Ill need another twenty minutes for the revised report, she said.
Thats not why Im here. Were you apprised, when you took this job, that there might be some travel involved?
No, actually, I wasnt.
Conner felt a slight sense of relief. She didnt sound happy. If she refused to travel, he could use that as grounds for firing her.
Not that he wanted to fire her. Not yet. But having a valid reason when he did send her packing would go a long way toward avoiding a wrongful termination lawsuit. Hed made some of his previous admins very unhappy with his admittedly unreasonable demands and capricious, sudden terminations, but so far none of them had sued.
On occasion I attend meetings in the field with forestry experts, government pencil-pushers, eco groups, landowners. I need someone to make travel arrangements and keep me organized during the trip. I might need you to pack certain documents, a computer for PowerPoint presentations, and also to take notes during the meetingmake an audio recording, tooand transcribe it later. Is that a problem?
No, I dont have a problem with that.
Good. Set up a meeting tomorrow afternoon in Stirrup Creek. Ill forward the email that has the pertinent information. Well stay overnight and drive back in the morning. Reserve a Jeep from the company fleet. Do you own a pair of hiking boots?
Yes.
And youre physically fit enough to hike into the woods?
Yes.
Can you operate a digital camera and get decent results?
Yes. She looked up expectantly, her gaze direct and slightly challenging. He simply wasnt used to this can-do attitude. No whining? No endless questions about what to wear, what to bring, what they would be doing, where they would eat, what kind of rooms she should reserve?
Just yes?
A beautiful woman who said yes. Jillian was dangerous to his libido. Tomorrow, she would show her true colors, he was sure of it. She was probably trying hard to make an extra-good impression, it being her first week and all. But at the first sign of a mosquito she would go ballistic and prove herself inadequate for the job.
Okay, then. He spun on his loafers and walked away, but Jillian stopped him.
Conner?
Yes? he asked without turning to look at her. Here it comes.
Theres an intercom between our offices. You dont have to keep walking out the door and around the corner. That seems a waste of your valuable time.
He returned to stand in front of her desk again, purposely glowering at her. You dont like me checking up on you?
Is that what youre doing? Afraid youll catch me watching a movie on my phone or talking to my boyfriend on company time?
Her gutsy comeback took his breath away, as did her mention of a boyfriend. She acted as if she didnt really need this job. And maybe she didnt. Her paycheck was probably a drop in the bucket compared to her trust fund.
Or maybe it was her sugar daddy who paid for those expensive clothes. Do you have a boyfriend?
I dont see how that information is pertinent to my job, she asked, her tone carefully neutral. No snark. She wanted to please him, but at the same time she wasnt going to take a whole lot of crap from him.
Good for you, Jillian Whatever-Your-Last-Name-Is.
Some significant others object to an employees travel schedule. Id like to know whether Im causing any domestic discord.
If there is, Ill deal with it. But thank you for your concern.
I was checking up on you, he admitted. It only makes sense that I would keep a close eye on you your first few days.
She thought about that for a moment, then said, Yes, it does make sense. Thank you for your honesty. Ill make the travel arrangements as soon as I receive the email.
Conners skin tingled all over as he returned to his office. She definitely turned him on, which was a damned nuisance. What a brilliant move, insisting she accompany him on a business trip when he couldnt spend two minutes in the same room with her before sporting a hard-on.
Way to go, Blake.
* * *
SORRY IM LATE, JILLIAN said to Celeste, who was waiting for her on the atrium level overlooking the ice skating rink at The Galleria Mall. The ogre wanted me to type up some notes of his before I went home.
The ogre? Celeste heaved her faux-lizard bag onto her shoulder.
My new pet name for him. Its not enough that he has to terrorize me during work hours. Now hes making me go on a business trip with him.
Whoa, Nellie, whats that about? Hes trying to put the moves on you already?
Jillian shook her head. I dont think its that. Hes testing me. Wants to see how much he can abuse me. Apparently thats part of the job description they didnt tell me abouta high tolerance for crap. His former assistants couldnt handle it, but obviously I have to.
If you want any pointers, just ask me. You have no idea the kind of shenanigans I had to endure early in my career. Hateful stuff. The kind of sexist hazing that would get you thrown in jail nowadays.
Im not sure this is sexist. Jillian watched the handful of skaters buzzing around the icethe little princesses with their flirty skirts, the gangs of boys racing and cutting up. Hes trying to prove hes the alpha, I think.
The alpha can mate with any female in the pack, Celeste pointed out, which didnt put Jillian at ease. So what do you need my help with? Im the shopping queen, but surely youre at least a princess at it yourself. Youre the best-dressed person I know besides moi.
Jillian tried to take that as a compliment. Today Celeste wore an ankle-length skirt with frogs printed all over it, a fluorescent orange tank top and a denim jacket with the sleeves ripped out. Shed tied her hair up in a hot-pink zebra-stripe scarf. Her dangle earrings were papier-mâché frogs, which at least matched the skirt in theme if not color.
I need to buy hiking clothes. And boots. And a digital camera.
Ah, I know just the place.
Celeste dragged her to Cliffs, an upscale sporting goods store, where Jillian purchased two pair of sturdy, canvas pants with lots of pockets, two long-sleeved cotton shirts, thick socks, hiking boots, a wide-brimmed hat, work gloves and a backpack. She also grabbed a handheld GPS, bug repellant, sunscreen, lip balm, a water bottle, granola bars and waterproof matches.
Matches? Celeste put her hands on her bony hips. Oh, come on. Throw in a tent and sleeping bag, and you could hike across the whole country.
I dont want to be caught unprepared. What about this snakebite kit?
Celeste just gave her a look.
Well, there are snakes in the woods. She spotted some machetes hanging on the wall. Do you think I need one of these, to cut through the brush?
Celeste walked closer to the display, then tested a machete blade with her thumb. Sharp. I wonder if this is like the one Leo Simonetti used to cut off his victims heads. Remember that case?
On second thought, maybe its not a good idea for me to be alone in the woods with an infuriating man and sharp objects. Jillian gathered up her purchases and took her place in the checkout line.
So, have you made any progress? Finding the real killer, I mean.
Wellone of the security guards suspects my boss.
Wellone of the security guards suspects my boss.
Celestes plucked eyebrows flew up and almost met her hairline. Your boss? Hot diggity! If he did it, then the evidence must be in his office or his computer, his phone, or his correspondencehe left a trail, they always do. Does he seemsecretive?
Yes, actually. He nearly blew a gasket when I cleaned up my own office. He told me he doesnt want me to touch his papers or his computer without his express permission.
Honey, I think youre on to something. Celeste thought for a moment, then suddenly gasped. Maybe you already saw the incriminating evidence but dont know enough yet to recognize it. If he suspects youre on to himmaybe hes going to take you into the woods and make you disappear.
Jillian almost regretted confiding in Celeste. I dont think thats the case, she said.
Just make sure someone else in the company knows where youll beand who youll be with. Oh, and I brought you some more gear to help you with your spying.
Im not supposed to be spying.
Do you want to get ahead or not? If you do, you have to take some initiative.
A few minutes laterand with her wallet several hundred dollars lighterJillian was seated across from Celeste at a mall café eating a chicken Caesar salad. Celeste, impatient to show off her gear, started emptying her gargantuan purse. She hauled out a wad of wires and laid it on the table. To record telephone calls.
Isnt that illegal?
Celeste slid her gaze away guiltily. Okay, how about this? She pulled out a rather clunky-looking pair of sunglasses. Theres a video camera in the earpiece. Records up to thirty minutes of video on this tiny flash card. You can pop it right into your computer for viewing.
Celeste, where do you get all this stuff?
Mostly The Spy Store. Sometimes I order it from the back of Soldier of Fortune Magazine. They have the weird stuff.
I dont want to record phone calls, Jillian said. Thats wiretapping, and its a felony. Daniel would have her head if she went against his orders and broke the law.
Even to bring a murderer to justice? Honey, do you want to be stuck filing and making coffee forever? Because thats what happens to women in this field unless they go out on a limb. You have to be smarter, stronger, faster and lots more clever than the men just to break even.
Jillian knew what Celeste had said was at least partly true, even in this day and age. She considered Daniel enlightened, not particularly sexist, yet Project Justice itself was clothed in an air of macho that favored brawn over brains and subtlety. Even her professors at the junior college where she took her criminal justice classes didnt take her seriously because of her delicate appearance.
You dont have to tell anyone you made the recordings, Celeste reasoned. Just let the information you glean point you in the right direction. Make yourself look smart.
Jillian scooped up all of Celestes toys and stuffed them into her shopping bag. Ill think about it. And, Celestethanks.
Celeste took a big bite of her hamburger and spoke around it. Us girls gotta stick together.
* * *
IS SOMETHING WRONG, Mr. Blake? asked Letitia, the security guard, as Conner strolled in through the garage entrance early the next morning.
Wrong? What do you mean?
Youre whistling. Ive never heard you whistle before. She lowered her voice. I thought maybe you were trying to signal me that there was some kind of trouble.
Conner shook his head. No, no trouble. Im just in a good mood, I guess.
Letitia laughed. Yeah, right. Have a good day, Mr. Blake.
You, too, Letitia.
Conner supposed he deserved the guards derision. Three years working in this building and hed probably never spared a nice word for her. He was a Grade A grouch. A good mood wasnt a familiar state for him.
But how could he not feel good? In a few hours, he would be in the forestpine needles crunching underfoot, breeze blowing through the high branches, fresh air washing the Houston smog out of his lungs, birds calling.
A stand of second-growth pine wasnt quite the same as an old-growth forest in Montenegro, or the rain forest in Brazil. There was something specialsacred almostabout a part of the earth that hadnt been touched by human development, and he always felt good knowing that he was protecting those areas from other, less responsible lumber operations that would clear-cut the trees, rather than selectively harvesting mature trees and leaving behind smaller ones for the next generationand for all the critters who called the forest home.
Sure, his way was more expensive. But landowners and governments who managed public lands were more likely to sell to Mayall because of the care they took.
Conners musings came to an abrupt halt as he walked down the door to his office and got an eyeful of Dora the Explorer.
Jillian wore pants with enough pockets that she could carry provisions for an army. The camo shirtwhat was that, National Guard chic? And those bootsgood gravy, they must weigh twenty pounds each. The hat was more appropriate for a survival hike through the desert than a walk in the woods.
He couldnt help himself. He burst out laughing. What the hell are you supposed to be? Are you auditioning for a role on the next season of Survivor?
The hurt look on Jillians face immediately sobered him. He hadnt meant to ridicule her.
I dressed prepared for a hike, as suggested, she said coolly.
He held up a hand. Sorry. Im sorry, I shouldnt have laughed, JillyJillian.
Jilly. Jilly. Why had he called her that?
Then it hit him. Jillybean. This situation reminded him viscerally of another time when hed laughed at a females expense. Her name was even similar. And that expression of injury on her faceuncannily the same.
Jillian pulled out a compact from her purse and tried to see herself in the tiny mirror. Surely I dont look that bad.
No, he said distractedly as he stared at her, studying her features, trying to see something that wasnt there. You follow directions extremely well and you look Adorable. Sexy. How could a woman in camo, covered head to toe, look sexy? Well prepared. Well leave in a few minutes, I just want to check my mail. He escaped into his office and shut the door.
What was Jillians last name? Though the situation had reminded him of something from years ago, this Jillian couldnt possibly be Jill Baxter, his friend Jeffs kid sister. Jill had been short and chubby with a mop of frizzy, green-blond hair, a mouthful of braces, and a long, beaky nose.
Still, Conner rifled through the papers on his desk until he came up with the stack of résumés Joyce had given him to look over, a task hed never gotten around to, forcing her to make a decision on her own. He flipped through them until he found Jillians.
Jillian Baxter.
Baxter was a common nameit couldnt be the same Jill. But he hadnt seen her since she was fourteen. That was, what, thirteen years ago? That would make her around twenty-seven now. The age was about right.
Though he and Jeff had been good friends at one time, theyd drifted apart after high school. Their families exchanged Christmas cards, but that was about it. He thought about looking Jeff up on Facebook, seeing if he could reconnect with his old buddy. Or, he could simply sift through Jeffs friends and see if his sister was there, and what she looked like today.