Sebastian
“It’s always so good tosee you, Sebastian,” Veronica says, going through her normal hug and peck on the cheek.
It makes me cringe just as much as it did earlier in the day. “We saw each other not even an hour and a half ago, butas always, good to see you.”
I step away from her and toward Devin out of instinct. I’m sure Devin is getting tired of Veronica’s antics, and the last thing I want to do is piss her off even more on top of everything else.
“I should just rent an office in this place. Then I could be here all the time.” She laughs, but no one else does.
Over my dead body will she ever have an office in this building; that’s way too close for anyone’s comfort. I have zero intentions of ever seeing her again after this is all said and done.
Not to mention, Devin would reach her limit with Veronica rather quickly.
“Ms. Miller,” Veronica greets Devin before turning to my sister. “Madison. Lovely to see you ladies again so soon.”
The three of us stand in my office staring at Veronica as she slowly places her briefcase on the floor, removes her coat, and hangs it on the coatrack. I’m sure we’re all thinking the same thing—she’s one hell of a procrastinator when she’s getting paid an hourly rate.
“Let’s all take a seat.” I gesture toward the sofa in the corner of my office, which is identical to the one in Madison’s office we were occupying earlier. “I really do have to get some work done today.”
My mention of doing actual work doesn’t have me too hopeful Veronica will get to her point any quicker, but it’s worth a try. She’s making a ten-minute conversation into a three-hour one.
“That sounds like a great idea,” Madison says, moving first and taking a seat on the far end of the sofa.
The rest of us follow Madison, taking our seats and waiting to hear the big news.
“So, as I told Madison earlier,” Veronica begins, “I didn’t feel comfortable discussing any of this over the phone because it isn’t a secure line by any means.”
“Understandable.” I nod in agreement.
“So, let’s talk about what I have for you.” Veronica opens her briefcase and thumbs through the papers. She pulls out a manila folder labeled ‘Midtown’ and opens it while placing a pair of reading glasses on her face. “I don’t believe the envelope Devin received was intended to be disguised as interoffice mail, or if it was, the perp didn’t do a very good job investigating.”
“How do you know that?” Devin interrupts.
Veronica looks between the three of us. “The envelope you received wasn’t the same kind used for interoffice mail. It was the kind used by your accounting department for delivering reports. Other than Devin’s, there were only three sets of prints on it, and none of them belonged to any employees in accounting. According to your employee files, the prints belonged to Paul Atler, Crystal Simmons, and Sarah Cole.”
“Paul?” Devin and I ask in unison.
Veronica looks up from the folder, pulling her glasses down her nose a bit. “Do any of these employees have a reason to come after you?”
Devin turns toward me, her voice a snarl. “I told you we needed to be worried about Paul, Sebastian. I knew he was up to something.”
I cringe at Devin’s words because she’s right. I should have believed her.
“Maybe not though,” Madison chimes in. “Paul Atler helps Sarah. He has a thing for her. Sarah keeps the office supply room stocked. I’ve seen him helping her in there a few times before.”
“That doesn’t mean he didn’t do it,” Devin snaps again.
I shake my head. “I don’t know, Devin. If Paul has been helping Sarah, then he would know what goes where in the supply room. Plus, he’s been here for years. He knows what office products are used for what. If he wanted to pass that off as interoffice mail, I don’t think he’d make that mistake.”
Veronica looks between us, nodding. “Okay, let’s get back on track. I don’t think any of that matters. The mail room explains Sarah’s prints and possibly Paul’s, but Devin, if you feel that Paul needs to be further investigated, I can absolutely do that. The other set of prints belonged to Crystal Simmons, which is to be expected; she is the mail girl.”
“Would Crystal know where the envelope came from maybe?” Devin asks, looking between the three of us. “I mean, maybe someone handed it to her or something and she has more information.”
Veronica nods, agreeing with Devin. “It’s not a terrible idea to ask her. She may be able to give us another angle to look at, because right now, we don’t have much to go on except looking a little further into Paul.”
“True,” Madison agrees.
I pick up the phone and dial my assistant. “Marla, can you please have Ms. Simmons report to my office?” I return the phone to its cradle, and we wait for Crystal to arrive. When a knock on the door echoes throughout the room, it startles Devin and she jumps in her seat.
