Charlotte woke with a start, someone was pounding on her room door.
Boom boom boom!
It was so loud, she winced at the ferocity of the sound. Who could make such a noise with only their hand? Stumbling out of the bed sheets, she made her way to the source of the racket. As soon as her hand touched the chain lock at the top, the sound stopped. She fumbled with the regular lock and then pulled the door open.
"Oh good. I was hoping you'd hear. The building has a fire downstairs. We need to get out."
A very small woman stood staring up at her.
"Come, we need to hurry. The elevators aren't working, have to take the stairs."
Blinking, Charlotte tried to gather her thoughts. She quickly grabbed her room key card from the nightstand and a sweatshirt to cover the tank top she was sleeping in. The woman was still waiting in the hallway when she shut her door. Still feeling the effects of sleep, she wondered what time it was. They entered a stairwell through a side door down at the end of the hallway.
"I'm Clara. Room next to you. Sorry if I scared you."
"I'm Charlotte. You did, but thank you. Why aren't the fire alarms going off?"
The tiny woman bounded down the stairs. Charlotte had to labor to keep up.
"Don't rightly know. I got a phone call from the front desk."
They finally reached the ground floor and exited out of the stairway into a smokey filled lobby. Charlotte coughed and shielded her mouth with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. Clara acted as if it didn't bother her, taking hold of Charlotte's arm and guiding them outside.
"Looks like we made it out just in time. That smoke is thick." She remarked, looking up at her auburn-haired neighbor.
Fire trucks rumbled up, their air brakes releasing a whoosh as they parked. They both watched as men clad in black and yellow heavy gear scrambled out. Charlotte wondered where the fire was at and how bad it really was. Another fire vehicle drove up and parked at a crooked angle by the door. She heard the captain who got out talk into his radio, "that's right, a kitchen fire. Suspected arson."
Amidst the chaos, Charlotte had forgotten to slip on shoes. Her bare feet felt cold on the hard cement sidewalk. She noticed her tiny neighbor was now chatting with another couple. The firemen ran a hose inside and began to work on the blaze. Turning her attention back to the gathered crowd of guests, she saw a familiar person.
Josh?
She began to walk closer to him but as she did, he turned and disappeared behind the side of the building. Something tugged her to follow internally, but a voice interrupted her.
"Charlotte, they got it put out. The front desk staff are saying we can go back in."
She frowned but stopped. Josh probably didn't want to talk so she let it go.
"We can go back in?"
"Yes, thankfully! It's freezing out here. I bet your feet are frozen!"
"Oh. . .yeah, yeah they are." Charlotte replied, absently.
They followed the flow of people back into the warmth of the hotel, stopping to gape at the now blocked off kitchen and dining area. The flames never reached the outer area. It was as if it never happened. Except for the smoke and the lingering stench.
"Enjoying Denver?"
Charlotte wondered what time it was, oblivious to the question being asked.
"Charlotte?"
"What? Oh. . I'm sorry. I'm distracted. What did you ask?"
Clara chuckled as they got into the packed elevator.
"Are you enjoying Denver?" She softly asked.
Charlotte shifted her feet on the carpeting as the elevator made its first stop, easing the load of the cramped space.
"Yes, I am. You?"
Their floor came and both women stepped out, alone in the long hallway of doors.
"I live in Denver. Just a short stay while work is being done on my house."
They reached their respective doors, and both looked at the other. Charlotte couldn't place it, but she had a brief déjà vu moment.
"I hope you get some rest, very nice to meet you, Charlotte."
"Night."
As she entered back into the black cocoon of her room, Charlotte couldn't help but feel that the fire was intentional. Had the group at the airport tried to scare her off? It wouldn't be the first time, nor probably the last. Marcus had warned her about it. His worry before she left LA, no matter how misplaced considering he was now married, had been sincere. I won't be there for you he had texted.
Shaking his words off, she climbed back into her bed for another few hours of sleep. Before time could even lapse in her dream state, the alarm went off.
"I've got to get going."
There was a meeting set for 9 am. Charlotte had discovered one of the main companies that had worked on the airport in the late 90's was still located here in Denver. The CEO had time and was willing to see her, even after identifying herself as a podcaster. Luck was on her side. She ruminated on how to approach the questions she had as she showered. The water was hot and it activated her body, fully waking and rinsing the tiredness away. Could this interview be a key to the lock that was DIA? She had hope.
Grabbing her bag, she headed downstairs. The lingering aroma of smoke assaulted her olfactory system. She coughed as she passed by the front lobby. Yellow tape was secured along the wall, blocking access to the dining area. Apparently, their complimentary breakfast was canceled for a good while. She did wonder why the kitchen. If a fire was set intentionally, why so far from her room? The powers that be were underestimating her resolve. She wasn't scared nor deterred.
The sun hit her full force. It felt glorious. She relished in the sensations as she got into her car.
Hopefully, this interview gives me what I want.
Being cognizant of a possible tail, she was careful to observe who was behind her as she sidled for the right lane in the downtown traffic. Nothing stood out. But then again, it likely wouldn't. Nerves began to fizzle up the closer she got. Was the CEO a part of the rouse? Or better yet, had he been contacted already regarding this meeting? She focused on her end goal and breathed in then out.
Use the technique.
The headquarters came into view, a large imposing glass and steel building. Charlotte swallowed back the lump in her throat and did some more visualizing. This would go well. She parked in a visitor's spot, next to a bevy of expensive cars. Her rental stuck out like a sore thumb. Getting out, she noticed a handsome silver haired man by the front entrance.
"Ms. Locke?"
He held out his hand with a dimpled smile. Charlotte was taken aback. She wasn't expecting the CEO to be so charming.
"Yes. Mr. Johir?"
"The one and the same. Welcome to Carter Industries."
He walked ahead of her, past the front reception and up a flight of glass encased stairs. Her eyes roamed over every detail of the building's interior. It was beautiful and unlike anything she'd been in before. A fortune was spent on this headquarters, she had no doubts.
They reached the end of the hall and turned into a massive office. Wall to wall windows gave sweeping views of the city skyline. Charlotte's brain had a temporary euphoric overload as she took it all in.
"Please." The CEO said, gesturing for her to sit.
She took a seat as he settled behind a large glass desk.
"So Ms. Locke. ."
"Charlotte, please."
"Charlotte, what questions do you have for me about our work at DIA?"
She swallowed and took out her notebook from the bag she had brought.
"Mr. Johir, were you aware that you had employees who saw how far down the space underneath DIA actually was?"
"Please, call me Jeremy."
Charlotte let the silence settle between them. His eyes were darkly colored with a sliver of amber closer to the irises. With skin that was sun-kissed, she imagined he was either an avid sun bather or he had a mix of another race in him. Finally, he spoke.
"I'm assuming you're referring to a Mr. Banks and Mr. Jones?"
He already knows.
"Yes."
"Well then, yes. Of course. They were part of the initial excavation teams. As you already know. We were hauling away 100,000 cubic yards of earth a day in the initial phases. The type of stress that can come from this type of work. . I'm sure you understand, if you're aware."
Charlotte shifted in her chair, uncrossing then crossing her legs.
"Stress?"
Jeremy smiled, his dimples showing again. She noticed his eyes as his face construed a playful amusement.
"Yes. Our profession is a mightily stressful one. I figured that out years ago when my ex-wife left me. Once I worked my way up to CEO, I decided to act. We started an in-house counseling and therapy service for all our workers to take advantage of. You'll find that the two gentlemen in question had to do just that while working at the DIA project."
Counseling? Charlotte hadn't heard anything of it, nor had the men mentioned it in the email then phone call interview process. She was caught off guard. She opened her mouth to speak but as she did, her phone rang. She'd forgotten to turn it to silent mode.
"Please." He urged, with an arched eyebrow.
Hesitating, she pulled her phone out of her bag and saw it was a Denver number.
"Hello?"
"Charlotte?"
"Yes. . ."
"It's Zach, I wanted to know if you'd like to meet me for dinner tonight."