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Chapter 55
CAN I SEEMr. Ross, please?” said Decker. He showed his credentials to the woman at the front desk of the fulfillment center. “He knows me. I’ve been here before.”
It was the next morning and Decker had driven here at a very specific time.
“I’m sorry, but Mr. Ross is out on the main floor right now, Agent Decker.”
“Could I wait in his office? It’s really important,” he added, because she was the only one working the desk and several people were waiting in line behind him. “I’ve been to his office before. When Frank Mitchell was killed.”
“Oh, right, of course. That was so awful. Um.” When she still hesitated, Decker pointed to the bruise on her forearm.
“You bang that on something?”
“Squat rack at the gym.”
“You work out, that’s good. Keeps you healthy.”
“It’s not just that. I want to be a picker. I’m building myself up so I can pass the physical requirements.”
“You don’t like working in the office?”
“Pickers make a lot more money and they get overtime and a better 401(k) match. That’s what I’m gunning for.”
“Well,good luck on that. So, can I go back and wait for Ross?”
She glanced at the impatient-looking people in line behind him. “That’ll be fine. He’s doing his usual walk-around. I’m afraid it’ll be about forty-five minutes.”
“I’m in no rush.”
Decker headed off and entered the corridor behind the reception area that housed the offices of the center’s management staff.
Ross had told him previously when he did his walk-arounds, which was why Decker was here at this time window.He didn’t want the man around.
He made his way swiftly down the hall and reached Ross’s office. He tried the door, only it was locked. The blinds were open showing the office to be empty.
He looked around. There was no one in the corridor. He slipped a penknifefrom his pocket and used it to push back the bolt.
He shut the door behind him and closed the blinds.
The office looked exactly as it had when he’d been in here before. Ross’s coat was on a hook on the back of the door and a small duffel bag was on the floor. Decker opened the duffel and looked inside. There were some gym clothes and a pair of sneakers and white socks.
He zipped the duffel back up and took the object he’d brought with him out of his pocket.
It was a measuring tape.
He quickly measured the dimensions of the room.
The depth of the room was two feet shorter than the construction plans had indicated. That meant the entire back wall had been moved forward two feet. And there had to be a reason for that. Deckerhad seen from the plans that a hallway also bordered the back wall, as it did the front, so there was no wiggle room there.
He walked over to the wall behind Ross’s desk and started to examine it.
He had seen before that this wall was paneled wood with elaborate moldings, with a boxed Pittsburgh Steelers jersey hanging on one section. It hadn’t made an impact on him before,but now he found it very interesting.
Decker heard a sound that made him jump.
He looked all around the office until he located the source.
Ross’s smartphone was on a shelf behind his desk. And it was buzzing.
