IN THE office, Phillip unlocked the security area and turned off the recording for the camera. He would have to remember to turn it back on again when they left, but he’d worry about that later. The office was dark, with only the off-duty lights on and whatever came through the windows. Heston messaged Barry, and Phillip met him at the elevators and let him into the office. “Where should we start?”
“Let’s check out Phillip’s office first, and then methodically work our way through the rest of them. I don’t want to miss anything, nor do I want to disturb anything we don’t have to.” Heston turned to Phillip. “I’m assuming you don’t want to have to explain to your staff tomorrow that we were going through their things.”
“Yes.” Phillip unlocked his office and let them inside. He wasn’t sure what to look for, so he settled at his desk and let Heston and Barry do their jobs, taking the time to clear his email and leave some notes for Leonard in the morning.
“Phillip,” Barry said after an hour. “You should come see this.”
Phillip got up, stretching a little, and locked his computer. He had done what he could for now, and on his way out, he locked the office door as well, then followed Barry to the call center area. The cubicles were all empty, the phones silent. Heston stood at Manny’s open office door. “What’s going on?”
Heston stood from where he bent over one of the bottom desk drawers. “I found this.” He waited, and Phillip made his way inside. The contents of the drawer looked normal enough until Heston pulled out the last file. It contained pictures of him, plenty of them. “What the hell?”
“Yes. There have to be at least twenty of them, and from the looks of the photos, I’d say you weren’t privy to their being taken.” Heston pushed the drawer closed, leaving the file on the desk. “Take it with you.”
“Did you find anything else?” Phillip asked.
“No. I didn’t want to disturb too much.”
Phillip narrowed his gaze. “How did you find these?”
“Everyone hides things in the bottom drawers toward the back. They think it’s a safe place, but it’s always the first place you should look if you want to find out people’s work secrets.” Heston half smiled, and Phillip knew he was joking, at least to a degree. “This man is a supervisor, here all the time and during off hours. He could easily have planted the cameras without anyone seeing. He has an office with plenty of privacy, but when I walked in here, I got this strange vibe, and then I saw that.” He pointed to a picture of Phillip and Manny. “Everyone else has pictures of their family in their offices, but he has a picture of the two of you.” He shrugged. “I saw that, and when I looked further, I found those.”
“Really.” Phillip put his hands on his hips and immediately wished he hadn’t when the muscles pulled. He’d been in here many times and never paid any attention to the picture.
“Now, this doesn’t prove anything in itself, but it’s damned suspicious,” Heston added.
Phillip nodded and felt cold. He wanted to get out of the office right the hell now. “Have you been through the rest of the work areas?”
“Yeah. And I didn’t find anything else. Oh, there are some things that people probably don’t want the entire office to know.”
Phillip held up his hands. “Don’t tell me unless it’s illegal. Then I’ll have to take action. But otherwise, I don’t want to go prying into their privacy.” This entire process seemed like a huge invasion, and he didn’t want it to get out of hand.
“You’re a good boss,” Barry said softly.
“What do we do next?” Phillip asked.
Heston took the file, but otherwise left the office the way he’d found it. Then he closed the door behind him. “We are going to leave, and Phillip is going to restart the office cameras again.” He caught Phillip’s gaze, and his look was stone-cold. “Let’s get out of here.”
Phillip waited until the others were gone, then returned to the security room, restarted the system and made sure it was functioning, then left the office, closing up after himself. He met the others in the building lobby, and they went out to the car and got right in.
“I don’t understand what’s going on, I really don’t. Manny?” Phillip sighed. “How can he be obsessed with me? I don’t understand it.”
“I know you don’t,” Heston said as he started the car. “And I think that’s a testament to the type of person you are.” He pulled out and into the light traffic.
Barry held him, and Phillip tried to make sense of all this. Though it didn’t add up, at least not for him.
“I want to go home,” he said softly. “I’m tired of hiding and staying at everyone else’s home. I need to be in my own space.” His entire world seemed black, almost like it was going to swallow him up entirely. The urge to hide, to crawl into a shell and stay there, was just so great…. And he didn’t know what to do about it.
“That isn’t a good idea,” Barry whispered.
Phillip gasped, trying to hold himself together. Manny! This was hitting too close to home. Ever since Roger’s funeral, he had wondered who was behind what was happening, and now that he knew…. God, he didn’t want to think about it. “What do I do? If it’s him, what do I do?” He was so tired and worn out. Barry had to be the same. “I just want to go home.”
“We’ll take you to Barry’s,” Heston said. “It’s alarmed to the hilt, so we’ll know if someone gets close. That’s the best I can do right now. You need to be safe, but….” Heston paused. “Honestly, I’d feel better if you both were at my place. I know it isn’t home for either of you, but it will give us a place no one knows about and time to figure this whole thing out.”
Phillip growled. “Fine. But I have to get my computer and a few other things from Barry’s. You can sneak in and get the stuff if you want, but I have to have it.” Only through his access to the company records could he prove that it couldn’t have been Manny. And if it wasn’t him… then who the hell was it?
“All right. I’ll park around the block and go in myself.”
Barry held him, and Phillip closed his eyes, breathing deeply and slowly. God, it felt like his entire life was falling apart. Phillip knew he had to get his act together. If he fell apart, others would pay. He had to hold on for all the people who worked for him. That was his life. “Thank you,” Phillip told Heston. “I appreciate it.”
Heston navigated to Barry’s neighborhood and actually pulled into the spot behind a neighbor’s garage. “Stay here, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“My stuff is in Barry’s room, and the computer is in the backpack by the kitchen table.”
“I’ll find it. You just stay here and keep out of sight. I won’t be long.” Heston went to get out.
“You know, I could just give you the codes,” Barry said.
“Nah.” Heston was already out the door. “What would be the fun in that?” He disappeared from sight almost before the car door closed.
“That man really is off his nut,” Phillip said as he settled down in the seat.
“Are you going to be okay?” Barry asked.
Phillip shook his head. “Are you? I wasn’t the one whose car was blown up. Really, we need to get you someplace where I can check you over and make sure you aren’t seriously hurt.”
“I’m fine,” Barry said.
“You’re compartmentalizing,” Phillip argued, and Barry chuckled. “Come on, open up to me. You don’t have to be strong all the time.”
Barry sighed. “I’m scared half to death, and I still have to talk to the police. I want to hide somewhere just as badly as you do, but that isn’t going to bring an end to this. And I feel like we’re finally close.” Barry peered out the back windows and then settled down low once again.
“But we’re not there yet. You think there’s more to this—that it’s not Manny.” Phillip gazed into Barry’s eyes, and Barry tugged him close, his fingers entwining in Phillip’s hair. “How can we know for sure?” Phillip asked.
“We’ll look into it when we get to Heston’s. There’s only so much we can do without talking to Manny, but I think that needs to be the last step. If he is behind all this, then cornering him could turn out to be dangerous. And we always need to keep in mind that things could be different than they appear.”
“You sound like you could have been a policeman.” Phillip did his best to relax and not wonder what Heston was doing and when he’d be back. Barry seemed to check every minute or so, and he didn’t need to do the same.
“I thought about it, but then I fell into this security gig, and it’s really been working out. I also think it’s more in line with my skill set.” Barry started, and Phillip did the same, when the car doors unlocked and Heston opened the door, setting the gear on the floor of the front seat.
“I got everything and threw some things in a bag for you, Barry.” He closed the door again and then got in the driver’s side, started the car, and took off.
Once they were on the freeway, Phillip and Barry sat up. “I never thought I would be skulking around in the backs of cars, or hiding from a psychopath.”
Heston scoffed. “It happens to me all the time.”
Phillip turned to Barry for confirmation and wasn’t surprised when he shrugged. “It’s his talent. Heston is a problem solver.”
“At least it isn’t for the mob.” Phillip’s attempt at humor fell flat.
“It isn’t. But I’ve worked for some pretty unsavory people—most of them in the government.” Heston snickered, and Phillip wanted to lean over the seat and ask more questions, but stayed where he was. He still didn’t totally get Heston, but he trusted him because Barry did. And Heston had come in to extricate their butts from a pretty dicey situation.
“Okay. Here’s the police station. I know they need to talk to you. I’m going to drop you off, and you can message me when you’re done. I suspect they’re going to take their own sweet time. I’m going to get Phillip settled at my place.”
Barry got out of the car, and Phillip missed his bulky warmth the second it was gone. He had never thought about it before, but he had been drawing some of his strength from Barry, and with him gone, the car seemed quiet and empty. “I’ll see you later.” Barry leaned back into the car and kissed him. “Heston will take good care of you, and I’ll be out of here as soon as I can.” He squeezed Phillip’s hand and then backed away and closed the door.
Heston pulled away, and Phillip sat quietly in the back, stewing. “Just relax and don’t worry. Barry knows how to take care of himself,” Heston said.
“I know that. But what if the police don’t believe him? I told the officer what was going on, but it looked like he wanted to tell me I watched too many spy movies. What if they decide that Barry tried to blow up his own car?”
Heston shook his head. “If they thought that, they would have been after him like stink on a doodlebug. I think they want answers, and Barry can be pretty persuasive.” Heston got on the freeway and zipped through town, checking in the mirror. The traffic wasn’t too heavy, so he went all the way through the northern suburbs and downtown without a hitch, finally coming to a stop and exiting on the south side.
He weaved through smaller streets and pulled down an alley and into the narrow garage of a small home.
“Is this where you live?” Phillip wondered if it was a safe house or something.
“Yes.”
To say the house was nondescript was an understatement. It was a small, single-story building with white siding and a neat yard. Nothing about it stood out. Heston got them inside, and Phillip was surprised that there weren’t security systems everywhere.
“There’s nothing in here to steal,” Heston said as if reading his mind. “Yes, I live here, but anything to do with work is well away from here. Now, in case something should happen, go to the basement. In the back, which is actually under the front of the house, there’s a safe room. I’ll show you how to get in and out. No one will ever suspect it’s there, and they could burn the house down over you and nothing will touch it.”
Heston set down the bags inside the dining room. The house was cute, probably built in the twenties, and it had nice moldings. “You know how to make a guy feel welcome.”
“You’re important to Barry, and that means you’re important to me. He and I are closer than brothers.” Heston’s expression was as serious as a heart attack.
“I know. He told me what things were like.”
Heston shook his head. “I can guarantee he told you the PG version, because there is no way you could understand what really happened. Barry is the best, and he deserves to be happy.”
Phillip put his hand on Heston’s shoulder. “So do you. You’re a good man.”
“I’m who I need to be. It’s always been my talent to be a chameleon, and that means that there are times when I fool even myself.” He turned away and opened a door, intent on showing Phillip the safe room and how to operate it. Then, once they were back upstairs, he guided Phillip down the hall. “This is the guest room. You and Barry will be in here. The bathroom is through there, and so is my room. If you need anything, let me know. I know there are things you want to do, but I suggest you rest until Barry gets back. Help yourself to anything in the refrigerator. Make yourself at home, and don’t be shy. I’m a shitty host, so take what you need. I’m going to check some things out and see if I can find anything on our suspect.” Heston left the room, and Phillip picked up his and Barry’s bags and carried them to the guest room.
The bed looked inviting, and he sat on the edge, leaning back with a majorly comfortable sigh. The mattress curled around him, and he closed his eyes. God, this felt good, and he was nearly wiped out.
“Is there anything you need?” Heston asked from the doorway.
“No. Thanks for doing this.” He slowly sat up. “I’m not used to this kind of stuff.”
Heston took a step forward. “I’m sorry if I was a dick earlier. I’m used to this shit, and you aren’t.”
Phillip chuckled with nerves. “Most people aren’t.”
Heston nodded. “True, but you’re handling it. Damned well, if I can say so. You haven’t freaked and you’ve kept your head. That goes a long way toward getting yourself out of shit like this. Get some rest, because when Barry gets here, I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of sleeping. We’re going to get to the bottom of this shit, and I think I’ve figured out a way to do just that.”
“Great.” Phillip sighed softly. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. “I guess the hardest part for me is that I’m putting Barry at risk.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Barry has been in more danger than this before, and he knows the risks. We both do.” Heston held his gaze. “You have nothing to feel guilty about.” He paused, as if thinking. “I can tell you this. If Barry didn’t want to be part of this, and if keeping you safe wasn’t his top priority, he’d have turned this whole fucking thing over to the police long ago. So, if you’re wondering for a second if he’s sticking around because you’re in trouble, the answer is yes. If you want to know if it’s only that… no way in hell. Barry follows his heart, more than any of the rest of us.”
Phillip didn’t know what to say, and Heston left the room, closing the door behind him. He lay back down, listening for the sounds of the house, but other than the air-conditioning, it was quiet. He closed his eyes, but his head would not stop spinning. His mind ran over everything that had happened in the last week or so. It was hard to believe that everything he thought he knew could turn itself upside down so fast. He was damned lucky that he had Barry, because going through all this alone would have ripped him into a million tiny pieces.
Phillip rubbed his temples when a headache threatened, and he pulled out his kit, took a few ibuprofen tablets, and then lay back down. He let the medication work its magic, and eventually dropped off to sleep.
“SWEETHEART,” BARRY said, the side of the bed tipping as he sat down. “I’m back.”
Phillip opened his eyes, mind groggy. “How was it?”
Barry rolled his eyes. “I have no idea. I told them what I knew, and they told me they were investigating all angles and asked that we let them know if we see anything suspicious.” He nodded slowly. “It’s an improvement. At least they’re starting to take things seriously.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?” Phillip asked.
“Yes. But I think our picture of events is clearer. We know what happened and that things are linked, but we’re not going to be able to convince law enforcement. I’d say it was a conspiracy of ignorance, if I was so inclined, but it’s just that the police aren’t fond of chasing ghosts with too few resources.” He leaned over him. “Anyway, I handled them and was able to prove that I couldn’t have placed the bomb. We’re good, and they’re off doing whatever it is they do.”
“You know the police aren’t stupid, right?” Phillip asked, and Barry grinned. “Sometimes I think I will never get your sense of humor.”
“I know, but I got you to smile. They’ll investigate the incident with the car, and I hope they’ll check further. It’s the most we can hope for.”
Phillip nodded. “Heston said that he might have a plan.” He pushed back the blanket he’d used to cover himself and sat up. His side still ached, but not as bad as it had earlier.
“Yes. He’s started some dinner. I thought we’d help him and the three of us could talk. We need to review everything we know and what we think, then figure out a way forward.”
Phillip got up and then sat on Barry’s lap. He had never done that before, and he sort of liked that he could do it with Barry. “You know, that sounds about as interesting as my last visit to the dentist.”
“I know. But we need to force this guy’s hand. It’s the only way.” Barry hugged him. “I think that Manny could be our guy, but we need to look deeper before we plan something to get him to tip his hand.”
“Then I can check travel records and office logs to see where he was at the times of the deaths, to see if it’s possible for him to have done it. At least it’s a place to start.” He leaned against Barry. “I have to thank you for being there through all of this. I hate that I’ve put you—”
“You didn’t put me anywhere, and I wouldn’t change anything. Okay? Well, except maybe I’d kick the asshole who’s messing with you in the ass a few hundred times. But other than that, you don’t need to feel guilty about anything. Remember, you aren’t responsible for any of this.” Barry hugged him a little tighter.
“I know. This is all about someone else. It’s his game.” Phillip needed to figure out the rules. He had been playing games all his life and designing them for years, so he should be able to do this.
Barry released him. “Yeah, it is, and I think we need to join Heston to see if we can figure out how to play it better than he does.” Barry grinned, and Phillip stood, then took Barry’s hand, and they left the room.
Heston was in the living room with the front window curtains pulled. There was minimal furniture, and other than a few pictures on the walls, the room was bare. There were no personal touches anywhere. It was as if everything had come from a government warehouse and been set in place. “Have a seat and let’s get started.”
Phillip got his computer and sat next to Barry on the sofa. He signed in to Heston’s network and activated his VPN software. Heston nodded, clearly monitoring the activity. “Good to see your security.”
“Thanks,” Phillip said. “Now let’s see what our records can tell us about Manny. He has unusual hours because that’s part of his job. Sometimes he works on Saturdays, and other times one of the supervisors under him does.” Barry provided him with the dates, and Phillip checked them. “He was off the weekend Winston died and the same for Roger. But from the look of it, those were his usual weekends off. There doesn’t seem to be any change in the schedule.” He wasn’t sure what to make of that.
“It could mean that he planned it for that weekend,” Heston said, “or that he was looking for opportunities and got one.”
Phillip checked the weekend of Albert’s death and found that Manny was on the schedule to work. Then he checked the building access logs, but didn’t see him. Instead, one of the other supervisors had come and gone that Saturday. “I don’t know what this means… unless….” His stomach roiled, and his nerves kicked up as he checked the company travel records. “He was in New York.” Phillip’s hands suddenly felt cold. “He was there for a conference, and he went a few days early. Manny must have had one of the other supervisors cover for him.”
“Is that allowed?”
Phillip shrugged. “I don’t see why not. He’s a manager, and as long as he had someone taking care of his work, and stayed within his budget, there’s nothing to complain about. It’s what I hire my managers to do, and he had vacation time coming.” Phillip felt his heart sinking. It looked more and more like Manny could be the killer, while at the same time, a picture of what might have been going on firmed up in his mind.
“This doesn’t prove anything,” Barry said firmly. “We can’t actually place Manny at any of the scenes. And he doesn’t really look like the man Carl described at the hospital.”
Phillip nodded. “But it looks bad.” Why was he fighting this? If it was Manny, they needed to prove it and have him arrested. Phillip could go back to his normal life.
“It does,” Heston agreed, but sounded hesitant.
“What’s giving you doubts?” Phillip asked.
“I pulled what information I could find on Manny Larson. He has a wife, a mortgage, two sons, and no unusual outstanding debt. The guy is normal in every way. There’s no history of mental illness. Without knowing him personally, I’d say he’s just an average guy who’s trying to make a living. There is no hint of attraction to other guys or any other dark secrets.”
“But isn’t that the kind of guy we’re looking for?” Phillip asked. “It isn’t like the killer is going to wear a sign. You’ve told me it could be anyone.” Phillip looked at the other two, who both nodded.
“So what are you thinking?” Barry asked.
“I don’t know. I’d have expected some hint, some sort of picture. People don’t just obsess over one thing and nothing else. It grows over time and it changes. I’m not saying it isn’t him, though. He could have covered it really well.”
“How long have you known Manny?”
“He’s worked with us for three years. I didn’t know him before that. He had call center experience, and that was what we were looking for. I’ve always thought he was a good manager and took care of his people. That’s a good part of what I hired him for.”
Heston huffed. “We need to make a call,” he said and pulled out his cell, dialed a number, and put it on speaker. “Cooper, man, I’m here with Barry and Phillip. We have a problem.”
“What is it?” he immediately asked.
“Phillip’s stalker. Things are escalating, as you would probably expect. There were three months between the first attacks, and now they’re coming much faster. The murderer is becoming more desperate.”
“Okay. That’s likely to happen. The more times he doesn’t get what he wants, the less patient he becomes. And once he’s resorted to killing, there’s nothing to stop him from trying again, so the obsession grows and becomes more compulsory simply because there is now little to stand in his way.
“What do we do?” Phillip asked, leaning a little closer to the phone.
“The easy answer is… stop him,” Cooper said.
“Okay,” Heston interrupted. “What I really called for is a suspect question. We searched through Phillip’s office, and I found pictures of Phillip in an employee’s desk drawer that seem incriminating. However, I can find nothing at all in his background that says that he could be behind this. The man is married with children, is straight as an arrow as far as we know, though I thought that an obsession with a man could be part of his issue. But he seems to be pursuing Phillip instead of trying to get rid of him, which would be logical if he was having obsessive feelings he didn’t understand.”
Cooper made affirmative sounds.
“He’s known Phillip for three years,” Heston added.
“Did you and this man have a personal relationship of any kind?” Cooper asked.
Phillip thought. “No. I mean, he’s a good manager, and we talk when we need to, but there is nothing deeper than that. I act pretty much the same with everyone who works for me.”
Cooper was quiet. “Okay. Let me think. Has he ever invited you for drinks or offered to help you? Has he gone out of his way to try and endear himself to you?”
Phillip shook his head, forgetting he was talking on the phone. “Manny is a good manager and we have a professional relationship, but it’s no more than that. He doesn’t even tell me about his kids unless I ask how they are, and then it’s general information. Ummm….”
“I think you should keep him as a suspect, but look elsewhere. The pictures you found could have been planted. I doubt it would take very much to do that.” He paused for a moment. “I have to agree with Heston. I would suspect that this person is someone closer to you and would interact with you more or at least try to get your attention.”
Phillip was both relieved and worried. If Manny had turned out to be the person they were after, then at least they would’ve had an answer. But now that there were doubts… of course there were. They were operating in the dark with very little information and a whole lot of intuition and supposition. It really sucked, because the last thing he wanted was to accuse the wrong person.
“Do you have anything else you can tell us?” Heston asked.
“Nothing other than be damned careful and stay as safe as you can.” Cooper’s words echoed what was running through Phillip’s mind on a constant basis.