Weston Securities

Chapter 3

Brooklyn hunched over her keyboard rereading her report for her boss, Mr. Banner before deeming it acceptable and hit the print button. She arched her back and gave a big sigh when it cracked several times. That’s what she got for leaning over her desk for so many hours. She pushed her glasses up to rub her tired and strained eyes. They felt as dry as the Sahara Desert.

Brooklyn checked her watch, not at all surprised it was close to nine o’clock at night. She’d been working for Mr. Banner for four years, since she got out of college. It was supposed to be an intern position and when his personal assistant just up and quit without a word. Brooklyn had volunteered for the position hoping it would get her in Mr. Banner’s good graces and move up in the company.

How wrong and naïve she’d been.

It didn’t take long for Brooklyn to realize why the last personal assistant left. To say Mr. Banner was a difficult was like calling a hurricane a light breeze. He was as cut throat as people that worked on Wall Street. He was much respected and revered though. Mr. Banner was a private contractor that collaborated with several governments, including the FBI.

Mr. Banner owned his own airfield and a fleet of trucks for importing and exporting construction supplies. He worked with several real estate developers and brought in the supplies. For the government he sent out aid relief supplies.

Brooklyn couldn’t say it was all bad working for him. She was learning a wealth of knowledge from him. She’d traveled on private jets and gone to exotic locations while he did business dealings. She just wished he would let her do more than type reports and file paperwork.

You’re a pushover.

No she wasn’t. Brooklyn sighed at herself. She totally was. She let Mr. Banner walk all over her. That was why she hadn’t moved anywhere in the company in four years. Other interns she’d started with moved up or moved on. Not her. She was stuck in this rut of her own making.

Brooklyn pushed up from her desk, smoothing out her black pencil skirt. She just needed to get the report on Mr. Banner’s desk and she could go home and get some much needed sleep.

Her feet were killing her. They were impractical, but she loved her five inch heels. It made her feel taller than her five-foot-three-inch frame. The price of beauty.

Retrieving the report from the copy room Brooklyn heard the buzzing of her phone sitting next to her desk. She couldn’t hid a groan, fearing it was her boss. She may be his personal assistant but that didn’t stop him from calling her all hours of the day for errands he needed done.

A smile broke across her face seeing her best friend, Morgan’s name across the caller id. “Hey,” she answered.

“Hey,”

“How’s Miami?” Her friend was taking a much needed vacation. Brooklyn was overdue for one by several years. Business trips didn’t count.

Morgan’s brother Rick and family lived in Miami. Their parents had died in a car crash a few years ago, so it was just them. At least once a year Morgan would visit just to get away and lounge on the beach. She’d asked Brooklyn to go more than once but she felt like she was intruding on their family time.

“Sunny. Muggy. About a hundred degrees every day.” Morgan made it sound horrible. It sounded nice to her.

“Aren’t the beaches at least full of half-naked guys?”

“Eh,” Morgan said unimpressed. “they’re a dime a dozen. What are you doing? Don’t tell me, your still at the office.” Her friend said sardonically. Morgan was the head chef at an upscale restaurant in Billings. She worked just as long days as Brooklyn did, but she wasn’t called in the middle of the night to go to her bosses apartment because he couldn’t find a file.

Brooklyn rolled her eyes. Morgan knew her too well. They’d been friends since grade school when Morgan saved Brooklyn from a bully on the playground. They had shared an apartment together while they both attended college. No they lived a few blocks from each other.

Brooklyn wished she saw her friend more but her schedule didn’t allow much social life.

“I’m just finishing up. I’m grabbing my things and headed home.” She set the report on Mr. Banner’s desk then something caught her eye. “Oh no.”

“What? Are you alright? Is someone there?” Morgan rapid fired off question after question.

“No, nothing like that. You would hear a lot more fear in my voice if someone were here.” Brooklyn pushed some of the scattered paperwork to the side. “There’s an envelope on Mr. Banner’s desk he needs.” Brooklyn groaned. Mr. Banner had been looking for this all day. Brooklyn had never seen him so frazzled before. Whatever it was, it had to be important.

“So, it will be there for him in the morning.”

“If I don’t drop it off now, he’ll call me in the middle of the night or early morning for it.” Mr. Banner lived a few miles away in a fancy apartment complex with a doorman and guard. It had taken an application and a background check just for her to get a spare key.

“Brooklyn, don’t do it. Don’t go over there tonight. Obviously it wasn’t that important otherwise he would have stayed late to look for it.”

“It will take me two seconds.” Brooklyn grabbed the envelope and turned off the lights as she went. It was a three-story concrete structure in the middle of town. Mr. Banner didn’t want to pay for security. They had a front desk receptionist on the first floor but that was it. The parking lot was at least well lit.

“And this is why you will always be his assistant. You’re a people pleaser for that ass.” Morgan griped.

“Well, that ass is who pays my bills. I have to pay my dues.” Brooklyn picked up her pace as she crossed the parking lot. Her keys clenched in her fist with the keys between her knuckles.

“It’s been four years, Brooklyn. I’d say your dues were paid off long ago.”

This was an age old argument they had. One neither of them ever won.

“Well I won’t be his personal assistant forever.” Brooklyn said more confidently than she felt.

“Uh huh.” Morgan didn’t sound convinced.

“Not that I don’t love talking to you, but is that the only reason you’re calling me at eleven o’clock at nigh for you? Is everything alright?” Brooklyn asked to change the subject. Her work was a sore subject.

Morgan sighed like she was lying down. “Everything is fine.”

Translation. Nothing was fine. “Did you get into an argument with Darlene?” That was Rick’s wife.

“No, I just feel restless. I though a vacation would help but I just feel, I don’t know.” Her voice sounded dejected.

Brooklyn’s heart went out to Morgan. She hadn’t been the same since her break up. It had been a break up of her choosing but that didn’t make it any easier. “Tell you what, when you get back we’ll go have a couple of drinks and I’ll turn my phone off.”

“I’m going to hold you to that. “Morgan chuckled. It was the first time Brooklyn had heard her sound more like her old self.

Brooklyn pulled into Mr. Banner’s parking lot and got out. “I’m at Mr. Banner’s. I just need to drop this off and it’s off to bed for me. You should be in bed as well.”

“Soon enough. I’ll stay on the line until you get home.”

“Afraid for my safety.”

“Crime rate might be low but anything could happen.” Brooklyn knew that. She wasn’t blind to the crime of the world, but come it. What could happen to her? She was a mousy personal assistant. Nothing exciting ever happened to her.

Brooklyn heard something above her that sounded like a scream and she looked up. “What the?” She whispered, squinting, sure she was seeing things.

“What is it?”

“Mr. Banner’s on his balc—” her words died as Mr. Banner went flying over the balcony to land on the asphalt in front of her. “Holy s**t,”

“Brooklyn, what happened.” Morgan’s voice was frantic.

Brooklyn stared at her bosses bloody body. “Mr. Banner jumped from his balcony.” That’s what she thought until she saw the knife sticking out of his back. Her gaze went back up to the balcony to see someone leaning over it. It was a man in all black and black hat. The man stared straight at her. “Oh my god, someone else is on the balcony.”

“Brooklyn, listen to me.” Morgan’s voice was serious. “Run. Get in your car and go.”

Brooklyn was on autopilot. Her mind shut down. She spun on her heel and ran back to her car and peeled out of parking lot.

“What do I do. Morgan, what do I do?” Her hands started shaking as adrenaline pumped through her system. Her eyes kept darting to the rear view mirror thinking someone was going to be coming after her.

“Drive to the police station, get Jameson.” Morgan said calming, and rationally.

“What if he’s not working?”

“Trust me, he’s working.” If anyone knew Jameson’s schedule it was his ex. “I’ll stay on the phone with you until you get there. I really hate being on the other side of the US from you right now. I feel so useless.”

“Believe me, you’re saving me from a complete breakdown.”

Brooklyn was thankful it was later and there was less traffic. It only took a few minutes to get to the police station Jameson worked at.

“Can I help you?” The female officer at the desk asked, their eyes wide in shock. She probably looked a sight. Shaking and dazed.

“Detective Jameson. I need Detective Jameson.” Brooklyn gasped, trying to catch her breath as if she’d been running.

“What’s it regarding?” The woman asked calmly. Brooklyn felt anything but. Her knees her starting to shake.

“There’s been a murder.”