Jake and Margot strode back into the room, their faces alight with a mixture of satisfaction and triumph.
"They've left," Jake announced, his azure gaze sweeping across the assembled group. The collective exhale from everyone present was almost palpable.
Chapter 26
"Did they leave peacefully?"Ethan's cultured British accent carried an edge of concern.
Jake's lips quirked into a half-smile. "As peaceful as three spoiled brats can be when their world crashes down around them. They wanted to cause trouble - I could see it in their eyes - but Margot and I didn't give them the chance. We watched their every move."
"They kept muttering under their breath," Margot added, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "But they knew better than to try anything with us right there."
Kelly shook her head, her expression troubled. "What I don't understand is how this went unnoticed by management for so long. Surely someone must have seen something?"
Harper's fingers tightened around her mug as several employees shifted uncomfortably. The silence that followed Kelly's question spoke volumes.
"They were careful," Megan finally spoke up, her voice small. "They never did anything where supervisors could see. And they made sure there was never any proof."
"Plus, they're good at playing innocent," another teller chimed in. "If anyone questioned them, they'd act shocked that anyone could think they'd do such things."
Harper nodded, remembering how skillfully the trio had deflected suspicion. Even when caught in the act, they'd always had a plausible explanation ready. The memory of their practiced innocence made her stomach churn.
"And they're very good at making their victims feel isolated," Jake added, his voice hard. "But they've also been cautious about staying undetected by management. Flying under the radar, so to speak. I've only become privy to most of it since Harper showed up and they started singling her out. Since we're old friends she confided in me, which led me to talk to other employees."
Kelly turned her gaze to Ethan, her lips tightening with determination. "Once Lydia gets back from her meeting, I'll bring her up to speed on the situation. I'd like her to reach out to those three who resigned. There's a chance they might consider returning now that those shrews are out of the picture."
Jake glanced at them thoughtfully, his deep blue eyes reflecting a mix of concern and curiosity. "There may be a fourth one we should consider," he said. "The woman who held Vanessa's position previously, last year. I don't know specifically if that's why she quit, but... given everything we've learned, I'm wondering if there's more to her story. She did quit abruptly, and without any warning. It seemed odd at the time, but now it makes me suspicious."
"Tiffany clearly believed my position should have been hers," Harper murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. The words tasted bitter on her tongue. "Perhaps they ran that other woman off, to get the position open for Vanessa."
Kelly scanned the room, her gaze sweeping over the faces of those gathered. The tension in the air was palpable as she voicedthe question that had been weighing on everyone's mind. "Who else has been a victim... for I can consider it nothing less... of one or more of these women?"
A hush fell over the group, broken only by the rustle of clothing as a number of hands slowly rose into the air. The hesitation was evident in their movements, as if admitting to being targeted somehow made them more vulnerable.
One man, his voice tinged with a mixture of frustration and resignation, spoke up. "I don't think any of us were as targeted as Harper was," he said, his words carrying a hint of sympathy for her plight. "But most of us in the lower echelons have suffered from their attentions, one way or another."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the room, accompanied by nods of understanding.
Amelia pointed toward the front of the bank, where a row of tellers tended to a steady stream of customers. Her brow furrowed as she spoke, her voice lowered to a confidential murmur. "Anna, the one with the auburn hair? She got written up last month for taking too many breaks. But the truth is, she's been dealing with some pretty heavy harassment. I've seen her rush off more than once into the lady's room, crying her eyes out. It's heartbreaking, really. She's been trying to hold it together as best she can."
"Without wishing to sound like a broken record, I still have difficulty understanding how are we only now becoming aware of this situation." Ethan demanded, his brow furrowing as frustration etched deep lines across his face. His fingers drummed an agitated rhythm on the polished surface of his desk.
"This is the first instance it's escalated to this degree," Amelia replied, her eyes darting toward Harper's office with a mixture of concern and barely concealed anger. She took a deep breath before continuing, her voice tight with suppressed emotion. "Upuntil now, it's been nothing but petty nonsense," she said, her voice conveying the frustration they'd all felt.
She offered no apology for her blunt language, her chin lifting slightly in defiance. "How does one even begin to report to their manager that someone maliciously flattened their sandwich in the communal refrigerator? Or that pages were consistently and deliberately torn from their day planner? Not to mention the so-called 'accidents' where someone found herself tripped while precariously balancing a stack of important files in one hand and a steaming cup of coffee in the other?"
Amelia's voice trembled with barely contained fury as she recounted the litany of minor yet cruel incidents. There were a murmur of agreement; that spectacular fall had resulted in a rush of people gathering up papers and files, and more people to clean up the spilled coffee, while Vanessa, whose handiwork that had been, had apologized profusely, even while exchanging sly congratulatory looks with her cohorts.
“That was them?” Ethan asked.
Amelia shrugged. “Lots of us saw it happen, but it was staged as an accident. She even apologized. What could anyone do? It’s not like we could prove intent.”
Grimacing, Ethan nodded. “I can see that. It looks like all we can do is more forward now.”
"Jake, will you send a memo to the rest of the security staff?" Kelly asked, her voice tinged with a mix of concern and determination. "I don't want those women in this building for any reason. If they have to cash a check or make a deposit, they can use the ATM or the drive-up window."
"It's not like we're denying them access to their funds," Ethan agreed, nodding thoughtfully.
"We already have security monitoring the parking lot, but I'll make sure they know to be alert," Jake said, his brow furrowing as he remembered Harper's initial fears about parking her newcar there. The image of her worried face flashed in his mind, intensifying his protective instincts. "Keyed cars and slashed tires as revenge is a possibility. They've already shown how far they're willing to go."
