Inside Traitors

by David Allen

  Laura was flabbergasted. She never expected that Steve would act upon her request so quickly. “Wow, that was quick Steve. Thank you for checking into it so fast.”

  Steve’s fears faded. There was no more anxiety in his voice. There was no knot in his stomach. He liked Laura and he felt comfortable around her. His words flowed without any hesitation.

  “Oh… It wasn’t a problem,” said Steve. “I am very happy that I was able to help. We will need to get together to discuss some of the details. If the new contract gets approved, we need to get all of the specifications submitted within five working days. We can’t delay any longer than that or it will hold up work on the rest of the shelter site and I have completion dates that need to be met.”

  Laura nodded. “Just let me know Steve. I will be glad to make time.”

  “Great,” said Steve. “How about we meet some night after work? Would that be good for you?” Steve didn’t realize that the question he asked was the same question that caused him to panic in Laura’s office. Only this time he was asking. Laura recognized it right away and smiled.

  “That would be great Steve. You have my card. Give me a call.”

  Chapter 26 - Evidence

  Steve Peterson hobbled off the private penthouse elevator and into the empty foyer. He moved gingerly, limping toward the entrance of his new condominium. The time he had spent with Laura on the ride over from Clearwater was still vivid and fresh in his mind.

  The smell of Laura’s perfume lingered on his clothes, the scent drifted gently through his mind. Thoughts of his time with Laura brought him peace. He relived the ride over from Clearwater in his imagination.

  Steve paused at the doorway to the condo. For a moment, he slipped into a dreamlike state. An image of Laura appeared in his mind and dominated his thoughts. Steve visualized her flowing black hair. He pictured himself staring into her deep dark eyes. She was beautiful, he thought. And best of all, he actually had a real conversation with her. A real conversation and he didn’t act like a jerk.

  Steve leaned back onto the door and envisioned Laura there, alongside him. She was sweet. She was kind and caring. Steve moved slightly as he reached over to stoke Laura’s face. Time stood silently as he built his castles in the air.

  The movement toward Laura’s image caused Steve to shift his weight onto his injured foot. Pain surged through his foot and leg. Laura’s image faded from view. Steve stepped out of the clouds and into the reality of the condo.

  Steve flicked on the overhead spotlights, lighting the marble walkway throughout the main living area of the condo. The area surrounding the wound in his foot stung as he hobbled into the kitchen.

  Steve slid his briefcase onto the counter. He pulled the blood stained loafer from his inflamed foot and tossed aside. The release of pressure brought some immediate and welcome relief. Steve gave the foot a slight rub, letting out a rather loud sigh.

  “Awwwwww… now that is much better,” Steve moaned. He eased himself back against the counter. With the added support, Steve was able to balance on the sore foot and slip off the other shoe.

  It was a comfort for Steve to be in his home. He opened the briefcase and took out the bottle of prescription antibiotics and bottle of anti-inflammatory medication. He stretched his tired arms up to the ceiling and let out a gaping yawn.

  “What a day,” Steve moaned, as he started over to the sink. The pills jingled in their bottles as he shuffled awkwardly to the other side of the kitchen.

  Steve turned on the water and grabbed a glass to get some water to take his medication. As he turned back around, his attention was drawn to the far edge of the counter by a slight flicker of gold light.

  That was when he saw it. It was just a small, unremarkable piece of gold tinsel no longer than an inch. Steve caught sight of the glittery strand and the unpleasant memory of the morning events came rushing back into his head. With everything else going on during the day, he had forgotten all about the failed morning proposal. And the Gucci Bag.

  “Oh damn, the Gucci bag.” He moaned, as he slapped the edge of the granite counter top with his open hand. “I never returned the Gucci bag. Now I am really going to be in some deep shit.”

  Steve shook his head as he evaluated his predicament. Dread was setting in as he remembered he didn’t even have the wrong Gucci bag with him anymore. It was still on floor of the passenger side of his Honda, which was all the way back in Clearwater.

  Steve raised his hand and massaged his forehead. He leaned against the counter and closed his eyes. “Now what do I do,” he asked himself aloud.

  The decision on a course of action came rather quickly. He would have to tell a lie, he thought. It was something he swore he would never do in his relationship with Christy but there was no other alternative. He was stuck. The situation called for a lie. Not a big lie, just a small white lie.

  Steve would tell Christy the new Gucci bag is on order. Saks did not have one in stock. They had to order the bag. It all sounded very truthful. And how would she ever know it was not true.

  If the bag was really trendy and popular like she said it was, then it would make sense that the store would be out of them, he thought.

  Steve quickly convinced himself that the made up story would work. He nodded to himself as he accepted the made up explanation. The story was good because it was simple and believable. There were no holes in it as far as he could tell.

  “The store will call when the bag is in,” he muttered aloud as he started to anticipate Christy’s questions. “And it might be in as soon as tomorrow,” he continued.

  Steve ran through the concocted story one last time in his mind. He decided his plan would be to go with the made up story. He was satisfied. The correct bag could be picked up sometime tomorrow and he would pretend it was the bag that was on order. The story would surely work and get him out of his horrible jam.

  Steve turned back to the matter at hand. He ran his hands through the stream of water in the sink and then buried his face in his soaking palms. The refreshing feeling helped to clear his mind.

  It had been was a long, tough day. Steve was beat. He filled the glass with cool tap water and swallowed down his prescription tablets. Steve’s stomach let out a roaring growl. He hadn’t eaten all day.

  The large refrigerator offered little that appealed to Steve’s craving. He scanned through the shelves repeatedly with no success. He turned and glanced at the clock on the microwave. It was already well past nine o’clock. It was too late to order out for anything, he thought. And besides, Christy will have already eaten dinner when she gets home.

  Steve went to the cabinet and reviewed the selection of breakfast cereals. He grabbed a box of Frosted Mini-Wheats and picked up a carton of milk from the refrigerator on his way back to the counter. “This will have to do,” he thought.

  Steve poured himself a bowl of the cereal and filled the bowl to the rim with milk. He waited for a few minutes as the cereal absorbed some of the milk and became somewhat soggy. As he started to eat the cold cereal dinner, his thoughts drifted back to the time he spent with Laura and the ride home.

  The thoughts of his performance with Laura produced a slight smile. Steve thought he acted very well on the entire trip. He thought he acted very normal. He could not think of one stupid thing he said.

  Images of Laura’s smiling face began to flash through his thoughts. For a few moments she was there with him. She was sitting on the barstool right next to him. Steve could not wait for the Clearwater planning board to evaluate the revised shelter contract. With Jim Hart’s support of the space for the new medical clinic he was sure the changes would be approved. And once the contract was approved, he would have a good excuse to see Laura again.

  Steve finished up his cold dinner and limped off to the bedroom. He couldn’t wait to change into a comfortable pair of sweat pants and a sweatshirt. All he wanted to do was put his feet up in front of the TV and relax.

  As Steve approached the bedroom h
e saw a slight glow coming from inside the room. He entered the room to find that Christy had left the light on in her walk-in closet. That is the third time this week, he thought. Steve reached into the closet to turn off the light and got an idea.

  Christy had purchased a new silk shirt the week before and commented to Steve that she really liked it. Steve remembered the shirt vividly because it was so unusual. It was one of the few items in Christy’s closet he actually liked.

  The shirt was very small in size and it was all wrinkly. But when the shirt was put on, it would stretch to full size and give a very unique crinkly look. Christy mentioned to Steve there were several others in the same style. She wanted to go back to get the black one.

  Steve thought that if he could find the shirt she already purchased, he could get the brand off of the label. Then he could get the black one for her when he exchanged the Gucci handbag. The shirt could be used to support the ring in the bag instead of the tissue paper. Christy would love it. And it would help to make up for the delay in getting the new bag.

  Steve stepped into the near room-sized closet and started to look around. Christy had the closet completely redone with custom built, solid cherry cabinets and shelving prior to moving in. Each shelf and cabinet was custom made and fitted to maximize the closet space. Everything had a place and everything was in its place.

  Christy had warned Steve on several instances not to go in her closet. Everything was just the way she wanted it. Nothing was to be moved or touched. Steve knew he would have to be careful. He couldn’t leave anything that looked out of place.

  Steve couldn’t find the shirt hanging from any of the rods in the closet. He gently moved some of the hanging shirts to be sure it wasn’t hidden in between some larger ones. The shirts were moved just enough to look in between them and he was careful to return each to its original position. After a methodical search through all of the hanging shirts and blouses, the shirt could not be found.

  The shirt was an odd shape. Steve remembered it was quite small. He began to think it might be too small for a hanger. He assumed it must be in one of the drawers.

  Steve opened the first drawer. He was careful not to disturb the items as he searched. The shirt was located in the second drawer he opened. It was lying right on top.

  “Aha, there’s the shirt,” he exclaimed. Steve reached into the drawer and picked up the shirt. As he lifted the shirt he was surprised to see a document tucked in underneath it. He bent down to examine the papers a little closer.

  “What the heck is that doing in here,” he said aloud. Steve squatted down to his knees and removed the document from its secret hiding place. It was his missing contract for the homeless shelter project.

  Steve could see another piece of notepaper was still in the drawer. He reached in, pulled out the small handwritten note and started to read.

  Christy,

  Great job getting the last document. Now I need you to get a contract regarding a homeless shelter. Get me a copy and hide the original until after our voting rights are approved. You’ll get $1,500 - like the last time. Remember the big reward after the full plan is in effect.

  Keep up the good work,

  TB

  At first Steve did not understand what the words meant. The content of the note seemed ridiculous at first. It seemed like some kind of a joke. He read through the note again. He finished the words and then stared at the initials at the bottom.

  Why the hell would Tim want a copy of the shelter contract, he wondered? The contract wasn’t a secret. If Tim had expressed an interest, Steve would have gladly given him a copy to look over. Steve soon realized that Tim did not want him to know he had a copy.

  Steve slowly re-read the note trying to uncover more details. The pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. Little by little the realization of a plot began to take form in his mind.

  Steve realized that Tim was not the only member of his senior staff who was involved. Tim wouldn’t have the power needed to try anything alone. The other senior vice presidents must be involved in this too, he thought.

  Steve’s mind quickly raced back to the early morning meeting at Peterson Software. He realized the meeting must have been planned to coincide with his scheduled vacation day. He remembered Tim yelling about the closed meeting when he entered the room and the tightly closed drapes. He remembered that no one from the planning board showed up for the meeting at the homeless shelter.

  “It was all made up,” he said. Steve realized they were all signs of a plot against him, and he had missed them all.

  “They’re all in on it. The entire group is plotting against me,” Steve said softly. He became lost in his thoughts and fell back against the wall of the closet. Steve sat motionless, staring at the note. His eyes focused in at Tim’s initials at the bottom of the note.

  Steve had his suspicions about Tim. He knew that Tim had a bad attitude and was a loose cannon at times. Steve was aware of his frequent outbursts around the office and even suspected him of stealing some corporate equipment once. I have been a little lax with Tim, thought Steve.

  But how could he do this? Steve never expected anything like this, especially not after the promotion and the offer to bring him in as a part owner of the company.

  And why would Tim take the time and effort be my friend and help me find a girlfriend if he was against me, Steve thought. As soon as the thought began Steve already knew the horrible answer. It was because it was all a set-up right from the start. Christy, the bar, the accidental meeting, it had all been planned.

  Steve’s eyes became fixated on the name at the top of the page. It was Christy. Steve’s thoughts had been absorbed in the conspiracy and who was involved at work. The other member of the treasonous group was now sinking in. The woman that he was going to ask to be his wife was playing him for a fool all along. The relationship with Christy was nothing more than a scam.

  Steve looked down at the contract. He re-read the note and slowly shook his head. Joe knew it right from the start, he thought, and I just wouldn’t listen to him.

  The realization of Christy being part of the plot was like a cinder block being dropped on his chest. Steve’s heart was crushed. Once again he felt as if he was completely alone in the world. Steve knew he needed a plan, now more than ever, and he needed it quick.

  I can’t let Christy find out I know about this, he thought. No one could know of the discovery of the note. Steve did not know what he was going to do next but he did know that he had to keep his knowledge of the plot a secret. He needed more time to think the whole thing through properly and develop his plan.

  Steve leaned forward toward the set of drawers. He carefully returned the note and the contract to their hiding place. The silk shirt was precisely repositioned on top of the papers and the drawer was gently pushed shut.

  Chapter 27 - Seeking Answers

  Steve Peterson anxiously checked the time when he entered the kitchen. It was just a little before ten o’clock. He could feel his nervousness start to peak at the realization that Christy would soon be returning from her evening out with the girls. She could arrive at any minute, he thought.

  The tension of the pending situation was becoming almost unbearable for Steve. He nervously paced from one side of the room to the other. His hands fidgeted as he wondered what he should do next. A sense of dread swelled up and spread throughout his body.

  Steve was certain of one thing, he was not ready for Christy to return. He did not have a plan ready. He was not prepared at all. The last thing he needed was to have to deal with Christy and the issue of the non-returned Gucci bag. He cringed as he imagined the unavoidable confrontation that would soon be thrust upon him.

  Steve knew that he would have a very hard time trying to conceal his true feelings. He felt sure that Christy would be able to see through his false façade. She would realize he had uncovered her secret. Steve decided he had to lie again. He picked up a pad of paper and started to write Christy a short
note.

  Christy,

  You were right this morning about me looking sick. I may have the flu. I will sleep in the guest room like you suggested so you don’t catch it. I tried to return the Gucci bag but no Jackie O bags were left. I ordered a black one. They will call when it is in.

  Good Night,

  Steve

  The note was posted on the door to the condo where Steve was sure that Christy would see it. Steve grabbed his briefcase from the counter and made his way to the guest bedroom.

  The briefcase was tossed down in front of the night stand. Steve immediately fell face first onto the inviting king size bed. He hit the mattress and let out a loud moan. The poor night’s sleep the night before along with his injured foot and mental anguish had taken their toll.

  Steve’s thoughts were a hodgepodge. He alternately processed information on the treasonous activities of Tim that were going on at the office and the betrayal that was going on right in his own home by Christy. He wondered how he could have missed all of the signs. He felt stupid. He felt betrayed. Above all, he felt alone and abandoned.

  Steve rolled over onto his back. He remembered to tuck a few pillows under his injured left foot to keep it elevated. Thoughts of Laura began to infiltrate his mind as he saw the gauze wrapping on his foot. The thoughts of Laura persisted and had a calming effect. He closed his eyes as he leaned back onto the pillows and tried to relax.

  A few moments passed by. Suddenly, Steve’s heart began to race as he heard the beeps of the alarm system start to sound. His eyes sprang open as he heard the door to the condo shut. His breaths became quick and shallow. Christy was home.

  Steve’s eyes grew wide. He sat up a little in the bed and listened. He hoped that Christy would just read his note and go off to bed. He did not want to be forced to deal with any of the situation now. He pulled up a blanket and laid back. He waited and listened.