honesty, both Chloe and Jackson looked guilty. So did everyone else at the office. This called for chocolate. Daisy finished walking to her car, grabbed the chocolate she’d packed for a snack, and did a lot of thinking. Unfortunately, when she was done, she still had far more questions than answers.
Chapter Twelve
Before getting back to work, Daisy made a stop at the ladies restroom. She wasn’t in a hurry to get the redecorating done anyway, not with a case to crack. Her job was a perfect cover for hanging around the office and investigating. If she finished the redecorating too quickly, she might not have enough time to find the murderer.
As Daisy went into a restroom stall, she tried to piece things together as best as she could. Little did she know her head was about to start spinning again.
Her time to herself was short lived. She was just about to leave the stall when the door to the restroom opened and Daisy heard two different voices. It was Amber the receptionist and Jennifer Webster the mousy paralegal.
Daisy was sure to be as quiet as possible. She wanted to hear everything the women said. Amber and Jennifer were too wrapped up in their own lives anyway to pay attention to their surroundings.
“You’ll see, things are going to turn around,” Amber said to Jennifer.
Jennifer groaned. “I sure hope so.”
“You have nothing to worry about now that Peter is running things.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Trust me, I know.”
There Amber was again, talking Peter up. Daisy was convinced something was going on between them.
“I’m just tired of doing everything myself. I’m pulling my hair out back there. Did I tell you I spotted a wrinkle on my forehead this morning?” Jennifer asked.
“I don’t see it,” Amber insisted.
“It’s small, but trust me, it’s there. And it is terrifying. I mean I’m only thirty-four. I should be trying to find a date, not worrying about whether I’m going to get an ulcer.”
“By the way, how is that going?”
&nbs
p; “What, getting an ulcer, or trying to find a date?”
“Finding a date?”
Jennifer scoffed. “Have you seen the stack of work I have on my desk? I could drink ten cups of coffee a day and still not get through it all, no less have time to find a date.”
“Let me talk to Peter. Let’s see if I can get him to hire another paralegal to ease your work load. Maybe get you a raise in the process.”
“Amber, is there something you’re not telling me? Like, since when are you and Peter so friendly?”
“I don’t know if I’m ready to talk about this yet,” Amber revealed.
“Come on, this is me you’re talking to here,” Jennifer said.
“Alright. Just don’t tell anyone, alright? Peter doesn’t really want this getting out.”
“Getting what out?”
“We’ve been seeing each other,” Amber revealed.
“How much of each other?” Jennifer gasped.
“Enough to make me believe that he might be ‘the one.’”
“Seriously? Wow. I can’t believe you’ve been holding this back from me.”
“We didn’t want Max to find out.”
“Yeah, because Max was a saint, right? He’d never have an office relationship,” Jennifer joked.
“Come on, you know how much of a hypocrite he was. He made loads of money, but never threw us a raise. He had an affair with Chloe, but didn’t want anyone else to have an office relationship--”
“He’d take all the credit for cases that I did the majority of the work on,” Jennifer interrupted.
“Exactly.”
Jennifer groaned. “That used to burn me so much.”
“To be fair, he didn’t give anyone credit. He was a glory hog. Take Peter for example. The man won case after case, but Max refused to make him a partner,” Amber said.
“Well yeah, of course not. That would mean he’d have to pay him more,” Jennifer joked.
“I know, right? Why should anyone get a raise when he could keep all the money to himself? Of course, he had no problem working us into the ground.”
“Tell me about it, I practically live here.”