“Well, you never have to see him again.” Sarina pulled into the M&J Investigations parking lot.
Roxy had spent the entire trip from the police station telling Sarina about the most amazing night of her life, followed by the most embarrassing morning. Sarina oohed and ahhed in all the right places. And now she showed appropriate indignation on Roxy’s behalf.
“He’d probably grind up birth control pills and put them in my food if he decided he didn’t want kids. He wouldn’t even ask me.”
Sarina shook her head. “Good thing you’re not being dramatic.”
“How is that dramatic? He didn’t ask me, just dropped me off like a toddler at preschool.” Roxy sighed. “Let’s not talk about him anymore.”
Sarina parked toward the back of the lot. “Fine. What’s the plan?”
“I need to get into the records room, and I need you to get me in there. Act natural, like you’re supposed to be at work.”
“That’s easy. I am supposed to be at work.”
“You left work to come get me?” Roxy’s heart grew two sizes because her best friend had ditched her paying job to pick her up at the precinct.
“Always.” Sarina grabbed her purse from the backseat. “Stan was here when I left.”
“He said he’d answer the phones?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you have to offer a favor?” Stan was famous for asking for favors. They were generally creepy.
“Nope. He likes me.” Sarina pointed to the side of the building. “Go behind the building to the back entrance. I’ll check to make sure the bosses aren’t around, and then I’ll open the door.”
“Okay. Don’t forget about me.” Roxy got out of the car.
“Have I ever?” Sarina entered the building before Roxy could answer that question.
Sarina had left Roxy at a bar one time, but she texted the next morning to tell her she’d left. Oh wait, that wasn’t Sarina, That was her. Roxy.
The back of the building was dark because shade from the surrounding trees kept things creepy. Garbage cans overflowed, and a rotten milk smell tickled her nose. Lumps of color and caked dairy covered one of the garbage bins. The can belonged to the ice cream shop next door. They liked to toss the ice cream into the bin with a Jackson Pollock flair.
She moved toward the center of the mini mall, hoping the smell would unsour. No such luck. She snarled her way to the door that said Investigations and tried the knob. It didn’t open. Of course not. It was important for her to stand here among the festering lumpy milk.
She leaned against the grimy wall and waited. And waited. She pulled out her phone. Twenty minutes since she’d checked the clock in Sarina’s car. Sarina probably forgot about her. If Roxy didn’t remind her, Roxy would be sleeping in the M&J garbage bin tonight.
A rustle and clink later, and the back door inched open. “Ready?”
“I’ve been ready.”
“Keep it down. Everyone is here,” Sarina whispered.
“Everyone?” Roxy walked in the back door, tripping over two cartons of old printer paper and a community bike left behind by someone a few years ago that no one had thought to throw it out. The bike immediately slid down the wall with a thump.
Sarina picked up the bike and propped it back against the wall. “Shhh. Why don’t we wait till they leave? Come back later.”
“We need the information now.” Roxy hated it too, but she needed a lead. She needed something to follow.
“Kat and Pete are in the break room.”
In the front of the building.
“Stan is at the front desk taking calls.”
Also at the front of the building.
Side note. Roxy didn’t want to see Stan. If he caught her, he’d threaten to say something to the owner, and she’d owe him a favor. The last time Roxy had asked him for a favor, he’d said only for a picture of a nip-slip.
She’d said no, obviously. But she could only imagine what the favor would be for a little B&E.
“Skip and John are at their desks.”
Which meant they were the other ones she and Sarina had to dodge. The file room was in the back corner, and Skip and John were currently in the other back corner.
Sarina shrugged. “Let’s go in there and get the file. Then you can take me out to dinner. We’ll drink, eat chocolate, and think of mean things to do the jerk who shall not be named.”
Given the day Roxy’d just endured, all of what Sarina said sounded like heaven. Drinking. Eating. Man-bashing. Sarina had been there for every man-bashing session since Todd Krason in the second grade. He’d chased her around the bus, begging for a kiss. When she gave him one, he’d said Wanda Moore kissed better than her. That was the inaugural chocolate-infused man-bashing session.
“We need to be quick and quiet.” Sarina peeked around the wall separating the back area from the main room. She waved Roxy forward. “I’ll take care of John. You’ll have to deal with Stan.”
Roxy took Sarina’s place and looked around the corner. Stan sat at his desk on the other side of the room, staring straight ahead. Straight ahead. Otherwise known as straight at the records room. His eyes didn’t blink. Seriously. Not one blink.
Was he dead? She watched his chest. Nothing. Then his breath stuttered in his throat, but his eyes stayed impassive. He was snoring. With his eyes open.
Roxy had no idea what he could or couldn’t see with his slumber eyes. “Maybe we should just come back tonight?”
“Who will drive if we’re drunk?” Sarina whispered.
Good point. “Okay.”
Sarina handed Roxy the keys. “Go in and I’ll take care of him.” She motioned to John’s open door. She’d been here long enough to know his eyes were always on the door and his staff.
“I don’t know who opened the case.”
“Well, figure it out. Fast. We don’t have all day.” Sarina walked into John’s office. “John, I was hoping I could talk to you for a moment.”
Roxy ducked her head as she slunk by his office and across the wide-open area under Stan’s sleeping gaze. Why the duck and cover? She had no idea. It just felt like it was needed.
She inserted the key into the lock on the records room, trying to be quiet. Although she wasn’t sure why she was trying because the laughter coming from John’s office could drown out a bulldozer in reverse.
Roxy looked at Stan as she opened the door. His eyes didn’t register. His chest kept moving to some internal rhythm. She slid into the dark room and locked the door behind her. No windows. The lights were out, and she couldn’t turn them on. Not without announcing to everyone she was there. There was a gap at the bottom of the door.
She pulled out her phone and used it like a flashlight, careful not to aim the light at the door. There were tall file cabinets along all the walls, and short cabinets butted up against each other in the center of the room. Alphabetical. By client.
Who would want Donnie Dunne watched? Besides everyone. Adelaide Dunne. Roxy moved to the Ds. Dunford. Dunning. No Dunne.
If it wasn’t the wife, then it was probably the partner.
Steve Brandt. She opened the file with the Bs. Branagh. Brandt. Steven. It was here. She opened the folder and pictures slipped to the floor. There were a lot of pictures. Loose pictures. Envelopes with pictures.
She held up her phone so she could see. Pictures of Donnie with his baby-momma at the coffee shop. Donnie shopping with his wife. Same. Same. Same. She pulled the corner on another picture. Long red hair. Donnie and Gretchen, Steve’s daughter. Alone with Donnie. Eating at Mon Ami Gabi.
Romantic. She slid the picture into her pocket.
Roxy didn’t know they knew each other well enough to share a meal, let alone a romantic meal in Paris. Granted it was Paris on the strip, but still, anything French was romantic. Except French fries. There was nothing sexy about French fries.
She opened one of the envelopes. More pictures of Donnie. Nothing interesting.
The lock jiggled as someone whispered on the other side of the door. There was a giggle. Speaking of interesting. And terrible timing.
She needed a place to hide, but since it was a room with one door and all kinds of file cabinets, there weren’t a lot of options. The door flew open and Roxy ducked behind the middle cabinets.
“I didn’t think he’d ever stop watching this door.” It sounded like Kat.
“John needs a hobby.” But that didn’t sound like Kat’s husband.
“He has one. Sarina.” Were they actually talking smack about Sarina in the records room?
Kat climbed on the middle file cabinet. “They should just do it and get it over with.”
“John needs something to chill out.”
A zip filled the air. Was he pulling down his pants? A belt hit the floor with a ping. She peeked around the corner. Pete’s pasty white butt hung out as Kat scooched her underwear down to her ankles.
Ugh. Roxy inched farther along the cabinets and stuck close to the side. If she stayed far enough away, they couldn’t see her. Right? Why couldn’t you just close your eyes and be invisible? That should be a thing.
“Maybe John will screw that stick out of Sarina’s ass.” If Roxy wasn’t hiding, she would so kick Kat’s ass.
“Move down.”
Kat’s dress edged over the side and swayed back and forth. “Move to the right.”
Bodies slapping. People grunting. Holy fornication. Couldn’t they do this at home? Oh wait. They had spouses, so no. Couldn’t they rent a hotel room like normal people? There was a semi-clean motel down the road that charged by the hour. They hadn’t had a crab outbreak in months.
“I have a sales call.” Kat grunted. “Faster.”
The door whipped open.
“Rox…Ahhh. What is going on in here?” Roxy had never been so happy to hear her best friend’s voice. Sarina slammed the door shut.
There was scuffling and zipping. The clothes were going back on. Alleluia.
“Don’t you knock?” Kat sounded angry as she threw open the door. Blue balls would do that to a girl.
“This is the records room. Why would I knock?”
“Why would you burst in like a bat out of hell? Bitch.”
Silent Pete and his mouthy sex partner left the room, and Sarina shut the door. “Roxy?”
“I’m here.” Roxy stood behind the cabinet. “Thank you for saving me.”
“Yeah. I got to see things I didn’t need to see.”
“Really?” Roxy didn’t get that visual. Thank the heavens. But she was curious. “What did you see? Anything good?”
“I wouldn’t call it good. More like old school porn,” Sarina snarled.
This was why curiosity was bad. It killed cats. And it gave visual images of mounds of hair in places she didn’t want to picture hair at all.
“Did you find anything?”
“Maybe.” Roxy tapped the picture in her pocket. “We should go. I’ll show you in the car.”
Sarina opened the door and looked around the main office. “I have to stay here.”
“Okay. I have to run an errand. We’ll meet here at six?” Roxy handed Sarina her car keys.
“How are you going to get around?”
Roxy clicked the app on her phone. “Uber.”
“Just take my car.” Sarina shoved her keys back into Roxy’s hand. “Bring her back in one piece.”
“I will. Thanks.” Roxy walked toward the back door.
“Anytime.”
The office population had thinned, with people heading home or to watch their marks for tonight. Roxy spun the keys in her hand and decided to go out the front door.
One more interview and then her focus would shift to the twelve pack of beer she planned on buying. She was hurt. She was tired. She was heartbroken. Tonight would be all about heartbreak and drinking Rafe away.