What the heck had Evie sent? The package wasn’t heavy, just large enough that she needed both hands to carry it.  She looked at her watch, okay; she’d make two trips then.  She still had a few minutes before Ben would be there.  She picked up the package and carried it out.  No need to lock the office, she’d be right back. Again, the elevator was slower than usual, and still no guard at the station as she walked out.  He must be making his rounds checking the offices and parking garage.

She was lost in thought as she approached her office.  It was probably why she didn’t hear the voices until she’d gone through the door.

“Hurry up, Craig.  How long does it take to hide the damn papers?  The office might be closed, but you never know about that Kelly bitch.  She might still be here, after all, the door was unlocked, and she guards the Parker bitch and her office like a pit bull.”

“Shut up, bro.  I’ve got to make it look good.”

Kyle Paulson had his back to her as he talked to Craig Turner.  Lane gasped and started to back out of the room, but it was too late.  Craig Turner had looked up at his companion to see her standing there.

“Speaking of the Parker bitch, grab her before she gets away.”

Lane struggled as the guard grabbed her upper arm.  “What are you two doing in my office?”

Kyle pushed her into one of the visitor chairs by her desk.  “Shut up.  What are we going to do now, Craig?”

Kyle had pulled out his gun and was pointing it at Lane as he spoke to the other man.  “When I came to you for money for Gracie’s treatments, you told me that you knew how to get the money and get something for yourself too.  Well, it’s been almost a week, and I still ain’t got any money.   The shrinks say she needs to be in a facility.  My insurance ain’t going to cover it.  I need that money.”

Kyle had started to pace as he waved the gun at Lane.

Lane steadied herself in the chair, and calmly asked, “Who’s Gracie, Kyle?”

“She’s my wife.  She had started having hallucinations or something. She’s had CT scan after scan, but she says the doctors were wrong.  She says she doesn’t understand why the scans don’t show the little man who lives in her head and talks to her.”

“Shut up Kyle.”

Lane held her breath as Kyle swung around and now pointed the gun at Craig Turner.

“No, brother.  You shut up.  Gracie says I shouldn’t have come to you.  She says the little man says you’re not trying to help us.  She says the little man says you’re just trying to help yourself to Ms. Parker’s job.  Maybe Gracie ain’t so crazy after all.”

Lane looked from one man to the other.  Kyle Paulson had just called Craig Turner brother, but they looked nothing alike.  Again, with a calm that she didn’t really feel, she said, “I have some money, Kyle.  Maybe I could help you with Gracie’s treatments.”

Craig Turner approached her.  “Just shut up, Lane,” He hissed.  “This was supposed to be easy.  Kyle was just supposed to dispose of dear old dad, they’d read the will, and the money would all be split between his two bastard sons.  That’s what he told me when I went to him after my mother died and I found out who my father really was.  He told me I had a half-brother.  Imagine my shock when I found out my brother was the guy who was guarding the offices where I worked.”

Craig ran his hands through his hair.  Then he laughed.  “Imagine my surprise when I saw you sitting behind us.  I was so worried that you’d recognize me, but I guess the Royals baseball hat I had on was enough of a disguise.  Either that or I’ve always been invisible to you.    Then I started thinking.  Why not pin the murder on you.  The Chief Privacy Officer title should have been mine anyway. Would have been if you hadn’t screwed your way into it. You’re so hot but so cold.  You’ve never given me a second look, too busy screwing the boss.”

Although it was something she’d heard before, the comment still made her stomach churn. Lane was tall, thin, and pretty.  When she had been promoted to director level at the baby bell, she had actually overheard a conversation between two men who were speculating that she was too pretty to be very bright and obviously, she must have slept her way into the title.  The truth was she had an I.Q. of 187; and she had double master’s degrees - Business Administration and Information Systems.  But, like the two idiots in Omaha, Craig obviously could see better than he could think.  Just another man who let his little head do the thinking for him.  She’d have brought this to Craig Turner’s attention if not for Kyle Paulson who was pacing and swinging the gun somewhat wildly in her direction.  It seemed in her best interest to keep her mouth shut and allow Craig to think what he would at least for now.

She wanted to know what they were going to do with her, but that was something else she thought best not discussed.  So, Kyle had committed the murder and Craig had decided to frame her for it.  Now that she’d stumbled into whatever they were doing in her office, it seemed like the only thing left for them was to add another body to the count.  At least that was what her powers of deduction told her, but then again she was only the one who read crime novels and had the big I.Q.  What did she know?

The phone on her desk rang.  She looked at her watch and then she looked at Craig.

“The office is closed; no one is supposed to be here.  Just let it ring,” Craig growled.

Inside her purse, which sat in front of her on her desk, her cell phone began ringing.  Ben’s ring tone.  He must be downstairs wondering what was taking so long.

“I should probably answer that.  I was supposed to meet someone at five-thirty.  He’ll be wondering where I am.”

She could see the indecision on Craig’s face.

“It’s probably one of those guys who was here after the fire.  Better let her get it.  She can just tell him she’s running late or something.”  Kyle was pointing the gun toward her purse.

God, please don’t let him shoot her purse.  It was new and she really liked it.

“Okay tell him you’re sick or something and cancel. Put it on speaker.”

Lane opened her purse and pulled her iPhone out, she pushed the speaker icon.  “Hello?”

“Lane, just checking to see how much longer you’ll be.”

“Oh, Mick.  I have a killer headache.  I should have called earlier but I’ve been completely out of it.  I need to cancel.”

“Hey, no problem.  Maybe I can catch you the next time I’m in the neighborhood.”

“Sure, Mick, that’s a great idea.  Talk to you soon.”

She hung up.  She knew Ben was downstairs.  She hoped that he’d picked up on her emphasis on the word killer and that by using Mick’s name he’d know there was something wrong and that he’d call Mick or their friend Hunter.  She just hoped she could keep these two criminal masterminds occupied until the cavalry got there.  Kyle was waving the gun around in her direction again.

“So, Craig, all of this was your idea anyway.  Now what are we going to do?  I still ain’t got any money and in fact, I don’t believe there ever was any.  I’m thinking that maybe you made the whole thing up.  Maybe we ain’t even brothers.  Maybe you were just looking to get someone to off the old guy for you.”

Chapter 16

Riding to the rescue

Ben had arrived at Telco just before five-thirty.   Lane’s Escalade was parked at the curb. That didn’t surprise him, but the cargo area door was wide open and that did surprise him.  He couldn’t think of a single reason Lane would have left it open.  He went to the SUV and looked inside.  There was a package in the cargo area.  Obviously she’d been in the office and gotten the package.    He dialed her office number.  No answer.  He dialed her cell.  There was something wrong.

When she said Hello, he could tell he was on speaker and instead of calling her by her nickname, he called her by her name.  And then she’d called him Mick.  There was definitely something wrong.