The Fire Within

Chapter 11 - The Invader

"I have a more plausible explanation", Cole said and then lowered his voice to a whisper. "What if Adams Corporation has got something to do with this? Maybe they're trying to steal our secret ingredient. The one that made our drinks a huge hit."

Jessica snorted again. "We don't have a secret ingredient Cole." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah, but they don't know that. They probably think we've invented this one magical ingredient."

They laughed lightly.

"None of it adds up though. You're forgetting that Kevin's dating Natalie, Fred Adams' daughter."

Cole shuddered. "I couldn't forget her in my dreams even if I wanted to. I bet Kevin's been trying to do the same."

They fell silent, immersed in thoughts. There were very few people in the cafeteria now. Sarah could only hear the soft murmuring of the conversation taking place between a group of people sitting a few tables away from them. What were they saying? She thought she heard a name being mentioned. Who were they talking about? She tried to listen to what they were saying when Jessica spoke, distracting her thoughts.

"What about surveillance cameras?", she asked.

"There are no cameras in that room. I guess they didn't think they'd need one", Cole answered.

Jessica sighed and then looked at Sarah. "Who do you think it is, Sarah? You've been quiet all day."

Sarah forced her head up and directed her eyes towards Jessica. For a moment, she just stared at her. And then she shrugged nonchalantly, like it didn't matter. "I have no idea Jess. I've barely been here a month."

Jessica seemed to buy it. A look of understanding came upon her face. Sarah felt some kind of relief, but she knew it was temporary. She knew there were bigger problems out there, waiting like a hungry predator ready to pounce on her when the moment arrived. It was never easy to lie, especially to people you live with every day. Even though she'd mastered the art of deception, her heart beat picked up its pace ever so slightly each time she falsified her words.

"But why aren't the police here yet? Surely someone has called them by now?", Cole asked. Sarah noticed that his eyebrows were so close that they almost touched when he frowned. A second went by before she realized what he'd said.

Police? No. No! Please no. They couldn't be here. Everything will be ruined.

Jessica shook her head. "They aren't calling the police."

"Are you serious? Why the hell not?"

"I'm not sure. But I overhead Kevin talking to Robert. He was pretty insistent on calling the police. Wanted the place thoroughly checked. But Robert wouldn't have any of it. He didn't want the media to get hang of this incident and draw any more attention to the company. He was worried it would tarnish the company's reputation. Whoever it was didn't bother to take anything anyway."

Sarah let out a breath, instantly relieved. She didn't even want to imagine what would happen if the police turned up and started questioning her.

Cole nodded his head, but the frown on his face remained. "In his defense, the company's reputation would definitely be a priority considering all the effort that he's put into building it. He's seen too much, the old man."

They ate their food in silence for the next two minutes. They were the only ones in the cafeteria now and the air around them carried only the sounds of their spoons clattering on plates. Sarah preferred the silence over talking and wished it would remain like that at least until they'd finished eating.

But then you cannot expect such a thing with Jessica sitting next to you.

"So there's going to be a meeting again. In an hour. It's the Unspeakables so we have time to kill. I mean YOU guys have time to kill", she sulked.

Her words triggered an unspoken question in Sarah's mind.

"What do you mean?", she asked Jessica. The spoon in her hand clattered onto the now empty plate.

"Well, Kevin's not allowed in the meeting." Jessica said simply. "So he's going to sit in his office during the entire meeting and brood over his uncle's decisions. Which means I'm not going to have a pleasant evening."

"You mean he's not a part of the Unspeakables?" Sarah asked her, surprised. "But why? He's the head of the Department, isn't he? He's supposed to be there."

"Yes, I know. I think he badly wants to be there too. He's always grumpy and complaining when a meeting's going on. But he's being kept out of it."

"Kept out of it?", Sarah half-laughed in incredulity. "By who?"

"Robert. And the other heads. I mean, who else?"

"But why?"

"I don't know, Sarah. I've wondered about it several times. I mean, he's next in the line of succession after his uncle. Beats me why he isn't being allowed."

To say Sarah was bewildered would be an understatement. She'd no doubt that Kevin was in the committee. But now, she didn't know what to expect any more. Every step so far had been carefully weighed, but there were still miscalculations along the path. All of this was too much to take in. Too much for a day. She needed rest. And peace. And more importantly, she needed time to heal. And to get back stronger.