Page 66 of Dirty Little Secret, Baby
"You mean I should look for invoices in the system?" Richard asks.
"No, I mean do you know anyone from the on-site team who might have been involved. I need to know who gave the order."
"Oh, that's what you mean," Richard says, sounding relieved. "Yeah, someone comes to mind. We don't have many people who would do something like that. I'll ask around and get back to you, okay?"
"Thanks, Richard. And we should go out to eat again sometime," I say, feeling guilty for not having been in touch for so long.
"It's all right, Alex. You know how it is: People talk about everything. And when an accountant goes to lunch with the boss, that raises questions, and I have to watch my blood pressure."
"It's good to have you in the company, Richard," I say, feeling a deep sense of gratitude toward him.
"I'll be in touch," Richard says again, about to hang up.
"One more thing, Richard. Only call my direct line. You know. The one I wrote down for you once. Not my assistant. This is very important, okay? Only talk to me personally about what you find out, okay?"
"Got it, boss," he says, and I can hear him grinning at the wordboss. I'm about to say something back, but he's already hung up.
I pause for a moment, hoping Richard can actually find something out, and in the meantime, I open a program on the computer and dig through the digital files my company has on Beth's property. As I do, my thoughts stray far too often to her and the way her eyes sparkle in the light of the setting sun, and I have to keep refocusing to stay on task.
Finally, I find what I'm looking for and see her landlord's number on the screen, which I immediately type into my phone.
"Keith here. Who's this?" I hear an older man's voice on the line.
"Mr. Keith. Hello, this is Alex Rodgers, I..."
"Oh, I know who you are," he says, suddenly sounding wide awake. "What else do you want? I did everything you wanted."
"Mr. Keith, this may sound strange, but I don't know what you mean. I'm just trying to find out what..."
"So you're saying the $100,000 in my account isn't from your company? Your... what was his name... That man, he told me he was calling on your behalf. As soon as the money was there, I was supposed to evict the poor woman with the flower shop and..."
"Do you know his name, this man?" I ask, feeling my heart pound in my chest, because I'm on the verge of figuring out what's going on here.
"He came to see me, you know? He was rather rude. And he was with that woman. That... oh, I'm so bad with names. She only said her first name. And his name was... Something with Final... Finn... Something like that."
"That helps me a lot, Mr. Keith. And don't worry, you can keep your money. But please rescind the eviction," I say, a sudden tightness constricting my chest. My suspicion is correct, and he's sitting right outside my door, because my assistant's name is Eric. Eric Finelly.
"But that makes no sense, Mr. Rodgers, I don't understand..."
"Neither do I, Mr. Keith. I'll put it in writing for you in the next few days. Don't worry. It's all right. You did nothing wrong. I, on the other hand, trusted someone I shouldn't have," I explain.
"All right, I'll wait for the document. I'm sure you understand," the old man says, and then we end the call.
My head is spinning as I jot down a note to draw up the document for him, wondering why and for how long Eric has been working against me instead of for me. At least now it's clear who the leak is. Even before he mentioned the fragmented last name, I basically knew, because besides me, no one in my company has such high-level authorization except Eric. No one but the two of us can authorize a sum of $100,000 without triggering a complicated approval process.
That little bastard is actually using my company's money to hurt me. This isn't the act of a single, frustrated employee. There's more to it. Jake!
That has to be it, right? Was he the one who gave him the shopping mall plans? And is he the one who told him where Beth and I were having dinner, or who took the photo while Dilara was pressed up against me topless and...
The ringing of my phone makes me pause.
"Yes?" I ask as I pick up the receiver, seeing that it's the number from Richard in accounting that's calling me.
"Okay," he says, sounding a little out of breath. "I don't know what's going on up there on the top floor, but the two men I trust said the order came from you. Your assistant gave them the instructions, and they said he was with a woman he called Dilara when they met for the third time." Then Richard pauses. "Hey, didn't one of your former assistants have that name?"
"Richard, I don't know how to thank you. Thank you," I say, feeling rage, despair, and sadness battling within me, each emotion vying for control. I drum my fingers nervously on the desk, chewing on my lower lip and considering what to do now. Does he already suspect something because I was so annoyed earlier and had him withdraw the complaint? No, surely not, because I've been in a foul mood all week, which might actually play to my advantage now.
But what now? Should I call him in and confront him? No, he would surely deny it. Instead, I decide to catch him in the act, because with any luck, he'll also be on the hook for industrial espionage, and he doesn't deserve to just be fired by me. Not after what he's done to me.
