Page 8 of One Love
Her nerves are obviously shot.
Madison calls out for her to come in, and Crystal slowly enters the office.
“You wanted to see me, Mr. Brooks?”
I nod and gesture to the empty seat beside Veronica in front of my desk. “I do. Have a seat, Crystal.”
“We were hoping you may be able to help us figure out the origin of an envelope delivered to Ms. Miller yesterday,” Madison says, taking the helm of this ship. She is the lawyer, after all.
Crystal nods. “Sure. Which envelope are you referring to?”
Veronica holds it up for Crystal to see. “This one.”
“Mr. Atler handed me that yesterday morning,” Crystal answers.
The sharp intake of breath from Devin has my head snapping in her direction. Her cheeks redden, and the muscles in her jaw work overtime as she grits her teeth.
Veronica’s eyes dart to Devin as Madison continues questioning Crystal.
“Are you sure Mr. Atler handed you this envelope?”
Crystal nods. “Yes. I was on my way to accounting to collect deliveries when he stopped me and gave it to me. I thought it was odd that he sought me out to hand deliver it when he knows I pick up all interoffice mail every morning.” She pauses and nods as if she’s confirming her answer. “I would remember that envelope anywhere. The green writing stood out.”
Devin’s jaw works back and forth, grinding her teeth harder, as she waits patiently to say what’s on her mind. “Thank you, Crystal. You may go,” Madison says.
The moment the office door closes, everyone speaks at once.
“I told you it was him.”
“We need to bring Paul in here.”
“I think Mr. Atler warrants a further investigation as Ms. Miller suggested.”
“Okay.” I project my voice over all the chatter. “Let’s bring Paul in and see what he has to say about it. But, yes, Veronica, he does need to be looked into further.”
Madison wastes no time standing from her seat and grabbing my phone like she owns my office. “Marla, can you have Mr. Atler join us, please?”
The tension is thick and palpable as we wait for Paul to arrive. Devin is cagey. Her foot taps on the carpet, her nails drum on the leather of the sofa, and her breathing is rapid, as if she is trying to control her anxiety.
“Relax, Dev,” I murmur. “Let’s hear what he has to say before we plan his execution.” She glares daggers at me, and I see her struggle to keep her composure as she takes a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “Sebast—”
The knock on the door cuts off whatever she was about to say, and the attention of the room shifts to the door as Paul enters the office.
“Hello. Marla said you needed to see me,” Paul greets, nodding to Veronica and me before looking around the room and noticing Devin and Madison.
“Yes,” I affirm. “Please have a seat, Paul.”
He glances around the room with shifty eyes, making me wonder just how on point Devin is with her assessment of him. Why would he look so worried if he had nothing to do with any of this?
“Do you recognize this envelope?” Madison asks as Veronica holds it up in the same way she did for Crystal.
Paul’s brow furrows as he looks at the envelope. “It looks like a regular office envelope to me.”
“Do you remember handing it to Crystal yesterday?”
Madison’s question adds more confusion to Paul’s face. “I handed her an envelope yesterday morning. It was addressed to Ms. Miller. I don’t know if it was that one specifically. I didn’t pay too much attention to it.”
“Where did the envelope you handed Crystal come from?” Madison presses.
