Page 44 of Before the Night Falls
He stopped just short of his door and turned to his assistant. “Sheri, has anyone been in my office today besides Ms. Montgomery and myself?”
Sheri shook her head. “No one I can remember, Mr. Stone.”
“Have you left your desk for any amount of time?”
“I’ve been to the bathroom once, and I went to lunch for about forty-five minutes.” A look of confusion crossed her face. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Not at all. Thank you, Sheri.”
Tyson opened his office door and ushered Olivia inside before shutting the door again. “Let’s take a look at those roses.”
He walked to the other side of his desk, reached down, and grabbed them.
Olivia cringed at the sight of them. The bad memories that came with them were nearly unbearable.
“How would someone know that you were going to come here today?” Tyson asked. “Did you mention it to anyone?”
Olivia shook her head, having already thought of that question herself. “I have no idea how someone found out. It was a last-minute decision to stop by. I only mentioned it to . . . Hobbes.”
“Hobbes? He wouldn’t have done this.”
She wanted to mention he’d lived in New York. But she didn’t. She knew she’d only sound paranoid.
“And why would someone leave these roses under my desk?” Tyson continued, appearing truly perplexed.
“I don’t know that either. It’s . . . weird.”
Olivia had so many questions, so many things that didn’t make sense.
But was it even possible to make sense of this situation?
She didn’t think so.
* * *
Tyson frowned and picked up his phone. He called the building receptionist, putting her on speaker.
“Erma, did I have any deliveries today—for flowers in particular?”
“No, sir.”
“Any unusual visitors?”
She thought about it a moment. “No one out of the ordinary. UPS came. One of your reps from California stopped by.”
“That’s it?”
“The custodian was here, but he wasn’t a visitor,” Erma said.
Tyson bristled. “The cleaning crew usually comes at night.”
“He said you called and requested a daytime cleaning today.”
His spine tightened even more. “Gerald said that specifically?”
“No, it wasn’t Gerald. It was another man from his company. I didn’t recognize him, but he was wearing the same uniform. But, yes, he did say that.” Erma paused. “Is something wrong?”
Tyson and Olivia looked at each other.
