“Mostly. He gets weak, but he can be shored up.”
“Great,” Alvarez smirked. “So I have to babysit?”
“No, not at all, but I do want you to watch him. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid like use his own credit card, and make sure he doesn’t keep any souvenirs from the trip.”
“You don’t trust him?”
“I trust him, but trust is no reason not to be cautious.” Corbin pointed at the pickle on Alvarez’s plate. “You gonna eat that?”
Alvarez shook his head.
“Oh, and don’t tell him anything about yourself when you meet. He doesn’t need to know
“Are you sure you trust this guy?”
“I’m just being careful, that’s all.”
“Do we really need him?”
“Do you want to go up there by yourself?”
“No, I can’t take all those documents into the banks.”
“There’s your answer.”
Chapter 3
Beckett arrived at work energized the following morning. He’d come up with several ideas during his commute home the prior evening, and he was excited to discuss them with Corbin. But every time he tried, one of their coworkers appeared at the door. They had just seen off the most recent visitor and now Beckett rose to close the door.
“Why are we so popular today?” Beckett asked rhetorically.
Corbin shrugged his shoulders without putting down his magazine. “Our advertising must be working.”
Beckett peered both ways down the hallway and then closed the door. “I’ve been thinking. If this thing works, and it should, then I can go back to my old job because I don’t have to worry about the salary. Whatever we get out of doing this would easily make up financially for the lack of a promotion.”
“Ok,” Corbin said cautiously. He put down the magazine, pursed his lips, and scratched his neck.
“If I give Kak my notice so I can quit and take back my old job, and we do this on my last day here, no one would ever think I wasn’t here. As long as I’m back in time for the goodbye party, everybody’ll swear I was here all day.”
Corbin winced. “That adds a level of difficulty. . we wouldn’t have any flexibility about the timing for one thing. Plus, it’ll be hard to do your out processing without you here.”
“True, but I think it would be worth it. We should do it!”
Corbin bit his lip. “It’s an interesting idea, but we need to look at all the angles first. You realize we can’t use the money for some time, right?”
“That doesn’t matter. What I save in commuting costsshould more than see me through for a few months. A train ride from New Jersey every morning isn’t cheap.”
Before Corbin could respond, Theresa knocked on their door. She entered without waiting to be invited, closing the door behind her. Nodding at Beckett, who waved politely, she perching herself on the edge of Corbin’s desk, where she always sat when visiting Corbin. Today she wore a black suit, as did Corbin, though his was of a more recent vintage. Moreover, he had removed his jacket, something she never did in the office. After crossing her legs, Theresa smoothed her skirt and pulled it to the top of her knee. She then stuck her right leg out in front of her and pulled imaginary fluff from her black stocking. When she finished, she let her leg hang and her shoe dangle from her foot. The show was intended for Corbin, but he refused to let his eyes be drawn to her legs.
“What’s this I hear about you having a bad date? Why didn’t you tell me?!” Theresa asked, trying to sound jocular, though hints of distress permeated her voice. As she spoke, she tugged at the single strand of pearls hanging around her neck.
“Tell you?! I didn’t tell anyone. They all just seem to know. Our office must be bugged,” Corbin said, raising an accusatory eyebrow at Beckett. “How did you find out, Theresa?”
“Ignore him, Theresa,” Beckett interjected. “He’s just grumpy.”
“I am not,” Corbin shot back.
“Why is he grumpy?” Theresa asked.
“The date didn’t go well,” Beckett said.
Theresa folded her hands in her lap and grinned at Corbin. “Do tell.”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
“Who’s the girl?”
“There’s nothing to tell,” Corbin repeated.
“She’s a banker, right?” Beckett interjected again.
“Banker, accountant, circus freak, what’s the difference?” Corbin asked.
“Oooh, a banker, that should be right up your alley, with that huge brain of yours,” Theresa said, smiling at Corbin. “What went wrong?”
Corbin looked at Beckett. “You’re doing a good job telling the story, why don’t you continue?”
“Sure. ‘What went wrong,’ you ask? Too normal. Lover boy doesn’t like the straights. He’s into the
“I am not into the crazies!” Corbin protested.
“Crazies?!” Theresa laughed sharply. “Don’t let him anywhere near Molly! Heaven help us. The gates of hell would open up and swallow this office whole if the two of them ever got together.”
In an office with little to do, feuding becomes a form of entertainment. Sometimes, these feuds spin out of control. Of all the feuds taking place in the office, the worst was easily the one between Molly and Theresa. No one knew exactly how it began, but what turned the spark of disagreement into an all-out conflagration was Molly’s discovery that Theresa suffered from a great deal of insecurity regarding her attraction to Corbin. This was a big red button that was just too tempting for Molly not to push. And push it she did. Theresa retaliated by sniping at Molly’s physical traits, especially her height, which was a good five inches greater than Theresa’s, and her perceived lack of modesty in her relationships with the male sex. Theresa particularly took these shots when she spoke to Corbin, as she hoped to ensure that Corbin didn’t fall for any charms Molly may have. Corbin tried to stay neutral, but that wasn’t helping.
“I do not like the crazies,” Corbin repeated. “I like normal, thank you very much. And for your information, the date went well. She was just a little. . dull, that’s all.”
“What made her so dull? Did she lecture you on how to deduct your socks on your taxes?”
“She was just dull. She was too. . corporate.”
“‘
“Yeah, like she’d been processed, like a chicken McNugget. Everything about her was conventional, standard issue. Her past, her plans for the future, all conventional. Her opinions, all thoroughly vetted by the Post. She even ordered bland food.”
“I think, my friend, the problem lies within,” Beckett opined.
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“You’re bored with yourself, so you find other people boring.”
“That would explain why he’s drawn to the crazies,” Theresa teased Corbin.
“I think you’ve both lost your minds. And you never answered my question, how did you find out about this non-date?”
“How do you think,” Theresa said.
“Molly.”
“Yep. She told her secretary, who told my secretary, who told me. You know the drill.” Theresa picked up Corbin’s watch off the desk. “Speaking of our girl, I saw you downstairs with her yesterday. So. . what did she tell you?” Theresa asked coyly.
