Read Online Indispensable Party (Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller No. 4) by Melissa F Miller - Free Book Online
Authors: Melissa F Miller
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advantage of the early retirement package
and moved down to Clearwater with the Missus. She was none too happy when they
dragged me back from Florida to reopen this place as a consultant.”
Sasha laughed and shook his
outstretched hand. “If I were her, I think I would have held down the fort in
Florida,” she said with a laugh.
Leo had to smile as he watched
her utterly charm the anxious older man.
“Don’t you give her any ideas if
you run into her, Ms. McCandless,” Ben said, guiding Sasha toward the door with
a hand on her back. “Watch your step now. I shoveled the walk, but I might have
missed a patch or two.”
“I’ll be careful. And, please,
call me Sasha,” she said.
Leo trailed behind them,
wondering why Ben hadn’t had someone else do the shoveling. He knew that the
distribution center was staffed by a skeleton crew, but surely Ben could have
found an extra pair of hands to wield a shovel.
A blast of hot air hit the trio
as they entered the foyer, a small square that sat between the outer door and
the inner, locked door. Ben fumbled with a key card that hung around his neck
on a lanyard and held it up to the reader.
“How many people are there on the
weekend shift now?” Leo asked as the card reader beeped its approval and the
door unlocked.
“Well, we’ve got an even dozen
scheduled,” Ben said, holding the door and ushering them in ahead of him. “But,
we’re kind of scrambling this morning. We’ve got a situation. I was just
getting ready to call you, actually. It’s all hands on deck over in the storage
area. Including my secretary, who doubles as the receptionist. So, I’ll
apologize in advance for the quality of the coffee and the lack of pastries.
Maggie would be spitting nails if she knew what a bad host I’m being.”
He led them past an empty
reception desk to a small, square office. Faint Christmas carols were just
audible through the static on an old black radio. The back wall was lined with
metal filing cabinets. In front of it, sat a small metal desk that housed a
computer, a metal in-box, and three Styrofoam coffee cups. Two fabric-covered
metal chairs were jammed between the desk and the open door.
Ben squeezed past them and sat
behind the desk.
“Make yourselves comfortable,” he
said. “There’s a coat rack behind the door.”
Leo took off his overcoat and
waited for Sasha to wriggle out of her red wool coat, then hung them both on
the rack behind the door and eased it shut.
“Are those your grandkids?” Sasha
asked, leaning in to see the only personal touch in the musty room—a
wood-framed picture of a group of towheaded kids, arms linked, standing on a
beach, squinting in the sun and laughing.
Ben’s tanned face lit up. “Yep,
all five of them.”
“They’re beautiful,” Sasha said.
Ben laughed. “Well, I think so.
Might be biased, though.”
Then he nodded toward the cups. “Help
yourselves. It might not be good, but it should still be hot. That gal of yours
said you’d both appreciate a cup of joe when you got here.”
“That sounds like Grace, all
right. Thanks, Ben,” Leo said.
Leo sipped at the muddy coffee
out of politeness. Grace’s request had been for Sasha’s benefit, not his.
Although he liked the stuff, he didn’t need it. Sasha seemed to be fueled
entirely by coffee; despite being a fraction of his size, she consumed it in
quantities that would have rendered him jerky, shaking, and frenetic.
He looked over the cup at the man
on the other side of the desk.
He’d met Ben once before, when the
older man had visited headquarters to work out the details of his contract and
discuss with the operations team the logistics of filling the government’s orders.
The face-to-face meetings had been unnecessary—the details could have been
worked out over email or by arranging a web conference. But Ben was old school,
a man who believed in handling things personally.
“Thank you for meeting with us,
especially on short notice and
and moved down to Clearwater with the Missus. She was none too happy when they
dragged me back from Florida to reopen this place as a consultant.”
Sasha laughed and shook his
outstretched hand. “If I were her, I think I would have held down the fort in
Florida,” she said with a laugh.
Leo had to smile as he watched
her utterly charm the anxious older man.
“Don’t you give her any ideas if
you run into her, Ms. McCandless,” Ben said, guiding Sasha toward the door with
a hand on her back. “Watch your step now. I shoveled the walk, but I might have
missed a patch or two.”
“I’ll be careful. And, please,
call me Sasha,” she said.
Leo trailed behind them,
wondering why Ben hadn’t had someone else do the shoveling. He knew that the
distribution center was staffed by a skeleton crew, but surely Ben could have
found an extra pair of hands to wield a shovel.
A blast of hot air hit the trio
as they entered the foyer, a small square that sat between the outer door and
the inner, locked door. Ben fumbled with a key card that hung around his neck
on a lanyard and held it up to the reader.
“How many people are there on the
weekend shift now?” Leo asked as the card reader beeped its approval and the
door unlocked.
“Well, we’ve got an even dozen
scheduled,” Ben said, holding the door and ushering them in ahead of him. “But,
we’re kind of scrambling this morning. We’ve got a situation. I was just
getting ready to call you, actually. It’s all hands on deck over in the storage
area. Including my secretary, who doubles as the receptionist. So, I’ll
apologize in advance for the quality of the coffee and the lack of pastries.
Maggie would be spitting nails if she knew what a bad host I’m being.”
He led them past an empty
reception desk to a small, square office. Faint Christmas carols were just
audible through the static on an old black radio. The back wall was lined with
metal filing cabinets. In front of it, sat a small metal desk that housed a
computer, a metal in-box, and three Styrofoam coffee cups. Two fabric-covered
metal chairs were jammed between the desk and the open door.
Ben squeezed past them and sat
behind the desk.
“Make yourselves comfortable,” he
said. “There’s a coat rack behind the door.”
Leo took off his overcoat and
waited for Sasha to wriggle out of her red wool coat, then hung them both on
the rack behind the door and eased it shut.
“Are those your grandkids?” Sasha
asked, leaning in to see the only personal touch in the musty room—a
wood-framed picture of a group of towheaded kids, arms linked, standing on a
beach, squinting in the sun and laughing.
Ben’s tanned face lit up. “Yep,
all five of them.”
“They’re beautiful,” Sasha said.
Ben laughed. “Well, I think so.
Might be biased, though.”
Then he nodded toward the cups. “Help
yourselves. It might not be good, but it should still be hot. That gal of yours
said you’d both appreciate a cup of joe when you got here.”
“That sounds like Grace, all
right. Thanks, Ben,” Leo said.
Leo sipped at the muddy coffee
out of politeness. Grace’s request had been for Sasha’s benefit, not his.
Although he liked the stuff, he didn’t need it. Sasha seemed to be fueled
entirely by coffee; despite being a fraction of his size, she consumed it in
quantities that would have rendered him jerky, shaking, and frenetic.
He looked over the cup at the man
on the other side of the desk.
He’d met Ben once before, when the
older man had visited headquarters to work out the details of his contract and
discuss with the operations team the logistics of filling the government’s orders.
The face-to-face meetings had been unnecessary—the details could have been
worked out over email or by arranging a web conference. But Ben was old school,
a man who believed in handling things personally.
“Thank you for meeting with us,
especially on short notice and
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