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He couldn’t really suspect I had anything to do with this. I’d never considered stealing anything from anyone before. How could he think I would?
“Hawk,” I said with a nervous little laugh.
“I’m sorry to have to do this,” he said, gesturing toward the thick door leading into the building’s security offices.
We never cleaned in there. The guards did their own dusting and vacuuming, from what Iunderstood.
“But I have to ask you some questions, Ella. I thought it might be best to have a few others witness the interaction.”
“Witness,” I said. “It sounds like I’m on some kind of trial.”
He swallowed and peered from one side to the other before lowering both his head and his voice.
“A few tablets came up missing in several offices over Christmas. This time, these weren’t the property of Ever After Sweets. While the previous printers, ink, and office supplies that came up missing belonged to the company, these were the personal belongings of members of my marketing staff.
“In the past, when we’ve made inquiries, our security cameras have come up blank, but this time...” His voice cracked.
Hawk cleared his throat. The sadness in his eyes was apologetic and pleading, as though he was begging me to understand how hard this was for him.
My hand found his and thankfully, he allowed the touch.
“I’ll go with you. I’m innocent, Hawk. I want you to know that.”
His expression was stricken. “I want to believe you.”
“Then I’ll prove it. Let’s go.”
He knocked on the door. It was opened by a bald man whose face looked too young for that particular hair style.
“This is Ella,” Hawk said once we’d stepped in and closed the door.
The bald man offered me a hand. “Ella,” he said kindly. “My name is Ethan. I’d like to show you something and ask you a few questions, if that’s okay.”
Dazed, shaking, I managed a nod. “Sure.”
With the okay from Hawk, the bald guard at the desk clicked an icon on his screen.
He widened the video to full screen, and I watched as a woman darted glances behind her inside an office as she unceremoniously stuffed a tablet into her purse.
My entire body froze from head to foot. It was me—it was clearly me.
But how could that be?
I hadn’t been anywhere near those offices on Christmas Eve. Not only that, but I never cleaned while carrying my purse. It always remained in my locker.
My discomfort grew.
“That’s not me. And that looks like the fifth-floor offices. I haven’t cleaned those all month. I’ve been working on the twelfth and the third.”
Ethan eyed me. “You were cleaning a different area?”
“I couldn’t have accessed the fifth-floor closet or offices without keys. Pris usually oversees the assignments. I haven’t had keys to the fifth floor. Ask Stina.”
She knew I hadn’t been cleaning offices recently. I’d been detailing halls, cleaning out the garbage and sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming stairs. I hadn’t had the keys to those offices.
How could I have been caught in that feed?
Though we’d had our differences, Stinawouldn’t throw me under the bus for something like this. She would come to my defense.
