Coming To Reason (A Long Road to Love)

by O'Connor, Liza

  Hurrying to his office, he closed the door and sat down behind his desk. He always had his employees investigated. Always. Except for Carrie. He had hired her on the spot, never suspecting she might be involved in drugs. Yet, by her own admission, she had been.

  He dialed Flint Clarke, his investigator. “I need a full assessment on Carrie Hanson.” After providing her address and social security number, which he got from Greg, he let the man do his job.

  His entire body tensed as if expecting an attack. Could he have been so easily misled?

  At the first buzz, he picked up the intercom between him and Helen. “I have the Lancaster butler on.”

  Dan hit the blinking light. “This is Dan Marshal, to whom am I speaking?”

  “My name is Winston. Master Lancaster is not here at the present.”

  “Actually, I wished to speak to you. I believe you are familiar with a young lady name Carrie Hanson?”

  “No, sir.”

  “She worked for Trent until recently and had a relationship with him—”

  “Sir, since I arrived yesterday, I have met twenty young ladies who work for Master Trent and have relations with him. I stopped remembering names after the seventh.”

  “You’re new?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Did the prior butler quit?”

  “A reasonable assumption, but no. He has escaped to the Long Island estate.”

  “Can you give me the number to the Long Island estate? I need to speak to him.”

  Two minutes later, he spoke to another butler, this one far more professional.

  When he introduced himself, the butler replied. “Miss Carrie’s new employer?”

  “Yes. And I need more clarity to her past. Are you aware of her involvement with Europa turtles?”

  Dead silence replied.

  “Are you still there?” Dan asked.

  “Sir, a butler does not discuss the lives of the people he works for with anyone.”

  “But you never worked for her.”

  “If you have questions concerning Miss Carrie, may I suggest you ask her? She is the most honest and forthcoming person I have ever met. If you have a reasonable need to know the particulars of the unfortunate situation, I am sure she will enlighten you. Now, if there is nothing more, I have matters which need my attention.”

  Dan hung up and ran his hands through his hair.

  The first woman he’d felt something for in sixteen years might be a drug pusher. Yet, the butler referred to it as an ‘unfortunate situation’, which implied he didn’t consider it an ongoing problem.

  Had she tried Europa and given it up when her employee had a bad trip?

  Did it lessen the situation? He had an impressionable daughter who wanted to be like Carrie.

  Dan reached for the phone, planning to ask Jeff to send her to his office, but Helen announced his three o’clock appointment had arrived.

  ***

  When Carrie returned to Jeff’s office, he handed her a phone. “I signed for it. You know, Dan would have bought you one. In fact, if Greg could get out from under his paperwork, he would have gotten you ready for next week. As it is, you have a crap office with crap furniture, no computer, no company cell phone, and no ID tag.”

  She smiled at his angry tirade on her behalf. “Which reminds me, is it okay for me to park in your parking space this weekend?”

  He frowned.

  “If it’s a problem, I won’t.”

  “To get in you have to have a placard and if I give you mine then—”

  “I have one. Dan gave me his.”

  He smiled. “Feel free to use my spot. May I ask why you’re coming in?”

  “To fix up my office so I’ll be able to spend eight hours in it without falling into a severe depression.”

  “Then by all means, use my space. But you still lack a computer.”

  “Destiny’s taking care of the problem.”

  “Good. I feared you’d quit after two days in a hellhole with no equipment to do your job.”

  She snorted. “I’d move into Greg’s office and stare at him pitifully before I’d give up this job.”

  Jeff laughed and leaned back. “I’m going to miss you. While unintentional, Sandra did me a great favor when she blackmailed me into taking you.”

  Carrie almost choked. “She blackmailed you?”

  He nodded. “She overheard one of the young ladies who works here profess her love for me. I ran from the room as fast as possible and have avoided said lady ever since, but Sandra threatened to tell the young lady’s boss.”

  “You have to tell Dan! He needs to fire Sandra at once.”

  “I can’t tell him; the young lady is his daughter.”

  “Destiny? Oh… He’s very protective of his little girl.”

  “Yep, and as long as Sandra’s blackmail remains a minor inconvenience, I’ll endure it.”

  “Besides training me, what else has she made you do?”

  “I had to find jobs for several of her candidates.”

  Carrie leaned forward. “Do you remember their names?”

  “Not off the bat.”

  “Could you find out?”

  His brow furrowed. “Yes…why?”

  “Because I think I can get her fired without Dan ever knowing about the blackmail.”

  He dived into his files, pulling out three folders, and gave her the names. She wrote them down, certain when she looked them up, she would find they quit a day after Dan paid the consultant commission.

  “Okay if I skip this next interview? I need to see Destiny.”

  His eyes rounded.

  “Nothing to do with your situation. I need to search the database for these three people.”

  He remained worried. “Don’t make me sorry I trusted you.”

  “I won’t. I’ll take all confidentialities to my grave.” She hurried from his office. When she arrived at Destiny’s, a Post-it note on the door said she’d be right back. Carrie pulled out her phone. She smiled when she noticed Mars had inputted his office number.

  However, he hadn’t put in Trent’s numbers. For some reason he refused to believe she and Trent remained a couple.

  She dialed Mars. He picked up at once. “Mars speaking.”

  “Carrie calling.”

  “Miss Carrie, it’s good to hear from you. I gather you’ve received the phone I sent you?”

  “Yes, and it had your number inside. Are you still at the penthouse? I thought you intended to take over the Long Island Estate.”

  “I have moved. And I am very pleased with the estate and my larger staff.”

  She heard an edge to his voice. “So what’s not pleasing you?”

  “The new butler at the penthouse is already threatening to quit. I have told him if he leaves after such a short stay, he’ll receive a very bad assessment from me. I’m hoping my threat will make him dig in and become combat ready.”

  “It could be Trent’s fault. I’m worried about him.”

  “Don’t waste a moment of your time on the matter. However, it seems your new boss has learned enough about the Europa turtles to give him serious concerns.”

  “Dan?”

  “Yes, he called me a half-hour ago wanting more details. I got the feeling he thinks you sell narcotic turtles as a side business.”

  “Oh, God.”

  “I refused to explain, but told him to talk to you. However, I would recommend you talk to him as soon as possible. If he needs the truth collaborated, you can refer him back to me and I will be more than happy to confirm what he knows.”

  “Couldn’t you have told him what happened? He has a daughter who wants to be like me. He may have his security guards sweep me away without ever hearing my side.”

  “I’m sorry, Carrie. A butler never discusses what goes on in his house. Not even when he wishes to. No exceptions. Not even for you, whom I think the most spectacular young lady of my acquaintance.”

  Carrie had never heard such emotional
tension in Mars’ voice before. His distress at not being able to explain her drug past had upset him. “It’s okay. I understand your position. I’ll go right now and explain the situation to Dan. Everything will be fine.”

  She hung up and rushed to Dan’s office. He had someone inside, but Helen expected the meeting to end soon.

  Dan noticed her presence as he walked out with the former mayor. He didn’t introduce her, but maybe the gentleman hated meaningless introductions. If everyone introduced him to all the people he passed by, he’d have to shake hands constantly. All those germy hands could be a health hazard.

  She wondered if politicians carried hand-sanitizer with them. They really should.

  She remained seated, hoping Dan had not left with the man. When he returned, he waved her in.

  Once they entered and he closed the door, she spoke. “Mars said my story about the Europa turtles had you concerned, and I can understand why. I failed to explain how they came to be. I would never knowingly use narcotics when making turtles and I deeply regret almost killing Mars and Jack.” She then explained how Trent’s cook had chocolate imported from Russia containing a high concentration of narcotics. “I needed to get my systems guy to come in on a Sunday after his horrible prior day, so I offered to bake him his favorite treat, chocolate caramel turtles.”

  She studied Dan but couldn’t tell if she’d calmed his concerns or not. He had an impressive poker face.

  “Mars caught me in the kitchen making the turtles and got upset with me. I didn’t know, as a guest, I couldn’t be in the kitchen.”

  Dan smiled and nodded.

  “I’d already finished making the turtles when he arrived. So he put them in the refrigerator to chill and sent me from the kitchen.

  “Later, he gave me a bag of chilled turtles to give to Jack. I wanted to put a few aside for Sam and Trent, but he forbade it. He’d eaten one and claimed it so delicious those two would never eat real food again if they tasted the turtles.”

  She grimaced. “At the time, I thought it a great compliment. If only I’d tasted one.… I didn’t suspect a problem until Jack went crazy over his first turtle. Curious why he thought them a whole level better than my prior batches, I took one nibble on the foot of one and it almost knocked me to the ground. First, I called Sam”

  “Sam?”

  “Trent’s driver.”

  “Ah! Sam.”

  The way he said it made her suspect he knew Sam was Trent’s half-brother.

  “Anyway, I asked him for help, but he said Mars came first. So I called in Tiny and Tall to get the turtles away from Jack. Poor Jack almost died. And Mars remained in the hospital for two days.”

  “What about you?”

  “Dr. Lenard tested me, but I didn’t test positive. I guess because I nibble rather than eat. And the turtle’s foot consisted mostly of a pecan.”

  Dan rubbed his face.

  “Mars says if you call him and state my version, he’ll confirm it. His profession doesn’t allow him to reveal anything. He’s kind of like a priest, a war general, and mother all mixed into one.”

  “I’d like to confirm one thing with Dr. Lenard, but you will have to give him permission to answer my questions. However, this time, I will ask you to leave the room.”

  His somber eyes warned her she remained in the trouble pile. She suspected he wanted to ask questions she would find insulting.

  Certain she didn’t want to hear them, she nodded her agreement.

  Once Dan had Dr. Lenard on the phone, she asked him to answer all of Dan’s questions concerning this matter. Then she handed the phone back to Dan and returned to her gloomy office. She knew he wouldn’t want her around his daughter until he verified she didn’t have a drug problem.

  The minutes passed like hours. Finally, he showed up and sat on the edge of the desk, until the wood joints screamed. He stood and leaned against the wall. “Dr. Lenard and Mars both back up your version. I’m sorry I had to investigate, but…”

  “You have to protect your daughter.”

  He nodded.

  “I understand.”

  “Thank you.” He straightened up.

  Carrie grimaced. “Am I still employed?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “And can I still speak to Destiny?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good, because I think I’ve found one of your problems.”

  “Who?”

  “Sandra.”

  He frowned. “This is speculation?”

  “It is, right now. But once I check these three candidates, I expect to have proof.”

  “Bring the evidence to me and don’t speak of this to anyone else. Especially not Jeff.”

  “Why?”

  “He dislikes Sandra more than you do.”

  ***

  Dan returned to his office relieved. Carrie’s problem centered on her association with Trent. Every disaster she’d incurred related back to her former boss.

  Now, with his world righted, he asked Helen to verify the iPads would arrive on Monday.

  “Turns out there are several versions. Which one did you want?”

  “Not sure. I’ll go ask Destiny.”

  He should ask Carrie, but Jeff would resent all the unnecessary disturbances he’d endured today. The guy came in at eight and left at four, but he outperformed anyone else both in quality and quantity. Clients loved him because he understood what they wanted and didn’t waste their time with inappropriate candidates. He grasped the science and art of his job. Without Greg and Jeff, Dan’s business would not be the premier resource firm in New York City. Without them, his company wouldn’t exist at all.

  He smiled when he found his third and fourth most promising employees huddled before a computer.

  Carrie waved him in. “Close the door.”

  He entered, shutting the door behind him, and looked over their shoulders at the monitor displaying a long list of people with various names, all of whom had the same social security number. Also, in every case, upon getting the job, they left one day after the consultant received the commission.

  How the hell could different people have the same social security number? He differentiated his firm by assuring clients he performed a thorough background check and résumé check of every candidate sent. Placing various people with the same social security number should not have happened.

  Rage swelled inside him, but he forced himself to remain calm. “How long has this been going on?”

  Destiny pointed to her laptop.

  “Started a month after you hired Sandra Parker.”

  Carrie paged down to the end of the very long list. “We haven’t finished the analysis yet, but it appears for the first three years, Sandra placed these people herself, claiming the entire commission.

  “Then at this point, she starts giving them to other people to place.”

  “I put the new system in around then. Before, Greg inputted the data once a month. I’m surprised the prior stuff even shows up.”

  Destiny smiled. “Carrie showed me how to convert and input a copy of our old data into the new system. I’d tried before, but a lot of the required input in the new system didn’t exist in the old program so it wouldn’t accept the feed. Carrie knew a clever way to make it accept partial info. So now we’ve certain data back to the beginning of computers.”

  His daughter made it sound like the age of dinosaurs. And if not for the serious problem, he would have laughed. “So Sandra’s been placing this person for how many years?”

  “This person—eleven years. However, we’ve found fifteen other people.”

  Dan groaned at the extent of the damage. Why hadn’t he discovered this before now? Why hadn’t he listened to Jeff who had been against Sandra from the day she showed up to the interview wearing a mini-skirt and low-cut blouse?

  He gripped the girls’ shoulders. “I’ll let you get back to work.”

  As he headed to the door, Carrie spoke. “Dan.”

  H
e turned and faced her.

  “There is one good thing about this.”

  If something positive had come out of the disaster, he couldn’t see it. “What?”

  “She looks to be your sole problem. No one else popped up in the analysis. You should take this as good news because she drags down the quality of your firm.”

  “Goes without saying. Clients aren’t happy when their employee leaves right after we place them. God knows how many customers I’ve lost by now.”

  “We’ll run the data for you, but she seems to have been careful not to have too many occur in a single company. Had she done so, your clients would have complained to you and you would have solved this long ago.”

  So Sandra’s greed had spared him from losing his clients, but left her free to steal from him for years.

  “Can both of you stay until this is complete?”

  Both heads nodded in unison. Their eyes held concern and determination. God, he loved them both…in very different ways.

  “I’m going to order food from Giuseppe’s.”

  They smiled.

  “I’ll have the salmon and cheese on bread appetizers,” Carrie said.

  Destiny asked for Chicken Marsala and the same appetizer.

  “We can share the appetizer if you want. I’ll can’t each much.”

  Dan’s hand settled on her back. “I’ll order two for the three of us.”

  ***

  Once in his office, he turned the food order over to Helen. He called his lawyer and explained the new evidence his girls had found hidden in the database.

  “Sounds good, but I would like to receive a copy of the report and have a third-party computer expert assess the conclusions. We’ll need him to testify in court. We can’t use Carrie Hanson.”

  “Why not? She’s very articulate.”

  “Flint Clarke sent me his investigative report on the girl.”

  Dan’s anger flared. “He should have sent it to me.”

  “He told me you hired him a few hours ago to assess her, but I hired him last week. And if he dares charge you for a second report, let me know and I’ll fire him. You already paid for the investigation.”

  “Beside the Europa incident, what else did he find?”

  His questions set Charles off. “Besides? You’ve got a game killer with a jury, right there. All the prosecutor has to ask is ‘Miss Hanson, did you bake some chocolate turtles laced with narcotics, almost killing two people?’ and her credibility is dirt.”