Chapter 4 - The Person Cullen Trusted Most Had Been Hiding SomethingThe police took the key.
The fabric.
Photographs of the footprint.
Copies of Carl’s notes.
Cullen spent the rest of Monday answering questions.
Jolie spent hers cleaning six offices, one insurance agency, and the front glass at a barbecue restaurant while trying not to imagine a green cap outside Posie’s bedroom window.
By Tuesday afternoon, fear had become irritation.
By Tuesday night, irritation had become anger.
At 9:12, she walked outside after finishing the dental office and found the rear passenger tire of her pickup flat.
Then she saw the front one.
Flat too.
Her equipment compartment stood open.
Nothing was missing.
A white piece of paper had been wedged beneath the windshield wiper.
CLEAN SOMEBODY ELSE’S WINDOWS.
Jolie stopped breathing.
For one irrational second, the parking lot became silent.
Then her phone was in her hand.
She called police first.
Cullen second.
He arrived twelve minutes after the patrol car.
Jolie was standing under the parking-lot light with both arms crossed.
“You didn’t need to come.”
“You called me.”
“I was informing you.”
“At nine-fifteen at night?”
“You’re involved.”
“That sounds suspiciously like a reason I needed to come.”
She glared.
He looked at the truck.
Both tires had been punctured.
One equipment bag had been dumped onto the pavement.
No valuable items taken.
The message was clear.
“Where’s Posie?”
“With my sitter.”
“Good.”
“Don’t say it like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re relieved she wasn’t here.”
“I am relieved.”
“So am I. I just don’t want to hear it out loud.”
He understood.
Cullen turned toward the officer.
“Cameras?”
“Dental office has one pointed at the lot. Manager’s coming to unlock the system.”
An hour later, they watched footage.
At 8:43, a hooded person walked into frame.
Medium build.
Gloves.
Face hidden.
The person crouched beside the truck.
Thirty seconds later, moved to the other side.
Then opened the equipment compartment.
No clear identification.
No visible vehicle.
Jolie watched the footage twice.
“That isn’t Galen.”
Cullen looked at her.
“How do you know?”
“Too short.”
“Could be camera angle.”
“No. Galen’s six-two. That person isn’t.”
The officer nodded.
“She may be right.”
Cullen’s thoughts immediately moved toward Wade Reeves.
Tandy’s brother-in-law.
He had never met the man.
But Wade had a financial interest in replacing the damaged glass.
And Tandy had shared information with him.
At 11:06, Jolie’s truck was on a tow truck.
Cullen handed the driver a company card.
Jolie saw.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I told you—”
“This happened because you refused to let someone destroy my property and blame you.”
“My insurance—”
“Can argue with my accounting department.”
“I’m paying you back.”
“Fine.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“You don’t mean that.”
“I absolutely mean you can mail Strickland Hat Company a check we will accidentally fail to deposit.”
Despite everything, Jolie laughed.
It escaped before she could stop it.
Cullen stared.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You look weird.”
“I don’t hear you laugh very often.”
The words changed the air.
Jolie looked away.
“Don’t make it into something.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were about to.”
“What would I make it into?”
“I don’t know. You’re the CEO.”
“That has no relevance to human laughter.”
“CEOs always think everything has relevance.”
He stepped closer.
Not enough to crowd her.
Enough that she noticed.
“You know many CEOs?”
“One more than I did two weeks ago.”
The tow truck pulled away.
Jolie shivered.
Cullen removed his coat.
She immediately said, “No.”
“It’s cold.”
“I have a coat.”
“You’re shaking.”
“I’m angry.”
“Apparently anger has a temperature.”
He put the coat around her shoulders anyway.
For once, she did not argue.
At 11:37, he drove her home.
Her house was small.
Yellow porch light.
A child’s bicycle leaned against the rail.
One Halloween pumpkin still sat beside the front step.
Posie’s babysitter opened the door.
The little girl had fallen asleep on the sofa with a book across her chest.
Jolie’s entire face softened.
Cullen saw it happen.
The suspicion.
The fight.
The constant readiness.
Gone.
She crouched and brushed hair away from Posie’s forehead.
“Hey, bug.”
Posie opened one eye.
“Truck fixed?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Did the bad tire happen?”
Jolie looked at Cullen.
Then at the babysitter.
“What did she hear?”
“Nothing from me.”
Posie sat up.
“Mommy?”
Jolie knelt.
“Somebody damaged the truck.”
“Why?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“The window man?”
The question made Cullen’s chest tighten.
Jolie sat beside her.
“Maybe.”
“Is he mad at me because I saw him?”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
Jolie stopped.
She closed her eyes.
Then tried again.
“We don’t know why he’s mad. But you didn’t do anything wrong.”
Posie looked toward Cullen.
“Can you fire him?”
Jolie almost smiled.
Cullen crouched.
“I can’t fire somebody who doesn’t work for me.”
“Can Mommy fire him?”
“No.”
“That’s dumb.”
“A little.”
“Can the police?”
“Police don’t fire people.”
“What do they do?”
“Posie,” Jolie warned.
Cullen answered carefully.
“They find out what happened. Then grown-ups who work in courts decide what happens next.”
Posie considered this.
“Are you scared?”
The question was directed at Cullen.
He could have lied.
His father would have.
Carl believed fear should never be visible to anyone who might use it.
Cullen looked at the child.
“A little.”
Posie nodded.
“Me too.”
Jolie’s eyes filled.
Cullen said, “Being scared doesn’t mean we don’t know what to do next.”
Posie looked satisfied.
That night, after the child was asleep, Cullen stood on Jolie’s porch.
She handed him his coat.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Not lying to her.”
He took the coat.
“You were right about something.”
“That narrows nothing down.”
“I make promises too easily when I think I can control the outcome.”
Jolie leaned against the doorframe.
“And can you?”
“Control the outcome?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“That bother you?”
“More than it should.”
“Good.”
He frowned.
“Good?”
“Maybe you need practice being a regular human.”
“I’m excellent at being a regular human.”
“You came to a diner wearing cuff links at six in the morning.”
“They were already on the shirt.”
Jolie smiled.
Then headlights appeared at the curb.
A sedan stopped.
Cullen turned.
Tandy Reeves stepped out.
She looked exhausted.
“Sorry,” she said. “I know it’s late.”
Cullen’s posture changed immediately.
“What are you doing here?”
“I heard about the truck.”
“How?”
“Ben called me.”
“Tandy—”
“I found something.”
She held up an envelope.
Jolie opened the door wider.
“Come inside.”
Cullen looked at her.
Jolie shrugged.
“She looks colder than I was.”
Ten minutes later, the three of them sat at Jolie’s kitchen table.
Tandy placed bank statements between them.
“My sister called me.”
“Wade’s wife?” Cullen asked.
Tandy nodded.
“She found transfers.”
From Galen Voss.
To Wade Reeves.
Five thousand dollars.
Then seven thousand.
Then another five.
All within the past four months.
Jolie stared.
“For what?”
“Tanya doesn’t know.”
Cullen looked at Tandy.
“You recommended Wade’s company.”
“I did.”
“And Galen was paying him.”
“Yes.”
“You expect me to believe you knew nothing?”
Tandy’s face crumpled.
“No.”
Cullen stopped.
She wiped her eyes angrily.
“I expect you not to believe me. I wouldn’t.”
Jolie said nothing.
Tandy continued.
“Wade told me his company was struggling. He said the Strickland replacement job could keep two employees working through winter.”
“And the referral fee?”
“I was stupid.”
“That’s not an explanation.”
“My mother’s assisted-living costs increased.”
Cullen’s anger faltered.
Tandy shook her head.
“I know. It doesn’t make it right. I thought if Wade got the contract, he could pay me two thousand and nobody was harmed because you needed the glass anyway.”
Jolie spoke quietly.
“Except you hadn’t decided you needed it.”
Tandy looked at her.
“No.”
“And you needed me to be responsible.”
Tandy’s face reddened.
“Yes.”
The admission surprised all three of them.
“I’m sorry,” Tandy said.
Jolie stared at her.
“I don’t need an apology tonight.”
“I know.”
“Good.”
Cullen examined the statements.
“Why would Galen pay Wade?”
“I don’t know. But Tanya found something else.”
Tandy opened her phone.
An email.
Wade to Galen.
Subject: SCHEDULE.
Tuesday / Friday confirmed. She’s usually there 5:20–6:15. Kid sometimes in truck.
Cullen felt the room change.
Jolie went completely still.
Tandy whispered, “I told Wade your cleaning schedule because he said he needed to inspect the windows before giving the quote.”
Jolie’s voice was barely audible.
“You told him Posie was sometimes with me?”
“No.”
Tandy looked horrified.
“I swear to God, Jolie, I never told him that.”
But Wade knew.
Which meant someone had been watching.
Not just the windows.
Not just the storefront.
Jolie.
And her daughter.
Cullen stood.
“Call the detective.”
Then Jolie’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
She stared at it.
Cullen looked at her.
“Don’t.”
The phone stopped.
Immediately rang again.
Same number.
Jolie answered on speaker.
“Hello?”
For three seconds, nobody spoke.
Then a familiar male voice said:
“You should have taken the hint, Jolie.”
Her face drained of color.
Galen Voss continued.
“Walk away from Strickland before your little cleaning company becomes the most expensive mistake you ever made.”
The line went dead.
Nobody in the kitchen moved.
Then Cullen looked at Jolie.
For the first time since he had met her, she did not look angry.
May you like
She looked terrified.
And that scared him far more.
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