Black Coffee

Jaye Watson

Description

Emaline's job has changed from perfect to the pits. Her best friend might have killed her husband. The man she was falling in love with has disappeared and may be dead. Not being one to sit around and wait for things to change, Emaline deals with each issue in her characteristic straightforward manner. But when she decides to look for Harry she may have bitten off more than she can manage.

Sujets

• Thriller

Informations

• Publié par: Uncial Press
• Date de parution: 18 octobre 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781601741707
• Langue: English

Extrait

Black Coffee
A Mystery Novel Byte
 
By
Jaye Watson
 
 
Uncial Press       Aloha, Oregon 2013
 
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events described herein are products ofthe author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Anyresemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirelycoincidental.
ISBN 13: 978-1-60174-170-7
Black Coffee Copyright © 2013 by Judith B. Glad
Cover art and design Copyright © 2013 by Judith B. Glad Heartnecklaces: © Simone Andress - Fotolia.com Black coffee cup: © Africa Studio -Fotolia.com
All rights reserved. Except for use in review, the reproduction or utilization of this work inwhole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafterinvented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by theFBI and is punishable by up to five (5) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Published by Uncial Press, an imprint of GCT, Inc.
Visit us at http://www.uncialpress.com
With thanks to Bobby Darin and Peggy Lee for showing me the benefits of BlackCoffee and Cigarettes.
Chapter One
Detective Armbruster took her hands. "Dr. Banister... Emaline, he's disappeared.Sometime in the last week. We're not sure when. He should have checked in on Tuesday,like always, but he didn't. His primary contact-- They found his body in the Soundyesterday. He'd been knifed."
She knew her mouth was working like a stranded fish's. The deep breath she finallyforced into her lungs was almost all she could manage. "Harry?" she gasped.
"We're pretty sure he's still alive."
"Because you haven't found his body?"
"Yes."
Numb, she wandered from room to room. Harry couldn't be dead. She'd have felt it.Would have known if the tentative, growing connection between them had been severed.She ended up in her bedroom, staring into the cloudy mirror on her antique dresser. Hereyes were too big, her mouth too tight. Tears glistened on her cheeks, tears she hadn't beenaware of shedding.
Slowly, as is the hands that acted belonged to someone else, she opened thewooden chest that held her jewelry. She'd never been much for gewgaws, and there hadonly been one man--other than Harry--who'd given her jewelry. A long time ago.
She touched the velvet packet that lay in the deepest corner, lifted the top fold. Aring was tucked inside, a diamond ring. Half a carat, Tiffany-cut, set in platinum.
A promise never kept, dreams never realized. A life wasted when a drunk thoughtthe disabled car was in the lane ahead. He had not known it was standing still until he hitit.
She folded the packet closed again, tucked it back into its corner, and picked up thezippered silk envelope next to it. Inside was a golden chain of tiny double links from whicha heart dangled. Just an outline, white gold set with red stones, with a scintillating whitediamond where the two halves dipped together. Not quite a promise, but perhaps a hintthat a promise might be in the offing.
Might have been?
If Harry hadn't disappeared.
* * * *
After the worst Sunday in her life, Monday should have been better.
It wasn't.
"There's a meeting in the conference room at eight-thirty." Alice, an occasionaltemp, was sitting at the reception desk when Emaline arrived at BioLogic, Inc. "It'sminatory."
Did Alice deliberately misuse words? She certainly had no trouble with spelling andwas an incredibly fast typist. "Thanks." Emaline went to her office and closed the doorbehind her, not ready to face her co-workers yet. Just getting here on the bus had left hershaking and exhausted after a sleepless night punctuated with bouts of weeping.
She sat at her desk and forced herself to take deep, even breaths until the shuffle offeet and laughter in the hallway told her she'd better get to the conference room. On theway she'd stop and get a cup of coffee, instead of her usual tea. Black coffee. Otherwise shewas likely to fall asleep, if Dr. Burton gave his usual long-winded State-of-the-Companyspeech.
Roger Stanton had saved her a seat at the far end of the room. She wished hehadn't. He was a good enough friend to ask what was wrong, rather than speculatingsilently. "I don't want to talk about it," she said as she slipped into the chair.
"Lunch?"
Knowing she'd have to give him some sort of explanation, she nodded. Furtherconversation was prevented by the entry of Dr. Geoffrey Burton, stuffed shirt and CEO ofBioLogic Laboratories, Ltd. He took his place at the head of the table and cleared histhroat.
Conversation gradually died away and everyone looked toward Dr. Burton.
He rocked in pace, heel-to-toe, three times. Cleared his throat twice. Glancedalmost furtively around the room, and cleared his throat again. "I'm sure you're allwondering why I convened this meeting."
Emaline caught Roger's sardonic glance and smiled in spite of her mood. She hadn'tseen Burton so uncertain since Mary O'Neill's death at the holiday party.
"Ahem. I've some rather unexpected news for you all. At least I hope it'sunexpected... That is..." He looked around, as if expecting someone to come in and interrupthis. "I really don't know what's keeping--"
The door behind him opened and he turned quickly. "Ah, there you are. Now wecan begin."
Two men and one woman entered. The woman was almost familiar, but Emalinecouldn't put a name with the face. They all wore expensive dark suits--no disguising thedrape and appearance of fine wool and superb tailoring. The woman, tall and blonde, withsubdued makeup except for brilliant red glistening on full lips that reminded Emaline ofthat actress she didn't care for. She stepped forward to stand beside Dr. Burton,overtopping him by a couple of inches.
"Yes, well, I'd like to introduce you all to Dr. Fenella Allardyce. I'm sure some of youhave heard of her."
Dr. Allardyce's expression didn't change as she slowly inspected the staff. "Yes,thank you, Dr. Burton" she said, in a surprisingly deep voice. "Perhaps it would be best ifyou told them why I am here."
"Yes. Ahem. Yes, of course." He tapped his fingers on the table, rocked heel-to-toe acouple more times, and said, "While I had not thought to retire for several years yet, whenDr. Allardyce's representatives approached me with a generous offer for BioLogiclaboratories, I was tempted. Yes. Strongly tempted."
Oh my God! Emaline turned to stare at Roger who was looking back at her witheyes just as wide. She didn't hear Burton's next few words, because she was rememberingwhere and when she'd encountered Fenella Allardyce before.
"...stockholders felt the offer was generous and voted to accept. We met early thismorning to finalize the transaction, and as of noon today, Dr. Allardyce will be your CEO.I'm sure all of you will cooperate in making the transition from my leadership to herssmooth and problem-free." He stepped back, leaving Allardyce alone at the table'shead.
"Thank you, Dr. Burton. I'm sure we'll have no problems. There will be a shortperiod of adjustment as we study ways to fit BioLogic into the larger structure of ourholdings, while maintaining its autonomy, but that shouldn't affect day-to-day operations.During the transition, please consider Mr. Fontina--" She gestured to the expressionlessdark-haired man on her left. "--and Dr. Schaatz my deputies in every way."
Schaatz at least appeared approachable, with Nordic good looks and a quick smile.Fontina looked as if smiling would cause his face to crack.
By noon Roger had forgotten all about Emaline's promise to tell him what wasbothering her. Much to her relief.
A bunch of them went to lunch together. The conversation centered on what thefuture of Bio-Logic held for them, with occasional dire warnings of heads to roll. Plateswere mostly clean when Roger said, almost as if thinking aloud, "You were on a panel withAllardyce a couple of years ago, weren't you. Em?"
"More like five. She's very knowledgeable and decisive." And a high-carbon steelbitch , but she'd never say that aloud.
"What's her specialty?" Alex said.
"I-I'm not sure. The panel we were on addressed new techniques in DNSsequencing. At the time she was working for one of the chemical companies--I forget which.I seem to remember she spoke about finding compounds that were less toxic for chaintermination methods. There may have been more, but that's what stuck in my mind."
"I heard she was involved in that hostile takeover at Sandoval Labs last year,"someone at the other end of the table said.
Emaline missed the answer when Roger and Alex went off on a tangent about apaper they'd read recently. She was content to let the conversation flow around her,because she was still in an emotional morass. All she could think about was Harry.
He was alive. She refused to believe otherwise.
Not a lot of work got accomplished that afternoon. Everyone in the office seemed tobe on the move, dropping in to spread the latest rumors, to speculate about job security, topredict massive layoffs. "That's what happened at Lang & Trently when they gotbought out," Stan Vilovek said, when Emaline asked him why he was so sure they'd all beout of jobs in a week. "Everybody above tech level was fired--they called it paring awayexcess flab--and six months later the remnants were absorbed into the mega-corporationthat took them over."
"Didn't Dr. Allardyce say we'd operate autonomously?" She wasn't sure shebelieved it would happen, but spreading gloom and doom wasn't good for morale.
* * * *
That evening she found herself picking things up and putting them down instead offixing supper or doing anything else constructive. She couldn't think two consecutivethoughts without coming back to Harry. Pretty sure he's still alive... played over andover in her min