#10 Ivy
1883 Words
I sat heavily on to the chair and rubbed my forehead. The pounding had intensified, and I still had two more hours before I could leave. It didn’t help that the detective would be here in fifteen minutes and I had no energy to face him or work. A first time this had ever happened to me but I couldn’t just sit here doing nothing.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, praying it would ease the throbbing in my head. My fault, I used more energy than I realised, and I was paying the price. Of course, lack of sleep and not eating anything since yesterday evening hadn’t help.
Unbidden Ethan’s face came to mind, making my stomach do somersaults, yet I didn’t want to dig deep to find out why. His eyes were more bottle green compared to Merek’s emerald green eyes, making them pop against his tanned smooth skin. His hair, I realised, was a darker shade of brown and not black like I first thought.
I shook my head to get rid of his image, then regretted it as a sharp pain pierced my left temple. Massaging my forehead, I tried to relax my facial muscles. It was not long before Tonia and her threat invaded my mind, shoving whatever I felt for Ethan to one side. When Tonia wanted something, she got it no matter who she trod on in the processes. The thought of her taking custody of Nathaniel stressed me out more than what Merek had done to me. I should’ve known he would betray me and deep down I did. He was no different from everyone else who I had the misfortune to meet. Yet, I wanted to believe otherwise.
I leaned back onto the chair as it hit me why I wanted to believe he was different. I was lonely. I had no friends except for Jen but we hardly talked to each other since we were both busy. I wasn’t close to my dad, his fault, not mine. I had no siblings except Nathaniel, but that might not be so if what Tonia said was true. And to top it all off, I hated all three of my stepmothers, since they treated me like crap.
Only Nathaniel loved me unconditionally. He didn’t care what I could give him, if I were pretty or not or whether I was fat or skinny. He loved me for me. Not even dad showed me the amount of affection Nathaniel did. I wondered sometimes if he even cared, but I didn’t dare ask, fearing what the answer might be.
I couldn’t leave things as they were but before I could contemplate talking to a lawyer, I had to verify Tonia’s claim. I wouldn’t past her to lie to get what she wanted.
Sitting forward, I faced the computer and googled paternity testing. Unfortunately, what I found out did not help me. It turned out that consent must be taken from all parties involved.
Trying to imagine Tonia giving permission is like trying to imagine living without a mobile phone.
This did not deter me, I kept on digging until I found a company that would do it without the mother’s consent. It was more expensive, and it had to be processed somewhere in Europe and not in England. Neither of these things bothered me, it just meant I had to wait a little longer to get the results.
I hoped Tonia wouldn’t do anything before then.
I ordered a kit and searched about custody battles.
“Ivy.”
My head snapped up at Sonia’s interruption. How I wished Mary was here, she would have knocked first before entering. Sonia knew this but didn’t bother following it.
She stood in a pose as if ready for a photoshoot. “A detective is here to see you.”
He must be a handsome guy otherwise she wouldn’t bother making sure all her assets were seen at their best advantage.
“A Private detective.” A deep voice corrected. “I made an appointment with your sectary yesterday.” He walked from behind Sonia and stood next to her. They were of similar height. Sonia was a tall woman, she even towered over certain men. Ethan and a few others were the exception.
The detective had unblemished nutmeg brown skin which enclosed a well-structured face, from which onyx eyes gazed at me with curiosity. His broad shoulders and thin waist were shown off by a well fitted white shirt and tie that wrapped around his muscular neck.
I was right in thinking he was handsome yet he ignored Sonia as if she did not exist.
“Yes, I’ve been expecting you.” I stood up and walked around to the front of the desk. “Please take a seat.”
He took two long strides and sat down.
“Thank you, Sonia, that will be all.”
“Maybe Mr….” Sonia paused, waiting for the man to answer the unspoken question.
“Peter Sinclair,” he answered, without facing her.
“Would like coffee or tea.” She carried on, ignoring the way he spoke to her.
“No thank you.”
“Are yo-“
“That’ll be all,” I interrupted. “I’ll let you know if we need anything, Sonia.”
“Howl if you need me.” With that, she swayed her hip out the door which was wasted since I was the only one who witnessed it.
Not if I had anything to do with it. I am just glad he didn’t want any refreshment.
When I heard the click of the door closing, I sat back down, ready for battle. “How can I help you, Mr Sinclair?”
“I am here to ask you a few questions on one of your ex-employees.”
He took a notebook from his trouser pocket and flicked through it. “A Mr David Miller…… I believe he worked here for…… one year.”
“Nine months,” I corrected.
“As you know he passed away.” He carried on, ignoring my interruption. “The family did not believe he died of natural causes, so they had his body exhumed. And it turns out, they were right.”
I furrowed my brow. “But he died more than a year ago. Why now?”
“They didn’t have the funds until recently.”
“What has it got to do with me?”
“I believe he was under your employment when he passed away.”
Is he accusing me? “No, he died a few weeks after I fired him. But you already knew this.” He didn’t bother answering, he just gazed at me, as if I might give something away. He could look all he wanted, I had nothing to hide. “You also know why I fired him.”
His lips lifted slightly. He reminded me of Merek and for that I disliked him. Not fair I know but I couldn’t help it.
“Forgive me if I sound ignorant but why was he selling information about your company? You are nothing compared to the big boys.”
I gave him my drop-dead smile. Whether he read it that way was another matter. “That’s what I thought at the time.”
“How did you find out he was selling information and do you know what data he leaked?”
“I didn’t, my secretary Mary did….” I made him wait for a few seconds before carrying on. “By complete accident.”
“How did she find out,” he persisted.
“She overheard him talking to someone over the phone. He used that……. Office.” Pointing to the room that Ethan was using.
Crap. I had forgotten all about him. I dropped my arm. How much had he heard?
The detective glanced at where I was pointing to. “He did not hear her come in?” He asked in disbelief. “Her shoes would have made some noise on the tiled floor, just like Sonia’s did.”
A perceptive man. Great. It shouldn’t have surprised me, he’s a detective after all.
“Mary doesn’t wear shoes unless a client is here. David knew this.”
“So, based on what was overheard, you fired him.” He tapped his finger on the small notepad. He had not opened it to take notes or look at it after the first time. Has he got a good memory?
“I am many things, Mr Sinclair, but stupidity isn’t one of them. I hired someone to check out the allegation. Unfortunately, what Mary overheard turned out to be correct. He was selling clients emails. After I fired him, which was done legally and my lawyer can vouch for this, I informed all the clients whose data had been breached.”
“You must have lost a lot of clients. It must have peeved you off. All that hard work and here someone you trusted came and ruined it for you.”
It seemed I was a suspect. Great. As if the day couldn’t get any better.
“I didn’t kill him, Mr Sinclair. If I wanted revenge, I would have made sure he never got another job. Death is too easy, however suffering in this life for his crime is more fitting.”
“So, you don’t deny you hated him?”
Maybe I should get a lawyer. He might end up twisting what I say.
“I am not a saint, Mr Sinclair.” He gave me a heart stopping smile. Alex, it turned out had a competitor. I smiled at the thought and lost it just as quickly when the detective raised his eyebrow. He might remind me of Merek when he smiled, yet he acted differently when he wanted information. This, ironically, made me feel more at ease, but it didn’t mean I trusted him. “I didn’t kill him.”
His gaze was unnerving I decided to move things along with a question of my own. “How did he die?”
“Overdose.” He didn’t elaborate.
“I don’t know how I can help. I had no problem with David.” Thinking it best to give him an idea of our relationship before it went sour. “He was a good worker, came on time and even stayed over hours. Was friendly with the females without getting involved-“
“Not even Sonia?” So, he had formed an idea about her. Was that why he ignored her?
“He’s the first that I have met that could handle Sonia. And before you ask, I have no idea how he did it and I don’t want to know.” I leaned back trying to release the tension in my shoulders. “He acted professionally with the other employee’s and those who came through the door. When I got the evidence of his misconduct, I didn’t believe it, I couldn’t understand why he did it.”
I put my hand up to stop him from asking any more questions. “And yes, I asked him why. He was getting a good wage. More than he would have got for selling the clients detail. I got the feeling he did it for another reason and not the money but when I asked, he just shrugged his shoulder. I never saw him after I fired him.”
He stood up and shoved the notebook in his pocket then from his other pocket took out a small card and put it on the table. “I don’t want to wear out my welcome so I’ll take my leave. Maybe after I finish this investigation, you can have coffee with me.”
My mouth dropped open. It took me a few seconds to answer him back. “Does that mean you think I’m innocent?”
“Nope.” Still smiling he walked to the door and opened it. Before he stepped out he turned back to me. “Should you remember anything give me a call.” He bowed his head slightly, gave me one of his kilowatt smile that had my treacherous heart miss a beat then left.
- Writer
