Page 57 of Craving You
“I can’t promise that I won’t break down.I am hardly hanging on here, so please be patient,” I say before taking a deep breath.“Yesterday, Tris left the office to get us lunch while we prepped for the all-staff meeting.The plan was for us to meet up with her after the meeting to eat… On her way back, she was abducted… By the time we got out of the meeting, she had been found dead.”
Gasps break out across the room, but it’s Matthew that catches my attention.Tears roll down his face and he looksguilty.
“I will give you all a little bit better of an explanation than the media was told, but I’m not going into detail,” I continue.“Tris was violently killed.She suffered and she did not deserve that… Tris was kind and incredibly smart.We’ve known her our entire lives and she meant the world to us… Her autopsy was completed last night, but her body won’t be released for a while.I am planning her service today and I want everyone to know that youareinvited.I know that she meant a lot to many of you.She was more than just a manager here.She lit up this building with her sarcasm and bright, bubbly nature… She absolutely loved working here and I know her presence will be sorely missed.Sam will be taking over her duties and helping us where needed… We will still be here because we still have a company to run… if anyone knows me, though, I hate delegating, and I would rather do everything myself, but I can’t.I can’t manage everything alone right now, so please go to Sam if you need anything.If it is absolutely detrimental, we will be here.”
“To the board members and our clients, please know that this is not going to affect anything.Everything will continue as planned.For right now, we are not replacing the COO position, but Sam seems to be sneaking his way into those duties, though.”
“Kinda bulldozing my way in,” Sam says with a smile.“Guys, despite what she has said, do not go to them.Come to me and I will handle everything and update them as needed.Cameron and Remington are a bit more compliant with this, but we all know Lorelei will not be… She is very much going to try to continue to run everything, but this is the time where we need to think about her as a person rather than our boss.Cameron and Remington know that I am making this… decision, if you will… next week, they will be traveling for a meeting in…”
“No location,” Andrea interrupting.
“Ah.Right.They won’t be in town for this meeting, so I don’t want anyone to worry if you don’t see them around the office… Cameron and Remington are going to try to keep her out of this office and work from home, but I think that’s a battle we will all lose,” Sam adds.
“I feel like I should be offended,” I say, and everyone smiles despite the tears.“I know that whenever bosses say that we are like a family, it’s usually bullshit, but you guys are my family.Many of you have been here since the very beginning and I can’t even begin to explain how thankful we are for you guys… Andrea?”
“We will be asking every biological male employee in this building to submit a DNA sample,” Andrea says.“This is not required, but I will be transparent and say that if you refuse, I will just get a warrant… Even despite having an alibi, Cameron and Remington have submitted DNA.We can obviously rule most of you out based on camera footage during the meeting, but not everyone.This is not to say that someone here is guilty because I don’t think it’s anyone in this building, but I do want to do the due diligence of checking… I will be here with a few officers to collect through today.”
“I will send everyone an email with the memorial information for Tris later today,” I say.“I will make sure that it is outside of normal work hours, for obvious reasons.I know this is a hard hit for everyone, so please just do your best.If you need support, I highly encourage you to reach out to us, but we will also have numbers available for you all to talk to counselors if needed.”
“Do you have any questions?”Cam asks.
“How… How did she die?”a girl asks.I look at Andrea and she speaks up.
“Tris was sexually assaulted,” Andrea says.“This violent attack caused life-threatening injuries that resulted in massive blood loss.”
“Oh my God,” Leann says through tears.“Is Lorelei at risk?Is this related to…”
“Lorelei, Cameron, and Remington have around the clock guard.They will never be alone, so no one has to worry about their safety,” Andrea says vaguely.
“I’m going to come with you all to the funeral home,” Ross says quietly, and I nod.
“Try to have a good day, everyone,” I say.
“I am going to have lunch catered so no one has to leave for lunch,” Cameron says.“We will also be hiring security, so expect some changes to occur over the next week.”
As everyone leaves, Matthew hangs back.“Hey, Matthew,” I say.“Are you okay?”
“I feel responsible,” he sniffs.“If I hadn’t…”
“It was bound to happen to someone,” I say.“It’s not your fault.”
“I am so sorry, guys.Truly.I didn’t mean…”
“You didn’t kill her, Matthew,” I say.“You were in this building when she was taken.”
“I’ll still submit DNA,” he says.
“Just for the sake of reports, we do need to sit down tomorrow and talk,” Andrea says.
“Uh.Okay,” he says.“I need to go work on this audit still, I guess…”
“Try to have a good day, Matthew,” I say.“Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
Matthew nods and walks away, and I sigh.“Think he had anything to do with it?”Cam asks Andrea.
“No, but I think he knows something,” she says honestly.“Let me handle it… I’m serious.”
“We have enough to worry about than waterboarding poor Matthew for answers,” I say.
