Page 56 of Grump and Grumpier

Jansen’s fists are balled at his side as he processes this. Then he seems to make up his mind and starts for the door. “Gonna go find out,” he growls.

“No, don’t go!” Ana runs after him and snags his arm before he reaches the door. “You shouldn’t confront him. There’s a chance he told someone else about us, or a chance that someone else saw us.”

It’s likely she doesn’t want to see Jansen getarrested for assault, and I’m glad one of us has a clear head.

“Then what do we do?”

“We could bait a trap,” Ana says, her eyes brightening. “We could feed him specific information, and if he parrots it back to you, then you’ll know for sure it’s him.”

“How would we do that?”

“I could do it. Neither of you can, of course—that wouldn’t make any sense. I could tell him something, or let him overhear something…”

Jansen shakes his head, his fists still tight. “I don’t want you involved, Ana.”

“Why? Nothing’s going to happen to me, and I already am involved.”

Ana has to push before Jansen gets on board, and together, the three of us work out a plan we’re all comfortable with. Ana will be here at the office, dropping false information as part of her workday. We’ll be right here if she needs us.

“If it is him, I can’t believe he’d be so fucking stupid as to mention you to us,” I comment near the end of our talks.

She shrugs and shakes her head. “I guess not all criminals are masterminds.”

CHAPTER 43

ANA

Right before the end of the day, I call Jackie into my office and close the door. “I have a favor I need to ask.”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I need you to call Charles right before you head home. Tell him your computer’s been acting glitchy and you’d like him to run virus scans and do some other maintenance on it. Tell him it needs to be done this evening because you have to run payroll tomorrow.”

“Okay… Why?”

“I can fill you in soon. Are you up for it?”

“Sure. No problem. My computer could probably benefit from some preventive maintenance, anyway.”

We talk for a few minutes, and then Jackie leaves. Ten minutes later, she walks by with her bag in hand, giving me a little wave and salute, and almost fifteenminutes after that, Charles walks by my open door, headed toward Jackie’s desk.

I wait a couple of minutes, then text Derek. A moment later, my phone rings. Typically, it’s in silent mode at the office, but the volume is up high now, and I let it ring three times before I answer.

“Hello?” I say in a cheery tone. After the greeting, I lower my voice to sound like I’m aiming to keep my conversation confidential, but I’m careful to still speak loudly enough to be overheard outside of my office. It helps that the majority of the staff have gone home, so the office is much quieter than it would usually be.

“Hi, thanks for calling me back so quickly. I really appreciate it. …Yeah, so you know my current position is temporary, and it’s a good thing, because I just found out the company’s about to be acquired by a huge national brand. …Yeah … Yeah, that one.”

On the other end of the line, Derek doesn’t say anything, but I swear I hear him snarl when I pause where my pretend HR contact would be speaking. I’m sure this fake scenario that I’m selling isn’t a pleasant one for him to imagine. Being bought out by a behemoth coffee corporation could be very lucrative for him and Jansen, if any of this were true, but I bet they would feel like they were selling their soul to the devil.

“… No, it’s not a done deal yet, so you can’t say anything, but it’s very close to happening, as long as everything goes smoothly. … Yeah, that’s why I called you. Can you put feelers out, because I don’t want to wait around here until they start cutting people. … Yeah, I’m sure Starlight’s going to bring their own HR people in to decide what to do with everyone. …Yeah …Okay … Thanks, Jen, and let me know if you hear of any opportunities. …Okay, thanks. … Bye.”

After I click off the call, I gather my things. When I leave my office, I glance in Charles’s direction and pretend to be startled when I see him in Jackie’s workspace. Then I bend my head in a guilty posture and scurry off toward the elevator.

The next day is nerve wracking, as we wait to see if the bait will be taken. I check in with Derek and Jansen throughout the day, but it’s not until after five that they hear from the blackmailer again, and he’s threatening to ruin the acquisition plans.

There’s a strange mix of both satisfaction and disillusionment on their faces. It must be incredibly unsettling to know that your most trusted employee would turn on you.

Derek and Jansen call me with an update later in the evening, telling me they met with the investigators,who will petition for a warrant. I also learn that Derek searched Charles’s desk, which is company property, and found a lot of creepy scribblings in a notebook he didn’t even bother to put under lock and key.

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