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He turned to his colleague. ‘He’s the guy who works in accounts – isn’t he? He’s not one of the lawyers on the top floor.’
The young woman swivelled around in her chair. Despite the bland grey security uniform, she was very pretty, with blonde hair. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘He jokes every time, saying that if he was ten years younger, he’d ask me out. Happens pretty much every morning. It’s like an in-joke, because he’s married.’
Thea let out a gasp.
‘Well, I know it’s against protocol, as you’re not an employee here, but if I put you in our logbook as a visitor, and issue you a pass, I can take you up to his office, if you like.’
Thea hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest.It can’t be true – it just can’t!she thought.
There was only one way to find out – confront him. She looked the security guard in the eye and said, ‘Give me that pass. Please.’
‘Sure thing.’ He walked over to filing cabinet, took out a logbook and sat down to fill in her details.
Thea stared at the security guard, still in two minds as to whether she should confront Miles right there in the building.
‘Right – this is for you.’ The security guard gave her a lanyard with a small plastic wallet hanging from it containing her pass. ‘I’ll take you to his office.’
Thea hesitated when she stepped back into the reception area. She wished she could just walk out of the building now, get in the taxi, go home and carry on in blissful ignorance until the next time they met up. But how could she after what she’d seen today?
She cast her gaze back into the security office at the young, blonde-haired woman. She’d said he was married. Thea was still having a tough time believing that was true.
‘Are you sure you want to do this?’
Thea looked at the kindly young man. ‘No, but I need to know if the person I … I…’ She choked back tears, turning her face from the guard. She composed herself before turning back. ‘Let’s go.’
‘All right.’
Together they walked to the lift and rode up to the next floor in silence. Thea thought about Miles flirting with that young woman, and what the other guard had said about the high-flying lawyers and executives, whose offices were on the top floor. ‘So, you said the lawyers and executives work on the top floors – is that some hierarchal thing?’
‘Oh, yes – that’s why us security guards work on the lowest floor,’ he joked. ‘But yes, that is the case. Right, this is us. This is the admin staff’s floor.’ They got out at the next floor.
‘Where is his office?’ Thea asked, looking around the large, open-plan office with its rows and rows of little cubicles.
The security guard said, ‘Oh, folks who work on this floor wouldn’t have their own office.’
Thea shook her head. She had somehow expected him to say just that.
‘I don’t see him,’ said Thea.
‘No, you wouldn’t if he’s sitting down. I do know where his desk is. If he’s not at his desk, he’s probably gone to the restroom.’
The security guard weaved his way past lots of cubicles, each containing a desk, a chair, a computer, and paperwork. There were also personal photos and mementos pinned to the soft panel boards that separated one cubicle from the next. It wasn’t unlike her own cubicle in the museum’s offices, except that she didn’t work in an open-plan environment like this.
The office was quiet, like the archives were most of the time, but she could just imagine what it was like there on a Monday morning with the room full of people. There would be phones ringing, people talking and keyboards clicking as people typed. The thought of it filled her with dread.
‘So, this is him.’
As they rounded the desk, Thea saw that the cubicle was empty. She picked up a gold name plate, embossed with Miles’s name in black lettering.
‘Oh, yeah – that’s a bit of a running joke. Everyone else has their name written on a piece of paper and pinned to the outside of their cubicle. He has to be different; everyone says he’s got ideas above his station.’
Lexi stared at the name plate; there was his job title. ‘Oh, my god. He isn’t a lawyer.’
‘Yes, I think I mentioned that.’
Thea turned to him, wide-eyed, holding the fancy name plate. ‘What does this mean?’
The security guard looked at the name plate and didn’t quite get her meaning.
