Page 106 of Durango

“Trust me, I can get that information to Benson without going directly to him. I’m not worried. Now, are you going to sign those?”

“Yes,” I blurt out.

Samantha glares at me.

“Very good.” Carmen ends the call.

The man in a suit walks back over and holds out a pen and a folder. “Something for you to write on,” he says.

I quickly scan the document, and it’s a standard NDA stating we will never mention the video of Carmen and Tyler. I sign it and hand it back. Samantha does the same. I watch in disbelief as the man notarizes the documents. “I’ll need to see some ID from each of you to confirm you are who you say you are,” he says.

I hand him my old Oregon driver’s license. Samantha sighs and hands him her New York ID.

“You’re a traveling notary?” Samantha asks.

He smiles. “Sure am.”

“And you serve documents?” she asks.

“Well, not normally, but this was a special request. Thank you for your time.” He puts his notary stamp back into the backpack he’s carrying, places our documents into his folder, and walks away.

“I don’t like this at all,” Samantha says. “If her threat was real, there is nothing stopping her from telling Hyde about us in the future.”

I nod. “I doubt she would. I don’t think she wants anyone to know about her and Tyler. And besides, all the videos have been destroyed. Well, except whatever might still be on Tyler’s computer.”

We walk to the restaurant in silence, each deep in our own thoughts. After we are seated, she leans forward.

“We need the world to find out about that video and what happened to Tyler. It’s the only thing that will keep us safe,” she says.

She’s right.

“Since he was murdered, the police probably took his computer as part of the investigation. When they watch the video, they’ll know who likely killed him. I think if we wait, it will all sort itself out,” I say.

“Will they, though? He was killed in New York. The police in Portland might not be involved at all,” Samantha says.

I feel a little sick, realizing she’s right.

“And even if the police did take his computer, if someone starts watching those videos, they will probably assume they are all sex videos and not watch all of them.”

They wouldn’t check each one? Samantha did have to go through hours and hours of video before she finally found that one.

“Maybe they just need a tip that there is evidence hidden in those videos,” I say.

We agree to discuss ideas back in the privacy of the apartment, and instead, we talk about her day at work. I don’t envy her at all. It can’t be easy going back. People talk, especially about affairs and suspensions.

As we walk back to the apartment, my eyes are on everyone, worried someone might be watching us. I really didn’t expect to hear from Carmen again after we left her home.

“I’m happy to hear no one is treating you badly at work,” I say.

She laughs. “They need me, and they know it. However, the letter in my HR file will stay. I tried to get it removed but lost that argument.”

“Well, I mean, you did have an affair with your boss.”

She rolls her eyes. “I didn’t realize he was a VP at the time. And why are there so many VPs in my company?” She stops walking a few feet from our building’s door. “Have you seen someone following us?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“Because you’ve been looking behind us for the last three blocks.”

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