Broken Trust (Missing in Action Trilogy Book 1) (3 page)

“Yes, and I know it doesn’t make sense but Carly is able to give me what I want and that is children. She is pregnant,” he said.  He took a swig of Bourbon and John felt as if he was going to be sick. He was filled with emotions and he mostly wanted to deck him, but he refrained. He had to be civil, he just did not like this turn of events. He had hoped that somehow Sasha had been mistaken.

“You will be divorcing Sasha then?”

“Yes, but not until I am one hundred percent sure that Carly is pregnant.”

“Are you only divorcing Sasha because this girl
might
be pregnant?”

“No, I am doing it because Carly and I just click. I have a connection with her, like I used to have with Sasha and it is just gone now. Besides, she is still young enough, maybe she will be able to find a man that does not want children.”

“So you are willing to throw everything the two of you had away as if it was nothing.”

Martin was silent for a moment and he shook his head. “I will not deny we definitely
had
something, but we no longer do. This will be the best for the both of us.”

“When will you know if Carly is officially pregnant?”

“In two weeks,” he said. “Please do me a favor and do not tell Rod any of this.”

“Why would I say anything?”

“You have always been a good friend,” he said. “So what took you so long to reach out to me?”

“The business has been lucrative and to be completely honest with how busy I get I barely have time to see my parents.”

“Well I am glad. I remember how nervous you were about becoming an investigator. It seems to have worked out quite nicely for you.”

John shrugged. “Still, it is not everything I thought it would be.”

“Well nothing is exactly as what you think it will be,” he smiled as the waiter came over to collect their order. John knew this was going to be an awkward lunch.

***

Sheila was looking at the clock that hung on the wall and she watched as the second hand continued to go around and around. She was still waiting around the office for John to show up. Since he hadn’t returned, she was relatively sure that something wrong. Granted, it was probably not any of her business, but she wanted to know if he was coming back. She liked knowing these things beforehand, that way she could plan out her day.

Unlocking her tablet, she pulled up her calendar and she was reminded he had a luncheon with Martin Hawkins, but that had been about three hours ago. Generally he would call her to let her know he was not coming back to the office. Sheila wondered what had become of him, he was always prompt and something was most certainly wrong since he had not arrived back to continue filing his report.

As she was looking at her cell phone she wondered if he had his phone on. He didn’t like using it and she always wondered why he was so hesitant to upgrade into the twenty-first century. Taking a chance she called him and it went straight to voice mail, which was no surprise. She looked around the office. She did not need to be here. They were not expecting anyone today. She pushed her chair back and she walked over to the coat rack that stood to the left of the door. Grabbing her jacket she switched off all the lights and she was on her way out.

Locking the office door behind her, she walked down the hallway. She had remembered when she first started working there that the hallways were carpeted and now they were tiled. It made it easier for maintenance she was sure of that, and as she walked she could hear a slight echo of her footsteps. As she continued walking, she could see the other offices as she passed. There were dozens of them all throughout the building and most of them were for legal practices. She knew their office was one of the smaller ones, which was fine because it functioned perfectly for what they did. Sheila wondered how much longer they would be here though. She knew that John was having issues, even if he did not want to say so out loud.

She was alone in the elevator listening to the elevator music. She knew most people disliked elevator music, but she enjoyed the soft melodies. It calmed her and it made it more bearable to be in here when there were others crammed in. She disliked being in tight places and she knew she needed to get over that, but for right now she did not need to worry.

In the main lobby she saw Tom standing behind the main desk. The main lobby did indeed appear to be like a grand hotel, and Tom was the one who took care of the people coming in. He directed them to where they needed to go even though it was printed on the wall where the offices were located and who was in which one.

As she was walking towards the door she waved and he returned it with a smile. He appeared to be sleep deprived and she knew this was not his only job. He was twenty-three and working two jobs. He had quit going to school in order to take care of his grandmother who was dying slowly. It was just him and his grandmother; the only family he had, and she could understand the feeling of being completely alone. She pushed open the door and felt the cold air hit her uncovered face. This was the time of year she despised. It was beautiful to look at but living with it was another thing all together.

Hailing a taxi and sliding inside, she instantly felt uncomfortable. Taxis on television looked clean, but they were the furthest thing from it. The fabric seats were torn and there was trash in them. It smelled like smoke and there were bars between her and the taxi driver. She knew it was for their own protection, but she felt as if she were a caged bird.

“Where to,” the drive said gruffly.

“Amsterdam and 22
nd
,” she said.

He nodded. She could not deny that their town of Primer reminded her of Manhattan, but it was cleaner and not as compacted. As he was driving, she was looking at her tablet. She was checking for any e-mails or any notifications she might have, but there was nothing. Business was slowing down, but it was most likely due to the holiday’s right around the corner. People would rather pretend they had no problems until after the New Year came around.

Finally the taxi driver arrived and she paid him. She had always tipped well, it was something her father had always taught her to do. She was out on the sidewalk in front of his condo. He lived modestly for someone who had made as much as he had in the past eighteen months, but she respected that. He gave himself allowances to do certain things and that was why he still had so much in the bank.

Walking up the steps, she pulled out her set of keys. First she rang the doorbell, there was no answer, and then she checked the door. It was already unlocked. She knew he was very bad about locking his door and that was something he needed to get in the habit of doing. Even living in a decent neighborhood you never knew if there was an opportunist around.

Opening the door she slipped inside and she locked it behind her. His foyer was small, but it was functional. It had a coat rack and a place to take off your shoes and that was exactly what she did. Stepping onto the carpet, the first room that opened up was the living room and that was where she saw him. He was on the maroon couch that had seen better days. That was the thing about him that bugged her. None of his furniture matched and it made her anxious. She had offered to take him furniture shopping, but he did not want to go. He said that his furniture functioned and he did not need anything more than what he had.

As she walked over towards him she realized he was in a deep sleep. Most people look peaceful when they were asleep, but he seemed worried and upset. This past month had really gotten to him and she wanted to be able to help fix his issues, but he would not talk to her. Hell, she was not sure he was able to talk to anyone.

She saw straight through to the kitchen and she could see his dishes were piled up. He did have a housekeeper who came twice a month, but he obviously needed someone around more often to clean.

Walking to the kitchen she looked at all the crusted food on his bowls and plates. She knew this would take a while and she got out her ear-buds and she plugged them into her phone. Listening to music, she started on cleaning up the mess.

He woke up to the smell of cinnamon and he was not sure why he smelled cinnamon. Sitting up, he felt a pinch in his neck and rubbed his eyes.  He looked around the room and noticed that the carpet was vacuumed, his furniture was dusted, and he saw there was a candle on the coffee table.

He detected movement to the right of him and saw Sheila there. She was wrapping up the vacuum cord and listening to music. Her hair was pulled back and he noticed a scar on her neck. He had never noticed it before, but then again she usually had her hair down.

She seemed to notice she was being watched and looked up and saw him. She immediately pulled out her ear-buds and smiled awkwardly. “Hey boss,” she said. “You did not call in or come back to the office and I decided to check on you.”

“And it looks as though you cleaned as well. Thank you.”

There was an uneasy silence and he knew she had a question to ask and he was sure she was not going to ask it. He finally spoke. “Martin is cheating on Sasha. The only thing I need to do now is compile everything on it, that way she will be able to get something out of the divorce.”

Sheila was just as awkward as he was. He knew she was not too sure if she needed to console him or what. Comforting people was not something that they were good at. He let out a sigh. “I am fine. I know you want to know how I am holding up and I am just fine.”

However, as he said it he knew he was not fine. He did not understand how something like that could happen to two people that seemed perfect for one another. She could not have children, and that was not a bad thing. There are other ways to go about it and cheating was not one of those ways. Martin had always told everyone that Sasha was everything to him. John was not sure how to process everything. He felt betrayed in a way as well, and he was not sure how to explain it.

“Boss you are surely not fine, but if you insist, that is alright. I will go fix you up some coffee and we can just chat about anything. You know, if we can find a topic.”

Sheila walked away and he wondered what they could talk about. He wasn’t sure they had much in common, but he had to admit it was nice having her around. It was somewhat comforting knowing she cared about how he was feeling. She seemed to understand him and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

He watched as she walked back into the room with mugs in either hand. She smiled warmly at him and took a seat next to him. She had ash brown hair and piercing hazel eyes. She was petite and always wore slacks and a blouse. Everything about her was simple and it was one of the things he liked about her.

“So,” she began. “Look, I do not know what else to talk about, but I do know we need to talk about you. There is something bothering you and I can see it Boss. Can you please talk to me?”

“Sheila, after this case I think I am done with the divorces. I want there to be something more out there for me. You know? I am sick and tired of seeing all of this.”

“What happened to you a month ago?”

John was taken aback. A month ago? What had happened a month ago?  He remembered. He shook his head. “That was just my breaking point, I guess. I mean let me be honest here. I thought that this would be more like finding the kidnapped brother or finding who killed that unidentified woman. I mean I am good at catching cheating spouses, I just don’t want this to be all I do.”

“Is that your final decision?”

He looked at her and knew she wasn’t upset and he wondered why. He finally shook his head. “It is something I am thinking about,” he said. He took a sip of his coffee and Sheila did the same. He could not deny that it was nice having her around, and that was the only reason he was hesitant to close up shop. If he did it would most likely mean they would be limited with resources and he would have to let her go. That was something he did not want to do. He was not even sure he was capable of firing someone.

They sat there awkwardly for the next hour or so. John wondered if she was wanting to say something and she didn’t because she wanted to remain professional. She was one of those professional people through and through; even though they were not at work she remained that way. He doubted she could ever be something else toward him. He wondered why, but he appreciated it. At the same time, he wanted her to feel comfortable enough to just talk to him without being afraid of what he would think.

“So,” John said after a long silence. “Would you like for me to drive you home?”

Sheila eyed him for a moment and finally nodded. She took the mugs and was heading back to the kitchen. “You need to have your cleaning lady in here more often,” she chided from the kitchen. “I do not see how your office can be so clean and this place is not.”

John walked into the kitchen and he watched her rinse out the mugs and set them down next to the sink. He walked over towards her and realized they were closer than what was comfortable. “I will see about having her come over more often then,” he said. “If that is what would make you happy.”

She flashed him a smile and she nodded. “It is not good to live in a mess.”

Sometimes when they would talk it seemed as if they were married, but he would never dare say that out loud. He took a step back and she brushed passed him. He could smell her perfume and it always seemed to be the same one. It was enticing, but she was his assistant and despite how attractive she was he knew they were coworkers and that was all.

As he walked behind her he knew where his keys had been; but now they were not where he had left them. He loved living in a mess. He was able to function in a mess and he knew where everything was. It was organized chaos and he loved it.

“Sheila where are my keys?”

Another smile was on her face. He wondered what she was thinking. Her mind seemed to always be in thought and he always wondered what it would be like inside her head. She walked over to the drawer in the foyer and there was a bowl sitting on top of it. She took out his keys with a clank and she tossed them over to him.