Laina Turner - Presley Thurman 09 - Romance & Revenge (7 page)

Chapter 9

I pushed my chair away from the table, and put my hands on my stomach.  My very, very full stomach.

“Jared, you outdid yourself. The enchiladas were absolutely amazing as always.”

He grinned from ear to ear. “Thank you.”

“Maybe if we don’t figure out who is trying to sabotage Sleeping Bear Designs you could change careers and be a chef?” I teased.
“It would be better than someone’s assistant.”

“Ha,” he said, but I could tell he was not amused. “Cooking is a fu
n hobby.  Master Chef I’m not. “

“So what did you learn from my co-workers?” We had agreed not to discuss anything Sleeping Bear related until after dinner
so we could relax and enjoy each other’s company and the meal, so I hadn’t yet filled him in.

“Nothing,” I replied to him. “That’s the problem. No one seems to have any idea about anything. I’m at a loss here, Jared. I’m not getting any evidence that someone is trying to sabotage the company
or about Becky for that matter.”

“You’re not going to give up are you?”

“No. I just want you to know I don’t really know what to do.”

“I think your buzzing,
Pres,” Katy said and I looked over to my phone which was on the counter. I got up to grab it and saw it was Willie.

“Twice in one day. How am I so lucky?”

“
You just are, I guess,” he said laughing. “I was calling because I was hoping you would honor me and meet me for a drink tonight.”

“Um, just a second,” I said and put my hand over the phone and whispered, “It’s Willie. He wants to meet me for a drink.”

“Then go!” Katy whispered back. “You don’t need my permission.”

I didn’t really feel like getting out but Willie was fun and
right now it would probably be good for me. “Ok, sounds good. Meet you at Muldoons in an hour?”

“See you then.”

“That wasn’t so hard,” Katy said. “Just go and have fun.”

*****

“You seem distracted,” Willie said as we were sitting at Muldoon’s having a drink. When he had called and asked if I wanted to hang out for a bit, my initial reaction was to say no. There was so much going on in my head that I didn’t know if I would be able to relax and have fun. Katy and Jared thought I should at least try. Though all I really wanted to do was just bury myself under the covers and sleep until my life felt right again, whenever that might be. They had mentioned telling Willie everything that was going on and seeing what he said. I did agree with that. It would be interesting to get his take on the situation and so for that I was glad I was here.

I made the effort
to look good, no sense in scaring him off by showing up in sweats and a pony tail, besides looking good made me feel better. So I put on my favorite pair of Miss Me jeans, a simple black, long sleeve tee, and a hot pink pashmina scarf to jazz it up. A pair of black motorcycle boots completed my outfit and I was at Muldoon’s in time to drink half a glass of wine before Willie arrived. On top of the margarita I had with dinner, I was in a much better mood. It was a good thing Muldoon’s was within walking distance because after another glass of wine I would probably want to fall asleep and driving would be a bad idea. Alcohol did that to me.

I was distracted
, but I didn’t want to unload on him about Cooper. That just didn’t seem right. So I decided to tell him my other problem or rather Jared’s work problems. As Katy and Jared had said when I left, Willie might be able to help.

“You
remember my roommate, Jared, don’t you?”

“Yea
h. In fact, I think we met here once.”

“I think you’re
right. Well, anyway, he works at a design firm called Sleeping Bear Designs that does branding and marketing for businesses. One of his co-workers was murdered a couple nights ago.”

“Oh?
I’m sorry to hear that. It’s horrible.”

“Yeah. The bookkeeper. Her name was Becky Palmer.”

He sat there for a second thinking. I didn’t expect him to know the case.  After all, we did live in Chicago and there were unfortunately quite a few homicides a day here.

“Young lady, downtown apartments, no sign of force
d entry?”

“I want to say yes, but there could be two that fit that description,” I said, but reached for my phone to pull up the news article and showed it to him.

“Yep. That’s the one I was thinking of. Not my case, but I heard about it.  That was Jared’s co-worker? Is he OK?”

“Everyone there is pretty broken up about it,” I said, wanting to ask him if he knew anything or if he could find out, but didn’t know how to ask.
I didn’t want it to seem like I was taking advantage of him or like the only reason I met with him was for information. However, he could clearly read my mind, because after a few seconds he said, “Is there anything I can help with?”

“Since you mentioned it … the papers don’t say how she died or if there are any potential suspects. I’ve been trying to see what I can find out,
strictly as a favor to Jared and his co-workers, but so far it’s not been very fruitful,” I said and told him the little information I had.

“I seem to remember you playing detective the last time we had dealings,” he teased.

I blushed. “I just like to figure things out.”

“Fair enough.”

He pulled a small notebook out and made a few notes. “I’ll see what I can find out tomorrow. Confidentially, of course.”

“Of course,” I said and smiled.

“Anything else I can help with?”

“I hate to unload on you but since you asked, Sleeping Bear has another problem right now.”

“This isn’t their year is it?”

“No, it’s not.
They have lost three clients this year due to a competing firm pitching a design so similar to theirs that they weren’t able to actually pitch it, therefore losing the client,” I said and proceeded to fill him in on what had happened, what Sally and the other co-workers had said and everything I knew about the situation. It really didn’t amount to much but explaining it all to someone who didn’t already know made me realize again just how much this small business was facing and how stressful it would be to be a business owner. “It’s not as big of a problem as the other one, of course, but could really hurt their business.”

He thought it over for a minute. “If you’re serious about figuring this out
, then you need to start at the top then talk to one or more of the competitors this happened with, find out what they know.”

“What do you mean start at the top?”

“With the son or the other partner. Whoever is in charge. Someone who is going to know more about the history of the company and if anyone harbored a grudge against them. An employee, unless they are the ones doing it, probably won’t know who might have it in for the business. They would have knowledge on those they directly interact with but not necessarily the company as a whole. The partners who run the firm probably will have a list of people who don’t like them.”

“Oh
, I don’t know about that. This is a marketing firm. Who could possibly have it in for creative people? It’s not like they’re cut-throat financial people or like James,” I smiled. “They’re just a small company that makes pretty things.”

“You would be surprised.
When it comes to business people can lose all rational thought.”

“
Speaking of losing all rational thought, I talked to James and I’m pretty convinced he has lost his,” I said and told him about the conversation I had with James.

He sat there silent,
probably trying to figure out James’s angle.  Which was what I had been trying to figure out since this morning and had yet to come up with any kind of idea. Surely he knew other people who were better suited to run a business than me. I didn’t even think he really liked me but rather tolerated me, much like I tolerated him, because he had known I did a good job.

“I know,” I said in response to his silence. “Doesn’t make any sense. Unless he’s trying to hide something in Silk and thinks giving it to me will help that cause
or will pass the buck. He’s got to have an ulterior motive.”

“I don’t know. Silk isn’t a very large or important part of his holdings.
I actually had a meeting today with the forensic accountants looking at his books.  They had a list of his companies whose assets are in question and I just don’t remember Silk being on that list, although I guess I could have missed it. So if it’s not one of his businesses he raised investor money for, then you’re safe. He has several small businesses such as Silk that aren’t part of his major holdings.”

“
It wasn’t his business, it was his wife’s. So it’s probably not part of his big conglomerate. You think he might be being genuine?” Of all the thoughts I had about this that had not been one of them. It seemed too unrealistic. Who actually got this kind of opportunity from someone they weren’t related to? Or who didn’t want something in return?

“I think if this is something you are interested
in, then it’s worth exploring. It could be genuine on his part and if you think you want to do it, then it would be silly to not at least do your due diligence. You won’t be out anything but time if you do find he’s not being honest about his reasons.”

I sat back and thought about what he had just said. If James was sincere and this deal was actually on the up
-and-up, was this something I would want to do? I think I did. I just didn’t want to set myself up for disappointment.

Willie smiled. “You like the idea
, don’t you?”

“I think I might. But I just can’t fathom James as being the giving type.
There has to be an ulterior motive here.”

“People can be surprising.
Maybe he really wants to do something nice?”

“Maybe,” I said, but was still skeptical.

In spite of my initial reluctance to go out, I found myself having a good time and had to admit Willie could be very helpful in figuring out the mess at Sleeping Bear. Plus, he was charming and easy to talk to. We moved on from Jared’s problems to just chatting and I learned a lot about him and found myself sharing a lot about myself—as well as not thinking about Cooper for a while. It was good to have a distraction. If things were different, meaning if I had closure with Cooper, I could see myself liking Willie. He really was a decent guy.

Chapter 10

The next morning I walked into the offices of Sleeping Bear Design and couldn’t believe how quiet it was. I didn’t think I had ever seen it so quiet in this place. Usually it was all hustle and bustle, or at least it was every time I had come to visit Jared. People on the phone or their laptops. Clients in the three conference rooms, of which only one actually had a door, so you could hear everything. This whole creative vibe was much different than the HR environment I had worked in, where we liked doors that closed and our privacy and you felt you should always be whispering.

I took Willie’s advice
about taking the concerns to the top. After all, he was a detective and this was what he did for a living so he knew what he was talking about. Early this morning I had Jared call John, who owned Sleeping Bear Designs, to see if he would meet me. To my surprise, he was willing. I half figured he would blow it off thinking there was nothing I could do or not wanting Jared to involve me. After all, I was an outsider. So I would expect that. Especially considering I pretty much felt the same and was just trying to humor Jared. I didn’t think of myself as a detective, just someone who always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong times, or the right times depending on how you looked at it. I tended to stumble across things rather than to be able to purposefully figure them out. So it wasn’t like I thought I was going to come in and save the day. Though I had to admit I enjoyed trying to save the day. The company really needed someone like Willie who actually knew what to do. But Jared had a point when he said no one else was going to take it seriously because it wasn’t a crime until it could be proven it was. The stealing designs part of course, not Becky’s murder. Willie had basically said the same thing last night. I had asked him if he thought the two things could be related and he said it was probably unlikely.

“John?” I call
ed, not wanting to wander around.

“Back here in the
small conference room,” I heard him call out.

I found my way back to the conference room where he was sitting at the long glass table with a bunch of papers around him. It appeared as if he had been here a while working.
He looked exhausted. This was a lot to deal with right now. A reason that the thought of owning a business freaked me out, having that ultimate responsibility. He stood up when I walked in and shook my hand.

“Good to see you, Presley,” he said
and sat back down, motioning for me to have a seat.

“You
, too. Looks like you’re hard at work here.”

“I’m trying,” he said ruefully
, shaking his head. “I just can’t sit at home idle, worrying about what is going on. This at least takes my mind off it a little. Though if I can’t figure out what the hell is going on, all this work won’t need to be done.”

“I know what you mean.
You want to feel like you’re doing something even when you’re not.”

“Exactly.”

“Do you have any idea who would want to see the business fail? Is there anyone who would gain from you losing accounts?” I asked, jumping right in and going through the same spiel I had gone through with Sally. I figured he wouldn’t want to waste time with chitchat when his business was at stake and I thought this would be easier to talk about than his employee being murdered.

“
No one that I can think of and I’ve wracked my brain. This is a nightmare. All of it is a nightmare. I can’t believe that Becky is gone. My dad already thinks I can’t handle running the company and now this is going to cement his belief. I’m just lucky he doesn’t know what’s going on, or he would have already cut his trip short and come back to take over,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. “If we lose too many more clients it could put us in a bad financial position, and we’ve lost our three biggest this year because of someone upstaging us. My dad will never forgive me if I tank his company the first year running it. It will prove all his concerns were right.”

“
It’s not your fault Becky was murdered and as far as the other, it’s not all you, is it? Don’t you have a partner?”

“He’s more an investor partner rather than a working partner. He just shows up at the annual board meeting. As long as he receives
his dividends, he’s never around. So the running of the business all falls on me, but if he gets wind of this and thinks his investment is at stake, who knows what might happen?”

“If it’s not someone who already works here, who is sharing your
ideas? Is there any way someone could access them from the outside?”

John
thought about that for a minute and I could tell he was thinking hard. 

“
Not unless they hacked into our computers and gained access to our files.  But who would go to those lengths for marketing designs?”

“Would that be difficult?
You know to access the company computers.”

He shrugged. “
No idea. I know how to work our computers but have no clue as to how they work, if that makes sense.  But doesn’t that seem a little extreme? I mean we’re just a design firm. Breaking into our database is like high-level espionage stuff. It’s not like we have some trade secrets or anything.”

“Well
, you do have someone stealing your ideas. So you’ve got something people want. In a way it’s flattering.”

“I guess you have a point. I’m just having a hard time wrapping my brain around this.”

“I think we should take a look at all the possibilities, no matter how far-fetched they may seem. Something could jump out and make sense.”

“I guess, but I still don’t know what anyone would have to gain by doing this.
”

“Maybe you’re just too close to the situation. You work with these people so it would be hard to fathom someone doing this to you.”

“You could be right. That’s why I appreciate you helping. Someone who is more objective to look at the situation.”

“
Do you have any idea who might have killed Becky?” I said, finally fully comfortable enough to ask.

“Oh, God no. I didn’t know her
at all outside of work. And everyone here seemed to get along with her. She was a very sweet girl.”

“Even Glenda
got along with her?”

He seemed a little surprised I would ask that.

“I just heard there may have been some animosity there.”

“Glenda didn’t really get along with anyone but that’s just who she was.”

“Has she been in contact with you since she left?”

“Not at all. She couldn’t wait to retire and move to Florida.”

I left John after a little more conversation, not any farther ahead, and was really wondering if this wasn’t just coincidence. I felt bad; I could see he was really upset over the position the company was in and the possibility of disappointing his father. I could understand where he was coming from. I pulled my phone out of my purse to see if I had missed any calls, hoping maybe Glenda had called back. Instead, I saw Cooper had called, which immediately made me feel frustrated I had missed it and anxious that I may not want to hear what he had to say. I was glad he called, but then apprehensive again. There was some small comfort in not knowing what it was he was going to say. Denial could be a great thing, but eventually my curiosity would drive me crazy.

I knew I needed to call him back and not sit and stew about what he might say. Better to hear
it now and get it over with. I decided calling him back would be the best idea, so I dialed the familiar numbers.

“Hello,” a voice answered.
That wasn’t Cooper’s, unless his voice had increased several octaves since our last conversation. “Hello,” said the voice again, annoyed this time, but not half as annoyed as I was.

I hung up the phone without saying anything, unable to wrap my brai
n around what had just happened, wondering if it was too early to stop at the bar to drown my sorrows. Wanting to be upset, but not wanting to let myself.

I looked at my watch and it was not yet ten-thirty, so definitely too early for a drinking binge. No matter how bad I felt, I couldn’t bring myself to drink when it wasn’t yet noon. No matter that it was five o’clock somewhere.

I needed to hurry up and get home where Katy and Jared were waiting for me. If there was a time I needed my friends, it was now.