My Chameleon Loves [Galactic Nuptials 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (2 page)

She sighed and let her head fall back as she gazed at the uneven ceiling tiles. There were two hundred of them. She’d counted them several times. “I went to work for Gracely about a year ago.”

“Yes, I already knew that.”

Jeni raised her head and gazed into his eyes. “What you don’t know is why.”

Jeff frowned. “What do you mean?”

“My best friend is, or rather was, Linda Phelps. We grew up together. We went to the same college and even dated some of the same men.”

“What does that have to do with any of this?”

“She was Carl Dempsey’s administrative assistant for a little over three years.” Carl, along with Robert Ellison, owned Gracely Investments.

“Where is she now?”

Jeni shrugged and wiped a tear from her cheek. “I wish I knew. She disappeared about two years ago.”

Jeff frowned and leaned forward. “Disappeared?”

“Yes! She disappeared off the face of the Earth, and nobody seems to care. She and I had dinner together several nights every week to save money. When she didn’t show up for our regular Monday-night pizza fest, I called her apartment and left a message.”

“She never called you back?”

Jeni clasped her hands on the cold tabletop. “No, she didn’t. When I called her at work on Tuesday, Mr. Dempsey told me she’d up and quit the day before. He said she was acting a little strange and that she’d said she had just broken up with some guy and she wanted some time alone to lick her wounds.” She raised her gaze to his. “His words, not mine.”

“Did you report her as missing?”

“Of course I did. But first, I went to her apartment.”

“What did you find?”

“Nothing suspicious. Everything was neat and tidy, which actually should have been suspicious. Linda was always such a slob.” She reached for the glass of water sitting on the edge of the table and took a long drink. “Her suitcase was missing, and the closet and dresser drawers looked picked through and half-empty. The police told me it looked like she’d just taken off on a trip and there was nothing they could do about it.”

Jeff leaned back and threaded his fingers together on his stomach. “You said this was two years ago. What did they do when she didn’t turn up?”

“They didn’t do anything because Mr. Dempsey produced a letter he said came from Linda. It said she’d made up with her lover and she was going to travel with him for a while. She was resigning her position.”

“But you didn’t believe it.”

“No, I didn’t. The apartment manager received a similar letter with instructions to give her personal possessions to charity.”

Jeff leaned his head to the side. “But you still weren’t convinced.”

Jeni snorted. “No! I didn’t see how she would just up and leave everything without a word.”

“What did the police say?”

“They wouldn’t do anything after my letter arrived.”

He reached over and covered her hand with his own warm palm. “What did your letter say?”

“Pretty much the same. Plus she added that she’d always treasure my friendship but this was something she had to do.”

Jeff picked up a pen and made some notes on a legal pad. “Were the letters handwritten?”

“Only the one I received. The others were typed.”

“Did you recognize the handwriting?”

Jeni bit her lip. “That’s the weird part. I could have sworn it was her writing except she didn’t use my nickname.”

Jeff paused in his writing. “What nickname?”

She felt her cheeks getting warmer. “Never mind. It was private. That’s the whole point. She didn’t use it, and if it was her, she would have.”

“What did you do then?”

Jeni shrugged. “I went and applied for a job at Gracely Investments. They’d never seen me, and I didn’t use my real name.” She choked back a sob. “It was stupid. I should have known better after getting the letter.”

“Where did you get fake identification?”

“I didn’t. They had me fill out forms for social security. I just made up the information. I knew from experience it would be a few months before it would be kicked back as inaccurate. One of the firms I worked for once had this guy who’d inverted two numbers accidentally on his social security number. It took over ninety days for the error to show up in the system.”

“What happened then?”

“They hired me the same day I applied.”

Jeff’s eyes widened. “The same day?”

“Yeah. I dressed up like a tart for my interview. Linda had told me that Carl Dempsey was a slug. He was always hitting on anything in skirts. I figured if he liked what he saw, I’d be in.”

Jeff frowned and shook his head. “Obviously he liked what he saw since they hired you. What was your job?”

She laughed. “A glorified receptionist. I played dumb, and the old fool didn’t know I was computer literate. They had me fetching coffee and donuts and answering the phone to take messages. They’d leave me alone when they’d go on their long lunches, and I took the time to search their files.”

Jeff made a few more notes and then looked up. “What did you find?”

“Enough to convince me they’re a couple of loan sharks. I admit their operation is bigger than Big Ed down on State Street. But a shark’s a shark no matter what he calls himself.”

“Mr. Dempsey and Mr. Ellison call themselves investment counselors.”

Jeni rubbed her forehead with two fingers. “Well, your average investment counselor doesn’t have Angelo and Mario watching their backs.”

“Angelo Salloto and Mario Zinetti. Aren’t they drivers for the company?”

“Drivers, right! That’s a good one. They’re hired muscle and both of them carry.”

Jeff tapped his pen against his cheek. “Jeni, I’m confused. None of this tells me what they want you to fix for them to drop these charges.”

“I was searching their offices to try and find out what happened to Linda. I found her rings tucked away in the back of a desk drawer. She used to take them off when she had to type because they were a little big and rolled around on her finger. Whoever took her out of that office didn’t know that. There’s no way Linda would have left those rings behind. She wouldn’t even have gone home at the end of the work day without putting them back on. One of them was her mother’s engagement ring. When I realized what they were, and that they must have done something to Linda, I put their money where they couldn’t find it.”

“You mean you’re guilty of embezzling their money.”

“No, not really. I figure embezzling means I took it and had some fun spending it.”

Jeff groaned softly and dropped the pen onto the table. “Then what did you do with the money?”

“I simply hid it where they’ll never find it.”

“Dempsey produced records showing you transferred one hundred twenty thousand dollars to your personal account. Where’s the rest of the money?”

Jeni shrugged. “He’s lying. I never transferred any of it to me. I routed it through several overseas banks and then landed it in a small bank in the Cayman Islands. Not many people could trace it back to where it is now.”

Jeff’s mouth fell open, a dazed look coming into his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was jittery. “How much money are we talking about?”

Jeni cleared her throat. “Around thirty million give or take a few thousand.”

Jeff whistled long and low. “No wonder they’re hell-bent on dropping the charges.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“If they drop the charges you’ll be released. They could get their hands on you and try to force the information out of you. This way, if you’re found guilty, your secret goes to prison with you.” He paused, and pulled more papers from his briefcase. “Although I wouldn’t bet they couldn’t find a way to get to you in prison. Why didn’t you tell the police all this, especially if you could prove it?”

“That’s just it. I can’t prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. Besides, I didn’t know who to trust in the police department.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Not long before she disappeared, Linda was at my place for dinner. She told me that every Friday, like clockwork, a pair of cops would show up to see Robert Ellison. Sometimes they’d be in uniform. Other times they’d be in plain clothes. She said there were at least six different ones during the time she’d been there.”

“So, if he’s got officers on the take then you have no way of knowing which ones are on his payroll. If you’re found innocent, you can probably expect a visit from our local law enforcement.”

“You make it sound like I’d be better off if I just plead guilty and went to prison.”

“Not better off, but definitely safer.” He glanced down at his folded hands. “I might have an alternative for you.”

“What alternative?”

He cleared his throat gruffly. “I’ve been approached by the State Department with an unofficial offer for you.”

“The State Department? What they hell do they want with me?”

“Six months ago, when you were arraigned on charges, there were three representatives from the Arridian government in the courtroom.”

Jeni shook her head. “I’m not familiar with the Arridian government. Where’s that?”

“Arridia is a planet in the Fileta Galaxy.”

“Excuse me? These representatives are from another planet?”

Jeff nodded. “That’s right.”

“What the hell were they doing in my courtroom?”

“They were here as witnesses in the trial of a man accused of kidnapping and abusing his children. They were on their way out when you were brought into the courtroom.”

Jeni sighed. “What’s all this have to do with me?”

Jeff took a deep breath. “They’ve approached the State Department with an offer for your hand in marriage.”

Jeni raised her hand to grab the edge of the table as a heavy weight settled in her stomach. A feeling of dizziness washed over her. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No, I’m not kidding. Apparently the oldest brother says you’re their mate.”

She swallowed weakly. “Their mate?”

“Uh, yes, there are three brothers.”

“That’s crazy. What has that got to do with an alternative for me?”

“I’ve been told that the state prosecutor would be willing to commute your sentence, if you’re found guilty, to time served if you show any interest in becoming mate to the Arridians.”

“Wait a minute. You’re telling me that if I’m found guilty, they’re gonna ship me off to be some kind of sex slave to aliens from outer space?”

Jeff winced, pulling at his collar. “No, of course not. They aren’t going to make you do anything. They’re simply giving you the option of going with the Arridians back to their home instead of going to prison.”

Jeni sank back into her chair and groaned. “I don’t understand any of this.”

“Have you ever heard of a company called Galactic Nuptials?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“They’re an agency that specializes in finding mates, or wives, for species of the various worlds in the Federation of Planets.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“The State Department is willing to let you sign on as a Galactic bride if you want, in place of a prison sentence.”

She felt her arms going weak. “Marriage to these guys is supposed to be equivalent to a prison sentence. No thanks.”

“No, on the contrary. I’ve seen the men, and they’re quite handsome. I was told they treat their mates like princesses. You’d literally become the center of their world and want for nothing.”

“This is so surreal.”

“Jeni, you don’t have to make any kind of decision today. Just think about it. If you want, I can make arrangements for you to meet them.”

“Why is the State Department getting involved?”

“Apparently they want a trade agreement with the Arridians. They have some type of clean energy on their planet we’re very interested in.”

“So I’m some sort of prize in a trade agreement.”

“No, not at all. They’re not going to force you to do anything, Jeni. It’s just another alternative that would benefit you and us if you decide to accept their offer.”

“Well, I can tell you right now I’m not going to tell Carl how to find his money in the Caymans. That old goat hit on me every chance he got, and I’ll bet my last dollar he knows what happened to Linda. It’ll be snowing in hell before I give him the codes to unlock his kingdom.”

* * * *

Zintssar watched Kernz squirm on the hard courtroom bench. “Do you think it’ll finally be over today?” They’d been observing their mate’s trial since it started. She had continued to declare her innocence, even though they’d brought in several witnesses to prove she’d used her skills to transfer the money. So far, no one could tell where the money had gone.

Kernz sighed and stretched out his long legs under the seat in front of him. “I hope so. I’m tired of sitting in this room every day. It’s not healthy.”

“Did you hear anything from Xortz?” His youngest brother had asked to return to Arridia. He’d always been different, and just a few weeks ago he’d announced his desire to enter their Kakatiz. It was a type of religious order and considered a great blessing on the family of the ones that were called. Xortz had not felt the mate pull to Jenilyn as Zintssar and Kernz did. Their father had been disappointed, but accepting of his life decision.