I could hear it creaking and I moved quickly to avoid a fall. It would certainly hurt me enough that I would feel pain for quite some time. I landed on my feet, looking up and seeing that it had remained intact by pure luck. There was no way that I would be able to do that again without having it come apart in my hands.
“I was worried when I saw her go in there. I can’t see in the office and that is the one place in the building that is not secured. It’s obvious that she doesn’t want people to have any kind of record of what goes on in there. I’m sure that she had a heated debate with her head of security over that matter.” Speaking of her head of security, I saw Susan and she was looking right at me.
“I’m going to have to go radio silence for a moment.” I stood there ready for her to attack, but she walked right past me and went into make that necessary surprise trip to catch them doing something wrong. “It looks like Susan has once again mixed up her schedule to keep them guessing.” She not only made them guess, but she had my heart racing in my chest.
“That was too close. Get out of there and come home immediately. You have no idea what this persistent danger is doing to me. I can think of a couple of things that will help to relieve that stress.” I was glad that he was thinking like I was. I wasn’t going to have to leave him spent and looking stunned by my behavior.
“I can’t leave. I have to go back to the bar and make my excuses. I doubt that they would even remember that I was gone, but I can’t take that chance.” I had a change of clothes in a car that I had bought sight unseen during an auction. It was this beat-up clunker, but it had good bones and underneath the hood was almost pristine.
I slid in the passenger seat, watching the bar and making sure that nobody was going to come out. I couldn’t afford for them to find me in a state of undress. I quickly took off the black pants and underneath was that same ugly looking brown dress that made me feel like I was trying too hard not to be noticed.
“I have a meeting with Lillian and the board of directors in two days. I want to find her at my mercy. I’m going over the files, but so far there’s nothing here to put her at any scene of a crime. There is no impropriety and I don’t see anything that resembles embezzling of company funds. I’m going to have to dig a little bit deeper. I have something to occupy my time until you get here.” I was doing all the hard lifting and he was at the safe house. I wasn’t sure, but I was feeling that I was doing a lot more than he was.
“I know the reason why you can’t be seen, but that still doesn’t make me feel any better about being here underneath her nose. So far, she hasn’t recognized me, but that security expert is making me feel like somebody’s walking over my grave every time that she looks at me.” I popped my head up from the back seat, making sure that I wasn’t going to jump out and find myself accosted by one of my colleagues.
I got out and carefully closed the door. I saw the homeless man that I had paid $5.00 to look after it and then I gave him another five upon my return. He waved the bill in the air with a toothless grin. His shaggy and dirty hair was the perfect complement for the ratty looking clothes that looked like they hadn’t been washed in weeks.
“The likelihood of anybody stealing it is slim to none, but I still have to give you something for your diligence.” He looked confused and I could tell that my highbrow vocabulary had gone right over his head. “I’m just saying that I’m grateful that you are here to look after it. He nodded his head and grumbled something under his breath. There was really no way that I was going to understand what he was saying.
“I don’t see why you even bother to give him anything. If it was for charity, I might understand, but that clunker is not worth the money that you spent. If it gets stolen, then you can always get another one.” He did have a valid point, but to lose it would only compound the issue.
“Let me see if I can explain it to you, Marshall. If it’s stolen, then there will be a report and then I would become more than just wallpaper. The last thing that I want is for them to see me. I have to remain in the shadows, working on our behalf to get what we need without attracting Susan to my activities.” I went across the street, stayed by the door and then went in when somebody came out.
I found my way to the same bar stool that I had in the corner and my drink was still sitting there. I’d settled down and then felt a hand on my shoulder that had me go rigid like I had been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
“I’m not sure that it was a good idea to invite her. She has been making fun of everybody. You can tell that most of them are trying to keep her at a distance. There have been a few that went to the bathroom and didn’t come back. She is enjoying herself, but it’s not in the way that I intended She left for about 10 minutes and I think they were all hoping that she went home.” Tina had found me and was now telling me how it was a mitigated disaster to have her breach the inner sanctum of their serenity. This was supposed to be a safe place, but it was turned into more of the same that they had endured at the office.