Destiny Unknown Page 11

  Unsure why he wanted it, she shook her head.

  "Good. I'll get it back to you." He grinned, casually positioning it so it covered the front of his jeans. "Certain disadvantages to tight jeans."

  As she stood in her doorway, watching him stride out of the office area, she knew she'd lost complete control of the situation. William Cody Taylor hadn't popped into her life, he'd barged in.

  "Just an acquaintance, huh?" Anne said, and a rush of heat flowed to Bernadette's cheeks. Anne was no more than two feet away, her grin knowing.

  "We, ah—" Bernadette groped for an explanation. "That is—"

  "Loren said he's in construction."

  Cody had evidently given Loren the same spiel he'd given her when they first met. Bernadette didn't want Anne thinking Cody was just a common labor. "He built Parker's apartment building."

  Anne looked the direction Cody had gone. "That's the guy? He drove Parker nuts."

  "He seems to have that effect on a lot people." He was certainly driving her crazy. He'd also brought her information she needed to act on. It was time to find out what was going on. "Anne, do you remember if I sent anything over to Frank Pierce at True Fidelity a couple weeks ago?"

  "True Fidelity?" Anne repeated, her attention coming back to Bernadette.

  "I just found out—" Bernadette stopped herself. She trusted Anne, but Anne's allegiance was to Parker, Ben, and Loren. Bernadette was the newcomer, and though she and Anne had a good working relationship, Bern wasn't a hundred percent sure Anne would believe her over Ben.

  "I just found out," she began again, "that Frank thinks I'm going to . . . to be at a doing Friday night that True Fidelity is putting on. I sure can't remember sending him anything saying I could go, and I can't make it."

  Anne started for her desk. "You want me to call and tell him?"

  "No . . . no, I'll do that."

  Pausing, Anne turned back. "What did you find out about the ad in the Press?"

  "It's definitely my signature on the ad." Bernadette wasn't sure if she should ask, then knew she had to. "Do you think Ben would slip something like that past me, get me to sign a messed up ad so I'd look bad in Parker's eyes?"

  "Ben?" Anne frowned. "No. Sure, he was hurt when Parker brought you in, but he's too nice a guy to do something like that."

  Bernadette wondered.

  * * *

  She went home late, fed Mopsy, and took the dog for a walk, then she heated a bowl of soup for herself. As she ate, she jotted down all of the incidents that had occurred since Parker had left. Her conversations with Frank and the police that afternoon had left her uneasy. Frank's words had been as friendly as usual, but she'd noticed a cautiousness and a lack of warmth in his voice, especially when she repeated Cody's suggestion that the account not be closed.

  With the police, she wasn't sure the officer she spoke with even took her seriously. He'd asked her to repeat her story three times, and when she'd said her signature was appearing on documents she knew she hadn't signed, he'd chuckled and said his wife was always using that excuse. What really blew her top was when she said everything had started after Parker left, and the officer's comment was, "All goes to hell when the man goes away." She'd accused him of chauvinism, and had threatened to go to his superior. That brought an apology, but Bernadette returned to the downtown store feeling uneasy. At this point, it was her word against Ben's, and it was her signature on everything. She had to figure out how Ben was doing it.

  She jumped when her telephone rang. A glance at her clock showed it was after eight. She answered on the second ring. It was Ben.

  "Did you get the e-mail from Parker?" he asked.

  "What e-mail?"

  "It's addressed to you, Anne, Loren, and me. It's from Australia." Ben chuckled. "When your sister said she was getting him far, far away from here, she wasn't kidding."

  "Effie didn't want him finding excuses to check on how things were going. I'm surprised she let him send an e-mail."

  "It's not very long. There are a couple lines in the message from her to you. Aren't you checking your e-mail?"

  Bernadette caught the accusation. "I've been busy. So what did Parker and Effie have to say?"

  "That they're having a good time, are staying at a place where the guests can send e-mail messages to friends and relatives, and they'll be there until tomorrow morning, so if we wanted to get a message to them, we could. Do you want me to tell him about the problems we've been having here?"

  Bernadette could almost hear the laughter in Ben's voice, and could imagine the smirk on his face. She kept her tone level. "No, why worry him? The man's on his honeymoon. I'm sure we'll have this figured out by the time he gets back."

  "Whatever you say, boss."

  The smirk was definitely there, irking her, and she couldn't resist saying more. "I feel I'm getting closer to an answer all the time."

  That, she hoped, would give him something to worry about. Ben's response, however, indicated no concern on his part. "Sounds good to me," he said. "I'll e-mail him back that all is fine."

  Bernadette wished there was a way she could get into Ben's computer and see what he actually did send to Parker. The inner workings of computers, however, was not her forte. She used the one at the store, but when her personal laptop—which was a dinosaur according to Effie—stopped working she didn't replace it. She could send and receive emails using her cell phone, and it was a lot easier to carry around that her laptop had been.

  Her cell phone did everything she needed . . . as long as she remembered to keep it charged.

  Anne, Loren, and Ben used their computers and cell phones on a regular basis, sending texts and e-mail messages between the downtown store and the Twenty-eighth Street store, browsing their competitors' web sites, and keeping up with retailing trends. Loren was the one who'd suggested updating the web pages for Morgan's. Bern had helped some. She might not know how to code, but she understood design and how important it was for their customers to easily search for and find merchandise, order exactly what they wanted, and feel safe in giving payment information. The more she worked with Loren, the more she admired his creativity. Loren's initial changes were stunning. It was only when he started explaining how he did everything that he lost her. A call to him might clue her in on how to find out what Ben had sent, but she doubted even Loren knew Ben's password. Her best bet might be to go in to the store and send something to Parker herself.

  Bernadette was slipping on her coat when the telephone rang again. She thought it might be Ben calling back.

  It was Cody.

  "Hi," he said, the whiskey smooth timber of his voice sending a shiver down her spine. "I said I'd call, but I forgot I had a meeting. This is the first chance I've had to get away. How did things go this afternoon?"

  She leaned against the wall, closing her eyes and remembering her meetings with Frank and the police. "I survived."

  "You talked to Frank?"

  "I did." Bernadette heard voices in the background of the other end of the line. She had no idea where Cody was, but he wasn't alone. She kept her answer brief. "I'm not sure I convinced him I didn't know anything about that account. I think I should have closed it."

  "Closed, you find out nothing. Open, you may be able to trace who set it up and how."

  "I hope you're right. Ben called me tonight."

  "What did he want?"

  "Seems Parker sent a group e-mail to Ben, Loren, Anne, and me asking how things were going. I was so busy this afternoon, I never checked my email, so I didn't see it, and my cell phone is absolutely dead, so I can't call the message up here until I have a charge."

  "Any idea what Ben told Parker?"

  "Ben said he was calling to see if he should let Parker know about the problems we've been having."

  "And you said?"

  "I told him no, but I'm going back to the store right now and send my own e-mail message to Parker, just in case Ben decided to stir the pot a little."

  "You don'
t have a computer at home?"

  "No. Long story." And one she didn't want to go into.

  Evidently Cody didn't want to either. He said, "I thought you once said Ben had trouble making decisions."

  "I'm beginning to wonder if we've all underestimated Ben's decision making abilities."

  * * *

  Bernadette arrived at the store before nine o'clock, turned on her computer, and read the message from Parker. It was basically what Ben had said, a quick summary of where they were, how they'd managed to get online and when they would be leaving. Effie's addition was a quick hi and a warning that even if the roof was falling down around everyone's head, Parker wasn't coming back for another four weeks. Bernadette hoped four weeks would be enough time to figure out what was going on. She hit the reply button and typed in a quick, reassuring message that everything was under control. Once it was sent, she glanced over her other emails, didn't see anything that couldn't be handled the next day, and logged off. With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair.

  Outside her door, she could hear the last of the staff leaving. Morgan's was closed for the night, the building deserted except for the cleaning staff and nighttime security guard. Considering how little she'd accomplished that day and how much work was piled on her desk, Bernadette decided to stay. She could accomplish a lot in an hour without any interruptions.

  * * *

  More than two hours later, Bernadette stretched and glanced at her watch. It was nearly midnight. She slipped on her coat, picked up her purse, and quietly exited her office.

  The two women cleaning in the office area looked up when she stepped out of her office. "You still working?" one asked with a slight accent. "Is late."

  "Very late," Bernadette suppressed a yawn. "But I got a lot accomplished. Maybe I'll have to start coming in at night."

  The other cleaning woman shook her head. "You and Mr. Waite."

  "What about Mr. Waite?" Bernadette perked up at the mention of Ben's name.

  "Many times he work until way after midnight."

  It wasn't much, Bernadette knew, but it might mean something. "Is he here tonight?"

  The two cleaning ladies looked at each other. Each shrugged and the second one spoke. "If so, we not see him. He was supposed to be?"

  "No. I was just curious. Have a nice night."

  Bernadette left the office area and headed for the escalator. The store was only dimly lit, a strange silence pervading the building. Gone were the salesclerks and customers, the sound of cash registers ringing up sales, and the music that always played in the background. Now the sound of her heels clicking on the tiles carried from display area to display area, and the mannequins she passed took on an eerie life of their own.

  A fear of the dark wasn't one of her weaknesses, yet Bernadette felt a kick of adrenaline speed up her heart. Each step she took down the stilled escalator took her deeper into the silence, and she found herself hesitating before she reached the bottom. Quickly, she scanned what she could see of the first floor sales area. The security guard should be somewhere around.

  All was still.

  The glow of a light in the shipping and receiving area caught her attention. Ben's office was there, as well as Loren's. According to Parker, when Ben was hired in as general manager, he'd asked for the office down there rather than the one Bernadette now occupied. He'd said he would have a better feel for the store there. She preferred being on the second floor, but at least she hadn't had to kick Ben out of an office when she took over his old position.

  Her car was parked across the street in the Amway garage, and the closest exit was through the front doors, but if she went out the side door, next to customer pickup, she would pass Ben's office and could see if he was there, or if it was simple the cleaning staff or the security guard.

  The first two steps she took off the escalator clicked loudly through the empty store. Rising up on her toes, she silenced the sound. At the same time, the light in the office went out. Bernadette stopped and waited, the thudding of her heart reverberating in her ears. It could be a coincidence, or it could be someone didn't want to be seen.

  She thought she heard a door open.

  Racks of clothing and displays blocked her from having a clear view of Ben's office, and she stepped to the side. Her arm hit a box, and it clattered to the floor. Sucking in a breath, she waited, not moving. If it was security, the guard should say something.

  Instead of a voice, she heard footsteps—hurried footsteps—going the opposite direction.

  "Hey!" Bernadette yelled, and hurried toward shipping and receiving. She heard the clank of the outside door and broke into a run. Whoever had been in that office was getting away.

  Only moments after the side door closed, she threw it open again and stepped out into the alleyway that separated Morgan's from the next building. A blast of cold air hit her, and she stopped.

  A halogen light above her head cast a yellow-green glow over the area in front of her and clearly illuminated the gray van parked next to the curb. The name Grand Cleaning was painted on the side of the van. Once a month, Bernadette signed a check to that company. According to Anne, they'd been cleaning Morgan's for years.

  "Hello?" Bernadette called out.

  Silence answered her call.

  "Anybody out here?" she asked, not quite as loudly. Tension rippled through her, and she checked behind her, not sure if she wanted to be outside or in.

  She thought she heard a rattling sound, then a car passed by the end of the alley, a lone traveler on a near-deserted street. Holding her breath, Bernadette listened for any sounds in the alley.

  What she heard was the thud of her heart and the hum of the light above her head. Then she heard footsteps.

  They came from the sidewalk in front of the store. Slow, ambling steps. The gait of someone in no rush, yet someone who had a destination in mind. Someone who didn't mind the cold, or the darkness, or how deserted the downtown area had become.

  She waited, mesmerized by the sound, her gazed locked in that direction. She wasn't surprised when the figure of a man rounded the side of the store and started down the alleyway. For a moment, he was no more than a shadowy silhouette.

  Then she recognized him.

  "What are you doing here?" she called to Cody.

  "Looking for you." He didn't pick up his pace. "I know you said you were coming to the store, but this late?"

  "I decided, as long as I was here, I'd do some work."

  "And I thought Parker was a workaholic. You do this on a regular basis?"

  "No." And she doubted she'd do it again. Another glance the direction of the cleaning van assured her no one was there, and Bernadette stepped back into the store, holding the door open for Cody. "You weren't in here—in the store—just a few minutes ago, were you?"

  He shook his head. "I've been in that meeting all evening." He pointed toward the street. "Over at the Amway. In fact, I was driving out of the garage when I saw your car. Kind of surprised me, so I thought I'd see what was up. I tried the front doors. They were locked, so I thought I'd try this door."

  "When you were trying the front doors, did you see anyone come running out of the alley? Maybe Ben?"

  "No." Cody cocked his head, a frown crossing his brow. "Why?"

  "Because someone just left the store through this door." She nodded toward the one she held open. "Left running."

  Cody looked down at her. "So you came chasing after him?"

  "I wanted to see who it was."

  "And what if it had been a burglar?" His gaze slid over her coat to the slacks she'd slipped on earlier that evening, to her three-inch heels. "What were you going to do if you caught him? Take him on barehanded?"

  "All right, I wasn't thinking." Cody's attitude irked her, in part because he was right. She wouldn't have had any way to defend herself. "Look, as long as you're here, would you mind sticking around a few minutes?" She stepped back into the store. "I'd like to check Ben's office."

  "Now
you're turning into a spy?"

  "Just being a general manager." She smiled. "If someone was in Ben's office, I need to know if anything was taken."

  Cody knew what she wanted—a chance to look around Ben's office and see if she could find any evidence to connect Ben with what was going on. Not that Cody blamed her. In her position, he'd do the same.

  He followed her toward the two offices just off shipping and receiving. Large glass windows separated the offices from the work area, the interiors of each room now dark. Bernadette tried the door closest to the sales floor, found it locked and glanced his way. "I'm sure the light was on in Ben's office, not Loren's."

  "Whoever was in there could have locked the door when he left."

  "Could have." She pulled a set of keys from her purse and slid one into the lock. Immediately, the door opened, and she snapped on a light and entered the room.

  There was a four-door file in the far corner of the room, a huge planning calendar on one wall, two office chairs, and a massive desk with in-and-out file holders, a combination color printer-fax machine-scanner, and computer. A space ship with a cartoon figure floated across the monitor of the computer. Bernadette pointed at the screen. "Look, he didn't have a chance to turn off his computer."

  "Some people leave theirs on all the time." The screen saver indicated Ben might be one. "Did you get your e-mail off to Parker?"

  "I did. I told him all was fine and dandy." She began shuffling through the papers on the desk. "I'd love to know what message Ben sent Parker."

  Cody stared at the space ship as it floated in a new pattern across the screen. "From what Loren told me the other night, there's a way to find out. I gather he's somewhat of a hacker. I have no idea, however, how to come up with someone's password."

  "Nor I."

  Finished with the papers on the desk, Bernadette tried the drawers. They were locked. Next she went to the file cabinet. One by one, she tested the drawers, none yielding to her efforts. Then she faced Cody. "I thought maybe, since I interrupted what he was doing, he might not have had a chance to lock up."

  "That's assuming it was Ben you interrupted." It bothered Cody to think of the danger she might have been in.