“You’ll find a way to keep it running,” she said. “You’ve eliminated my salary.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” he asked, taking his pen off the check, as if the completion of the transaction were contingent upon her response.
“Because I deserve more than to be fired.”
“Laid off, Brittany, laid off. There’s a difference. I didn’t have a choice. You weren’t singled out — I’ve eliminated all nonessential personnel.”
She sat straight up, her jaw tight and her eyes narrow. “I’m nonessential, huh?”
“That’s not what I meant — ”
“Oh, yes it is.”
“Technically, I’m the only essential person in this company. Without me, there is no company. The same can’t be said about you. It was not meant as a reflection on you or your abilities.”
“Well, you won’t miss the fifty grand. It’s only money. You’ll get over it.”
“But sexual harassment. Jesus, couldn’t you have thought of something else?”
“It perks people’s ears up. It got your attention.”
“But it’s flat-out lying. It’s extortion.”
“You do what you need to do to survive, I do what I need to do. If you want to call it extortion, fine.” She crossed her legs and threw her head back, using a finger to help sweep the hair off her face. “If it makes you feel better, think of it as a business transaction. I’m launching a new career.” Her eyes sparkled in the light that was peering through the blinds behind Stanton’s desk.
Stanton began to write again. He swirled his pen, scrawling what appeared to be his signature. He was obviously satisfied with what he had gotten on the video. “How much of this does your attorney get?”
“Too much,” she said. “But I don’t suppose you would have agreed to it if he wasn’t involved.” Stanton did not say anything. “Then again, it would have been your word against mine in court. I say you fondled me, you say you didn’t. Who do you think the jury would’ve believed?” Her eyes brightened. “Then again, by the time it got to a jury, you’d be out of business. Much cleaner this way for you...but obviously, you already know that or you wouldn’t be writing that check.”
“A lie, that’s what this check is. Fifty thousand lies.”
“It cashes and spends the same way.”
He ripped the check off his register and threw it on the desk in front of him. “I can honestly say I regret the day I hired you, Brittany. One of the worst business decisions of my career.”
“It certainly paid off for me.” She smiled, rose from her chair, and walked out the door. Stanton turned to the camera, his face a crumpled picture of anger. Then the screen went black.
Hellman ejected the DVD. “Damn good work, Chandler. Damn good.”
“Think the judge will let it in?”
“Don’t know. But I can tell you this. If your cigarette DNA comes up positive for Harding, the video will help persuade him to issue a search warrant for a blood sample and a few strands of Harding’s hair.”
Chandler nodded. “We need to make a copy of this, get it back to Stanton.”
“I’ll have someone run it over to my copy service company. They can duplicate it for us.”
“I thought they only did documents and x-rays.”
“And DVDs,” Hellman said.
“Have them make an extra disc for Stanton. That’s his only copy, so be careful with it.” He arose from his chair. “I’ve got some personal things to deal with, so I’m heading back to New York in a few hours. I think I’ve got everything squared away.”
“We’ll keep in touch,” Hellman said. “We probably won’t need you out here until we get the DNA stuff sorted out.”
“If I turn anything else up before I leave, I’ll call you.”
Hellman extended his hand. “You’ve been a jewel, Chandler. Thanks.”
“I’ve been called a lot of things over the years, but I don’t remember anybody ever calling me a jewel.”
CHANDLER HAD BEEN RESTING, attempting to grab a short nap before leaving for the airport. However, he was unable to fall asleep: thoughts of Denise consumed him. It was the first time it had actually hit him — what if the lump really was cancer? It would change their lives forever. To begin with, deciding which treatment she should receive would be a difficult decision. Medical science offered more than one approach, but it was unclear which was best on a long-term basis — and there were no guarantees. The wrong decision could be deadly. You did not get a second chance to catch the disease in its early stages, which is a must for a successful cure regardless of the treatment method selected.
Finally, at some point he settled into a light sleep.
Shortly after awakening, he splashed his face with some cold water and checked in with Denise. She was feeling better, having had a couple of days to put everything into perspective. “I realized it’s ridiculous to decide on my fate before I’ve had an exam and an appropriate workup.”
“I agree with you a hundred percent. We shouldn’t worry about something that’s not yet a problem.” He told her he had been thinking of her, and that they would be together soon.
After hanging up, he realized that their thoughts had taken them in opposite directions: she had been able to put her mind at ease, while he had succeeded in raising his blood pressure. Regardless, he was glad she was now approaching it optimistically.
Chandler packed his clothes and scanned his list of follow-up notes. As he wrote down a few thoughts, a sudden wave of exhaustion struck him. He launched into a sustained yawn and tossed his pad onto the bed. Although the clock on the wall read 8:30 P.M., it was 11:30 New York time. With a six-hour red-eye flight only an hour and a half away, he accepted the fact that he would be fighting fatigue for
