Deception. Donna Hill

That, compounded with the company ledgers, was enough to keep her head spinning for weeks. But she had work to do, and it would begin with a process of elimination.

      She reached for the phone and dialed Stacy’s extension.

      Stacy picked up on the second ring.

      “Stacy Williams, here.”

      “Stacy, I need you in my office in an hour. In the meantime I want you to pull the accounting records for the past six months and compare them to the figures we came up with last night.”

      “Sure. Anything else?”

      “The sooner the better. I want to get that SOB out of here as soon as possible.”

      “I’ll get right on it.”

      “Thanks.”

      Terri hung up the phone, then proceeded to unlock the file cabinet, retrieving the files that she had examined the previous night. The pages in front of her seemed to laugh at her naïveté.

      She shook her head in disbelief. Powers, Inc., was on the brink of deep financial trouble, and she had let it happen. Her trusting nature had overruled her business judgment, and it had cost her dearly. For the past year she’d felt like a failure as a wife and then as a mother. All she had left was her business, and now even that was threatened.

      No more.

      She quickly crossed the office and went out into the small reception area. Andrea was just taking her seat.

      “Good morning, Ms. Powers,” she greeted cheerfully, then changed her tone when she saw the thunderclouds raging in Terri’s dark eyes. “Is something wrong?”

      “Not for long,” she responded. “I need you to get Al Pierce, the accountant, on the phone. Tell him to stop whatever he’s doing. I want him here within the hour, along with all of the records that have anything to do with Powers, Inc. Make sure that he understands that this is not a request. This is a command performance. If he gives you the slightest bit of a problem, put me on the line and I’ll handle him.”

      “Yes, Ms. Powers,” she said meekly.

      “Thank you. Oh, and as soon as Mr. Andrews arrives, send him into my office.”

      Terri turned back toward her office before Andrea had a chance to respond.

      Andrea couldn’t remember ever seeing Terri this angry before. This must be serious, she thought, thankful that the boss’s rage was not directed at her. She flipped through her Rolodex and found the accountant’s number.

      Clint stared pensively at the folders in front of him. He’d wrestled with what he had to do for several days. His decision was made. His friend Steve’s investigation of Mark had come up with some very damning information, and he felt compelled to tell Terri, whether she accepted his help or not.

      The tapping on his office door snapped him to attention. Melissa strolled in.

      “You wanted to see me, Clint?” she asked, beaming a brilliant smile.

      “Yes. Have a seat.”

      Melissa took a seat opposite Clint, seductively crossing her long legs. She regarded him thoughtfully, gaining a joyous satisfaction in studying his profile. Her strong admiration and loyalty for Clint bordered on the romantic, but she was always careful never to cross that line. She sighed silently, wishing that one day he’d see past her brains to the woman who could rock his world.

      “You’ve been seeing Mark Andrews.” His question was more of a statement, and Melissa wasn’t sure if she should be angry or flattered by his interest.

      “I won’t even begin to ask you how you know,” she stated candidly, the years of working together being enough of an answer. “Is there a problem that I should know about?”

      Clint slowly crossed the room, sliding his hands into his pants pockets. He turned to face her.

      “There could be. I got some bad vibes from him when the deal with Powers, Inc., fell through. Some things didn’t sit right with me. I’ve had someone do some investigating on our Mr. Andrews, and I don’t like what I’ve found out.”

      Melissa’s heart tripped. The only man that had truly interested her in years had been Clint. There’d been others to fill the gaps, even Clint’s buddy Steve. When she met Mark, she thought that she had finally found someone to take her mind off of Clint—permanently. Or at least until Clint woke up and truly saw her. Now she had a bad feeling that she wasn’t going to like what she was going to hear.

      Melissa returned to her office, slamming the door behind her, the vehemence of her tirade toward Clint reverberating in her head. Her hurt and anger were so intense that she shook with its force. She swung back toward the closed door, wanting desperately to throw something. Then feeling totally impotent, tears of frustration and defeat filled her hazel eyes.

      Terri and Stacy sat in Terri’s office awaiting Mark and the accountant’s arrival.

      Stacy took a sip of her coffee. “I just can’t believe that all of this was going on right under our noses.”

      “Neither can I,” Terri replied, the soft lilt of her voice laden with regret.

      Stacy shook her head just as Andrea peeked in the door.

      “Ms. Powers, Mr. Pierce is here, and Mark just arrived. Should I buzz him?”

      “Yes. But tell him to wait about ten minutes. Send Al in now.”

      “Who gave you authorization to allocate all of this money, Al?” Terri demanded, tossing the stack of check releases across the conference table.

      Al Pierce swallowed and adjusted his glasses. He made a small showing of reviewing the documents in front of him. “Why, you did,” he replied after several moments.

      “In all of the years that we’ve been dealing with each other, when have I ever given you verbal instructions? Every transaction has been clearly written by me. Is that correct?”

      “Yes. However, Mr. Andrews said that they were your instructions.” He fidgeted in his seat, uncomfortable under her steady gaze.

      “How much was he paying you to maintain two sets of books, Mr. Pierce?” she quizzed, throwing him totally off guard.

      “I…I don’t know what you mean,” he mumbled, raking a nervous hand through his thick gray hair. “Certainly you don’t think that—”

      “Think what—that you and Mark were behind-the-scenes, undermining me for personal gain?” Her voice rose. “Is that what you think is on my mind?”

      “Ms. Powers,” he stood abruptly. “I resent the implication.”

      “Resent whatever you want, Al. You’re through! And if I have anything to do with it, the only things you’re ever going to add up again are cash-register receipts,” she spat. “Now get out of my sight and out of my office.”

      Al Pierce gathered up his belongings. “If you think that I’m your only problem, then you have more of a problem than you can imagine.” He threw a cursory glance in Stacy’s direction and stalked out the door.

      “What was that supposed to mean?” Stacy asked.

      “I really don’t know. More than likely it was an idle comment.” But silently she wondered if it were that simple. She inhaled deeply. “Now for round two,” she said, her tone morose. “I think it would be best if I handled this one alone.” She crossed her arms with resolve.

      “Are you sure?”

      Terri nodded gloomily. “If I need you for anything, I’ll send Andrea for you.”

      Stacy rose reluctantly and slowly approached Terri, who stood as if cast in stone. “Listen,” she began softly, “it all looks real bleak right now. But everything is going to work out.”

      “Sure,”