Read Online Dead End Job by Ingrid Reinke - Free Book Online

and a half after I arrived at the office, I was able to tell them the CliffsNotes version of my morning in just a minute or two. “Who else was in the office when you found Mrs. Lieber?” Detective Wang asked when I finished.
    “Well, it was just me and Martin on our side of the building, which is pretty normal for that time of the day. And of course the receptionist and the IT guys, but they sit on the other side of the office. Most of the other employees don’t really come in until after nine AM.” My voice trailed off. I was getting distracted by Detective Schreck, and how much he actually looked like the large green movie character. His fingers and skin were pale and lumpy looking. He looked relatively young, but I could see traces of gray in his facial stubble.  His grey-green eyes were a pleasant color, but looked too tiny for his massive face, pitted into his head above those large cheeks and below his bushy eyebrows. A few seconds went by and I realized that I had stopped speaking and was now fully staring at the man, and he was staring at Detective Wang, with a look of sweet admiration on his face. Maybe they are a couple, I started thinking. Then I started imagining them together ( How would that work? He is so big and she is so tiny… ). I must have been making a strange face because Detective Wang’s voice suddenly pierced through my disturbing fantasy like a laser beam.
    “Ms. Hallstrom! I would like to get this statement down so I can find out how an innocent woman was murdered in your office. Now, I will repeat my question: did you find it odd that Mrs. Lieber’s office light was left on?”
    “Oh. Yeah. I’m sorry. Um, not really,” I stumbled. What was wrong with me? I wasn’t even following her line of questioning. Snap out of it, Louisa! I scolded myself. Then, recovering, “Sarah’s working a lot right now on this big merger, so it’s not weird for her to work really late or come in really early.”
    Detective Wang feigned puzzlement. “Oh, I see. The thing is, you said just a few minutes ago…” Detective Schreck handed her the yellow notepad and she scanned her finger up to the top, stopping it on a line of print.  “…ah yes, right here. You said that it was normal for you, in the morning, to be in the office alone with the other employee, Martin…?” She looked at me sweetly, blinking.
    “I guess so. Normally. But we are really busy right now, especially Sarah.” Suddenly my bladder started sending me urgent evacuation alerts and I was getting really uncomfortable. “Uh, yeah. Can I use the bathroom? I had lots of coffee this morning.” I lifted up my empty coffee cup to show her.
    “In a minute,” she snapped back, waving me off. “Now, can you please give me an idea of what exactly Ms. Lieber was working on for this merger?”
    “No,” I replied bluntly.
    Detective Wang did not like this answer one bit. She slowly adjusted back in her seat and glared, digging in her pointy stiletto heels. If I was going to play this game, I was apparently going to have to play by Detective Wang’s rules. I sighed and gave in.
    “I can get in some serious legal trouble if I talk about it. Merit even had me sign something a few months back stating that I would not disclose what is happening in the office under penalty of dismissal.”
    Detective Wang leaned forward, close to me, and put her elbows on the table.
    “I don’t know if you realize this,” she said softly, “but you could be in some serious legal trouble already, Ms. Hallstrom. You see, we know that you came into the office last night because of the keycard access records we had the receptionist pull for us when we got the call. What were you doing in the building at seven forty-five on a Tuesday night?”
    Oh. Shit.
    I had completely forgotten about my Tuesday night date and anxiety pill escapade at the office. This was the first time I realized that I was in the station not to help the police with the investigation,