My heart railed inside my rib cage. The whole conversation was making me uneasy. “Out of the ordinary?” I echoed. “What do you mean?”
“She often gets you to check over her work, right?” Arty asked.
“Sometimes.”
“Did you notice anything off? In her work, I mean.”
Something in the back of my head clicked. The fudged ledger numbers I’d shown her Monday. Her sudden disappearance and supposed transfer. Upper management sniffing around and asking weird questions. This was all chalking up to be suspicious, and I didn’t like where this was going at all. Something was afoot, though I couldn’t say for sure what it was.
I had to think of something and fast; otherwise they’d know I knew more than I was letting on.
“Now that I think about it,” I said innocently, “Molly did mention that she was experiencing a really heavy time of the month.”
Arty sputtered. “E-excuse me?”
I nodded and smiled sweetly. “Oh, you know. Periods? She told me she was having really bad cramps and asked me if I had a Midol, but I didn’t, unfortunately. I normally always carry some just in case.”
Alistair cleared his throat, obviously unnerved by the subject matter. “Oh, that’s, uh…”
“Oh, sorry,” I said with a giggle. “It’s a girl thing. You wouldn’t understand.”
Art cleared his throat. “Well, um… If you remember anything, just let us know, alright?”
“For sure. Does this mean I’m free to go?”
“Yes,” Alistair said, still squirming in his seat. “Have a good day, dear. Thank you for your, er…time.”
I smiled as wide and chipperly as I could, leaving the office and returning to my cubicle. I knew talking about good old Aunt Flo would freak them out enough to let me go without further scrutiny.
I kept a low profile for the rest of the workday. It was probably the paranoia talking, but I could have sworn I was being watched on all sides bysomeone. Not just Arty, but my co-workers, too. Every move I made felt heavy. Judged. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bigger than myself was going on.
The portfolio I showed Molly… Did it have something to do with her disappearance?
I scrolled through my work pipeline and pulled up the files I’d been reviewing yesterday. My guts tied themselves into an impossible knot when I realized that the files were now password protected and impossible to access without the right clearance.
This was getting really freaky.
Had I stumbled onto something I shouldn’t have? Was Molly missing because of me? I had to get to the bottom of this, but not here under Blue Cloud Financial’s nose. I wondered if they had keystroke monitoring built into their computers. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. If I tried accessing the files now, would they know I was snooping around?
I couldn’t risk it.
I proceeded with caution, going about my regular tasks with the same level of care and attention I always used. I was already dangling above a pot of boiling water. Any deviation from the norm could land me right in the middle of it.
Arty was by no means a negligent floor supervisor, but I could have sworn he was hovering more than usual. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as he came and went from his office, strolling casually past us in our little cubicles.
He was lingering, I realized, whenever he reached my section of the office. I kept my eyes forward, making sure to look totally engrossed in my work. A gnawing paranoia ate away at the pit in my stomach.
The second it was time to clock out, I gathered my things and logged out of my computer. I held my breath and walked briskly, hurrying for the elevator. I didn’t stop to talk to anyone, leaving without a single see you laterlike usual.
Even when I exited the building, I couldn’t relax. Every fiber of my being was tense, threatening to snap. I trusted my gut, and right now, my gut was telling me I was still being watched.
I needed to get as far away from Blue Cloud Financial as I could. I needed to find Molly. I neededhelp. Fumbling for my phone, I called the only person I could think of. He answered on the fourth ring.
“Hey, Viv. What’s up?”
“Wally,” I gasped. “Wally, I think I’m in trouble and I need your help.”
Chapter 6