TWENTY-THREE #2
“Revelations?” Murph laughed again, but I could hear the nervousness in it. “What are you talking about?”
Adler cleared his throat. “It would appear,” he said, “that we have located a log that shows you accessed the SunCorp term sheet the night before our pre-close meeting with the clients. Now. My question to you is, why would this log say that?”
“I have no idea,” said Murph.
Adler gestured toward the coffee table.
Murph shot me a look. He picked up the printout, then screwed up his forehead in a convincing approximation of bafflement. “What is this? What does it have to do with me?”
“Read it,” Adler commanded.
The room was silent as Murph scanned the log.
“Check out the date and time, Murph. You purposely sabotaged the SunCorp document so I’d look bad at the meeting with Marty and the client. And we all know it.”
He looked over at Adler, who glanced away.
Murph gave a desperate, wild laugh. “I don’t know what the hell you’re trying to prove here, Ingrid. If you’re insinuating that I would deliberately forge a client document, you’re even crazier and more emotional than we all thought!” He looked hopefully in Adler’s direction.
Adler looked back at me. He seemed to be sizing me up, trying to decide something for himself. Murph took advantage of Adler’s uncertainty to pounce on me.
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, Ingrid,” he hissed, rattling the printout at me.
Justin cleared his throat. He said, very quietly but clearly, “I saw you, man. It was really late, and I saw you waiting for us to finish working on the term sheet, log out, and leave for the night. That’s what made me think it might have been you.”
Adler was looking intently at Justin; something seemed to solidify in his expression. He turned back to Murph. “Well?”
Panic flickered in Murph’s eyes, but his expression quickly reverted to outrage and disbelief. He cursed softly under his breath. Then he turned back to Adler, who was kneading his forehead between thumb and forefinger.
“Marty, listen to me,” said Murph. He was struggling to keep his voice level.
“You don’t actually believe this, do you?
You’re telling me you’re going to believe what this—this fucking kid, who’s been here three months, has to say over what I’m telling you?
I swear I have no idea what he’s up to with this, Marty. ”
Adler sighed. “Justin has no reason to make any of this up.”
Murph let out a caustic laugh. “How do you know that?” he spat out. “For all we know, she’s been sleeping with him, too, along with half the firm!”
Justin’s face flushed, from either anger or embarrassment, I couldn’t tell.
“Now that’s enough,” boomed Adler.
I was so angry I was actually shaking. I couldn’t believe I’d been taken in by Murph’s act. I’d been more than taken in. I’d been swallowed whole.
Justin spoke up again, in a louder and steadier voice. “I saw you, man.”
Murph turned and looked at Justin incredulously. He opened and closed his mouth, and his bottom lip was trembling.
Adler sighed. “Murph, I’m afraid I’ll have to speak to the rest of the Management Committee about this matter. You know that. And you know what that means, don’t you.”
Game over. I had rightly gambled that when it came down to Marty Adler having to side with either Justin or Murph, Murph didn’t have a chance.
Just as I hadn’t stood a chance against Murph on my word alone, neither of us had stood a chance against Hunter.
In the hierarchy of influence at Parsons Valentine, everything was relative.
Adler actually looked sad as he continued, “Murph, I think it’s best if you take the rest of today off while we investigate this matter. If you leave quietly right now, without making a scene, there’ll be absolutely no need for me to get Security involved.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Security?” Murph erupted. “This is bullshit!”
“Murph, please,” Adler said. “Let’s try to be reasonable and fair here. Let’s not make this any more difficult than it has to be.”
“Fair?” Murph whirled around and pointed at me. “Fair? You think I didn’t see what was going on? You think I didn’t know that Hunter was in and Ingrid was next?” He barked out another laugh. “She’s a woman, and a minority. I didn’t stand a goddamn chance. You think that’s fucking fair?”
“You’re not leaving me with any choice here, Murph,” Adler said, picking up the phone. “Yes, I need two officers from Security up here right away, please.”
Murph paced around the room, ranting under his breath. Justin, Adler, and I stared at him. None of us moved.
Finally Murph turned and stared at me, shaking his head, those green eyes flashing in anger and disbelief, lips peeled back in a snarl. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
I looked at him straight on. And I was sad to find that there was utterly nothing left of the Murph I thought I knew. We were strangers to each other.
“I know exactly who I am.” I added, more softly, “It’s you I’d worry about.”
Adler beckoned to the two beefy security guards who’d appeared in his doorway and tilted his head toward Murph. “I’d be grateful if you would please escort this gentleman from the building.”
Murph shot me one last cutting look before jerking his arm away from the security guard who’d tried to take his elbow. “You can bet your ass you’ll be hearing from my employment lawyer, Marty,” he tossed back at Adler as the two guards steered him out of the office and down the hall.
As soon as Murph was out of sight, Adler walked silently to the door and closed it. He sighed and turned back around to me. “Ingrid,” he said solemnly.