Neanderthal Seeks Human(76)

Marie shook her head, “Four weeks is long enough. People have fallen head over heels in less time than that.”

“Did he actually put guards on you?” Ashley pointed the question to me but her eyes were on Elizabeth.

“Yes. He did.” I frowned at that. The first time I saw them was Monday morning as I was leaving for work. They’d approached me outside my building, both dressed casually in jeans and t-shirts and looking like regular guys, and told me that they worked for Infinite Systems. Mr. Sullivan, it seemed, put in an order for two twenty-four hour protection teams. They promised I wouldn’t notice them. They were right; over the last two days I’d forgotten about it.

“The guards are likely outside now. We should bring them some coffee or something.” Elizabeth looked up from the cell phone and handed it back to me, “The friendship one is funny- about peeing. I think I’m going to use that.”

I accepted the hateful phone from Elizabeth and stared at the last two messages. Quinn, true to his word, continued to send me jokes every day which only served to further confuse me.

Marie started knitting again, “Time will tell. I say just wait and see if he calls you on Thursday, see what he says.”

I stood and stretched, “You’re right! I’m done thinking about this. Done, done, done!” I swished my hand in a circle and snapped three times then walked to the bathroom, wanting to excuse myself in hopes that my absence would change the subject.

I wasn’t in the bathroom long, just enough time to wash my hands, when I heard a knock on the door.

“Just a minute, I’m almost done.” I called absentmindedly.

“Janie, it’s Kat. Can I come in?”

“Yeah, I’m almost done.”

“No-” Kat’s voice dropped to a whisper, I could tell she had her lips close to the crack in the door, “I mean, can I come in and join you, I- I need to tell you something.”

I opened the door then turned to search for a towel, “What’s up? Are you ok?”

Kat’s voice was heavy with hesitation behind me, “I found… something… out.” The soft click of the door closing surprised me so I turned to face her, mopping up the dampness of my hands with a really amazingly fluffy and absorbent towel. I made a mental note to ask Sandra where she purchased her towels.

When Kat didn’t continue I lifted my eyebrows, “About what?”

She looked entirely too serious, like my dad did the day he told me Santa Claus wasn’t real. I was fifteen.

“It’s about your job, at the firm.” She hesitated again, tucking her brown wavy hair behind her ears, “I found out why they let you go.”

“Oh.” I gripped the towel; it was squishy. I’d forgotten that Kat had agreed to try to find out why I was let go. At present I didn’t particularly care.

“Janie-”

She said my name in a way that is usually followed with: “Where were you the night of the murder?” or “You’re going to want to sit down for this.” I increased my grip on the towel.

“- it was Mr. Holsome.”

I blinked. Silence stretched. Kat’s eyes continued to watch me with wide rimmed caution.

“Mr. Holsome?” I repeated, confused, “You mean, Jon’s dad? My Jon’s dad? That Mr. Holsome?”

Kat nodded and leaned against the closed door. She sighed.

“I don’t-” I blinked at her again and sat down on the closed toilet seat lid, “I don’t understand. Why would Jon’s dad want me to lose my job?”

She looked miserable as she said, “I don’t know the why, but I can tell you I’m 100% certain he was responsible. He threatened to pull out of the South Side project if they didn’t let you go and he was insistent that it had to be that day.”

That day.

That day I found out Jon had cheated on me. That day I broke up with him before I left for work that morning.

Kat must’ve seen the wheels turning in my rickety brain because she said, “Do you think Jon asked him to do it? Do you think, when you broke up with him, that he… did that?”

I shook my head. I could only huff a response. “I don’t know, I can’t…” my words trailed off and I thought about the accusation Kat voiced and I’d been thinking.

It didn’t seem likely, but I was disturbed to realize it seemed plausible. Jon had said on more than one occasion, both when we were together and since we’d broken up, that he wanted me to rely on him, that he wanted to take care of me, that I needed him. I didn’t feel that way, I wondered why he did. Maybe it was because he felt it was true.