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Carla busied herself straightening a stack of postcards telling about an upcoming guild show.
"I could cook di
"What?” Harriet asked, not hearing her clearly.
Carla looked up.
"Could you come to di
"I think that would be delightful,” Harriet said with an encouraging smile.
She left the store, heading for her car. Going home wasn't an appealing option right now, with the Willis family reunion going on, so she pointed her car toward Foggy Point Fire Protection. Like Gerry, Carlton had been a newly minted college graduate who had just joined the company twenty years ago. Now he owned the company-if anyone had answers, Carlton would.
She pulled into the visitors section of the parking lot and was relieved that the other spaces were empty.
"Hey, Ly
"Oh, hi, Harriet. Do you need to see Carlton?” Ly
"Yes, I'd like to see Carlton, if he's in and no, I haven't found Mr. Jansen yet. By the way, has anyone else come by asking about my mystery man?"
"No, you're the only one's who's looked in those books in years. The way the economy's been, we haven't hired anyone in ages, so we haven't even added any new pictures."
"And you're sure no one else has asked to see the pictures or asked about anyone who used to work here?"
"Trust me. I'm here every day, eight to five. And on the rare occasion I leave my desk for lunch, I put the phones on automatic and lock the office. If someone called or came in, I'd know it."
"Okay, well, thanks,” Harriet said, and Ly
"He'll be right out,” she said.
Her phone rang, and she became engrossed with a customer placing a sizable order, or at least that's what it sounded like on Ly
"Harriet,” Carlton boomed a few minutes later as he entered from the hallway. “Come in.” He held his arm out, gesturing for her to precede him back into the hallway. “What's up?” he asked.
Another man might have asked “How can I help you?” but it wasn't in Carlton 's nature to think of others.
"Are you making a new product?” she asked him when they were both seated in his office, him behind and her in front of his desk.
"Well,” he said, and stopped twirling the pencil he'd been toying with. “Why do you ask?"
Good question, Harriet thought. “I heard someone say they thought you were going to start a new product line, and I wondered if that meant you would be hiring. I know someone who's looking for work.” It sounded lame even to her, but Carlton didn't seem to notice.
" Carlton, baby, let's get out of here,” Bebe said as she sauntered into the office. She was wearing a pale-pink tube top and dark blue denim skirt that was almost conservative, falling only six inches above her ta
"I didn't think they were open for lunch,” Harriet said.
"Oh, hi, Harriet,” Bebe said. “They aren't open to the public till four, but they're opening early for us.” She looked at the pink-faced, gold Juicy Couture charm watch on her left wrist. “Say bye, Carlton, we gotta go."
Carlton got up and grabbed his linen sport coat then plucked his car keys from a ceramic ashtray on his desk.
"Sorry, Harriet, I've got to run,” he said, and left through a back door to the outside.
"Don't worry, I'll show myself out,” Harriet said but didn't move. As long as she was here, she might as well have a look around.
She stood and glanced through the open door. Ly
The next folder contained his credit card bill and a stack of receipts that looked like they matched the charges. The third folder was the information she'd asked him for-a list of projects Gerald had worked on. She wasn't sure how it was going to help, but she took the list from the folder, folded it in half and tucked it into her sling.
A quick glance through the remaining files and papers revealed more of the same-busy work. The company managers obviously gave Carlton just enough to keep him busy the few hours he was in the office but kept him far away from the actual ru
After another quick check into the hallway, she returned to Carlton 's desk and tried the drawers. They were locked, all of them. She yanked on the handle of what should be a file drawer. Not only was the drawer locked but it appeared to have more than the usual flimsy device that was standard issue on most office furniture.
Carlton 's bookshelves held a few titles on business subjects that appeared to have never had their spines cracked. The rest of the shelves were filled with framed pictures of Carlton and his parents, Carlton and Bebe, and Bebe standing by an array of pink cars and boats, wearing an assortment of pink nautical outfits.
Harriet took one last look around the office then stepped quietly into the hallway and left through the same back door Carlton and Bebe had used twenty minutes earlier.
Aiden was standing on the porch to the vet hospital stretching his arms over his head then reaching down and touching his toes when Harriet drove past. She pulled into the next driveway she came to and turned around.
"Did you finish your surgeries?” she asked when she'd parked and gotten out of her car. He met her on the sidewalk.
"Yeah, I just finished. Do you have time for a cup of coffee?"
"Sure,” she said. “I wanted to ask you something anyway."
"Let me tell them where I'm going,” he said with a nod back toward the clinic.
"I'll drive,” he said when he'd returned. “I can't believe you're safe tooling around with that thing on your arm."
"Lucky for me there's no traffic to speak of this time of day."
He helped her into the car and then drove them the dozen blocks to A
"What are you staring at?” he asked when he came back and sat down opposite her at the dark wood table.
"I was just noting how well your scrubs fit,” she admitted.
"You do know what we wear under these, don't you?"
"You're going to make me blush if you keep talking like that."
Aiden twined his fingers in hers. “Is that a bad thing?” he said with a roguish smile.
She was saved from answering by the arrival of their drinks-Aiden's cafe Americano her tamer hot cocoa.