Page 119 of Hale Yes
“Okaaaay,” I draw out, turning to the next sheet of paper as my father begins to pace. That’s when my blood runs cold. “What the fuck is this?”
He stops his pacing and jabs a finger onto the paper. “That,” he snaps, “is a patent application that was just filed today by Aquarius Cosmetics in New York.”
“But… no.” Dread seeps into my system, and I shake my head back and forth like I’m trying to shake the idea of this from my brain. “How did they get hold of our formula?”
“That’s what the hell I’d like to know,” Dad roars, bracing himself with both hands on the desk. He doesn’t look well, and I don’t blame him. I feel pretty shitty myself.
Rounding my desk, I take my father by the arm and guide him into one of the leather chairs across from my desk. “Just calm down,” I tell him. “Let me get you some water.”
“I don’t need fucking water. I need to know how Aquarius Cosmetics got our goddamn formula.” Despite his protests, he accepts the bottle I hand him from the small fridge in my office. “There’s been a leak.”
“Obviously,” I fume, resting my butt on the edge of the desk so I can grab Dad if he topples over. “Have you told anyone about this?”
He guzzles half the bottle and wipes the back of his hand across his mouth. “Not about that.” He waves his hand at the offending paperwork, a look of disgust pinching his face into a grimace. “As we agreed, we’ve leaked rumors of a groundbreaking new fragrance. You know, just to get some excitement generated in the industry.”
“But you didn’t release the actual formula.” I state it rather than ask it because I already know. He and I worked with Phoenix on the exact wording of the rumors.
Dad just stares at me like I’m insane for even entertaining such an idea. “I would never release an actual formula. That would be pure ignorance, and I didn’t get into my position by being ignorant. Who else knows this information?”
“I do, of course, and Nicolette. We produced small batches of it ourselves for testing purposes so not even the production line has seen it. We’ve kept it top secret, and other than the copy we gave to you, all our paperwork stays locked in my safe.”
My father nods and takes another drink. “Dammit, I need something stronger than this.”
“Me too,” I mutter, digging around in the cabinet along the far wall and coming up with a dusty bottle of bourbon Remi gave to me last year. I used to drink a small glass when I was working late to take the edge off, but I haven’t touched it in months. Nicolette has been taking care of my edges.
I pour us each a healthy portion into two coffee mugs. My father would normally complain that it’s a crime to pour fine bourbon into simple mugs, but he doesn’t utter a word, simply taking a long sip. I do the same, feeling the warm burn down my throat.
“First of all, let me check this against the one in the safe,” I say, rapping a knuckle against the patent application. It’s kind of silly to do because I could reproduce this formula in my sleep, but I’ll feel better if I can lay them side by side and compare every single element listed.
When I open the safe, the envelope that should be right on top is gone. I feel like I’m going to puke. I rummage through the meager contents, certain my eyes must be missing the hundreds of pages of notes and test results.
“It’s not here,” I finally croak out.
“Okay,” he puffs out on a long sigh. “Who has access to your safe?”
“Phoenix knows my password,” I say before remembering something. “Oh, and Nicolette.” My father’s eyes widen, and I shake my head. “She’s very cautious, Dad, and she would never remove the formula and just leave it lying around where anyone could find it. She’s not stupid.”
“I know that, son, but we need to talk to her and Phoenix to see if there was some kind of inadvertent… whatever. I don’t even know.” He drains his drink, and I do the same.
“Nicolette is out of the office today for a doctor’s appointment, but let’s head over and talk to Phoenix. I’ll tell him to meet us in your office.”
“I have no clue,” my twin says, looking as disturbed as Dad and I feel. “I know the password because you told me years ago, but I’ve never even opened your safe.”
“Dammit to hell,” I curse, checking the time. “Nicolette’s appointment time is happening right now. She’s going to freak the hell out when I tell her about this.”
“When was the last time you saw the envelope?” Phoenix asks.
Running my fingers through my hair, I reply, “Day before yesterday at the end of the day. It was in the safe.”
“You’re sure?” Dad asks, and I frown at him, though this isn’t his fault. We already checked, and his copy of the paperwork was sitting securely in his office safe. Only my and Nicolette’s copy is missing, obviously stolen.
“I’m positive. Let’s get over to security and have them check the cameras from the past two nights.” A sense of unease settles heavily on my shoulders as we take the skybridge over to the main building.
Bernadette Starrett is our head of security. A former officer in the United States Army, she’s no-nonsense down to her core. As soon as she sees the CEO and his two sons being let into the security room, she knows something is up and marches from her office to greet us.
After filling her in, we’re invited into the control room, where a wall of screens shows views of the executive office building and the laboratory building. Bernadette is stone-faced. She knows this is serious.
Three hours later, we’ve found jack shit. Bernadette has fast-forwarded through all the camera feeds in the lab building, finding not one hint of a person in the hallways the past two nights. Isla was the last person to leave yesterday, which isn’t unusual. She often stays to catch up on emails once everyone is gone for the day. Her office is down the hall from mine, and she never even approached that end of the hallway.
