Chapter 10

Brent picked up the wastebasket under Luke’s desk and dumped the contents into the green garbage bag then walked to his own desk to do the same.

He didn’t mind working every second Saturday; he loved his job. But as a co-owner, regardless of the number of employees, his joy didn’t extend to cleaning the office. He didn’t mind wearing his jeans to work and washing cars, but he drew the line at washing the floor.

Although, one day when he became a parent, he knew he would appreciate it if his son’s boss gave him a day off to be with his family for a special day.

Brent had made a joint decision with Luke to cancel the contract with the janitorial service and give Evan the job of cleaning the office on Saturdays for extra money. It had been a good financial decision as well, because paying Evan by the hour was cheaper than paying a flat fee to the cleaning service. It was even cheaper on days Evan wasn’t working, because both he and Luke had to do it for free. Like today.

While he was taking out the garbage, he wondered what Annie was doing.

Thinking of her, he looked into the parking lot, empty except for his own car.

He couldn’t believe he’d kissed her in the parking lot. Yet at the same time, he couldn’t have not kissed her.

His eyes drifted shut as he emptied Walter’s wastebasket. She was a good kisser. He felt the warm fuzzies wash over him as if he were a teenager, making him want to kiss her again. He would see her again tomorrow, only this time he wouldn’t kiss her in the church parking lot. He’d wait until he took her home. After he took her out for lunch.

The rustle of papers made him look at the floor. If he hadn’t been holding the garbage bag in one hand and a wastebasket in the other, he would have smacked himself in the head. He’d been so lost daydreaming, he’d missed the garbage bag and dumped Walter’s trash on the floor.

He hunkered down to gather the strewn papers, frowning that most of the things in Walter’s wastebasket should have been put through the shredder.

He picked up a couple of second pages of invoices that were blank except for the customer’s name and address and the total invoice amount. For this, he would have to speak to Walter. He shook his head as he picked up a receipt. After scanning receipts, the originals were supposed to go into a box to be stored for whatever length of time the IRS required. Brent stood and laid the paper on the desk to smooth it out then froze.

This was a receipt from the hardware store—for two keys.

He sank down into the chair to press it flat with his fingers to make out the date.

It was the last day that Walter had been in. The day before Cindy’s car had gone missing.

Events of the morning flashed through his mind. It was the day he’d first introduced Annie to Walter. Walter had not been very pleased that they’d gotten him help. Then later in the morning, Walter had left to pick up a prescription. Brent only remembered because he’d been annoyed that Walter had stuck a sticky note on the monitor, and Brent had thought it wouldn’t be good for the screen.

Sure enough, the crumpled sticky note was also in the pile of paper on the floor.

Brent didn’t remember the time, only that it was later in the morning. The time on the receipt for the key appeared to be in that time frame.

His temples throbbed as he tried to recall everything that happened. Luke had been out on a sales call, and Brent had teased Luke about taking Cindy’s new car. Then Evan had called both him and Luke into the lot to check a dented car, and Annie had gone back to help Cindy with something.

Walter had been alone in the office, giving him access to both Annie’s and Luke’s keys.

But there was no reason for Walter to steal a car. Walter wasn’t a thief. He was a CPA and made a good income. Brent didn’t know how many other businesses besides theirs Walter handled, but he knew Walter’s schedule was very busy.

It also made no sense that he would hide a stolen car in Annie’s garage. Walter didn’t know Annie. Although, since they used Annie’s services, her address was listed in their account files as a vendor.

Brent flopped back in the chair and pressed his hands over his eyes. He was only letting his mind play tricks on him because he was desperate to prove that the thief wasn’t Annie. It wasn’t possible or likely that Walter would steal Luke’s wife’s car. He wouldn’t call Walter a friend, but he was certainly more than an acquaintance. He’d been with them, and well paid by them, since they started the business when Luke and Brent graduated together from business college.

But among the many things he’d learned over the years was never to assume and to be careful to whom he gave his trust.

He scooped the rest of the papers from the floor and sorted them like Walter should have, either into the shredder, the receipt box, or what was really trash, but he put the receipt for the keys in his pocket.

Before he saw Walter again on Tuesday, he needed some answers.

Even though he took the later shift, Brent arrived at the office at opening time, the same time as Luke.

He stood behind Luke while Luke unlocked the building and punched in the alarm code. “I’ve called Annie in this morning. I don’t care if you fired her. I unfired her.”

Luke spun around. “You, of all people, should know the reasons for that. Even if she didn’t steal Cindy’s car, which in my opinion is still not resolved, she’s messing up our accounting. Walter only has limited time to fix it, and it’s time to wrap up the fiscal year and submit everything for taxes.”

Brent’s stomach clenched as he pulled the receipt for the keys out of his pocket and handed it to Luke. “One issue at a time. I found this in Walter’s garbage. It’s a receipt for two keys. Annie and I went to the key kiosk yesterday after church. I showed the man Walter’s picture and the receipt, and he remembered the keys because he had a hard time with the Mustang key, and Walter was in a hurry.”

“Are you saying that Walter stole Cindy’s car and then hid it in Annie’s garage?”

“That’s what it looks like.”

Brent could see Luke’s confusion as he tried to make sense of what he’d just been told. He didn’t want to believe it either, but the facts were there. And as horrible as it was, it was what he wanted to be true, to prove Annie’s innocence.

“I know it doesn’t make any sense, but I have proof he copied both keys, and he was back with the originals before anyone noticed they were missing.” Now more than ever, he was glad he had the key. If it had Walter’s fingerprints on it, it wouldn’t necessarily prove Walter’s guilt in the eyes of the law, but it would in Luke’s and Cindy’s eyes, and right now that was what mattered the most.

At the sound of a car entering the parking lot, both men turned to watch Annie’s car back into the parking spot nearest the door.

“I asked her to give me ten minutes to talk to you before she got here.”

Luke swiped his fingers through his hair. “With Annie being Cindy’s stepsister, I’m trying to be gracious. But I still don’t feel good about having Annie come back. Everything is messed up enough without making it even worse.”

Brent steeled himself. “The mess isn’t Annie’s fault. We’ve figured out that the reason for the computer problems is a software issue. She made a backup file, I had the backup program disc, and we opened it on her mother’s computer. Everything worked so I’ve asked her to check it against the current file on our office computer. If we find our missing data, then the simple solution is to buy a program upgrade.”

Luke shook his head. “It can’t possibly be that simple.”

Brent could only hope that what worked in theory would work in fact. “It can. She’s bringing her mother’s computer in with her today because we know it works.”

“You’re sure about this?”

Annie cut the engine and opened her door. “As sure as I can be. Help me carry in the old computer and we’ll know for sure.”

Luke’s face tightened. “Be warned. I intend to watch everything she does. Like a hawk.”

Brent had to agree. If the situations were reversed, he would have felt the same way. He sent up a prayer that he was right and pushed the door open. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. The sooner we get started, the better.”