Bank On Love

by Iris Bolling

  She had spent the day at the spa. Her skin was smooth, silky soft and glowing from the treatment. In her private restroom in her office, she looked into the full length mirror. Her body was a temple. She had always treated herself well, knowing this day would come. It was time for her to let Hepburn know she was ready to take their relationship to the next level. Ten years of longing to have a taste of the man. Learning all the tricks to please a man of Hepburn’s caliber. Using her body to gain the skills to seduce any man that came near her. She had learned well and now it was time to work her magic on the only man that mattered.

  She walked through the connecting door to Hepburn’s office completely naked. In her mind, there was no need for clothing. There was no question as to what was going to happen. None of the subliminal messaging she used on others. When Hepburn walked through the door, he needed to see exactly what she was offering.

  The sofa in his office was soft leather, they had sat there many nights working through one problem or another. It was the perfect place to solidify their new bond. With nothing on but her three inch heels, she stretched out on the sofa, her head resting on the arm at one end and legs crossed at the ankle at the other. Closing her eyes, she imagined Hepburn walking through the door, saying something witty to Marie as he always had, then turning to see her lying on her side for his view only. He would quickly close the door, with mock shock and surprise. He would ask, Elaine, what are you doing? That was when she would stand to her full height, slowly walk towards him, giving him a full view. He would look her body up and down then ever so slowly join her in the center of his office. He would run a single finger across her shoulder then down her arm. He would inhale in her beauty, then realize it could be all his. He could have his cake with Winnie and eat it too, with her.

  She heard the door knob turn. She sat up, excited that the moment had arrived. The door knob slowly turned, as her heart fluttered inside her chest. The moment was here. It took a moment for it to register that it was not Hepburn who walked through the door.

  “What the hell?”

  Standing at the door with a plate of food in her hand was his wife, Winnieford. The shocked look on her face was indicative of the feeling that engulfed Elaine. Her delayed reaction was detrimental. Before she could register she was in hot shit, the woman had thrown the plate in her face. The next thing she knew, his wife was punching her as if she was beating a man. She tried to grab the woman’s hands, but they were swinging so fast and furious she missed them every time. The next thing she knew the woman was shoving food into her mouth as if force-feeding her. To embarrass her more, Marie Vazquez ran into the room attempting to pull Winnieford off of her. She was having a difficult time subduing the woman. All she could think to do was scream out at the pain on her face. Next Hepburn ran into the room. He pulled his wife away from her. All she remembered in that moment was that she was naked in a room with Hepburn, his wife, Marie and a client. The client was kind enough to wrap his suit jacket around her. Winnieford was yelling profanities at her and her husband. Marie ran over to help her to her feet then guided her out of the room to her office.

  The humiliation took her years to recover from. It was during that time that Winnieford began spending more time at the office. In fact, she took her office space. She was moved out of what was called the Vault area to the office she now occupied. It was made clear that she would progress no further at Dunning. Day after day she had to work around Hepburn and Winnieford knowing that her every word, every action was being watched. Her job status was at the whim of Winnieford Dunning. Twenty years she had dedicated to this bank and what did they give her in return, a demotion. When Mitchell approached her with the plan to undermine Dunning she had no reason not to go along with him.

  Mitchell had set the stage to work directly with the executives at Hershel Automotive, issuing covert reason in the form of full transparency, that the proposal offered by America’s Bank was more attractive. He recruited her to fudge numbers on the proposal from Dunning on the Hershel and BIT accounts. If one of those accounts was acquired by Dunning, they would become the talk of the financial world. If they received both accounts, well, Dunning’s ranking would rise threatening the number two America’s Bank and possibly the number one ranking of Phase International. The task was to derail both deals. The team decided it was time to include a connection at Phase. The team reached out and Jonathan Michael was the man the Phase executives assigned the situation. All was going according to plan until Hepburn’s heart attack.

  The news damn near devastated her. For days she walked around in a fog, not clear on her feelings or the direction the plan was going to take. Mitchell began the campaign for him to be voted in as CEO or at the very least President. To help matters, it was thought that Walker Jr. would get his shares of the bank back and become CEO. Neither of those things happened. William lost his damn mind and Walker got himself thrown into a rehab center. Now it was up to her and two others who had experienced the same fate that she had to take Dunning down. With Hepburn out of the picture, she really didn’t give a damn about the bank. She wanted her million dollar pay out, her retirement and a condominium in Florida which she had been promised once Dunning was broken.

  CHAPTER 9

  Jerome walked into the kitchen of the Dunning household to see Daisy pulling items from the refrigerator.

  “Hello, Jerome. Myles get off to the office okay?”

  “Without incident,” Jerome replied as he took a seat at the breakfast bar.

  “You want a cup of coffee?” Daisy asked.

  “Sure.” He looked around and sighed. “Where is Mrs. Dunning?”

  “She went out for a minute,” Daisy replied then asked, “What’s going on, Jerome, you look nervous.”

  “Too many fires coming from different directions to cover.” He sighed as she placed the cup in front of him.

  “Something happen that we need to be concerned about?” Daisy pushed the cup to him.

  Jerome took a drink then nodded. “Mr. Michael’s car was stopped this morning. He was approached by two armed men.”

  “What?” Daisy had returned to pulling items out for what he assumed was dinner, when she stopped and stared at him.

  “No worries. We handled it…well he handled it, is more accurate.” Jerome nodded. “It looked like he handled it quite well.”

  “Who was it? What was it about?”

  “From what the driver told me they were from his old place of employment.”

  “Phase sent people after him?” Daisy questioned. “Why?”

  Jerome shook his head. “As a warning is what I gathered. It was anticipated. We didn’t know how Phase was going to come, but we knew they would.” He sat the cup down. “What was surprising was how well Jonathan Michael handled himself.” He raised an eyebrow.

  Daisy continued with her food prep. “Really?” She smiled. “He was that good?”

  “Yeah. According to the driver it sounded like he dared them to come at him again.”

  “Maybe we don’t have to worry about Grace as much as we thought.” Daisy smiled. “Sounds like her man is capable enough to protect her.”

  “You’re worried about someone coming for Grace?” Jerome shrugged with a laugh. “I worry about Grace taking somebody out.”

  “Naw.” Daisy shook her head. “The only person that girl loses all sense of reason with is Walker. As long as he is not in the picture, everyone else is safe.”

  “I don’t know about that.” Jerome shook his head. “The report came in on Hepburn.”

  “I know. Grace told me.” Daisy lowered her head. “Do you really believe Walker Jr. had something to do with his own brother’s death?”

  “I do.” Jerome nodded as his cell phone chimed. “Morgan.” He listened to the person on the other end of the call. “I’m on my way.” He disconnected the call. “That was Mike. I have to go back to the office. Let’s hope they decided to do an investigation into Mr. Hepburn’s death.”

 
“You make sure they check under every stone until that snake is found.”

  “Will do. I’ll check back with you later.”

  Daisy watched as Jerome left then looked around the large kitchen she had been working in for over twenty years. She had been placed into the home to take care of and protect the young family. Now that the family was grown it seemed they needed her and Jerome even more.

  In the early years, it did not appear that the family truly needed security in place. There were small scrimmages that they’d had to handle during the time that the children were young but there wasn’t anything major. It was the attempted kidnapping of Myles that prompted Walker Sr. to bring Jerome on board. At the time Daisy felt uneasy about having another security person on the grounds, however it proved to be a good move. Jerome handled them outside the house and Daisy handled inside. They made a good team.

  Knowing the outcome of the autopsy, meant danger was in the air again. Daisy wiped her hands on a dish towel, then placed it on the kitchen counter and walked to the back of the house where Mr. Hepburn’s office was located. She opened the door, stepped inside then closed the door behind her. Standing in front of the bookshelf, she pulled the red dictionary out. The bookshelves shifted on both sides revealing a safe. Placing her thumb on the screen, the green light flashed, the lock clicked, then the door opened. Inside was a small recorder, a disc and a set of documents. She pulled the documents out along with the business card that was attached to it. The FBI agent on the card was Byron Roark, Washington DC office. She opened the document and read. It was an arrest warrant taken out by Hepburn on behalf of Dunning Bank & Trust against Walker Dunning Jr. for embezzlement. If Walker was to try to do anything to Winnie, Daisy had been instructed to call the number on the card and turn the document over to the agent. If that were to happen, Walker Jr. would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. She took the card from the safe, pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number.

  “Yes, I need to speak with Agent Byron Roark.”

  “Speaking.”

  “Agent Roark, this is Daisy Miller. I’m the housekeeper for the Dunning family.”

  “You are more than that, Ms. Daisy. How are you?”

  “I’m doing well, but I am just heartbroken over this news about Mr. Hepburn.”

  “What news, Daisy?”

  “The medical examiner’s report that Grace received.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Roark responded. “It was sad to see, but not a surprise.”

  “Do you have any idea who may be behind it?”

  “I cannot speak on that, Ms. Daisy.”

  “I understand. Then let me put something in your ear. You just listen and if I am off base you can hang up the phone. Mr. Hepburn gave me documents and your card. He said if anything happened to him and Walker Jr. comes after Mrs. Winnie I was to turn these documents over to you. Now I know you cannot act without proof, being the law and everything, but you should know the full scope of the information in order to do a thorough investigation. I believe Walker Jr. had something to do with Mr. Hep’s death and I think he is coming after Mrs. Winnie next. The information I have will impact this family and the bank and before I do anything I wanted to share this information with you. Now if you think I’m way off base, I won’t feel slighted if you hang up the phone.”

  “Ms. Daisy, you are one of the sharpest people I know. You have been with the family for a long time. I trust your word if you say something isn’t kosher. You mentioned documents. What documents do you have?”

  “Documents Mr. Hepburn wanted me to deliver to you. But only if Walker Jr. comes after Mrs. Winnie. Some are sensitive information that I will only share with family, but the other, well, if what I believe is true, it’s time to turn them over.”

  “Ms. Daisy, I can come to Richmond tomorrow to talk with you. Will you share the documents with me then?”

  “Yes, sir, I will.”

  “I will come to the house around noon.”

  “I’ll see you then.” Daisy hung up the phone. She hesitated only for a moment to make sure the Pandora’s Box she was about to open was the right thing to do. The fact that Hepburn Dunning was murdered called for this action.

  Daisy took a deep breath, heartbroken over the news, but she pushed forward. “You took a good man away from his family. Now we are going to take you out.” Daisy placed the documents and card back into the safe, closed the door, pulled the red dictionary, then watched as the book shelves locked securely back into place.

  CHAPTER 10

  Grace waited until everyone was seated before she spoke. It was a battle to hold back her emotions. Looking around at the family she remembered something her father once told her. ‘You have the spirit of your mother. That is the strength that I admire the most. When you find yourself in difficult situations, lean on it and you will prevail.’

  “I wish Dad was here,” she began. “He always had a way of delivering news in a way that even if it was bad he made you feel like you came out on top.” She paused. “The only way I know how to deliver hurtful info is to strip the bandage clear. Then kiss the hurt to make it better.” She exhaled. “The medical examiner’s report indicates Daddy was poisoned.” She kept her eyes on AnnieMarie.

  The room was silent as she watched the expressions on each of her siblings.

  “Each of us will have to deal with our feelings regarding this news, however, Winnieford will have to be told,” Myles stated.

  “We also have to make the determination on how we want to handle this news publicly as well as privately,” Grace stated. “Mike, are we in a position to handle a criminal investigation?”

  “It may not be in our hands,” Mike explained as he stood to exhale. He walked over to the bar and poured a drink. “If the ME changed the COD to suspicious or murder...it may be taken out of our hands.”

  “It’s hard to believe someone would want to kill Daddy,” AnnieMarie murmured to herself. “I have mixed emotions about this.” She exhaled. “On one hand I am relieved to know I did not bring on his heart attack. But now I am pissed that someone took my father away from me.” The anger was clear in her voice. AnnieMarie stood then walked over and took the drink from Michael’s hand. “Whoever did this, not only took Daddy, they messed with my self confidence, made me doubt my actions and took months from my life.” She swallowed the drink straight down. “They are going to pay for that. Do we have any idea where to start searching for this person?” She glared at Grace.

  Grace smiled. The news brought her spirited little sister back. “It wasn’t me. So you can stop looking as if you want to kill me. I am just the messenger.”

  “No,” Gary said. “Don’t try to control her anger. Look at everybody like that, AnnieMarie.” He looked at Grace. “She is like a dog searching for a bone when she is angry. She is going to question every piece of evidence we find until she knows who, when, why and where.”

  Mike fixed another drink. “That is true. She hounded me for months trying to find out which one of us pulled her dolls’ hair out.”

  “Yes, she did.” Gary laughed. “If I remember correctly she ended up putting perm on a sensitive part of your anatomy for messing with her dolls.”

  Mike was about to take his drink. He stopped then glared at Gary. “That shit still burns whenever I think about it.”

  Grace glanced at Myles, pleased that the information she had just shared was going in a positive direction. It could very easily have been a detrimental scene for all of them.

  He winked at her, then continued. “As much as we would like to relive Mike’s burnt pubic hair, we have to decide how we are going to handle sharing this information with Winnieford.”

  “Do we have to tell her?” AnnieMarie asked.

  “Yes,” Grace answered. “She more than anybody else has a right to know.”

  “Should we get more information first?” Gary glanced at Mike. “How long do you think the investigation will take?”

  “It’s hard to say.
” Mike sat back down. “It’s been three months since his death. The evidence is old. We have to establish a fresh timeline. A new trail and do that without interference from the authorities.”

  “Why not do it in conjunction with the authorities? We can always share this information with Roark. I am certain he would work with us on this,” Grace said.

  “He would have a difficult time convincing his higher ups that this is a federal case,” Mike replied. “I suggest we keep this local until we have more evidence to present.”

  “He may be able to open some doors, Mike,” Myles suggested. “It was his efforts that led us to looking deeper, which led to the truth.” Myles sat up and exhaled. “Get Jerome in on this. The two of you should be able to keep Agent Roark in check. Grace, reach out to Agent Roark. See if he would be willing to work with Mike on the investigation with the understanding that we control the case until we have a substantial lead on who killed our father.” He looked around the room. “As much as I hate to take Winnieford through this, Grace is right. We have to tell her. We can all meet at the house after the welcome gathering for Jonathan. We will tell her together, as a family. Individually, let’s make sure we are here for each other. This cuts deep,” Myles continued. “If any of you feel the way I do, you are ready to kill anyone we think may be involved with this. But we can’t do that. It will only bring more hurt and stress on Winnieford. But know this, no stone will be unturned until the person responsible has been found and made to pay.”

  ###

  Grace returned to her office to find Warren standing at the entrance, waiting for her. “How could you possibly know I was on my way back to the office?” She asked as she walked past him to get to her desk.