Find It Inc.

Chapter 16

So… Frankie has finished her job but is going to chill at the mansion for a bit before she goes back to the office. Everyone thinks she is still doing the job and looking for the treasure. Caz has not even started hers yet since T forgot to tell them (Boss J and Boss K) to tell her (Caz) to start. But, I am not going to talk about Caz’s adventure just yet… instead I want to guide your attention to… Jo. Yes, Jo.

As you may remember Jo went to ‘SoilCoal’ to see what is going on with the books and why the numbers do not add up plus to figure out where the money is going. She has been undercover as an employee (with only the boss, Darryl, knowing her main purpose and the others being clueless or if they do know they are too wrapped up in their work to care… it is most likely the former now that I think of it) for a few days and has managed to weave around the office space getting to know her “colleagues” but…

Since she has “joined” the company, people have been dropping like mosquitoes with the aid of bug spray in the hands of a vicious mother. Of course, everyone blames Jo; since she is the new girl and that would make the most sense but Darryl confirms that she is not a murderer and that it could just be poor timing, which it is but people like to tell stories.

One day Jo was sitting at her office desk going through the papers (again) but keeping her ears open in case someone somewhere gave something away at some time. This did not happen and she was beginning to lose hope. Jo pushed her chair back and stood up at her desk (to stretch); she placed her hands on the top of the desk and stared into it. Her whole body was heavy with frustration while her mind was burdensome with doubt.

“Sup Jo” said a voice from the side of her (there are only two sides of her so not too much of a choice). Jo lifted her head and looked to the side to sees no one. She looked to the other side and sees no one. She tilted her head down and then saw someone, Richard the elf-looking dwarf. It was okay to call him that since he calls himself that and he would joke about going to Santa’s workshop to earn some extra money. He is a charming fellow but a suspect none-the-less. Everyone is a suspect even Jo is beginning to think she is one.

“Hey Richard, what’s up?” replied Jo, as she takes a seat at her desk.

“I see you are frustrated, anything I can help with? I know this job can be heavy. Not because you’re a woman but… because you’re new… yeah”

“Thanks Richard but I can handle it. If I need help I’ll call you.”

“Cool, cool, I’ll be waiting. I mean working and waiting. I’m going to be over there.” Richard points to his desk but still stands at Jo’s for a bit longer. He nods and makes his way to his seat in a somewhat awkward manner. Jo was amused by this and thought that having someone who knows better than her to help her out before another body drops. Boofff, another body dropped. Everyone gets up for their desks and rush to where they think the sound came from. They went into one of the storage rooms (there are many for some reason) and saw a dead body. It was Cindy the vulture-like looking, who had kind eyes, receptionist. This has gone too far (I mean you guys met her once but Jo has met her every day and usually the very first person she would see as she enters the building.).

They found her body in a small storage room with is filled to the ceiling which white papers. Cindy’s body was in the center of the room and there was bloods splatter across the sheets of paper as if someone killed her with a quick swing of a knife. She was lying face down in a pool of her blood and there is an open wound on the back of her neck. Jo judges that the murdering attacker came from behind and that they were silent because Cindy did not scream or anything. She would have if she knew there was a crazy knife welding person in a tiny room with her.

Richard kneed down to close her eyes and there was a moment of silence. When the moment passes everyone turned their heads to glance at Jo. Jo’s eyes were looking down at Cindy’s lifeless body. Jo was in shook so there were no tears in her eyes while there were tears in some other people’s eyes. Darryl managed to make his way to the front of the crowd and told them to go back to their desk (or if they are not feeling up to it, to go home.). He also informed them that the police (not that they do too much with these cases due to the random nature of them) as well as the ambulance were on route to the office. Everyone returned to their own desk. Some packed up to leave while others sat down to drive into their work in the hope of creating a distraction from the blood spatters scene they had just seen.

Jo sits down at her desk and stares blankly ahead. Her one eye twists when she enters into deep thought and asks herself questions she wishes to answer. Why did she not smell anyone? Was it a ghost? Why did no one see anything? Are they all in on it? The last though shakes her to the core and is one of the most freighting things that swing past in her mind. She begins to dive deeper into this random, terrifying thought.

“Is it all a cult?” she asks herself using her ‘mind voice’, “are they all out to get me?” she asks herself using her ‘paranoia mind voice’. The thoughts and theories run around in her head but some do not only run. Some of them play on the bars while others swing on the swings; but a ton of them run around in circles playing catch. Jo zones out to the point that when Darryl approaches her desk his presences slightly registered but not completely. It is as if her physical eyes and brain see him coming towards her but her mind is slow to… react… to process what is happening. Darryl speaks to her and his voice sound muted and distanced. Jo finally zones in and feels as if she has awoken for a daydream slightly unsure of what is what and who is what and who is who and what is who. She looks up at Darryl who is looking down into her eyes. His soft round face is riddled with lines of worry and fear.

“Come to my office after work today, please.” He tells Jo and afterwards he attempts to give her a reassuring smile but seemed to have forgotten how to decrease the worry lines of fear on his face so it looks a touch false. He turns his back towards her and heads away from her desk. His bubbly body is able to glide through the rolls of desks in this open room plan office. Many of the desks are empty with a few scattered figures here and there. Some have their backs to Jo while some have the top of their heads to Jo (in ‘SoilCoal’ the employees get to choose which side of the desks they would like to sit on therefore it is not as structured as many other offices are. Some people even sit on the short side of the desk instead of the typical long side of the desk.). Darryl turns to the right and closes his office door behind him. Jo stares at the closed door.

Jo’s eyes slide from looking at the door to the small storage room that is still open. She makes a plan to investigate after the meeting with Darryl but wonders if she is able to have a look around now without looking too “ohh I made a good job with this one” which is what many people’s faces are telling her that is what they think she is thinking when she looked around the last time a body dropped. There is an old, old, old saying that a murderer tend to return to the scenes of the crime and since Jo is new people may think she is doing that. So she will wait to be alone in the office. Jo goes back to work (and by work I mean doodling since she does not really know what to do or how to do it; boardroom meetings can get quite the small amount of awkward when all you can do is nod and say ‘yeah’ because you do not understand anything.).

The arms of time tick by and it is time for the rest to go home. Jo waits for everyone to leave saying she wants to do some more work. Some are curious to her true motives while others are too tired and hungry to care. She is alone and takes a trip to the office of Darryl. She knocks on the door, out of habit, and waits for the ‘go ahead’ from the boss. Darryl opens the door and stands in the doorway. His lips are pressed and his white hair (what little there is) is a mess. He shows her inside with his hand indicating a chair for her to sit on. This is not good since he usually opens the door with a smile and tells her to come in instead of showing her in. Jo takes the seat and waits for Darryl to corner his desk and takes his own.

“Cindy was one of the first people I hired,” began Darryl, “she will be missed, of course”

“Of course.” Agrees Jo.

“You know what needs to be done and we are running out of time. I understand that you have to work alone and that no one trusts you and I am not saying you must do a sloppy job but… how do I word this… ummm…” Darryl drifts off.

“Pick up the pace?” says Jo trying to fill in the gaps.

“Not that… yes that but…no…okay. What if you asked some to help you out?” Darryl pauses letting his words sink in, “like I am doing what I can but my main purpose is to keep the company up and run the numbers looking for who is stealing from the company. Wait… do you think they are the same person? That someone is stealing money and souls?”

The thought did not cross her mind that they could be two different people but the inside of her body is telling her that it is one person. Not two but one. She tells Darryl that she feels as if it is only one person but a very quick and sneak one at that. She also tells him that this person stole the money first and then went after the people when Jo arrived to put the blame on her. Darryl nods his head and says that money as stopped vanishing when the body count started rising. They agree that stolen money would be better than dead people.

They go through the files of past employees and try to figure out who has a grudge. Darryl and Jo also talk about who can help Jo with the case and she mentions Richard could be useful but is concerned that he cannot be trusted. To be fair no one can be trusted so Richard is not that special. Darryl agrees with everything that has been said regardless how unfair it may be. But he believes that Richard would be more trust-worthy since he was the second person Darryl hired and did not have the character for it (or so he thinks).