Page 27 of Control

“Well, I’m glad you find me so entertaining. Let’s hope you don’t get sick of me before I can get this done,” I teased.

He laughed and shook his head. “Not a chance.”

Something warm moved through me, and I was suddenly wondering if I’d ever want to go back to working on my own. This was nice.

“Here she is. Alana, this is Carl, the director of the center. Carl, this is Alana and…I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t catch your name.”

Ty lifted a hand and waved. “No problem at all. My name is Ty.”

She gave him a nod in response as I added, “Ty and I are working on this together.”

“It’s great to meet the both of you,” Carl said. “Nicole mentioned you’re working on a story about Annie.”

I dipped my chin. “Yes, sir, we are. What happened to her was just so tragic, and she deserves more than that. After everything Annie did in this community, Ty and I believe there needs to be something that celebrates her and the legacy she left. I think the community could really benefit from a positive story that showcases the brighter side of Annie’s life. If I can shine a light into this town after something so tragic, I’ll consider it a success, but if we can take it one step further and inspire people to be like Annie…” I inhaled deeply. “Well, sir, I think that’s the legacy Annie would want to leave.”

Carl held my gaze in silence for several long moments, and I was wondering if I’d taken it too far. But a few seconds later, henodded and said, “Nicole will buzz you through. I’d be happy to contribute to the story.”

Relief swept through me. “Thank you, sir.”

“Please, call me Carl.”

The next thing I knew, Ty and I had been buzzed through the door off to the left of the glass. After having us sign in and giving us sticky labels to affix to our shirts with our names on them, we were escorted through the space with Carl to a meeting room that wasn’t quite as large or fancy as the conference room at Harper Security Ops.

“That boot you’re wearing looks like a pain. Do you mind me asking what happened?”

“Not at all. It’s the result of a bad injury from a car accident, unfortunately,” I shared.

“Oh, wow. Sorry you’re going through that. My wife recently had surgery on her hand. She has a genetic issue that affects her thumb. And while she’s doing great now, the recovery time was terrible. The inability to use her thumb for a period of time was frustrating, to say the least.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. This gets a bit irritating, but I try to look on the bright side. I wasn’t hurt worse, and I can still walk.”

“That’s the right attitude. I apologize, I don’t have any drinks on hand. I wasn’t expecting anyone?—”

“It’s okay,” I insisted, cutting him off as I pulled out a notepad and a pen. “We’re just glad you were available to take some time to talk to us today.”

He nodded, a small smile on his face. “Yeah, well, Annie’s work was so crucial to this organization, so I kind of feel like I owe it to her.”

This was it.

The perfect opening, and time to dive in.

“Why don’t we start there?” I suggested. “What kind of work did Annie do specifically for this organization, and what has been the impact of that work?”

Carl let out a deep sigh, like he was remembering years upon years of good deeds and wondering how he’d ever be able to communicate all of them. “I’m not sure we have enough time to tell you about all of the work she did. It was everything from direct donations from her foundation to organizing and hosting events that brought in funds. Her biggest concern was making sure that boys and girls in the community were able to come here, regardless of their family’s financial status. She set up a scholarship program of sorts and personally covered the costs for several kids each year. I think the biggest thing she did, though, was set us up for success. Annie didn’t just dump a bunch of money on us and walk away. She got involved, got her hands dirty. She wanted to make sure that we had a way to be sustainable for years to come.”

I wrote down a few things as Carl spoke, wanting to look the part I was playing. “What about the kids?” I asked. “It’s clear she had an impact on the administrative side of things, but did she get involved with the children?”

Laughter spilled out of Carl. “Oh, I think the kids were her favorite part of it all. She never stopped in without spending time with the children. And they adored her. Like I said, she got her hands dirty, so it didn’t matter if they were playing a game of basketball or were in a dance battle. Whatever they were doing, Annie would happily join in.”

“She sounds like such an incredible woman,” I marveled. “Just hearing you talk about her makes me wish I had the opportunity to meet her.”

“It’s devastating what happened to her. It makes you wonder, though, doesn’t it? Who could ever do something so horrible to such a sweet woman?”

I wasn’t sure why, but I never prepared myself for this conversation. I wondered if someone like Carl bringing it up was a sign that he knew something about it and wanted to feel me out, or if he was genuinely devastated by her death.

“It’s heartbreaking to think someone could do that to anybody, but Annie was one of a kind,” I said. “There’s no question her loss is going to be felt for years to come.”

“I’ve been struggling to come up with the right words to tell the kids who look forward to seeing her occasionally,” he shared. “It’s not going to be easy to break that news to them.”

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