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"Now, what kind of bagel do you want? I'm going to place an order for the meeting, and I'll get extra for the breakroom," I asked, eager to change the subject.
"I love the cinnamon swirl. Misty likes hers plain, and Laurie loves sesame seed, and..."
I waved my hand to cut her off, grinning placidly, "I'll order two dozen assorted with some donuts thrown in. How does that sound?"
"Oh, Mr. Stratford, you're the best boss...."
I snickered as Courtney disappeared down the hall, talking to herself. Then I got curious and wondered how long she had been here and checked the time clock app on my phone. "What!" She had clocked in at 4:23 am, before the security team had even arrived. I shouted Courtney's name down the hallway, she was living dangerously and had to be warned. When she didn't respond, an alarming feeling of dread washed over me until I noticed a glimmer from under the restroom door. Sinking into my office chair, I palmed my hair and rested my head in my hands. "If we don't get some answers soon, I'm afraid all the counselors and extra perks...." I couldn't even finish my sentence.
I'm not sure how long I sat there gazing at the sun beaming through the windows until Courtney stuck her head around the door. "Today's meeting agenda is ready for you to check. Tell me if it's messed up, and I'll fix it."
"Courtney!"
"Yes, Mr. Stratford."
"Come in and have a seat. We need to talk." When I noticed the color drain from her cheeks, I reassured her. "No, no, it's nothing bad. First, I want you to know how much I admire your loyalty and determination. But... promise me you will never ever enter this building again before security completes their morning sweep!"
"Oh, I just... I'm so sorry...."
"Stop right now. Just promise me!"
"I promise, Mr. Stratford. And thank you for caring."
Then, a few minutes later, I received a message in my inbox containing the meeting agenda for the upcoming conference. When I observed that Courtney had invited Agent Carter to participate at 10:00 am, my heart sank, and I slumped in despair. Hurriedly, I called Courtney, who informed me that Guy asked her to include Carter on the meeting agenda. She cleared her throat and swallowed before mentioning, "I only allocated one hour for it because Ms. Hawkins from Homeland Security requested a conference call with all Rosedale principals regarding the grant. That was okay, wasn't it?"
I assured her the agenda she’d prepped was perfect. Even though Courtney had tried to conceal she was eating at her desk, I couldn't resist and asked, "How are the bagels..."
Chuckling to myself momentarily, my glee at teasing my assistant quickly turned to apprehension as I hung up the phone and proceeded to our board room. My palms were slick with sweat by that point. I was the presenter today since everything in Rosedale’s universe revolved around me. I was the latest victim of attempted murder, and the Golden Key Project was my baby!
So, as I stood to start the meeting, I couldn't help myself when I led with, "Eight of my nine lives remain, but Meagan's down to seven. My guess, Mitch, you, and Brad are coming up to bat at some point, and it seems we are powerless to stop the inevitable!"
Everyone's attention was directed at Mitch and Brad for a second before some avoided eye contact by studying their coffee cups or gazing out the window as the specter of our reality descended upon us. Except for Guy, the others had heard what had happened secondhand. So, I provided a first-hand accounting of the facts of the weekend’s events. "Bruce and his team saved us in Catalina — without them, I wouldn't be here today, and Guy would be short a sister! So, I suggest we give them a raise.”
All nodded in agreement as Courtney added the raise approval in the meeting notes. Then I continued, walking to the whiteboard, and picking up a pen. "Let's think of some parallels between my case and the others. Then, when Carter comes, we can give it to him and save some time. You know he's going to ask for it anyway."
We discussed for thirty minutes how my situation tied in with the others. When it came down to it, all we could come up with was that 'loose lips sink ships' had to do with a ship — mine had been destroyed, but the loose lips part was still a mystery.
Daniel stood, ready to release some pent-up energy, and strode to the window. Looking out, he said, "We have three murders. The first person was found inside our old office. And don't forget the attempt to kidnap my daughter, Harper," Daniel added, pointing to the corresponding note on the whiteboard.
"Or how someone tried to frame my family with the crimes," Ryder huffed, leaning back in his chair.
I cracked my neck. "And, of course, Meagan knew Chelsea, although I think she's forgotten it. And she and I just started dating, which ties her to me too."
"That's right. Meagan hasn't mentioned Chelsea's name or the death of my driver, Roscoe," Guy added, "and her therapist recommended that we not mention it to her for fear of a complete meltdown since Chelsea was a good friend who has since been found dead in Canada.”
"So where does that leave you...." Carter's voice boomed as he walked through the door. I felt like the room had suddenly gotten smaller with his arrival. Instead of allowing him to take control of the meeting, I motioned for him to take a seat at the conference table.
"Let's review the facts for you Carter,” I said, working to control the heat rising in my chest. "We have three murders, including Chelsea. We also have an attempted kidnapping of Harper and an attempt to frame Ryder's family for the crimes. Additionally, Meagan knew Chelsea, and we're recently dating. And let's not forget, someone is still out there trying to blow our assess off the face of the earth.... does that sound about right to you, Agent Carter?"
Guy raised his hand and leaned forward, “I asked Carter to come today and give us a report on the latest incident..."
“I’m aware of that, Guy. Carter, you have the floor!" I hissed, unable to quell my seething anger.
“First of all, don’t forget I was assaulted too — taped up and left to die if someone didn’t find me.” Carter glanced around the room making his point. “And, yes, I did find something," Carter stated, unfolding a large piece of paper. He smoothed it against the table before continuing. "It seems that your boat and the attempted kidnapping of Harper might be connected. Here are a couple of shots from surveillance cameras on the beach in San Diego and Avalon over the weekend. They’re blurry, but they seem to match." Carter shoved the paper into the middle of the table.
Ryder pounded his fist and growled, “Are you kidding me? Both of these people are dressed in dark clothing with masks covering their faces. This could be virtually any adult... probably male... probably the athletic type, but in today's culture, who knows?"
Suddenly, Courtney raised her hand. "I'm sorry to interrupt Mr. Stratford. I just got an email that Clint Tyree is at the reception desk, asking to see Ryder, and Ms. Hawkins is on hold for the conference call.
