If I heard that one more time I was going to scream. Why didn’t she just hang a “Don’t spill the beans” neon sign around her neck? I knew one thing for sure, if it were me, I’d say it once and let it go. To quote Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “The lady doth protest too much.”
That morning Julia wore her hair pulled back in a pony tail, giving her pretty face a rounder, beefier look. Her sapphire blue pant suit stretched around her generous hips, while the top button of her matching silk blouse strained against her huge bosom. Clearly, she had gained even more weight. Oh well, I guess embezzlement is stressful work.
“Matt, why don’t you tell Kimberly about the cups?” She pointed across the room. “I need more coffee and another sweet roll.” Before I could say anything, she strode out of the room. Watching her hefty rump depart, I couldn’t help thinking the last thing she needed was a sweet roll.
“Cups? What’s she talking about? And how come all this stuff is still here?” I waved my hand indicating the remainders of the party.
He took my hand and led me to the table Julia had indicated. On top were three FedEx cartons bearing a ‘Fragile’ stamp. The French doors beyond the table were open, and for once it wasn’t raining or drizzling. The sweet fragrance of jasmine wafted in from the outside making everything in the cavernous room seem innocent and lovely.
He fiddled with the sealed flaps on the closest carton, uttering a few choice words when he couldn’t break the tape. Finally he gave one of the flaps a mighty tug and yanked the carton open, tearing the cardboard in the process. It was filled with royal blue coffee mugs.
“To answer your question, the caterers still have to come back to set up a hot buffet for lunch today. Since we have this place until Monday morning, we’ll use some of the tables and chairs for the meeting. Julia’s flying to D.C. late today and asked me to have the owner’s maid let them in tomorrow. Apparently, King Bruce insisted she come right away. I guess she’ll be there for a few days because good old Bruce scheduled a big meeting with the powers that be. If I know him, he can’t wait to gloat about the success of the party.”
Yeah, right. The owner’s maid? Like Matt didn’t know who the owner was. What crap.
I mused, “I guess that makes sense. After all, the owner’s maid should be able to handle it.” And so will we.
“Right. I have her cell phone number, so I’ll just call her later. She probably won’t like the idea of working on a Sunday, but that’s her problem.”
What a great development. It sounded like the coast would be clear the next day except for the maid. The nucleus of a brilliant plan was forming. I knew what we had to do and couldn’t wait to tell Cami and Kate. We would need to refine the idea, of course, but with only the maid to contend with, I was positive we’d be able get into that office. It was a struggle not to grin.
Matt reached into the first box and pulled out one of the beautiful iridescent blue coffee mugs. The top of the gracefully curved mug was banded with a gold stripe. The FACR logo emblazoned one side and our own Consulting Resource Services logo the other. Metallic gold lettering spelled out one word—Teamwork!
He held it out. “Here, take it. These are peace offerings.”
I trailed my finger across the mug and practically shouted, “They’re what?”
“Peace offerings. Julia wants me to give each person one of these mugs right after you tell them why their checks are small and that it was beyond our control.”
I finally lost my cool. “Beyond our control? Come on, Matt. You’re not dealing with dummies. They’re smart, hard-working women doing everything they can to earn a decent living. These—these cups are an outright insult. Don’t you think so?”
“Hey, calm down, Babe. Don’t shoot the messenger. She figured she’d open with a thank you to everyone for traveling so far, give a pep talk about new products in development and how she’s exploring bonus plans for them to earn more money. Of course she’ll do her famous speech about expecting everyone to be dedicated to The Cause.”
The cause of filling Julia’s pockets. I felt my stomach turn.
“Peachy. And all this time I’m sitting there with everyone eying me because I’m the one with the checks, and that’s what they’re really waiting for, right? Does the condemned scapegoat have any way out?”
“’Fraid not. You know Julia. She’ll probably wrap up her part with some BS about how we’ll be getting lots of new business as a result of the party. You’ve seen her in action. Nothing she does surprises me.”
At this point I had two choices. Pretend I was the little whipping girl and take it without too much complaint, or blow my top and also risk blowing everything else. I guess my choice was pretty obvious. Pride be damned.
“Thanks. Is it an early wrap-up before they crucify me?” I struck a pose that was supposed to look like I couldn’t wait for his next words. I swear, I deserved an Academy Award for my performance. I really wanted to smack him.
“No, there’s more. That was just Julia’s part. After her talk I’m going to take them through some new product orientation and training. Gotta live up to the designation of the meeting, you know. Then we hand out the checks followed by the cups and you give your teamwork blurb. By the way, she’s leaving right after her speech, so she won’t be here when you give them the checks. The bus will be waiting outside, and we’ll hustle everyone out immediately and get them to the airport.”
“But surely they’ll be bitching to high heaven on the way to the airport.”
“No way to prevent that, but by taking them right to the airport they won’t have an opportunity to pound on you or ask more questions. By the time they get back home, hopefully they will have simmered down a bit.”
Or not! It was clear to me Matt didn’t totally understand the force of a woman’s wrath. My fists clenched almost as tight as the set of my mouth. If it’s true that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, I probably had flames shooting out of my ears. Every bit of me felt fiery. What a lousy trick to pull. Julia was beyond reprehensible.
First she bilked enough money out of a government corporation to buy this house and who knew what else she was up to. Then she left me holding the bag and didn’t even plan to stick around to see how the team reacted. I hoped somewhere in that stone cold heart she was grateful that they wouldn’t be able to take their anger out on her. I felt like a heat-seeking missile being drawn to a yet-to-be-revealed massive conspiracy.
I couldn’t resist a parting shot. “So, these new products you’ll be presenting—is that what you were discussing with those supply depot guys out in the yard last night?”
He pulled at his collar, clearly uncomfortable. I knew I’d scored one. Way to go, Kimberly. A seemingly innocent question designed to jangle his nerves.
I’ll hand it to Matt. He kept his composure despite two red splotches highlighting his cheekbones as a bit of color drained from his face. “Oh, those guys. Nah. We were just talking sports. We’re all big hockey fans.”
As soon as Matt went into the kitchen, I sent the same text message to both Cami and Kate.
Interesting morning. Tomorrow we invade. Tell you more later. K
~27~
Julia wrapped up her pathetic speech by saying, “I’m sorry I have to leave before your commission checks are passed out, but Bruce has scheduled a big event in D.C. to celebrate everything we’re doing, so I have a flight to catch.”
She flashed a phony smile. “Thank you ladies for being so dedicated.” With that, she swept out. As for me, I felt like I was being pulled under by a riptide when Matt took the lead.
As charming as ever, he bantered a bit before saying, “And now our own Kimberly has what you’ve all been waiting for.” Everyone clapped, expecting to receive what they had justly earned. Damn him. He could have at least set the stage. My hands felt clammy and my stomach was twisted into knots. The fragrance of the floral arrangements nauseated me as they filled the space with their overly sweet aroma. Clutching the envelopes in my
hand, I stepped before the group hoping my voice wouldn’t shake too badly.
Voice? What voice? It seemed to have deserted me. When I finally overcame the paralysis generated by fear of their predictable reactions, and said, “Okay, before I pass these out, I need to share some information.” I cleared my aching throat.
“I know all of you are expecting big checks, and with good reason. You have done an outstanding job.” They clapped again, while I steeled myself for the reaction to my next words.
“However, most of you will discover the amounts are not what you expected.” I looked at the shocked faces. “As you know, your commission arrangement, and my bonus as well, is for payment after merchandise is shipped. Due to a computer program glitch, many of the shipments shown as going out before the cutoff date actually missed it by a few days. The dates that were entered were when the products came out of production, not the day they shipped. That means those commissions aren’t on this check, but you should see them next quarter.”
Matt circulated among the women passing out the envelopes while I spoke. The first angry shout came from Tucker. “Why y’all are cheatin’ us out of what we earned! This is only a tiny bit of what I should be gettin’.”
Others joined the uproar even as I tried to calm Tucker. Matt shouted over the din, “Ladies, ladies. This isn’t Kimberly’s fault.”
One of the reps named Margie yelled, “Easy for you to say! I expected $20,000 for my big deals and this is nowhere near that. This really sucks!”
Between Matt and me, we managed to get the ruckus tamped down. Then he chose the worst possible moment to pass out the Teamwork cups. Margie took one look at the cup and smashed it on the marble floor. “That’s what I think of this stupid cup.” She began to cry.
As we stood there, mouths agape, every one of the reps smashed their own cup on the floor. The growing anger rapidly turned into pandemonium. I noticed Cami and Kate had retreated to the side of the room and weren’t joining in the fracas.
One of the caterers timidly poked her head into the chaos. “Excuse me. The bus is here to take you all to the airport. The driver said he was stuck in traffic and now has to leave right away or some of you won’t make your flights. Hurry!”
Angry silence blanketed the room. Tucker hissed, “This isn’t the last of this. I want my money!”
Matt raised his voice to ensure the rampaging women heard every word clearly. “Ladies, you’re not being cheated. Every order entered by mistake will be on next quarter’s check, just as Kimberly said. Meanwhile, please calm down, get on the bus, and Julia will be sending you an email later in the week. She is planning some things that I think will make this all worthwhile.”
He glanced at the shards of smashed cups and shook his head. “You’ll also be receiving new cups by Fed Ex. We are a team, after all. Have a good trip.” With that, he strode out of the room.
I sidled over to Cami and Kate and said in a stage whisper, “Get on the bus with the rest. When you get there, take the shuttle to the Holiday Inn just outside the terminal. I’ll pick you up in about an hour. Don’t let anyone know you’re staying in Seattle.”
My conspirators nodded, giving me a thumbs up approval.
Before my dynamic duo boarded the bus, I added, “Tomorrow’s definitely the day for Operation Takedown. Wait till you hear what I found out.”
~28~
I stopped at a fast food restaurant to kill some time. The coffee I ordered turned out to be little more than colored water. It didn’t matter—my stomach wouldn’t stop churning and I don’t think I could have managed much more than a few sips, even if it was a gourmet blend. I kept checking my watch. When enough time passed for them to take the airport shuttle to the Holiday Inn outside the terminal, I dumped the almost-full cup in the trash. Sure enough, when I pulled up in front of the hotel they were there waiting.
On the way back to my condo, I filled them in about what I’d learned. When I told them the maid would be the only one at the mansion the next day, maybe it was nerves, but all of us laughed to a point of hysteria. Finally Kate said, “What a hoot. To leave a loose end like that. Obviously she expected Matt to be there with the maid, and he’s pulling a vanishing act. All we have to do now is figure out how to get in without arousing suspicion.”
“I think Matt might be running his own game. Remember I spotted him out in the tented yard with those guys from the supply depots last night. When I asked him about it today, Matt, who is usually Mr. Cool, seemed very nervous. In fact he couldn’t look me in the face when he answered. He said something like, ‘Guys? Oh yeah, those guys. We were just discussing sports. You know. Guy talk.’”
Kate snorted, “Yeah, right. Guy talk, my ass.”
“See, that’s what I mean. It does seems strange, doesn’t it, that those fellows work for a few of the supply depots that placed some of the large orders Alaric Fabricators supposedly shipped direct? What if they’re on the take, too?”
As always, Cami had grabbed the front passenger seat because she got carsick riding in the back. “You bet it sounds strange. Maybe it’s all part of the big picture. So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?”
Kate put her hand on my shoulder from the back seat. “Whatever we come up with, it better be good.”
Trying to sound confident, I said, “Oh, it will be good alright,” secretly worrying we had gotten into far more than we could handle.
We rode the rest of the way in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Kate was right. It better be good because technically we would be breaking and entering. Kimberly Martin. Criminal mastermind.
We tossed ideas back and forth into the wee hours, and somewhere around 2:00 we had come up with a plan that would work unless something unexpected happened. It was almost 2:30 when we finally settled down.
• • • • •
By the time my guests made it into the kitchen the next morning, I had prepared coffee and omelets. After we put the cups and dishes in the dishwasher, I picked up a couple of wigs I’d dug out of the depths of my closet and presented one to Kate and the other to Cami.
“Here you go, ladies. These date back to when I was tempted to dye my hair black. I tried long hair and short hair, but after wearing them a few weeks, I decided I wasn’t cut out to be a raven-haired beauty. With white blouses and black slacks you’ll look just right. Try them on.”
A short time later Kate sported the short black wig and Cami wore a number with flowing raven locks. Heavily made up faces completed the look. The devious duo was ready for action, but as for me, my heart seriously tried to jump out of my chest. I swear I could feel it looking for the escape route.
We went through the checklist one more time, then piled into my Mercedes feeling like secret agents. Our plan had to work. Actually, it was pretty simple. Once we saw the catering vans pull into the estate’s drive, I would go to the front door to distract Bernice, the housekeeper, claiming I’d lost my scarf the day before. Meanwhile Kate and Cameron, disguised as members of the catering company crew, would have already slipped into the house along with the real crew, and then up the stairs into Julia’s office.
During the time I kept Bernice occupied, the stealth team armed with flash drives and Kate’s camera, could invade the computer and file cabinet. While Kate, our computer whiz, searched files and downloaded them to the flash drive, Cami’s job would be to raid the file cabinet and copy anything that looked promising. I would have preferred to be the one at the computer, but Bernice knew who I was from all the time I’d spent at the mansion before the party. I did remember Julia once said she hated passwords, kept them simple and usually used the same one. I gave Kate a list of possibilities, hoping one would work if her computer was protected.
We drove along Cress Drive trying to calm jittery nerves. I admired the lush estates that border the eastern shoreline of Lake Washington. “Isn’t this beautiful? I’ll bet those elm trees are a couple of hundred years old.”
Cami’s voice sounded angry. “Th
ey look pretty old, alright. You know, being back in this beautiful neighborhood really raises my irritability factor to the danger level. The thought of Julia living here while we work our butts off and she cheats us out of our money makes me more determined than ever to bring her down.” Her voice got louder as she became more excited. “You’re goin’ down, Julia. Way down. Bruce and Matt, you’re going down, too.”
Her attitude got to all of us. Whooping and hollering, we were as wound up as warriors storming the enemy’s bastion.
As we drew closer to Julia’s house, Murphy’s Law kicked in. I spotted the security patrol car turning into her street. If it was the same obnoxious guy from before, I was sure he would recognize me, so I drove past instead of turning.
I cruised up the street, until I pulled to a stop near a pristine brick building that turned out to be a small post office. The white trim looked freshly painted and the building appeared to have been sandblasted. An American flag waved in the slight breeze, making little snapping noises. I angled into a space between two cars, hoping my car would be less obvious that way. That is, unless they both pulled out. Still it would be better not to be parked near our target.
“Look, it’s only a few blocks to Julia’s place from here. If we park on her street, that stupid security guard could spot the car. Even if he isn’t on duty, I wouldn’t put it past him to have circulated my license number to the others. I get the feeling he thinks of himself as a real cop.”
“That works for me, but we’d better get back there quick. The caterers should be arriving any time now.”
We left the little post office and headed in the direction of Julia’s house.
• • • • •
I scanned the street for the rent-a-cop, praying my sunglasses and wide-brimmed hat and Kate and Cami’s wigs would pass as credible disguises. They walked slightly ahead of me so it didn’t look like we were all together. After all, they were supposed to be catering staff, and you never knew who might report seeing us together if anything went wrong.
Ripoff Page 14