"So what are you doing mingling with the uppities?"
Slinky slumped over the wall. "My dad. Sometimes he takes me there to make himself look cool with his daughter or have me meet a young, eligible client." She rolled her eyes and dramatically sighed. "The things I have to put up with."
"Yeah, sounds awful," Sam teased as she grabbed for her purse. "You said this place wasn't too far? Is it expensive?" She didn't have much money in her account, not after making the payment on her new apartment.
"Put the card away, I'm paying," Slinky offered. She grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her toward the elevators. "It's the least I can do for bugging you so much."
"You don't have to, really," Sam insisted. She didn't want to think of her friend owing her anything for just wanting to talk.
"Don't be such a spoil sport, this is gonna be fun." They got into the elevator and rode it down to the lobby. "I don't get to treat my friends very often, most of them have seen what I do out in public."
"Wait, what?" That didn't sound good to Sam as she was hauled outside and around the block.
Slinky was right that the place was posh and full of suits. Sam almost felt woefully under-dressed in her simple skirt and blouse, but her friend made her feel better, but only slightly. Slinky was dressed in a plaid shirt with jeans and boots today, and she stuck out of the crowd like a sore thumb. They got a lot of stares as they made their way to a corner booth. Sam noticed it was marked as reserved.
"Should we really be sitting here?" she asked as she was plopped into one seat while Slinky took the one opposite her. Their chairs provided a good view not only of the cafe but also of the street outside. "It says reserved."
"Yeah, my dad always reserves it for this time of day in case I get the munchies for their special deep-fried pickles."
"They really have those?" Sam wasn't sure she should be throwing up or her mouth watering. She liked pickles, and she liked deep fried things, but maybe not together.
"Yep, just find what you want and we'll order it."
"I really can't have you paying for my food, Slinky." That name sounded very odd in this formal setting. Sam was dead set on buying her own stuff until they were brought menus and she looked at the prices. She choked on her water.
"Having second thoughts?" Slinky asked with a smirk as she leaned across the table. "I told you this was my treat, so I'm gonna pay. Well, maybe just order for us, then I'll use my dad's credit card."
"You sure he won't mind?" Sam nervously glanced at all the people around them in the cafe and passing on the street outside.
"Nah. Like I said, I treat all my friends to this place when they let me."
"I guess." Sam took her friend's offer, but she didn't abuse it. She ordered only a few dishes and they weren't the most expensive items on the menu. Sam was a little dismayed when her companion ordered an alcoholic drink. "You sure you want to be doing that?"
"You don't like alcohol?" Slinky asked as they handed over their menus to the waiter.
"No, well, I don't. It's just that we're kinda working."
"Not for another, um-" Slinky glanced at her watch. "Not for another forty minutes. Then we gotta get back real quick or that snitchy old lady will notice we're gone. I swear she watches me like a hawk."
"Which means you really shouldn't drink. If she catches you with alcohol on your breath you might get fired." Sam was a little frantic in trying to convince her friend to avoid her self-destructive behavior. She really didn't want to lose the only person she really knew in the office. It was like a ship losing its rudder or anchor during a storm. The storm was their supervisor.
"If you want I can just drink a little and go with the water. I'm pretty tolerant when it comes to alcohol." By her petite form she didn't looked she weighed ninety pounds soaking wet, but Sam agreed to the compromise.
They got their food in a few minutes and it was worth all the pennies they weren't spending on it. The service was great and they gobbled through it all in a few minutes. That gave them a bit of time to watch the crowds stroll through the cafe and along the block. Sam was watching the direction of their building when she suddenly spotted someone familiar.
Sam grabbed her friend's shoulder and dragged Slinky against the window. "Slinky, you gotta tell me who that guy is!" She pointed at a pale man standing around the corner of the block. It was Mr. Smith from the twentieth floor.
"I have no idea who you're pointing at," Slinky informed as she pulled her hands out of the sauces on their plates.
"That guy that just moved!" Sam hissed. He did, indeed, start walking across the street with a herd of other people. "The one in the white shirt with the brown pants." Slinky strained her eyes and caught sight of the guy.
"No idea. Am I supposed to know him?"
"He works in our office building, you should've seen him by now." Sam couldn't believe she didn't know the guy.
"Nope, though I'm pretty sure I've met everybody by now. Is he new?"
"No, he's that Smith guy, the secretary for Mr. Davies." Sam wanted to jump out of her chair and race after him. He was starting to disappear into the crowd.
Slinky's eyes lit up, and so did her insane mind. "Then what the hell are we waiting for? After him!" Slinky jumped out of her chair, threw down a few bills and dragged Sam with her. They passed the stunned cashier as she threw down their bill with a sizable dollar attached. "Keep the change!"
The two bolted outside in time to see Mr. Smith turn down the corner on the far side of the block. "We've got twenty minutes to catch him and see what he's up to," Slinky reminded them both after she checked her watch. "Let's hope he's making a circle around the streets."
The companions raced down the street, weaving in and out of the crowds, and made it in time to see their target go into an organic health food shop. They slowed down to a fast walk as they came up to the shop window and peered inside. Their target was walking along an aisle that led straight to the back of the store. He evidently knew what he wanted because he quickly snatched a small box off the shelf. The pair dodged out of sight of the window when he came back up to the front to pay for the purchase. Then he quickly exited and went back toward their building. The errand took him only two minutes to complete.
Sam was going to follow him when Slinky grabbed her shoulders. She nodded toward the store. "Let's see what he bought," she suggested.
Sam wasn't so sure about going into a shop that catered to such an unusual clientele, but she followed Slinky inside. The two innocently waltzed into the store and toward the back. Using what little they saw through the window, their search was narrowed to two shelves on one rack. It held assorted items related to herbs, but they didn't recognize any of the plant names. There was also a special marking at the top of the rack that depicted one of the planets.
"Can I help you two young ladies?" They both jumped and spun around to find the shopkeeper standing behind them. She was past middle aged and had a head full of curly hair dyed a dark, raven-purple color. Her hands were curled and wrinkled from years of preparing her concoctions. She smiled at them, but they both knew she was laughing at her little sneaking up because her shoulders were shaking. "Are you interested in planet herbs?"
Slinky was the best liar they had, so she spoke up. "Um, kinda. We were really just looking for a friend." She pointed at the herbs on the shelf. "We don't really know what they're used for, though."
"Oh, those are the herbs related to the planet Mars." Her sallow face crinkled up into a smile. "They're especially good for anything related to new experiences."
"Why's that?"
"Because that's the planet that governs chaos, and nothing is as chaotic as a new experience." That detail made the women glance at each other. Sam was new. The shopkeeper stepped between them and took the small ox in hand. "Did you want to try some? They say love is the most chaotic emotion someone can experience." The shopkeeper was a little creepy and Sam moved around the old woman to hide behind Slinky.
Slinky
herself wasn't too fond of the close contact with the old woman and inched toward the door. "Um, no thanks, we've gotta get back to work." She looked down at her watch and her mouth dropped open. "Oh shit, we really don't have much time left!" She grabbed Sam and they both booked it out of there.
They barely made it back to their cubicles before their lunch hour ended. The minute they sat down, and before they could catch their breath, Mrs. Winkle marched passed. Slinky gave her the cold stare but Sam tried to smile through her huffing and puffing. Her smile turned out to be more nervous than innocent. The moment their supervisor left their view, Sam slumped down in her chair.
Slinky cautiously looked over the wall. "That was close, but wasn't it fun?" Sam rolled her eyes. At least one of them was enjoying all these close scrapes and big mysteries. "What do you think that Mr. Smith guy was up to with those herbs?"
"No idea, but we'd better look busy before Mrs. Winkle makes another round."
"Yeah, she does seem to make a couple of passes after lunch to count everyone before she settles down." Slinky disappeared behind the wall and the sounds of her soft cursing drifted to her friend's ears as she lost at her phone games.
Sam blankly stared at her computer screen as her mind thought over the episode. An idea stood out from her thoughts and she peeked her head out into the hall. There was no sign of her wicked supervisor, so she decided to investigate the meaning of the herbs. Sam opened her web browser and searched the internet for references to the herbs and any possible connections to illegal drugs. Specifically if they could be used in making aphrodisiacs. She had a feeling that might have been what Davies used on her the night before. She couldn't figure out any other way his office and person smelled so unusual.
There didn't seem to be any connection to aphrodisiacs, but there were several articles touching on the planet with which it was associated. Mars appeared to be one of the dark planets in the solar system, mythologically speaking, because of its relation to conflict and strife. There was also some connections to masculinity which Sam found suspicious.
"Ms. Olsen?" Sam scrambled to close her browser and swirled around to see Winkle standing in the entrance to her cubicle. She was holding a load of folders in her arms.
"Yes, Mrs. Winkle?" Sam yelped when the pile was unceremoniously dumped into her arms. The whole thing scattered onto the floor in a large example of fifty-two card pickup. "I-I'm so sorry. These things are pretty slippery" She slid onto the ground and quickly piled the folders back into some semblance of order.
Winkle glared down at her with those pitiless eyes. "Don't bother putting them back the way they were, these are personnel files that need sorted and organized." Her eyes narrowed as she lorded over her subordinate. "I expect you to not abuse the responsibility of looking through these documents."
"Oh, of course. I won't say anything about what's in them." Sam smiled up at the other woman. "You can count on me."
"I'm sure." Mrs. Winkle wasn't convinced. She actually looked like she wanted to take the files from Sam's hand and carry them to her own desk for organizing. "I expect these files to be organized before you leave for the day."
"Oh, um, I'll try." It was a pretty big task and she only had the afternoon left. She didn't even know how to put them in what order. "How did you want me to organize them?" She opened a random one and began to browse the contents.
"Name, position, seniority," Mrs. Winkle snapped out. "Do not leave until you have this done and on my desk, and do not ask for help from your coworkers." Her eyes pointedly darted over to the neighbor cubicle. "Is that understood?"
"Yes, ma'am." Mrs Winkle stalked off, leaving Sam to stare in horror at the chaotic pile.
Slinky cautiously peeked over the wall and her mouth fell open at the stack. "Um, you want some help?"
Sam sadly shook her head. "No, I'd better not risk it. She's been really mad at me since she took me up to see Mr. Davies."
"What with this stupid assignment I think you're on to something there," Slinky agreed." Her eyes darted suspiciously around the cubicles. "She's probably watching now, waiting for you to slip up."
Sam smiled at her friend's playful attitude. It made her feel better about the job on her desk. "Thanks for the encouragement."
"No problem, but if you want to sneak me a few folders, feel free." Slinky had a smirk on her face as she slowly lowered down out of sight. "After all, I didn't make that promise to Witchy to not tell about what I see in everyone's personal files."
"Then I think I need to not give you that temptation," Sam shot off, but she only heard a faint, wicked laugh from next door.
Sam sighed and began the long chore of searching, sorting and separating. The mountain of folders disappeared so slowly that Sam didn't wonder why Winkle had warned her not to leave before it was done. Otherwise that would have been just what she would have done, since this was going to take a while. Her task wasn't help by her pager. Though it had been quiet yesterday, that afternoon it buzzed every half hour. The board members called for her to do everything from fetching coffee to making calls to scheduling. It rang so much Slinky had to answer a few herself because some of the calls came in pairs. Sam even got to meet Mr. Slink himself. The minute she came into the room he rose from his desk and offered her his hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Olsen." His handshake was so strong that Sam was glad to get her hand back in one piece. "My daughter has told me quite a bit about you already."
Sam took back her hand and cradled it behind her back. "I hope all of it was good."
"Oh, certainly. She did mention how surprised she was that you got the job."
That was a good question that even Sam didn't have the answer to. Sam knew there had been several people with better qualifications lined up for interviews. "To tell you the truth, sir, I'm still a little amazed myself. I wasn't told exactly why I got the job and the other applicants didn't."
"I believe the board liked your personality the best, but your long affiliation with the company was definitely the deciding factor." He resumed his seat and invited her into the one before his desk. Sam sat down, but she was very confused. She'd only worked for the company for three years. "Now I would like you to take charge of some of the daily operations around here. There's mail to be picked up from the box in the lobby and supplies to be stored in the storage room." He pushed a piece of paper toward her and she picked it up to realize it was a list of the chores such as filling the copier machine and getting the coffee maker ready in the morning. "I'm sure you're used to doing these kinds of things from your previous position."
"Oh, yes, sir." She couldn't believe she'd be doing the same work for nearly double the pay. It almost seemed too good to be true. Maybe that's what bothered her about the whole deal. "Is there anything else you need from me?"
"Not at the moment, but I'll be sure to give you a buzz when I do." He warmly smiled as he escorted her to the door, but she didn't feel any heat off his expression. It was almost as if the corners of his mouth were strained.
Sam returned to her cubicle and her friend was curious to know how the interview had gone. "Um, fine. He just gave me some jobs to do every day." She handed the sheet to her eager coworker.
"Wow, you got a whole list of stuff now? Guess you won't be bored now, eh?" Slinky was excited for her, but Sam couldn't say the same.
"Yeah, I guess."
Sam's apathetic response deterred her friend from asking any more questions, but Slinky could find them out later by speaking with her father. They both went back to their work and the rest of the afternoon was dotted with buzzing beepers and miscellaneous errands. When five o'clock rolled around a tired Slinky stepped into the doorway of her cube with her jacket on and her purse strung over her shoulder.
She leaned up against the doorway of the cubicle. "Man, that was some wild afternoon," she commented.
Sam glanced up from the pile of folders and stretched her arms. "So it isn't usually that busy?" Sam asked. She welcomed the b
reak to speak with her friend. It was supposed to be quitting time, after all., so she could afford to take a five minute break.
"Nope, usually we each get two calls in the morning and two calls in the afternoon."
"How come I didn't get any yesterday?"
"Because you're new. They have this written rule between them that the new guys get a day off and then they get initiated the next day."
"It sounds like they all wanted to see me." Sam put her forehead down on the stack of unfinished folders which lay on her desk.
Slinky nodded at the folders. The pile was mostly finished, but there was still some work to be done. "You sure you don't want help?"
"Nah, I think I've got this." Sam really did feel she'd be done in a few minutes. Besides, it was overtime pay now and she could use the extra dough. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"I guess..." Slinky hesitated to go, and Sam could see she wanted to talk to her about something.
Sam dropped the folder she was working on and sat back in her chair. "What is it?"
"Well, I was just wondering about that guy we followed and him coming back here." Slinky frowned and tapped her chin in thought. "Where do you think he went exactly?"
"Upstairs, like I told you." This only made Sam exasperated. "That guy was the secretary for Davies."
"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. What I meant was how do you think he got up there?" Slinky pointed upward at the ceiling. "You know, without anyone seeing him. I've never seen him come through here."
"What about that elevator and staircase you told me about yesterday? Those private ones they're supposed to use?"
"I was kinda only joking about that stuff," Slinky sheepishly informed with a toothy smile. "It's just a legend in the office. You know, a rumor to keep us entertained."
"I think that rumor has a little more truth to it than you thought. I saw a lot of hallways up there and they could have led to an elevator." Sam sighed and looked back at the pile of folders. "I guess I'm just guessing on that, though, and I'd better get back to this stuff. It's not going to do itself."
"Well, see you bright, early and chipper," Slinky gave her farewell. Sam wasn't going to promise the last one, but she was interrupted from saying so when Slinky glanced down the hall and scowled. She dropped her voice to a mumble. "Witch coming, watch yourself." Sam nodded and her friend escape before Mrs. Winkle arrived.