Deadly Temptations (3 page)

Pushing back from her
desk she grabbed her purse, a few files, and walked over to Mader’s office. He
was locking down and grabbing his briefcase.

Angie popped around
the corner to leave the mail. Her eyes bulged when she saw Denise standing on
the other side of the small space.

“Oh, hi, Ms. Milton.
Have a good night.” She looked over at Mader as he came out. The thin box she
carried became armor across her chest.

Denise reached out and
touched her shoulder. “Angie, do you have a few minutes to talk?”

Denise knew this would
be the perfect opportunity since Gina was absent. For some reason, she had a
gut feeling Angie felt threatened.

Mader gestured for her
to come inside his office. Instead of sitting behind his desk, he took a seat
next to her. Less intimidating.

Denise was taking this
on solo. She knew the protocol and Human Resources should be all over this but
as a Senior Manager, she had the right to question an employee. The only
problem with this picture? Plenty of cause and damage had already been done.

She hadn’t mentioned
her suspicions to the cops or risk management and eventually that would bite
her in the ass. She simply could not open up that can of worms right now. For
Mader’s sake.

“How long have you
known Gina Rhodes?” She asked.

Visibly shaking, Angie
looked at them, then down at the floor.

Shit, this was giving
Denise a really bad vibe.

“Since high school.
We...ah.... in Ohio.”

Denise sat back in her
chair, stunned to hear they had known each other that long. She gazed at Mader
and his hooded expression said the same thing.

Angie put the box down
and rolled her shoulders as if she had come to a decision. “I never thought I
would see her again.”

Denise leaned forward
once more. “Why?”

Angie shifted in her
chair. “Because she was not a very nice person. Got into some really bad
trouble our senior year and had to go away.”

“What kind of
trouble?” Mader asked.

Angie started to shake
harder and her head came down. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

Denise scooted closer
and took her hands.

“Don’t worry, Angie.
We’re here to help. Gina has a serious problem and we’re trying to stop this
before it goes further.”

Angie nodded. “She had
a major obsession with the quarterback, Steve Tyson. Followed him everywhere,
didn’t allow anyone near him. We all thought her a bully at the time. Until his
girlfriend, Saralee Jones, got killed in a car accident. No brakes. Someone
overheard Gina bragging about bringing the bitch down and they made a report.
The case was investigated and Gina was taken into custody.

We found out later she
had been admitted into a mental institution because of her instability.”

Mader stood and paced
the perimeter of his office, his hands running through his thick hair.

“She couldn’t have
done all of this alone. Did they ever find an accomplice?”

“There was one boy who
had always adored her. Did anything she asked. He left town after the last
break-in. We never saw him again.”

“Now that makes more
sense. And it wouldn’t surprise me if she has someone working with her now.
Were there any other situations that you know of?” Mader asked.

Angie took a visible
breath before continuing.

“There were more
incidents previously. Others who got near Steve had their cars damaged or their
lockers broken into.

When they investigated
all of the situations and interviewed those involved it was like connecting the
dots. The girls spoke about how Gina threatened and bullied them. Every
incident happened at the school except for Sara’s and reports connected
everyone who had dated Steve.

Mader turned to face
them. “Why the hell did this not show up on her background check?”

Denise stood. She was
absolutely stunned at the seriousness of the situation they faced. Gina wasn’t
just a jilted woman who keyed a car out of spite but quite possibly an all out
murderer.

“Background checks
only run instate for us. We have to request out of state if we want one
according to Human Resources. I’ve helped with some minor recruiting recently.”
Angie explained.

“We are going to
require HR to get involved here. We need to run a report for proof before we
act on this. We can also check out the Ohio Sherriff’s Department.” Denise
said.

“You’re not going to
find anything under Rhodes. I think she changed her last name. Try Kenickie,”
Angie said

Denise unstrapped her
laptop and logged on. What she found chilled her to the bone. Gina Louise
Kenickie had a warrant out and her profile indicated she was unstable and
potentially dangerous. The picture didn’t look anything like the blonde Barbie
she was now. The woman in the picture had jet black hair. The bags under her
dark eyes made her appear years older.

Angie and Mader came
around to view the page on the laptop.

“That’s her for sure.”
Angie whispered.

“Fuck.” Mader
muttered.

DENISE
PULLED her hair over her shoulder and scowled at the screen. Though it seemed
impossible, the entire office was compromised. No wonder po
or Angie
seemed terrified. The girl was timid enough without having someone terrorizing
her.

“Angie, you are at
this time on a leave of absence due to a family emergency. I will notify you
when it’s safe to return. You shouldn’t be anywhere near this situation once it
blows up. Leave your desk as is and go. Call Fred to walk you out to your car.”

Angie breathed a sigh
of relief and nodded. “I have an aunt who lives up state. I can leave now and
be there in a few hours.”

Denise stood and
rubbed the girl’s shoulder. “We really appreciate your help with this.

Mader came to stand
with them after pacing off to the corner. “Angie. Why hasn’t she done anything
yet, I mean, you know her history.”

“She had me watching
you. I had no choice.” Just when she appeared as if she would cry again, Mader
stepped up and gave her a hug.

“Don’t you worry. You
were frightened and with good cause. I simply want you to get somewhere safe
and call us when you arrive.”

Angie wiped her nose
with a tissue Denise handed her. “I will. Thank you.”

OUTSIDE,
Johnny watched as Angie threw her bag in the trunk and surveyed the area before
getting in her car. He took a long pull from his cigarette before throwing it
out the window. Sparing her a two minute head start, he waited before pulling
out after her. The little bitch was getting too interested in what they had
planned and nosey was not what they needed at this point.

DENISE
leaned against Maders’ desk and tried to calm her stomach down with some deep
breaths. She remained dangerously c
lose to losing her lunch.

“We need to get Tina
in here,” Mader said.

Denise nodded in the
negative. “She won’t be back until late tomorrow.”

Mader looked like he
wanted to punch something. “How about the HR Manager or Employee Relations?
Damn it somebody!”

“Tom is out of the
country and he is the best ER person I know. We have to go with what we got
right now. This can’t wait.” Denise picked up the phone and dialed Sylvia, the
HR manager, who she had worked with for years in a previous position. Their
friendship made the situation tough.

“Hey Sylvia, can you
come to my office right away?” Denise asked

“Sure. What’s up?”
Sylvia responded.

“There’s a significant
employee relations issue with potential for violence.”

“I’ll be right there.
Is five minutes okay?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

Denise hung up and
took a seat, grabbing a legal pad and a pen as she went down. Mader sat behind
his desk and waited. Sylvia walked in a few minutes later.

One hour later, Ohio
Sherriff’s Department documents in hand, Sylvia stood and pursed her lips.

“Security will be here
tomorrow morning along with a deputy to take her into custody if she shows. For
now, if you’re sure she doesn’t suspect we know anything, I would proceed as
normal. Just keep an eye out and lock your offices.”

Denise walked Sylvia
to the door and gave her a quick hug. “You watch yourself.” Sylvia whispered.

Denise rubbed her
shoulder. “Will do. Thanks.”

Mader gathered his
belongings and came around the table. “We still have time to work on that
account. I’ll go with you to drop off your car and take you home after. I can
also give you a ride in tomorrow.”

“WHERE
are we doing this?” Denise had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach because
she knew exactly what he was going to say.

Mader took a minute to
give her a sideways glance. “My place. I have all the files there including the
flash drive with the latest requests.”

Denise rolled her
eyes. “Just great. You think that’s a good idea?”

Mader turned his head
to her when they came to a light. “Why not? We need to be able to work alone at
times.”

Denise pursed her
lips. “Seriously? You don’t think this is a problem?”

“Not in the least.” He
moved forward and adjusted his seatbelt as if the topic was no biggie. Denise
felt awkward and figured she should be a professional and leave out the
implications. If he didn’t see a problem then neither would she. Screw it. She
winced at her choice of words.

They pulled off at the
downtown exit and stopped before a building at least twenty stories high. Mader
handed his car keys to the doorman and she followed him into the lobby. She had
heard his family came from money and damn if they weren’t kidding.

The closer she got to
his penthouse the more nervous she became. What the hell was wrong with her?
She had always been an independent woman. Her marketing career had taken her
all over the world and never once had she felt vulnerable or not in control.
Why now?

She needed to get a
handle and settle into this work session. This would be good for both of them
to keep their minds off psycho bitch.

The doors to the
elevator swooshed open and Denise got an eyeful of some nice digs, top level
and all. For a bachelor his place was stylish and neat no thanks to him but
some great decorator paired with Merry Maids for sure. The views killed
everything else. They were spectacular.

Mader took her coat
and laid it over a chair which looked good enough to sleep in. He then went
over to the bar and poured himself a shot. “Would you like one?” he asked.

She actually
contemplated it but given the circumstances, she needed to keep her mind on
alert; especially with the GQ show across the room.

Mader had taken off
his suit jacket. The tie was gone with the first few buttons of his dress shirt
undone and those sleeves up to his elbows.

“Dear Lord,” she
whispered.

“Was that a yes?”

Yes. Yes. Yes. “No
thanks,” she croaked.

He smiled and raised
his second shot with a “cheers” before shooting it back quickly. “Let me grab
my laptop and we’ll get started on the Hansen file or do you want to go to the
study?”

Denise strode over to
the large window and somehow all the glittery lights put her at ease. “No.
Let’s stay here.”

Mader walked over to
the fireplace. “Fine with me. I’ll start a fire. The temperature is dropping
quick.”

He crouched down and
his pants tightened around his thighs and ass. She was not going to make it.
Hansen who?

Denise forced herself
over to the bar and took a shot of whatever she got her hands on first which
happened to be Tequila. Joy. That brought back all kinds of bad memories from
her college days but at least her nerves relaxed a little.

Mader’s phone made her
jump. She turned and leaned against the granite counters. The expression on his
face told her she would need another shot.

Mader ended the call
and didn’t have to say who was doing all the talking on the other side.

He gestured toward the
bottle and she poured him another. They took the shot together.

“It’s as bad as we
thought. The background check shows she has had various addresses. Pretty much
changing locations every couple of months. At this very moment she’s probably
on a plane to BFE.”

“Here’s the good part.
Sylvia did some digging and Gina was at the mental ward until about a year
ago.”

Denise made it over to
the couch and let her body drop. Her head rested back and she closed her eyes.
“I still can’t believe she’s worked with our department for two whole months.
How the hell can this be happening?”

Mader sat next to her.
“I don’t know but I hope this gets taken care of tomorrow.”