She pulled back to her old confident self and told me I would have to wait because Beverly had asked Ann to make a ‘finger food’ type of pastry for a dinner she was planning to have in her home.
I had to remind myself that sometimes patience was a virtue. Sometimes.
A few days later I saw Ann walking by the door to my office with a large Tupperware container. No idea what is in it, but I know that whatever she makes is always good. I decided to follow her in case she got lost going the twelve or so feet to Beverly’s office.
Ann had made something she called ‘Petite Fours’. They were miniature layered cakes, each about an inch and a half square and covered in pink icing. Ann even made little white roses on top of each one. Beverly was savoring one but closed the lid on the rest and secured them in her small refrigerator. They are both so suspicious of me!
Beverly said these would be perfect for her party tonight. Then quite innocently she dropped a bomb shell.
“I haven’t had these in years. There was a little diner in Bedford where a woman used to make them. I always made it a point to stop when I went to work an account I had up there.” I saw Ann’s face turn white. Beverly had her back to Ann and was writing a check so she didn’t see her reaction. “I think the name was something like the Bedford Diner. If I am not mistaken the woman who made these was named Mary. I used to call ahead before I went and she would always have something wonderful for me to take back.”
Beverly turned around to hand over the check and gasped when she looked at Ann.
“Are you all right? Do you need to sit down? Sarah get her some water.”
“No, I’m all right.” But she did sit down and took a deep shaky breath. “You’re right. Mary was her name. She was my Mom.”
Talk about a quiet room. What do you say after that?
Beverly stared at her. “You used to do your homework at a small table in the corner didn’t you?” Ann nodded yes. “I used to go there every couple of months to audit the Ashley accounts. But that was years ago.”
“Paul Ashley is my father.”
Oh shit.
“Ann, I had no idea. I am so sorry about your mother. She was always a kind person and not just to me”
Both of us were watching Ann as she slowly took this in. What do you say to somebody at a time like this?
She pulled herself together and straightened up. Ann looked at Beverly and asked “Do you still work with my father?”
“Occasionally yes, but not as much as before. When I see him again I will of course give him your regards.”
“Please don’t. In fact I would appreciate it if you never mention my name to him or anyone else from up there.”
“Of course Ann. Consider it done.”
“Well, I need to get back home to change and go work out. Please let me know if there is anything else you need me to make for you.” Then she walked out of the room and left the two of us, eyes locked at each other.
Simultaneously we both said “Oh shit.”
Chapter Eleven
The school semester ended with me getting straight A’s and staying on the Dean’s List. Unfortunately this semester I have to take a computer course and there is no instructors guide for that. Not sure why, maybe things just change too much for the print industry to keep up.
So the long and the short of it is that I am back pestering Ben about how to do computer things. Sometimes it is not enough for him to tell me the answers I need to have him show me why something is the correct answer. Occasionally this leads me down a deeper rabbit hole then I wanted to go.
Sally rolls her eyes at me when this happens. She wants me to spend more time with a certain young Air Force mechanic she is stationed with. It is not that I don’t like to spend time with him, it is just that I only have a certain number of hours free from either work or classes.
Fortunately my schedule this semester is a little different. I have a class from 5:30 – 7:00 on Monday and Wednesday and a five hour class from 5 – 10 on Friday and Saturday nights. Those are the two nights that Ann usually works so that’s all right with us. Even though Ann has been seeing Jeffrey frequently she still hasn’t told him how she makes her living. The guys are frustrated about our lack of free time but there isn’t anything we can do about it.
On Saturday afternoons I spend a couple of hours at Ben and Sally’s place. I use Ann’s baked goods to bribe Ben into going over my lessons with me. These beginning computer things may be child’s play to him but they are new to me. I noticed though that some of my classmates, who brag about how good they are, seem to have even more problems than I do. Ben says that is because they get over confident.
It seems to be like other things in life. Those who brag the most, know the least. Ben has never bragged but it is obvious that he is in his element with computers. I think I will stick to juggling money and financial statements around. When I told him that he said to think of computers as extra hands to help with that juggling. When he said that something clicked inside my head and I began to understand my lessons a lot better than I did before.
Tuesday night I went with Ann and the guys to watch one of the free movies at the Buckroe Beach Park. This was the last one of the season and not many people were there so it was nice. It wasn’t even chilly but Allen and Jeffrey ‘just happened’ to have a couple of blankets with them so we could sit on the beach afterwards.
They’re nice guys, and easy to be with. I am still waiting for Ann to tell Jeffrey how she makes her living before I get heavily involved with Allen. Also I still miss Dave. We text almost every day but I know that he has to move on and make a life for himself.
I think Ann is nervous about telling Jeffrey because she wonders how he might react. Ann has told me ‘no matter what’ that I should stay with Allen. That will never happen if Jeffrey behaves badly. Those two are best friends and stationed together. They even live in the same barracks room. Guys stick together, ‘bro’s before ho’s’ and all that.
Military men must stick together, at least if they’re worth a damn. Sisters should stick together also. A girl can live without a boyfriend but not without her best friend. When she brought it up I told Ann that she and I are a package deal and that was the end of the conversation. She smiled and looked away.
Work is going well. Beverly has asked me to review several accounts every week to see how I do. These are accounts she has already completed so afterwards she can review my work and give me a critique. So far I have never made the same mistake twice.
Usually on Tuesdays I stay in the office late to reviewing my account assignments from Beverly or go over school work. Tonight Christopher was staying late and wrapped up just as I was done so we left at the same time. As I checked out with my security code I caught his reflection on the framed glass of a picture. He was staring directly over my shoulder at me to see what numbers I used as a security code on the key pad.
‘WTF’
I ignored him and pretended I hadn’t caught him watching me. We walked out to our cars and told each other to drive safe. As soon as I got home I called Beverly to tell her what I’d seen. I could hear the cold calculations in her voice.
“How sure are you about this?”
“I am sure enough to call you after nine o’clock at night.”
“I will have them change your security code tomorrow.”
“No, don’t. Have me assigned a different one and keep the other security code open. That way we will know if someone goes in there after hours. There is no reason to let others know we are on to them. Otherwise they will just come at us a different way.”
Quietly I wondered to myself why I was worried about any of Beverly’s employees being ‘on to us’. However I quickly shoved that thought down deep.
Short pause for reflection. “Beverly have you thought about rigging a hidden camera so we can see who is entering the place w
hen this happens and what they’re doing?”
“Not a bad idea. I will ask around tomorrow to see who is open to doing that. But it would have to be someone who can keep their mouth shut.”
An unpleasant memory of what Sawyer had done a year ago emerged in my head. Also a notion of who could install cameras for us. I told her I had an idea I wanted to run by her tomorrow.
The next day started the same as always. After lunch Beverly said she wanted to review my work so I came in and shut the door.
“What’s your idea?”
Without telling the when’s and the where I told her about someone filming me in a bathroom some time before without my knowing it and how it was done. I also said that this type of camera would be relatively easy to rig up by running the cord through our drop ceiling and using the vents.
I gave away too much information when I explained how this could interface with her computer system so that she would be the only one who was able to view it. It was either that or set up a dedicated lap-top type system in her hidden closet and run everything into there. Whichever way she chose we could tell not only which files were being looked at and when. We could also see who was actually looking at which files on the different computers by using the system installed in her office.
“Sarah, how do you know how my computer system works specifically? Especially what it can and cannot do.”
Oh crap.
Never have I lied to her and wasn’t going to start now. On the other hand I didn’t want to have this conversation.
“Beverly, you told me once to always know what was going on around me. You said how I found out was my own business, but just to ‘know’. I always take your advice to heart. Even if you don’t think I do.”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“I have always known about the system, ever since it was installed for us. I was here when they did it and I am the girl they were trying to impress. One of them left a copy of the instruction booklet on my desk. I don’t know which one did it and I hope this doesn’t get them in trouble. I took the booklet home and studied it. I still have it. I didn’t mean to cause you any problems, I would never do that.”
She sat quietly studying me. Waiting for me to continue, but I am all out of words.
Finally she spoke “Sarah, what happened to the film someone made of you? Is it on the internet or in a personal collection?”
“It never made it to the internet that I know of. I was a ‘target of opportunity’ for the person who took it. He liked girls much, much younger than me. I destroyed it.”
“Where is the man who did it?”
Now it is my turn to have a flat ass stare. “He is no longer a problem.”
Neither of us had anything left to say. Somethings are better that way.
“Do you have any specific person in mind who could handle my computer system improvements, and keep quiet about it?”
“As a matter of fact I do. I’ll call him tomorrow evening and get back to you later.”
“Take care of things and let me know the cost. I want it set up to a separate system behind the book case. Tell me what the equipment requirements on the laptop will be and I will take care of it.”
She stopped, hesitating slightly, then continued. “Do you know that Christopher is my cousin? That is one of the reasons I hired him. Even as kids he was always sly and wanted to know things. Mostly just out of curiosity, not necessarily bad, just nosey. I hope that is all this is.”
“I hope so too Beverly.”
“Since you like knowing things, here’s something else for you to keep in mind…. What can your friends and family do that an enemy cannot?”
I silently shook my head.
“They can betray you.”
* * *
When Sarah left the room Beverly asked her to close the door and tell Katie to hold all phone calls. She had to think. First of all, ‘What was she going to do about Sarah’? The time to either take her in or cast her adrift had pretty much come and gone. She should have decided this months ago.
On the surface of things Sarah was perfect. Maybe too perfect? This girl…she corrected herself. This ‘young woman’ was definitely street smart in ways that others were not. She knew when to keep her mouth shut and watch things unfold. She often noticed events others missed. Would it be better to take her in, or let her go? Also if I let her go where would Sarah go? And would she still be loyal?
Sarah had friends and that was good. Friends can be used as leverage. The closer the friends, the better the leverage. Beverly admitted to herself that she honestly liked Sarah. On the other hand, she had loved her brother and was once engaged to his best friend and look how that ended.
So far she believed that Sarah had never lied to her.
A stray thought hit. ‘What was the issue between Sarah’s friend Ann, and her father?’ Beverly had never liked that man. For one thing he always seemed to find an opportunity to put a hand casually on her back or leg.
A different thought surfaced. ‘I wonder what happened to the man who liked to make home made movies of little girls’. Especially ones who were ‘much, much younger’ than Sarah was. Knowing Sarah’s hard streak it was easy to draw some conclusions about it.
Good for her.
Unless there is a problem, I am going to keep her. At least for now.
* * *
I called Sally to ask about Crystal and made sure it was all right if I came over to talk with Ben. I am not about to simply pop in and talk to a married man without his wife giving the OK. Some things shouldn’t be done.
Baby Crystal has grown since I last saw her. Unfortunately Sally seems to keep that match making look in her eye. She casually mentioned that if I marry a military guy I can get the government to pick up the hospital cost for a kid. Really? Isn’t playing match maker enough? Is she seriously trying to push me into motherhood?
Outwardly I smiled and said I had too much to do before I decided on that step. Inwardly I hoped she never mentioned that to Ann. Sally really does mean well but doesn’t understand other people’s situations.
I offered to bring pizza but they said “no” just to come on by. I watched them as they juggled who was holding baby Crystal and who was doing whatever in the kitchen to get dinner ready. They seem like a storybook couple. I hope they manage to stay that way.
While I couldn’t enlighten them about the real reason we needed surveillance in the office. I managed to explain what it is we wanted. Ben gazed off into space for a minute and said the lap top wouldn’t need to be the top of the line. He said some technical term (that was way above my head) and tried to explain how the other adapter type thing would make it work better since all we were using it for was to record. Also we could automatically send the recordings to any other address once a week for review and to presumably copy if needed. I took his word for it.
Sally joined the conversation when she saw my eyes glazing over in bafflement with these geek world terms. She took pity on me and toned down the geek speak. I was happy to hear dinner was ready and almost bolted to the table.
In between several mouthfuls of some good spaghetti I made certain they both understood that my boss wanted complete discretion about this system. As a sweetener, I added that when Ben got his own business up and running it could be advantageous to have friends who own an accounting company. This could open other doors for Ben in his future.
They both paid close attention to everything I said. Good, I liked that. We hadn’t discussed price for doing this but I said I would make certain that they were happy with the sum. After all they were now part of my contact circle too. I am not the smartest person around, but I know enough to take care of my own.
We planned to meet at the office Saturday morning to take measurements and verify what was required. I would then provide the money to make the purchases so we c
ould install everything on Sunday.
When I left that night it hit me that maybe I could be a detective who specializes in counter industrial espionage. The idea made me smile. In truth I still do not know where I am going from here. I feel like a kid who doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up.
It is pretty obvious that my being either a fairy princess or a ballerina could be marked off the list of possibilities. After that I will just have to see where life’s road leads me.
When I got home I found Ann’s note saying she had a sudden call and her company had to send her out of town for a couple of weeks. She told me to feel free to raid the fridge at her place so nothing went bad. There was also a plate of cookies under the note with a smiley face that simply said “Enjoy”.
I love my sister.
Beverly reviewed our plans for the recording set up. She gave the go-ahead, as well as cash, to get it done. She handed me a key to the closet and said laughingly that this way I wouldn’t have to pick the lock. I thought she was serious for a minute and surprised her saying.
“Beverly I don’t know how to pick a lock. I never learned how to do it that way. If I needed to I could always make a ‘bump key’ that would probably work well enough for most locks. Even the best lock makers often use cheap brass cylinders from China or some other place. However I chose a pretty good lock for this door to make it harder for people to get in. I picked one that had hardened steel reinforced cylinders so it couldn’t be drilled out. Plus a box strike with three inch screws to secure it and make it really hard to kick in. Most people would need to use a mini sledge hammer on the door. Those things will not make it impossible, just harder to do and take longer.”
She stared at me for a second. “What if we put a combination lock on there?”
“Depends on the kind you use. Master locks are pretty good but I can get into them in about 15 minutes. I do need a paper and pen to write some numbers down while I figure out the combo. Ones like Fosters I can usually do in roughly 15 seconds, give or take.”
Opening the Door Page 18