what had she found? Nothing. Not one piece of paper out of place, not one single document missing. Of course there wasn’t, she had filed this lot herself years ago. As thorough a job as you might find anywhere. She knew that everything in here would be in order.
She got to the end of the final stack and returned the papers neatly to the box file they had come from and slid it back into place on the shelf.
Finished.
L ooking at her fingers, she noticed that the skin was peeling at the tips. The dry paper had leached all the moisture out of them over the last few days. Going to need some hand cream, she thought to herself. Going to need some hand cream, a long hot bat h and about a pound of chocolate.
Closing the door to the storeroom behind her she strolled wearily along the corridor toward the lift. As the doors slid open, she scowled at the mirror inside and turned her back on it as she stepped in but she’d seen the state she was in. Hair a mess, clothes smudged and dirty from the dust and the print. She sighed and hit a button.
Upstairs she walked briskly through the office, keen that nobody get too good a look at her. She was going to report in and then ask to be excused for the day and intended to make it pretty clear that she would be going home anyway so she might as well be excused.
Stopping at the door she resisted the urge to barge straight in and knocked, perhaps a little too firmly.
‘Come.’
She raised her eyebrows at the closed door and mouthed the word ‘come’. Typical of her boss, she thought, trying to sound so imperious. She opened the door and walked in. Andrew Griffin had the phone to his ear and was telling someone to hold on for a moment.
‘ Sarah.’
She shook her head. ‘Nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing’s been touched, nothing’s been moved, nothing is missing.’
He nodded but his expression remained stern. He didn’t appear to care what she had found. Or not found.
‘OK. OK then.’
She stood still for a moment, a little surprised after all her effort, after being cooped up in the store room for two days, after the secrecy and the ‘don’t go telling everyone about this’ from Griffin himself and now she wasn’t even sure he was listening. Anger began to flare up in her.
‘I’ve pretty m uch had it with that lot anyway, ’ she said, hooking a thumb over her shoulder. ‘I thought I’d take off early. Shower, change – I’m covered in dust and ink…’
Griffin looked distracted. Sarah began to back out of the room. ‘That OK?’
He nodded and seemed to snap to his senses. ‘Sure. Great. Definitely. Take yourself home, stick your feet up. Absolutely. Thanks for your help Sarah. Really appreciate it. Really.’
Confused she left and pulled the door shut and then stood staring at it momentarily. Then she turned and walked quickly for her desk to grab her handbag and coat. Better get out before he changes his mind, she thought.
*
In his office, alone again with no-one to hear, Griffin had taken the phone off mute and began speaking again, his voice low, cautious.
‘So something definitely was taken? Can you tell me what exac tly? I mean can you find out?’ H e nodded as he listened to the reply, only partly understanding. Something about the server, a log, keystrokes. ‘Right, sure, ok. Well whatever it takes, but I don’t want anybody else on this. Just you. And I need it soon. Really soon.’
17
Tuesday . 3pm .
‘Cheers Steve, ’ Campbell said and set the huge take-out Starbucks cup down on his desk and began tearing sugar sachets open. He had just cajoled a colleague into doing a coffee-run for the four people that sat on his bank of desks.
The bags under Campbell ’s eyes had done as much to convince his colleague to go as his promptings had. ‘You’ll be needing the Uberlatte then Danny?’ he’d said refusing Campbell ’s proffered tenner.
Another unproductive day was passing and the feeling of despondency and
She got to the end of the final stack and returned the papers neatly to the box file they had come from and slid it back into place on the shelf.
Finished.
L ooking at her fingers, she noticed that the skin was peeling at the tips. The dry paper had leached all the moisture out of them over the last few days. Going to need some hand cream, she thought to herself. Going to need some hand cream, a long hot bat h and about a pound of chocolate.
Closing the door to the storeroom behind her she strolled wearily along the corridor toward the lift. As the doors slid open, she scowled at the mirror inside and turned her back on it as she stepped in but she’d seen the state she was in. Hair a mess, clothes smudged and dirty from the dust and the print. She sighed and hit a button.
Upstairs she walked briskly through the office, keen that nobody get too good a look at her. She was going to report in and then ask to be excused for the day and intended to make it pretty clear that she would be going home anyway so she might as well be excused.
Stopping at the door she resisted the urge to barge straight in and knocked, perhaps a little too firmly.
‘Come.’
She raised her eyebrows at the closed door and mouthed the word ‘come’. Typical of her boss, she thought, trying to sound so imperious. She opened the door and walked in. Andrew Griffin had the phone to his ear and was telling someone to hold on for a moment.
‘ Sarah.’
She shook her head. ‘Nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing’s been touched, nothing’s been moved, nothing is missing.’
He nodded but his expression remained stern. He didn’t appear to care what she had found. Or not found.
‘OK. OK then.’
She stood still for a moment, a little surprised after all her effort, after being cooped up in the store room for two days, after the secrecy and the ‘don’t go telling everyone about this’ from Griffin himself and now she wasn’t even sure he was listening. Anger began to flare up in her.
‘I’ve pretty m uch had it with that lot anyway, ’ she said, hooking a thumb over her shoulder. ‘I thought I’d take off early. Shower, change – I’m covered in dust and ink…’
Griffin looked distracted. Sarah began to back out of the room. ‘That OK?’
He nodded and seemed to snap to his senses. ‘Sure. Great. Definitely. Take yourself home, stick your feet up. Absolutely. Thanks for your help Sarah. Really appreciate it. Really.’
Confused she left and pulled the door shut and then stood staring at it momentarily. Then she turned and walked quickly for her desk to grab her handbag and coat. Better get out before he changes his mind, she thought.
*
In his office, alone again with no-one to hear, Griffin had taken the phone off mute and began speaking again, his voice low, cautious.
‘So something definitely was taken? Can you tell me what exac tly? I mean can you find out?’ H e nodded as he listened to the reply, only partly understanding. Something about the server, a log, keystrokes. ‘Right, sure, ok. Well whatever it takes, but I don’t want anybody else on this. Just you. And I need it soon. Really soon.’
17
Tuesday . 3pm .
‘Cheers Steve, ’ Campbell said and set the huge take-out Starbucks cup down on his desk and began tearing sugar sachets open. He had just cajoled a colleague into doing a coffee-run for the four people that sat on his bank of desks.
The bags under Campbell ’s eyes had done as much to convince his colleague to go as his promptings had. ‘You’ll be needing the Uberlatte then Danny?’ he’d said refusing Campbell ’s proffered tenner.
Another unproductive day was passing and the feeling of despondency and
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