50. Rei
I waited in the lobby of the Radiant Cleaning offices at seven forty-five the next morning, arms folded across my chest. Security showed that Conrad and Courtn—Claire—arrived at the same time each day.
So it was no surprise when they came in together, whispering something to each other. Conrad flicked on the overhead light, and they jumped when they noticed me standing there.
“Good morning,” I said brightly.
Conrad looked from me to Claire, and Claire gave me a bright smile. “Rei, I didn’t see you on the calendar this morning.” She shrugged out of her coat and carried it to the desk.
“Stop the act,” I nearly growled. “I know who you are, Claire.”
Recognition flared in her gaze, but she said, “You must have mistaken me with someone else. I’m Courtneigh.”
“Well, Courtneigh, I found out that these papers Conrad wanted me to plant were printed using your code and the file originated on your office computer.” I jammed the envelope Conrad wanted me to plant in her direction.
She took it, gripping so tightly her knuckles turned white. “You want everyone to know about your past?”
I shook my head quickly. “No, I don’t. Look, I’m sure we can work something out that’s not going to get Quentin in trouble. Do you want money?”
Her jaw tensed, and she passed the papers back to me. “You put this on Quentin’s desk today, or Conrad and I will go to the press with everything we know about both of you.” She used to look pretty to me, but now I noticed an iciness behind her blue eyes that set my nerves on edge.
“Tell them, then,” I said. “I’d rather go down than ruin an innocent man.”
Conrad’s eyes narrowed. “You think there aren’t dozens of other people who go in and out of those offices willing to plant that folder?”
“You’d make someone else do this?” I asked, pretending to be surprised. Nothing about Conrad surprised me anymore.
Claire said, “You have no idea what we’re capable of. I know how to make something untraceable, and I will make sure Quentin goes down for what he’s done to me. If you help me, at least you get to keep all this.” She gestured toward the office with a sneer.
I drew myself up to my full height. “You know, it’s not illegal to change your name. But it is illegal to blackmail and plant fabricated evidence. At least, that’s what your parole officer told me.”
Claire’s face paled.
“Isn’t that true, Bailey?” I asked over my shoulder.
Behind me, Claire’s parole officer said, “That’s true.” Claire started to run, but another officer was there too. The officers tackled Claire to the floor, cuffing her in one smooth motion.
As the officer recited the Miranda rights, Conrad approached me with a desperate look on his face. “Thank God. Rei, you have no idea what she was threatening me with. She said she’d—”
I pulled out a photo of Conrad and Claire in an intimate embrace on his front porch.
His face went pallid. “How did you get this?”
I shrugged. “Private investigator. When I saw that, I thought you were just another sleazy guy sleeping with his assistant…
Until Quentin's mom and I spotted Courtneigh in a department store. Coretta recognized her as Claire, the woman who Quentin turned in for fraud.” I glared out the door where the officer was putting Claire into the back of a cop car.
“She was out for revenge and you went right along with her plans.”
“Rei, you’ve got to believe me. I’m your friend. I only did this because Claire said he framed her for fraud and ruined her life. I just wanted him to get payback for what he did to her. I was never going to really tell the press about you. I just needed you to believe that so you’d help us.”
“We’re not friends,” I gritted out and shoved a manilla folder into his hands. “Not anymore.”
“What is this?” he asked, opening the folder. “More photos?”
“Your termination papers. You’ll find your company phone has been disconnected, your emails and other log-ins have been terminated.
An email went out to all employees and partners to alert them that you are no longer employed with Radiant Cleaning and that you’re currently under investigation for blackmail and conspiracy to commit fraud. ”
His face twisted, and he stepped threateningly toward me. “You have no proof. I’ll tell the judge what I told you. She coerced me into it. It wasn’t my fault. Say you lied to the court. You do have a history of lying.”
“You’d commit perjury?” I asked, feigning shock. At this point, I wouldn’t put anything past him.
Conrad was so close now I could smell Courtney’s cherry lipgloss on his breath and see the remainder of a sparkle on his mouth. “I won’t stop there. I’ll do anything to stay out of jail and make sure you go there instead.”
I looked at the ground, reeling from how little Conrad cared for me after everything. Maybe he was a good actor to make me believe he ever was my friend. “Did you catch that, Peter?”
“Sure did,” the officer said, coming around the corner with Steve.
Conrad’s face twisted, and he lunged at me with a roar, knocking me to the ground with his hands around my neck. Steve was there in an instant, Flicking Conrad away from me like the pest he was. Peter snapped cuffs onto Conrad’s wrists in a flash of silver.
Steve helped me up as I swayed on my feet. Touching the back of my head, I already felt a goose egg rising. “I guess we can add assault to his rap sheet too.”
Peter the officer chuckled and then started reciting Conrad’s rights to him.
Steve checked me over with a deep frown. “I told you I should be in the room with you. Quentin’s going to have me fired. He’ll—”
“I’ll handle Quentin,” I said. I was pretty sure once I told him about my past, Steve’s job would be the last thing on Quentin’s mind.
Still frowning, Steve said, “Is there any way I can make it up to you?”
“Can I start calling you Steve the Sledgehammer?”
He barked out a surprised laugh and then composed himself, a twinkle lingering in his eyes. “I suppose I’ll allow it.”
I looked around the office, now quiet, and said, “Can I have a minute, Steve the Sledgehammer?”
He didn’t seem to like that idea but nodded and said, “I’ll wait right here.”
Grateful, I walked away from the lobby, going down the hallway back to the office Conrad had made his own for the last several years. It felt surreal to know the horrors of the last few weeks were mostly over.
Finally, Quentin was safe from Conrad’s threats, and me? My past could come out regardless, thanks to the news about my elopement with Quentin. Hopefully I would get the chance to tell him first.
Reaching the end of the hallway, I opened the door to the office and stared at Conrad’s diplomas. Something took over my body, and I walked to one, picking it up over my head and smashing it to the floor as hard as I possibly could.
Glass shattered all over the floor, and the cheap wooden frame split at the corners.
Needing more of that release, I grabbed the other frame and did the same thing.
Footsteps came pounding down the hallway, and Steve opened the door. “Rei!” he shouted. “Are you okay?”
Surrounded by shattered glass and bits of wood, I reached for Conrad’s lamp. “Feeling better than ever,” I said, slamming it to the floor.