Hector walked in through the front door of the office building and was surprised at what he saw. The interior had been changed dramatically from the abandoned warehouse it had once been. He knew the change could only mean that business was going well.
A receptionist greeted him at the door. "Can I help you?"
"I'm Hector Burgess. I'm here to speak with R.J. Majors."
"Is he expecting you?"
"No."
"Why don't you have a seat and I'll tell him that you're here."
A few minutes later R.J. appeared in the lobby. "Well, it is you. Why don't you come up to my office where we can speak in private."
R.J. led Hector through the office and up to the second floor. He deliberately walked slowly through the office, making sure Hector had a chance to see for himself just how well the production was running. He held open the door to his private office and let Hector inside before closing the door behind the both of them.
"So, Hector, what brings you here?" R.J. asked, leisurely taking a seat behind his desk, clearly confident that he had the upper hand in the situation, whatever it might be.
"I was wondering if your offer was still good."
"Are you thinking about joining R.J. and Associates?"
"Possibly. Do you have a position for me?"
"Well, we're always looking for good employees, but you have to understand that the situation has changed since I made you the initial offer."
Hector eyed R.J. critically, "How so?"
"I've already hired a staff and found a very qualified business partner. Therefore, I'm not in the position to offer you the same job as before. However, we could use another Junior Executive."
"But that's below the position I already have at Townsend."
R.J. shrugged. "That's the only opening I have at the moment . . . Are things not going well at Townsend? I heard about the restructuring."
"Then you understand why I'm here. It's obvious I'm not getting anywhere with that company. I think it's in my best interest to see if I can do better somewhere else."
"There is something I can offer you. It's an unofficial position that I'm offering just to you. How would you like to be a mole?"
"What's in it for me?"
"If we can outcompete Townsend we might be able to expand enough that I can justify taking on another partner."
"There are too many 'if's in that sentence, R.J." Hector said skeptically.
"That's how it is. I can't guarantee the way things are going to work out, but I can promise that, if you help me, your contribution won't be forgotten or overlooked as it has been by Townsend."
Hector fidgeted with his hands as he considered his options. It was clear that he wasn't getting anywhere at the Townsend Corporation and he wasn't going to as long as Andrew and Lawrence were in charge. They were both suspicious of him already and if he made one wrong step Lawrence would tell the truth and he would lose everything.
"I can't do it, R.J."
R.J. looked at Hector skeptically. He knew Hector well enough to know that he wasn't objecting for moral reasons or for loyalty to the company. Otherwise, why would he be coming to him for a job? There had to be something else going on. He leaned forward at his desk and studied Hector closely. "Why not?"
"It's not the type of job I'm looking for. Thanks anyway," he said, standing to leave.
They shook hands before R.J. walked Hector to the office door.
As R.J. lingered in the doorway, watching him leave, he wondered what was really going on with Hector and the Townsend Corporation.
Eileen followed the officer into a smaller room. As she took a seat, he closed the door behind them, blocking out all of the noise from the station, leaving them in a startlingly quiet room.
"Ok, Ms. -"
"Townsend," Eileen answered automatically before she realized giving her name might not be a good idea.
"Ms. Townsend. What do you know about the murder of Clifford Stuart."
"I know who killed him . . .it." She took a deep breath. "It was Hector Burgess. He worked with Mr. Stuart and my father."
"Then you're Arthur Townsend's daughter?" he asked dryly as he scribbled in his notepad.
"Yes. I'm Eileen."
"And what makes you suspect Mr. Burgess?"
"He told me that he did it."
"He told you?" the officer asked skeptically.
"Well, I asked him about it . . . I remembered he told me he had been to see Clifford on the day he died, but my friend Lucy, Clifford's daughter, said no one had been to see her father that day. And I found out that afterwards Hector had gone back to the hospital to talk to the nurse who had been on duty when Clifford died."
Detective Varner wrote down all of the information she gave him, but he seemed completely disinterested in what she had to say. "Is there anything else?"
Eileen hesitated. She was afraid he didn't believe her. The only other thing she could tell him was the psychic connection she and Cassandra had made between Hector and the murder, but she was sure that would only convince him not to take her seriously. "No, that's it," she said quietly.
"I thank you for taking the time to come down here, Ms. Townsend. This is a very big case and we value any information we receive."
Detective Varner started to usher Eileen out of the office, but she refused to go.
"Don't you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" she insisted. "Hector Burgess killed Clifford Stuart, that's not just a piece of information."
Detective Varner sighed. "I understand . . . I can't talk about the specifics of the case, but we are working on it and we're getting very close to making an arrest. We're professionals. You have to trust us to do our job."
Eileen walked out of the station feeling defeated. She had wrestled with her conscience about turning Hector in and when she finally convinced herself to take action, her story wasn't believed. If the police didn't believe her, what could she do, except go on ignoring the truth? As she started up her car, she looked at the clock. It was time to pick up her father.
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