Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls #1)(24)

All seemed normal, except that last night a man had threatened to kill her daughter.

Ellis changed her shoes and got to work, starting in Frank’s office.

With shaky fingers, Ellie slid the USB drive into the slot on his computer. The office was silent around her. At seven a.m., no one else had arrived yet. Roger would come in around eight, the rest of the employees shortly after. This might be her only chance to get a look at Frank’s computer files. Many of the attorneys worked late, but early hours were less common. But if anyone did come in early, she would say she was doing software updates. Without an in-house IT specialist, Roger preferred Ellie take care of the simple, routine tasks rather than pay for a computer tech. She was already on the payroll. Employees were accustomed to seeing her on their computers. Hopefully, Roger would support her, since he asked her to snoop. Not that she cared much about fraud at the moment.

Frank was the only person at the firm she could imagine had any reason to snag the Hamilton file. He was also the newest hire and had been in competition with Lee for partnership. Frank directly benefitted from Lee’s death. So she’d search his desk first.

On a tight timetable, she copied the hard drive of Frank’s desktop to the memory stick. The orange light blinked as the machine worked. She spun the chair to open the drawer in the credenza behind the desk and skim through the files. The crunch of tires on gravel outside startled her. Someone was here. She glanced at the clock. It was barely seven twenty. No one else ever came in the office this early. The flash drive’s blinking orange light taunted her.

Come on.

She closed the credenza. The orange light went dark. She shut down the computer and bolted for the kitchen. With shaking hands, she measured coffee into a filter. The noise outside must have been someone next door. It didn’t matter. She’d accomplished what she’d come in early to do. All she could do now was pray Frank’s computer skills weren’t adequate for him to know she’d copied his documents. She should have Roger’s support, but Frank would complain to the senior Peyton. In confrontations with his father, Roger got wishy-washy.

Was it possible that Frank had taken the file home? He’d moved into that office before she’d finished sorting Lee’s files. She could be searching the law offices in vain because Frank was holding the very file she needed. The file that would keep her family alive. Even worse, the file could be in Lee’s BMW. There’d been no report of the car turning up, but the thought that the information her extortionist wanted could be impossible to locate sent nausea roiling through her stomach.

What would she do if Hoodie Man came back and she didn’t have the file? And who was he?

She could rule out two people immediately. There was no way Grant would fit behind the seat of her van. She also eliminated Roger. He’d been in his office last night while Hoodie Man waited in Ellie’s vehicle. Hmm. On second thought, was it possible that her boss had gone out the front door and circled around to the parking lot? But why would her boss threaten her to get the file? He’d already asked her to find it for him.

Her head ached with too many unanswered questions. She filled the coffee pot and pressed On.

She glanced at the clock. She still had time to search the rest of the desks. Leaving the dripping coffee machine, she settled at one of the paralegals’ desks. While the computer copied files onto her flash drive, she silently opened and searched desks. A half hour later, Ellie had found nothing even remotely related to the Hamilton file.

“Ellie?” Roger’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

She snagged her memory stick and stuffed it into her jacket pocket. Smoothing her skirt, she emerged from the paralegal’s cubicle. Roger stood in front of her desk.

Smiling, she walked toward her boss. “Good morning.”

“You’re in early. What were you doing?”

“Software updates.”

“This early?” He raised a conspiratorial eyebrow. “Did you encounter anything interesting?”

“No, sorry.”

“Well, shit.” Frowning, he glanced at his watch. “I have a nine o’clock appointment. Have you made coffee?”

“Yes, I’ll fill a carafe.” Ellie hurried back to the kitchen and poured coffee into a thermal pot.

“Liar.” Frank startled her.

She dropped the coffee pot. Hot liquid splashed up her legs.

Frank jumped backward. The sloshing coffee barely missed his pants. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” Miraculously, the pot hadn’t broken when it hit the vinyl floor, but coffee splattered her pantyhose and shoes. Burning patches on her shins jolted her into action. She stepped away, wet a paper towel with cold water, and pressed it against her shin. She cleaned off her shoes then tossed paper towels on the floor.

“Let me help you.” Frank squatted next to her and tossed napkins on the mess.

“It’s all right. I’ve got it.” Ellie dumped the soggy mess into the trash and started a fresh pot.

Frank sauntered out, glancing back to toss a caught-you grin over his shoulder. “I saw you searching Sue’s desk. But don’t worry. I won’t tell. Your secret is safe with me.”

Ugh. Frank was not the guy she’d choose to entrust with secrets. Watching the coffee drip, Ellie put a hand on her aching temple. She didn’t have the energy to worry about Frank. His little games couldn’t compete with extortion—unless he was Hoodie Man.