Page 28 of I Need You to Read This
“He works at the building across from theHerald,” Alex says quietly, already wishing she hadn’t told them. “We met at the coffee shop across the street. He was working late too.”
“A banker?” Janice scrunches up her nose. “I never liked those finance types. You think they’re just boring but they’re actually depraved.”
“Who’s paranoid now?” Raymond coughs. As usual, his T-shirt is covered with toast crumbs. “Nothing wrong with having a nice normal job.”
Alex leans over the counter, blocking them from starting one of their arguments. “Yeah, he works at Excelsior Bank, but I get the feeling he doesn’t like it. He did tell me something interesting about Howard Demetri though. Something potentially damaging.”
“Oh, really?” Raymond says. Both of them bend toward her to hear.
“What did you find out?” Janice asks.
A man far down the counter waves a hand at Janice. “Hey! Are you going to take our order?”
She returns his request with a look of death. “I said I’ll be right there. So how does he know Howard?”
“Well, he doesn’t. Not really. But his office is right across from Howard’s office and apparently he’s seen Howard in there when he’s working late.”
“So the man works hard? That’s to be admired,” Raymond says.
“Withsomeone,” Alex says meaningfully.
“And?” Raymond is not getting the hint.
“I think she means the man is having sex in his office, Ray,” Janice hisses loudly enough for the rest of the diner to tune in. Raymond’s toast stops halfway to his mouth.
“Yes, he says he saw Howard and a woman on his desk. And it wasn’t just once.”
“Very interesting. Did he see who the woman was?”
“No, he couldn’t see her very well. But I don’t think it was Regina—Howard’s wife.”
“So, he’s having an affair. That’s a very interesting development. Maybe you could get your friend to stay late again, and he could find out who it is. We could stake out the place—”
“No, absolutely not, Ray. I am not involving Tom.”
“Oh, his name is Tommmm.” Janice’s eyebrows waggle.
“Just because your new boyfriend saw something by accident doesn’t mean he isn’t involved now. He can be helpful to us, Alexis.” Raymond pushes his plate to the edge of the counter. “More toast please, Janice.”
“Wait, what did you just say?” Alex asks, her heart suddenly thumping.
“More toast?” Raymond looks confused.
“No, before that.” Something laps at the edge of Alex’s brain.
“He stumbled on someone having sex by accident?” Raymond asks, still confused.
“Yes, exactly,” Alex says, thinking of the indentation on Howard’s ring finger and the angry late-night phone call she’d overheard. The thought fills her with anxiety. Maybe it wasn’t some disgruntled recipient of one of her columns who killed Francis Keen after all. Could she have seen something at the office, something she wasn’t supposed to?
“What if Francis stayed late in the office one night, reading through those stacks of letters…?” Alex begins.
“And somehow stumbled upon Howard having an affair,” Janice finishes, tapping her pen against her chin.
“Exactly.”
“Then we’d have a motive,” Raymond says. “Can you even believeit? Maybe the main suspect has been sitting up there this whole time in the editor in chief’s office.” His voice rises with excitement.
“All you need to do is find proof,” Janice says. “You need an ally, someone who’s been there for a while who can give you more evidence.”
