Episode 1 (start)           Episode 15 (next)            Info         Use Search for other Episodes

Short Fat Stubby Finger Stories PRESENTS:e

Episode 14

Seated at her desk inside her clear glass office, Mary watched as Joseph walked into the outer office, collected some paper work from his desk and made his way to the external communal collection basket situated outside her office where he deposited the documents before giving her a smile, then turning to return to his desk.   Mary admired Joseph.   A definite loner, he appeared comfortable with his position in life … unlike her.  It had been eleven months since she had walked out on David and she was still coming to terms with the new level of loneliness that she now faced each and every evening.   After living with someone that she had loved, and thought had loved her, for over a year, in Mary’s mind, the emptiness of her single unit now seemed even more magnified.  

   Still, it was David’s limited companionship that she missed, not the man himself.   Her divorce was being processed and she could easily wait out the time that the law dictated, but she would have liked to do it with someone like Joseph, and not by herself.   But Joseph had shown no interest in approaching her and as a result she lacked the confidence in herself to initiate anything.

   Mary knew she could have gone back to living with her family, but she felt she needed to be on her own to get her life back again.   Something she felt would never have happened in the clutches of an over protective family.   She needed the past few years of her life to become a forgotten interruption, not constantly brought up in conversations with her well-meaning, but thoughtless, parents who would continuously advise her how well off she was making the decision to leave David.   She just wanted him to be a case of ‘David Who?’ in her mind if his name was ever brought up in conversation.

   As she watched Joseph pass, she momentarily imagined a close encounter with him and wondered if she could use Johann P Biggs’s request to her own advantage: smiled as a naughty thought crossed her mind for a second, then went to turn her attention to the pile of  work in her in-tray  – when suddenly Mary’s eyes almost popped out of her head.

   ‘Was that lipstick on Joseph’s face?’ she asked herself. ‘Yes, yes it was … and expensive lipstick at that, if I’m not mistaken.’

   Mary began wondering if perhaps Joseph’s life was a lot different to what she had imagined it to be.   She had always found him both interesting and attractive, though rather shy and socially reserved.   But to follow Johann P Biggs request she had expected it would be a relatively easy task to hook up with him if she decided to do what had been asked of her, despite her current lack of confidence, because she was certain in her mind that Joseph had nobody in his life.   Should she decide to take up Johann’s request she would treat it as both a challenge, and an opportunity to regain her confidence because it gave her a reason to make social contact with him.   But this – this put a new interest in her mind: a new challenge.   It was probably exactly what she needed to get her through the boredom and loneliness that was her current life.   ‘And who knows what may eventuate naturally,’ she wondered, as a silly grin crossed her face.

   Mary had convinced herself that if she got the courage up she could pounce on Joseph any time that she liked in the office, because nobody else there could see the things about Joseph that she found attractive – in this office she would have had no opposition to worry about.   In her eyes it would have been easy, but now … .  

    When Johann suggested she keep a close eye on Joseph she had seen no problems.   It wasn’t like he was suspected of being a criminal … or someone worse.   ‘A possible promotion’, Johann had said in confidence, ‘a very, very special promotion.   But I need to know a bit more about him.   Things that I doubt I will be able to observe personally  … at least not for some time … after he is in the new role.   And if he can’t handle the role … well let us hope that you get close enough to him to see him handle the sort of problems his new role will expose him to – for all our sakes.’

   Johann had not amplified what he had meant: had not cleanly expressed exactly what he was asking her to look for in Joseph and his behaviour.   All he would say was that he would know what he needed to hear when she reported to him on certain actions that Joseph had taken.   However he would not elaborate on what actions he was referring to – he did not want to prejudice her thoughts, he had said: did not want her to always look for something she may not recognise anyway – and miss something important by being blindsided.   Nor did he want her to accidentally embellish a story in order to please him.   He just wanted to hear her factual observations on Joseph as a person and things that he did outside work hours.   He was not looking for her to find him doing strange and unusual things every five minutes, he simply wanted her to observe and report on everything that he did – everything … nothing was too trivial to report.   But nothing was to be viewed as important either; just noted … and reported.   Mary had asked for time to think about her reply and Johann had agreed.   Now Mary wondered if what she had just seen was behind the request.   ‘Was Joseph involved in some sordid entanglement with a client’s wife … or perhaps the client herself?’   She asked herself without reply.

   Mary moved out of her chair and stood upright facing the far end of the room where Joseph was in the process of settling himself into his own station, and as soon as he sat down he reached for the phone on his desk and dialled out … and as he did so Mary wished she could listen in on that call; her instincts, screaming out loudly inside her head, were telling her it was something to do with that woman.   Mary quickly scanned her eyes around the room looking for an instant miracle to co-operate with her needs.   There were two currently unoccupied desks close to where Joseph sat and for a moment she considered moving down to one of them to pretend to check them for some administrative reason, but, in reality, to listen in, however she knew deep down that somebody would notice her there and ask her what she was up to in a voice loud enough to attract Joseph’s attention, or walk over to talk with her thus denying her ability to hear the conversation.   Whichever, she knew that it would attract Joseph’s attention.  Then, out of the blue, she remembered the special connection her desk had with Joseph’s.   When Joseph was first transferred to the third floor, he was employed in a singular, and unique, position, and not actually part of the team under Mary’s jurisdiction, so management had connected a special apparatus between her desk and his to link their phones for the odd occasion when senior management needed to connect departments by an internal landline rather than waste time by having them all assemble in a conference room.   She lifted her own landline phone to her ears and then pressed a button on the apparatus which immediately gave her access to Joseph’s conversation.   And her timing was immaculate as she realised that Joseph had dialled information and was in the process of requesting the phone number for the Camira Hotel on James.   The phone number was duly given and after Joseph hung up he began dialling the hotel itself and Mary was forced to once again press the button on the apparatus, regaining connection just as he began the process of reserving a booth and table.   Mary could not fully understand the details that Joseph was giving the hotel due to the threat of an incoming sneeze that threatened to blow her cover, but she heard enough to clarify the time and date of the booking: tonight at six.

   As soon as she had been able to hang up the landline safely she picked up her private mobile and pressed the button that automatically rang the number Johann had punched into the phone’s memory bank.   The call was answered immediately.

   “Is it yes, or no, Mary?”   Biggs’ voice was soft: toneless: non committal.      

   “Yes.”  Mary replied, her voice equally non committal.

   “Thank you, Mary.   Call me when you have something to report.   Leave an extended message if I don’t answer personally.   This may take some time, however I would not be surprised if your reports begin within a few days.   Thank you again, Mary, and I look forward to some interesting anecdotes.”

   “Goodbye, Mister Biggs.”   Mary pressed the red ‘disconnect’ button on her mobile – then stood rigid, still holding the mobile in her hand, as she let the adrenaline commence its flow on a course that would eventually take it through every vein in her entire body.   Her body remained rigid for nearly fifteen seconds before the smile began to crack wide across her face inside her clear glass framed office and her feet automatically performed a short, sharp, river-dance while her arms pumped the air.   Then immediately stepped out from her private office into the office proper to the sound of an unexpected roar of approval from her co-workers.   In her exhilarated outbreak of joy at her decision Mary had momentarily forgotten the composition of her office walls: solid, clear, glass, and her impromptu dance could possibly have caused embarrassment in other circumstances, but the clapping and whistles only caused Mary’s smile to widen even further than was possible; her adrenaline to rush even harder and faster through her throbbing veins, and the only action that she considered to be appropriate for the current situation was to take a bow … which she did.

   “Well done, Mary,” Jo Anne Hopkins called out from two desks away, “Did you win the lotto or do you have a new boyfriend?”

   “Spoilers,” Mary replied, the smile not moving an inch,  “it’s a secret.  So shhhhhhhhhhhhhh!   It’s for my mind only at the moment.”

   “Well, make sure it becomes an un-secret soon, Mary.   You know what the office gossip is like around here.”  Jo Anne said with a cheeky grin,   “They’ll have you preggers with triplets on the way by Friday if you don’t spread a damper on it shortly.

   “I know what your gossip is like, Jo Anne.”  Mary retorted with a happy voice,   “You could start your own supermarket magazine with the stories you tell.

   “Oooooh, you are awful.”   Jo Anne retorted in a haughty tone before breaking out in a huge smile.

   Mary, still grinning from ear to ear, began crossing the room, her hips swaying to an unheard beat, as she made her way to the executive tea room where she knew she could sit down in peace and solitude with a steaming hot, freshly made, coffee as she planned her first move.   

********

   The all singing, all dancing, automatic coffee machine did its magic and within a minute or two the aroma of the warm sweet juices of her café latte wafted tantalizingly through the quiet room as Mary let her mind wander around the problem at hand.  ‘The unwashed lipstick on Joseph’s face was obviously the work of an outsider, certainly no one from this office,’ she decided … ‘and a fairly classy one by the look of the lipstick she used.’   Mary knew instinctively she would have her work cut out for her if he was already involved with somebody, and she would need to work fast in case his affair was becoming serious.  

********

By the time she had finished her second coffee, Mary had the germ of an idea.   An idea she would run with, regardless of how many twists and turns got in the way.

********

 Mary looked at her watch.   Half an hour and it would be time to leave.   Mary pressed a buzzer on a small console on her desk.   Immediately a young, male voice answered.   “Yes, Miss Cunningham?”

   “Jimmy … I have a small job for you … and it is confidential.   You are to say absolutely nothing to anybody whatsoever about what I am asking you to do … and that includes that girl from the first floor that you have been dating.   Is that clearly understood?”   Mary asked to the young man’s surprise.

   “Yes, Miss Cunningham.”  The young man replied nervously, the tone in his voice clearly revealing his nervousness at the mention of the girl on level one.   Mary was certain that he could be trusted to do what he was asked to do without question, or talking about it with the other staff, which was the reason why she had placed him in the position that she had.   She occasionally needed someone to do the odd investigation on certain clients and needed somebody smart enough to know exactly what they were searching for and gain access to it without arousing the suspicion of either the unknowing supplier of the required details, or the client themselves and Jimmy Anderson fitted that description to a tee.   At five foot ten, freckle faced and ginger headed, the twenty two year old ideally presented the image of an affable young man on the rise, but still one hundred percent naïve to the ways of illegal business which allowed him to ask what appeared to be completely innocent inane questions that never raised a suspicious eyebrow on the most criminally leaning client or their representative.    Jimmy Anderson was, however, a very astute young man blessed with the gift of photographic memory and had several well-earned accountancy diplomas in his well credentialed resume, and had a mind like a steel trap, to boot.  

   “Jimmy, would it at all be a problem for you to do a little overtime tonight?”

   “No, Miss Cunningham, not at all”   Jimmy replied, “Enjoyed watching you dancing earlier.”  

   “So did half of the office,”   Mary admitted with a smile.

   “What do you want me to do?”  He asked eagerly.

   “Come up to my desk in about five minutes.  I have two things for you to do.  I will show you the files that I need proof-read and copied, and a level three check on the client … and I have a special favour to ask of you.”

   “Sure.”   Jimmy replied enthusiastically.

   “I have to meet up with a client for dinner.   All I know is that I am supposed to meet her at Morrison’s where she has another appointment to attend – then we will make our way to wherever it is we are going to eat.   I was supposed to come to work by public transport today and walk to Morrison’s, which is fair enough as it is only a few blocks from here, from there we would make our way to wherever we were going to have our dinner, and she was going to have her chauffeur drive me home after dinner, but I have just received a message from her secretary to say that she may not be able to drive me home after all, but she still needs to meet with me.  

   Well that is not a major problem in itself as I had gotten my dates mixed up and inadvertently drove myself to work this morning.   My problem is, however, getting access to my car after the dinner as I have no idea where we are going.   Even the secretary had no idea as the client had made the booking herself and had failed to inform her of the details.   I could drive to Morrison’s, but that is not where we are having our dinner and you know the almost impossibility of getting a park at the major hotels even this early, never mind in another hour or so.   So I was wondering, if I gave you my car keys, and rang you from the restaurant when we get there, would you be able to deliver my car to me, and rather than go to too much trouble, simply leave the car in the car park, or somewhere close by, and leave the keys at the reception desk?”

   “It would be my pleasure, Miss Cunningham.”  Jimmy gushed at the chance to impress his boss,”   I’m on my way.”

   “No, give me five minutes,” Mary said quickly, knowing full well she was making everything up on the fly.   Then she noticed a ‘NEW CLIENT’ file in her in-tray which would meet her needs for something for Jimmy to investigate and photocopy and she breathed a sigh of relief.   “I will give you a cab charge against my name for your return journey to the office or the nearest tube station – whichever suits you best, Jimmy.   Just remember to leave the cab charge invoice in my in-tray in the morning.   And, Jimmy, please remember not to waste time having the reception staff at the restaurant looking for me.   Just tell them that I will pick them up as I am leaving … it may not go down well with this particular client if they come looking for me in the middle of negotiations.    No, wait a minute, Jimmy – if you have to park the car on the road, please text me with the approximate details.   I should be able to locate it easily with my G.P.S.,  but knowing roughly where I was headed would make things a bit easier.   But only if you have to park it in the street, otherwise simply leave the keys with reception and tell them I will pick them up on my way out.    Please get that bit right, Jimmy.   It is imperative that I am not disturbed while I am with the client.”

  “You can rely on me, Miss Cunningham,”   Jimmy replied,   “See you in five minutes.”

   Mary  breathed a sigh of relief at Jimmy’s acceptance of the task.   Her plan would seem complicated to an outsider, but Mary did not want to make things any harder for herself than she felt was absolute necessary.   Although she knew that Joseph had indicated that they were going to meet at The Camira on James, she was wary that plans could be changed at the last moment, so she deemed it necessary to follow him to the hotel which was around six blocks away, hoping like anything that he would make the journey on foot, and not by some other form of transport.   If he headed down towards the company car park at least she could follow him in her own car as she carried a spare set of keys, but she would need to ring Jimmy and cancel the task she had asked him to carry out, or else run the risk that the police could arrest her for driving a stolen car should Jimmy report it as missing when it wasn’t in the car park, and he had the keys.

  However, should Joseph take a taxi, or be picked up, then she would just have to hope for the best and continue on to The Camira … and if he wasn’t there when she arrived?    ‘Well, she thought, ‘I’ll have to wait and see… .’

Alternatively, providing Joseph was there, she would do her best to enter the bar area unseen by Joseph and find somewhere close-by to at least observe them, or, if things were going extremely well, listen to them and learn what Joseph was planning. 

   When Joseph left the office for the day, Mary would be right behind him and her plan would be simple.   Follow him everywhere … look for an opening in his life …and wheedle her way into it.

PRESS HERE TO GO TO EPISODE 15