“Keep going,” Garrison offers with a smile.
I cross my arms, trying to keep my head while she recounts a life of barely making it. How many nights did she lie awake at night, wondering if she was going to have a place to sleep tomorrow?
“When I went in to meet with their human resources woman to go over all the details, I half-expected her to slam the door in my face. Instead, she welcomed me in and ushered me into a conference room where platters of fruits and vegetables waited. They had a spread of juices, too. It was the most food I’d seen in a long time.” Her gaze flicks to me, and it’s a fight to keep my expression neutral.
“Then what happened?” Garrison asks.
“The monthly pay was more than I’d see in three months working two jobs. They even gave me the first month up front and told me to consider it a bonus. Everyone was really kind and doing what they could to make a difference. Money aside, I wanted to be a part of doing something good.”
“Did the company seem legitimate?” Sawyer asks. “Were there any red flags?”
She shakes her head. “They seemed great. Right after I was hired on, the Bensons went on a trip overseas to see about getting clean water into some South American villages. While I was there, I answered phones, took notes in meetings, and that was about it. All in all, it was a great place to work.”
Except, based on what Tucker found, something’s off.
“What did the company do?” I question.
“They handled soil and water testing in residential areas as well as fighting to maintain nature preserves when big corporations tried to come in and buy the land.”
“That’s it?”
“They planted community gardens all over the city and were working to expand to other places, too. Why are you asking about them?”
“Because I have a guy looking into them, and he thinks something’s off.”
“What?” Her brows draw together. “What do you mean?”
“He said the company doesn’t look like a traditional environmental agency.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense. They were good people doing good work.” She shakes her head.
“Maybe,” I say, though my gut is telling me something else is going on. They grabbed a night waitress from the middle of her shift and offered her more money than she’d seen in a long time? It’s possible they were just being kind and trying to offer her a fresh start, but I don’t know that I’m buying it. “We’ll continue looking into them. What were the first names of the people who hired you?”
“Karver and Alara. Benson,” she adds.
The names don’t ring a bell, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Could just mean they’re not high-profile enough to have wound up on the radar. “Tell us about the day your apartment was ransacked.”
“I already told you what happened.”
“I mean your routine. Was anything different? Did anything feel off?”
She shakes her head. “I went to work like normal. Answered phones, then headed home with my dinner.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it,” she repeats. “Nothing was off. Nothing felt different.”
“Okay.”
“Do you really think they have something to do with this? It just doesn’t fit.”
“Sometimes it doesn’t until it does.” Sawyer stands. “I’ll start looking into the Bensons. See if I can find anything worth surveilling.”
“Great, thanks.”
“Yup.” He offers a salute then slips out of the cabin.
“What do you need me to do, Cap?” Ryker questions.
