Love and Suspicion Read online

  For three years, she watched fellow employees come and go, most of who were good workers and didn’t deserve to be fired. Unfortunately, there was more going on than met the eye, and some didn’t figure that out until it was too late.

  As she hoped, Jim was the only one in the break room and he was at the vending machine getting a candy bar when she walked in. Dressed in jeans and a summer blouse, she sat down at one of the tables and waited for him to join her.

  “Did you hear what I said?” Jim whispered, as he chose a chair across the table from her. Wearing casual clothes as well, he had a stout build, curly red hair, and pleasant green eyes.

  “She got fired on a Wednesday morning? I thought Americans liked to do their firing on Friday afternoon.”

  “Normally, they do. Issuing a last check for a full week is easier than trying to figure out the hours in the middle of the week.”

  Maggie adored Jim McMorrow. Her first day there, he took her under his wing and taught her how to use the complicated, nightmarish software. When she spoke, she lowered her blue eyes, as well as her voice. “Did you have to issue her final paycheck?”

  Jim peeled the wrapper back on his candy bar and took a bite. “That’s the part I hate most about this job. Nicole should do it herself, but she always has me do it. I am the first to know when someone is getting fired and I truly, truly hate it. I can’t even look some people in the eye.”

  “Why did Colleen get fired?”

  Jim puffed his cheeks. “Since when does Nicole need a good reason?”

  “Never. Whose toes do you suppose Colleen stepped on?”

  “Nicole’s probably. I don’t know the details yet.”

  Maggie pushed a wayward strand of hair away from her face, and remembered to keep her voice down. “Another one bites the dust, as you Americans say. I thought Colleen was doing her job well.”

  “Yeah, but when has a department manager ever lasted more than six months?”

  “Not since I’ve been here.”

  Jim broke off a piece of his candy bar and offered it to her. When she shook her head, he put it in his mouth. “I’ve got a feeling she’ll offer the job to me and I don’t want it.”

  “Neither do I.”

  He took another bite and glanced at the empty doorway just to make sure no one was coming. “Last time she fired a manager, she combined both our departments and put Colleen over all of us. That’s a lot of work for one person and I don’t know who else is qualified.”

  Maggie dropped her gaze and thought about that. “You and I have been here the longest and we know the computer system the best.”

  “That’s why I’m worried. If we had half a brain, we’d go job hunting tomorrow.”

  “It is not that easy to find something else. I was one step away from being homeless when I found this job.”

  “You started here as a temp, right?” he asked.

  “Right, and for two years, they wouldn’t give me a raise because they had to pay the temp agency fee to get me.”

  Jim shook his head in disgust. “They punished you for that? Now I’ve heard everything.”

  “I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.”

  “I can see why. Did you protest?”

  “I was afraid they would fire me if I complained, and this is my only American reference,” Maggie admitted.

  “All the more reason to get out before we get fired. You could always go back to that temp agency, right?”

  “Right.” Maggie went to the soda machine, dug some change out of her pocket, and made her choice. By the time she returned to the table, Jim was finished with his candy bar. He wadded up the wrapper and pretended to shoot it like a ball into the basket. When it went in, he smiled.

  “Are all American companies like this one?” she asked, taking a drink of her soda.

  “This is the worst one I’ve ever seen, but then, other companies don’t let people like Nicole run them. They are scared of getting sued.”

  “No one sues this company?”

  “Maybe they do, but we’ll never hear about it. The owner’s lawyer is his daughter and she doesn’t talk to anyone but Nicole.”

  Maggie leaned forward. “Nicole actually brags about not celebrating American holidays. If she hates it here so much, why doesn’t she go back to Germany?”

  Jim reeled back. “You’ve been here for three years and you don’t know? I’m shocked.”

  “Know what?”

  “She lost custody of her daughter to her American husband.”

  Maggie’s mouth dropped. “She lost custody? What did she do wrong?”

  “Well, if you dress like a hooker, and walk like a hooker, I guess you’re a hooker.”

  “That can’t be true...is it? She talks about her boyfriend constantly.”

  When Susan walked into the room and went to the candy machine, both of them stopped talking. Jim finally said, “Nice weather we’re having.”

  “A bit too hot to suit me,” Maggie returned. “When do you think the air-conditioning will be fixed?”

  “I have no...” Jim noticed Susan’s glare as she walked out, and as soon as she was gone, he chuckled. “She probably thinks we were talking about her,” he said, loud enough for Susan to hear, just in case she paused in the hall to listen.

  Maggie got up, went to the door, peeked out, and then came back. “She’s gone. What about Nicole’s boyfriend?”

  “Which one? Boyfriends don’t last long either; they can’t keep up with her. Some guys like sex to be their idea.”

  Maggie tipped her head to the side. “You’re making that up, right?”

  “Nope.” This time Jim talked just above a whisper. “If you only knew how many times Nicole has propositioned me...and every other man in the company, you would be mortified.”

  “Really? Isn’t that sexual harassment?”

  “It is in my book.”

  “Why doesn’t someone say something?”

  “You mean file charges?”

  “Yes,” said Maggie.

  “Well, she is an attractive woman and some guys fall for it. Others don’t want the hassle of having to stand up in court and testify. I know I don’t. Besides, the owner of the company likes her, and who knows what he would do to the guy who complains. We all need our jobs.”

  Maggie frowned. “I don’t like Mr. Gallaher either. There is something about him that makes me...”

  “Yeah, well, if he ever offers you a way to make extra money, turn him down.”

  “Why?”

  “Harold Gallaher runs a phone sex business on the side.”

  She slumped in her chair. “So that part is true. At least he doesn’t bring that business into the phone company.”

  “Who says he doesn’t? If you own a small phone company, then it is easy to set up as many phone-sex lines as you want without having to answer too many questions.”

  “I suppose it would be.”

  Jim reached across the table and playfully patted the top of her head. “How I would love to be as innocent and as unsuspecting as you are.”

  “I’m not all that innocent.”

  “Just be careful, my favorite little Brit. Nicole likes the power she has over people, and you and I are probably moving up on her hit list.”

  “I’ll do my best to stay out of her way.”

  “I wish I could.” His eyes suddenly widened. “Know what would be worse than getting fired?”

  “What?”

  “If Nicole makes Susan our manager.”

  “Oh gosh, that would be awful. Susan has only been here a few months and she still doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

  “That’s what I mean...things could get worse.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes. “Especially for me. Susan is mad at me again.”

  “What did you do this time?”

  “I insulted her. You know how she stands too close when she asks a question?”

  “I hate when she does that.”

  “Me too. Her eyelashe
s are very long, and hang down over her eyes. I can’t imagine why it doesn’t bother her. Anyway, a couple of days ago, I told her it made her look like she’s in prison.”

  Jim started to laugh and covered his mouth. “You didn’t.”

  “I did. Today she came to work with her eyelashes curled. I should say something about how much better she looks, but truly, it would take a lot more than an eyelash curler to make her as lovely as she could be, if she tried.”

  “I think she’s a little off in the head anyway.”

  “Do you? In what way?”

  “Susan worked for a collection agency, so she’s used to making up lies. Ursula needed to find a vendor zip code, and Susan started to make up this long, involved reason Ursula could use as an excuse to get it. Rubbish, I said. I called, asked for the zip code, wrote it down, hung up, and handed the paper to Ursula. It took about two seconds.”

  She giggled. “You humiliated Susan in front of a co-worker? You’re worse than me.”

  “Maggie, I can’t handle stupid sometimes.”

  “She might try to get even with you later.”

  “She’ll have to get in line behind Nicole.” He looked at the clock and stood up. “Time to go back. You coming?”

  “In a minute.” With two minutes of break time left, Maggie stayed and took another sip of her soda. Being a foreigner in America was harder than she expected it to be. She wanted to blend in, and to do that, she spent a great deal of time learning the American vocabulary instead of the one she grew up with. Even after three years, she sometimes used a word that brought about strange looks.

  She only had one American friend, other than the people she worked with. Her friend was a man she talked to in a private chat room every night – at least he said he was a man. Bronco8881 seemed nice enough and she liked him. He could carry on an intelligent conversation, often made her laugh, and talking to him was the highlight of her day.

  She couldn’t wait to tell him what Jim said, but she had to be careful not to give Bronco8881 too much information. The internet made it easy for people to find someone if they tried hard enough, and the last thing she needed was for him to show up at her apartment.

  As soon as her break time was up, Maggie begrudgingly went back to work. The basement was filled with equipment that softly hummed, but she had grown used to that. The top floor held meeting rooms and offices for the owner and his corporate lawyer daughter, neither of whom Maggie saw very often. Her cubical was on the middle floor, and when she looked in the one across the hall, the department manager’s desk was indeed cleaned off, and Colleen’s chair was empty.

  WITH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, thousands of employees, and the fate of several lucrative companies at stake, Mathew and Laura Connelly vs. The Estate of Nicholas W. Gladstone was the best kept secret in Denver. The small courtroom offered enough seats for a six-member jury, but a jury, even one that was sworn to absolute secrecy, could not be trusted.

  Instead, Marcus Stonewall Hawthorn, a direct descendant of the famous Colorado Hawthorns on one side, and Stonewall Jackson on the other, served as both judge and jury.

  The judge wore the usual black robe and sat behind the usual podium with an American flag on one side and a Colorado State flag on the other. The walls were polished wood paneling and a short fence, complete with a center gate separating the proceedings from two rows of spectator pews, all of which were empty. Facing the judge, Attorney Bradley Hyde sat at a table with his clients, Mathew and Laura Connelly, while the estate Attorney, Austin Steel, sat alone at the other table.

  The argument between the two attorneys had already lasted well over two hours. Laura looked bored and Mathew looked irritated.

  Once more, Austin Steel respectfully stood up. “Your Honor, the will specifically states that proof of Miss Connelly’s death must be conclusive. The Connellys have admitted they registered their daughter in a boarding school in the United Kingdom, under the name Georgia Marie James. I submit to you, that the photograph of the dead woman they claim is their daughter is anything but conclusive.”

  Bradley Hyde slowly stood up too. “Your Honor, Miss James’ identification was found on the body after the accident. Who else could it have been?”

  “It was found several feet away, Your Honor,” Austin countered.

  “Yet, no other identification was found anywhere near the site of the accident,” Bradley Hyde argued. “The body was cremated; therefore there are no fingerprints and there is no DNA. How else are my clients to prove their daughter is dead?”

  “Your clients wouldn’t know their own daughter if...”

  Judge Hawthorn banged his gavel twice. “Mr. Steel, I have already heard what you think of the parents. Please refrain from mentioning it again.”

  Austin lowered his gaze. “Yes, Your Honor.”

  “Counselors, both sides agreed not to call any witnesses and to have me judge this case based on the facts presented. Am I mistaken about that?”

  “No, Your Honor,” said Bradley Hyde.

  “No, Your Honor,” Austin sadly agreed. Just then, a bailiff walked in through the side door, whispered in the Judge’s ear, and when the judge nodded, walked down the steps and handed a note to the estate attorney.

  Highline hotel, 24th floor, Suite A

  Jackie Harland.

  Austin Steel couldn’t help but take a relieved breath. “Your Honor, some new evidence has just been handed to me. I will need time to verify it.”

  “What new evidence?” the opposing attorney asked louder than he should have.

  “I believe I can prove Miss James is quite alive. I ask...no, I beg the court for a continuance. Miss James’ grandfather wanted her to have it all, and we owe it to her to at least... ”

  “How much time?” Judge Hawthorn asked.

  “A month, Your Honor.”

  “A month!” Bradley shouted. “Your Honor, my clients have waited six months already.”

  “Two weeks and not a day more,” said the Judge. “I want this trial over and done with before I am old enough to retire.” He banged his gavel once, stood up, and left the room.

  Frustrated, Mathew slammed his fist on the table.

  “Ah, poor baby. Another two weeks,” Laura mocked. She stood up and smoothed the wrinkles out of her red skirt.

  “Whose side are you on, Laura?”

  She cunningly smiled. “My side, Darling.”

  End of sample chapter.

  Pick up your copy of Missing Heiress today!

  More Marti Talbott Books

  www.martitalbott.com

  To discover free Marti Talbott books and more historical novels filled with castles and kings, love and war, triumph and tribulation - click here.

  Follow Clan MacGreagor through multiple generations beginning with The Viking where it all began, The Highlanders and their struggle to survive, Marblestone Mansion and the duke who simply could not get rid of his scandalous duchess, and still more historical stories in The Lost MacGreagor Books. Then check out Marti’s contemporary romance/mysteries in Missing Heiress, Greed and a Mistress, The Dead Letters, and The Locked Room. Other books include the Carson Series, Leanna, (a short story), and Seattle Quake 9.2.

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  Also by Marti Talbott

  Carson Series

  Broken Pledge

  The Promise

  Marti Talbott's Highlander Series

  Marti Talbott's Highlander Series 1

  Marti Talbott's Highlander Series 2

  Marti Talbott's Highlander Series 3

  Marti Talbott's Highlander Series 4

  Marti Talbott's Highlander Series 5

  Betrothed

  The Golden Sword, Book 7

  Abducted, Book 8

  A Time of Madness

  Triplets

  Secrets

  Choices

/>   Ill-Fated Love

  The Other Side of the River

  Marti Talbott's Highlander Omnibus, Books 1 - 3

  Leanna: A Clean Highlander Short Story

  Scandalous Duchess Series

  Marblestone Mansion, Book 1

  Marblestone Mansion, Book 2

  Marblestone Mansion, Book 3

  Marblestone Mansion, Book 4

  Marblestone Mansion, Book 5

  Marblestone Mansion, Book 6

  Marblestone Mansion, Book 7

  Marblestone Mansion, Book 8

  Marblestone Mansion, Book 9

  Marblestone Mansion, Book 10

  Marblestone Mansion, (Omnibus, Books 1 - 3)

  The Lost MacGreagor Books

  Beloved Ruins, Book 1

  Beloved Lies, Book 2

  Beloved Secrets, Book 3

  Beloved Vows, Book 4

  The Viking Series

  The Viking

  The Viking's Daughter

  The Viking's Son

  The Viking's Bride

  The Viking's Honor

  Viking Blood

  The Unwanted Bride

  The Wheeler Triplets

  Ondrea

  Yvette

  Adison

  The Wheeler Triplets Box Set

  Standalone

  Seattle Quake 9.2

  Missing Heiress

  Greed and a Mistress

  The Dead Letters

  The Locked Room

  Love and Suspicion

  The Carson Series, Box Set

  Watch for more at Marti Talbott’s site.

  About the Author

  Marti Talbott (www.martitalbott.com) is the author of over 40 books, all of which are written without profanity and sex scenes. She lives in Seattle, is retired and has two children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The MacGreagor family saga begins with The Viking Series and continues in Marti Talbott’s Highlander’s Series, Marblestone Mansion, the Scandalous Duchess series, and ends with The Lost MacGreagor books. Her mystery books include Seattle Quake 9.2, Missing Heiress, Greed and a Mistress, The Locked Room, and The Dead Letters. Other books include The Promise and Broken Pledge.