Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
With my mood so buoyant, I’m startled when I approach Jansen’s office mid-morning and find both him and Derek inside looking fiercely ill-tempered. Their expressions are top-of-the-chart grim, ten out of ten, like someone has died—or more like they’re about to murder someone.
Of course, I’m used to them looking unpleasant, but this is new, and it’s especially jarring in contrast to the fun sides they brought out last night.
“What’s wrong?”
Bent over a laptop, Derek looks up first. “Oh … Ana.”
Then Jansen responds in a clipped tone. “Business problems.”
“Is it something I can help with?” When I’m met with blank stares, I add, “Do you need an additional assistant? Because with your workloads, I’m surprised you still share one.”
“It has nothing to do with staffing,” Derek says.
Jansen appears dubious. “Or maybe it does.”
“What is it? You both look miserable, even more than usual.”
The two men exchange a brief look before Derek says, “We’ve been receiving threatening messages. They escalated today.”
“What? Threats? From who?”
“We don’t know.” Derek turns the laptop screen toward me. “Take a look. They’ve all come from different addresses, so there’s no clue there.”
I quickly scan the email, which is filled with threats and accusations about the company’s integrity. “None of what they’re saying about the company is true, is it?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean they can’t ruin our reputation.”
“Right. How long has this been going on?”
Derek rubs the back of his neck. “Quite a while.”
I look between them, trying to read more from their faces, and what I find are hints of worry alongside massive amounts of anger and irritation.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Do you think the messages are coming from someone on the staff? As HR manager, I should be informed.” When they don’t respond, I ask, “Have you gotten law enforcement involved?”
“Not yet,” Jansen says. “Charles has been trying to track the source, but he hasn’t been successful.”
“Today’s message was the first that qualified as blackmail, since they’re asking for hush money in cryptocurrency,” Derek says.
“My roommate Callie is dating two men who work in investigations. Would you like me to connect you?”
“Not yet. We have a call in to our lawyer, and we’ll go from there,” Derek says.
I wonder if the messages are coming from a disgruntled former employee. There are a lot of them out there, and maybe one of them is bitter or desperate enough to commit crimes. “I’ll check through the HR files to see if there are any clues in exit interviews or disciplinary records,” I offer.
“Just keep it quiet,” Derek warns.
“Of course.”
I do search the files, and I question Jackie about former employees in a very roundabout way that won’t give away my reasons for asking. All the while, I feel sick for Derek and Jansen. I can imagine how scary this is for them, especially after having a previous failed business. Whoever’s threatening them could mislead a lot of people on social media, and Community Bean could suffer a pretty big hit.
When I return to the executive offices in the afternoon to report my findings, or lack thereof actually, Gloria tells me both men are out for the rest of the day, so all I can do is hope for the best.
When I go to see them the next morning, Derek and Jansen are still in bad moods, though they’re closer to their normal range of irritation.
“What’s been happening?” I ask. “Any news?”
“A lot happened, actually, most of it through sheer luck,” Derek says. “Our lawyer’s brother happens to work at the local FBI office and he specializes in cybercrimes. We had a meeting with him yesterday afternoon.”
“That’s great. What did he say?”
“We were told to engage the blackmailer in conversation. We sent a reply asking exactly what information they have and what they plan to do with it. The bureau is monitoring our emails, so now we wait for a response to come.”
“Wow, I can’t believe how fast things are moving. That seems very encouraging.”
“We’ll see,” Jansen says.
Gloria knocks on the door. “I have the retail reports here, Jansen, and I compiled the sales spreadsheets and sent those to you. When you have time, we need to go over your schedule for next week.”
“Not now.” He waves her away without even looking up, and Gloria’s face falls before she turns and leaves.
I’m quiet for a moment, because this doesn’t feel like the right time, but I end up being unable to hold my tongue. “Is that how you always treat your assistant?”
“What?”
“You barely acknowledged Gloria.” Both men look at me blankly. “I know you’re under a lot of stress, and I don’t mean to pile on, but after reviewing files from former employees again and reading the volume of complaints about the two of you …”
I hesitate, because it’s suddenly harder to criticize them than it was a month ago. I soften my tone before I continue. “I just think you should pay more attention to how you treat people. There’s a good chance your blackmailer could be an aggrieved former employee.”