Page 28 of Isolated
That had to hurt.
I could recall just how excited she had been about the promotion. From what I’d learned about Iris over the course of just shy of two years that we’d been working out in the mornings together, she loved her job, and I didn’t think she’d do anything to jeopardize it. Like any decent private investigator, I pushed for more information. “I’m so sorry to hear that. What exactly prompted your boss to urge you to take a few days off?”
Iris swiped at a tear that had escaped and rolled down her cheek. “His name is Robert. He called me into his office this morning and asked if there was something going on in my personal life. He’s never asked me anything like that before, so I was shocked by the question. But I insisted everything was fine.”
“Is it?”
She shrugged. “Mostly. I mean, there are little things that have been bugging me lately, but it’s nothing that would impact my ability to do my job.”
“Right. Okay. So, what did Robert say when you told him there was nothing to worry about? Did he specify why he was concerned?”
Iris swallowed roughly. “Well, I already had a sneaking suspicion about it, given all the weird stuff that was happening lately, but he didn’t hesitate to finally share. Like I said, I had accidentally missed a meeting a couple of weeks ago. Another boss of mine, Bryan, is the chief marketing officer. There had been a meeting scheduled for two o’clock one afternoon, but apparently, everyone else got the email about the meeting being moved up to earlier in the day. I never received that email, and of course, I went to him to say as much when I learned about it. I guess there was some technical glitch, because he did show me that he’d sent the email to me as well as everyone else. Anyway, from there, things spiraled. They’ve hired a consultant to help with efficiency, and the consultant started interviewing everyone. Now, I’m getting dirty looks everywhere I turn.” She swallowed roughly, shaking her head. “If I can offer a word of advice, don’t hope to get a promotion while everyone else’s jobs are on the line. Even if you knew nothing about it, I can assure you that people won’t believe you.”
My brows knit together. While I understood why Iris was feeling frustrated, I still didn’t understand what led her here. “Did you do something to anyone who was upset about your promotion?”
“What? No.”
“Well, I guess I don’t understand what’s led to you feeling like your promotion is on the line,” I explained.
“That’s because I only told you what happened at the start of this.”
“There’s more?”
She sighed. “I’m afraid so. Evidently, a client had calledexpressing some dissatisfaction with a campaign I’d worked on. There was also a deadline that got moved up, which I missed, because I hadn’t been made aware of the change.”
“Were attempts made to notify you of the deadline?”
“Apparently, but I never received the notification. My calendar still shows the original deadline, and since we’re on a company-wide software program, if the date got switched, it should have been updated on my calendar.”
Perhaps there was something going on with her computer or email system. “If you’d like, I’d be happy to look into what might be causing you not to get these emails or scheduling updates.”
She sat up straighter, the look of surprise plain as day. “You can do that?”
“You know that I’m a private investigator, right?”
“Yes, but I thought you got hired by people who wanted you to find out if their spouses were cheating on them,” she confessed.
A chuckle escaped. I knew this wasn’t exactly the time to be laughing, but I couldn’t help it. Without trying, even during a dark moment for her, Iris could bring a smile to my face. “I do a little bit more than catch cheating spouses. In fact, it’s rare I’m ever working on a case like that.”
“Oh, wow. I… I didn’t know. Do you really think there might be something you can find that’ll explain why I haven’t received some important emails lately or why my calendar didn’t update?”
“I don’t want to make you promises, but I can certainly look into it for you.”
Some tension seemed to ease out of her body, hershoulders dropping. “Landen, that would be… I’d owe you everything, if you could figure that out.”
I offered to be a good friend to Iris before I understood the extent of her problem. Though I had no intention of holding her to some sort of repayment, I couldn’t say I wouldn’t love to see how she’d show her appreciation.
“Do you have it with you?”
“What?”
“I assume you work on a laptop. It’s not with you, is it?”
Understanding dawned. “No. Unfortunately, I left it at home. I didn’t come here with the intention of having you work on anything for me. I was merely looking to have someone to talk to.”
This was my opportunity, the one shot I’d wanted for as long as I could remember. I wouldn’t prey on her vulnerability, but Iris clearly needed somebody to talk to right now. I was going to be that man for her.
“It is lunchtime, you know?”
