Kate Educates Jacob #42

Unwrapping A String Of Lies

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Jacob’s Point Of View.

I stood at our bathroom door, not daring to look inside. There were few things that made me squeamish but this was one of them. I cringed, cramped in sympathy with her, and tried to block out the noise.

“Don’t worry Kate. I can drop Hannah off and show Claude the ropes at GD on my own.”

“Sorry Jacob. Give me a minute, please. I need mouthwash.”

I couldn’t bear to watch Kate’s head perched over the edge of our vomit-splattered white porcelain toilet bowl. She’d felt queasy right after breakfast, impressing me with a sprint out of the dining room, upstairs, and into our apartment before barfing in a safe place.

She waved a hand more nonchalantly than I expected, with her face buried in the toilet.

“Are you okay?”

“Morning sickness… It’s normal… just doesn’t feel very nice.”

“Perhaps you should stay at home.”

“No chance.”

Kate brushed her teeth and rinsed while I watched her pale complexion turn rosy again in a bathroom mirror reflection. She wobbled unsteadily out of the en-suite, reaching for my arm and using that to steady herself while drifting to our bed. She sat down with both fists balled beside her, pressing hard into the mattress, composing a turbulent disposition that was ordinarily steely and calm.

“Okay… so, Mom’s collecting your sister, right?”

“Yes.”

“Hannah and Claude are following us to GD in their car?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re driving me in your racing car?”

“Yes.”

“I think we’ll be okay, Jacob, so long as you take the driving easy. My office has a toilet and I have you.”

“If you’re sure. Shall I bring a sick bag for the journey?”

“I’m fine now. I just want Carol to be safe here.”

“Claude has a security contractor coming over before we leave. They’ll manage the front door and support our own people.”

“Jacob look… please just tell me these are decent people. I don’t mind if they’re ex-military, but just tell me they are reputable.”

“Claude checked them out and they are all decent guys and women. Everyone is vetted and highly trained. They aren’t here to kill people or start a war. These security details mostly deal with nosey journalists and people who got lost on the property.”

I was fairly sure Kate was safe but Granger Hall was a big house with lots of valuables and the estate was a big place with expensive horses, farm machinery, vehicles, and other toys like my brand-new Can-Am Maverick.

“Is there any security following us to GD today?”

“No. If we four can’t deal with any problems, then we’re facing an unusual threat that I can’t see coming.”

“But you said our security was bad.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean we need an armed response everywhere. You have security here and at GD. Nobody knows what time or day we’ll make trips from here to there, and we’ll vary the route randomly.”

“You’re just being cautious, then?”

“Right now, I’m cautiously avoiding your lips, Kate.”

“I would too.”

“Shall we leave, or do you need one more visit to the bowl?”

“I’ll want to see chef first.”

I doted on Kate but sometimes she was just too much of a perfectionist. This was one of those occasions and I needed to refocus her.

“Can’t we let him get on with it, please, Kate?”

“No Jacob. This is your sister we’re talking about. If she doesn’t enjoy her first night here, it will be because I’m a poor host.”

“She won’t much care what is for dinner. Carrie will race down to the stables or go for a run around your private woodland wearing a head torch at 2 a.m.”

I sat beside my fiancee, quenching her anxiety. It never ceased to amaze me how easily she could deal with complex work-related problems but when it came to family, mine included, she had an Achilles heel.

“I’d just like everything to be right for her.”

“It will be. You signed off on a menu for the week. Catherine looked it over and saw no flaws. Please, just let it be, and let’s go.”

“Okay.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah, you’re right, Jacob. Let’s go.”

We met Hannah and Claude on the stairs. He’d created an infectious habit in the house where everyone shook hands when seeing one another for the first time each day. I rather liked my French Commando friend with his broad smile and confident nature. It seemed Hannah had much stronger feelings for him than I did, and was tired from a sleepless night.

“You go ahead, Jacob. I want to catch up with Hannah for a few minutes.”

“See you at the car.”

No sooner were we clear of the two women than a fit of giggles burst out. I glanced at Claude, who grinned like the cat that got the cream.

“I’m French brother. I can tickle a lady’s clitoris with my voice.”

“You’d better have a different tone for Kate buddy… my sister too.”

“Your sister sounds like an exquisite lady. Tell me about her.”

“She was training in the British Army as a helicopter pilot. The training instructor fucked up, crashed the Lynx helicopter and my sister injured her spinal column. They wouldn’t let her continue training after she recovered so Carrie left.”

“Is she still badly injured?”

“You can’t see the injury and wouldn’t know it was there because she runs Ultra Marathon races.”

“Fuck Jacob! Is there a Mr. Carrie?”

“Not yet. None seem to stay the course.”

“I’m hardly surprised.”

Kate and Hannah emerged from the house, still curled over in fits of giggles. Claude and I parted ways, and I opened the BMW door for my beloved. She grinned at me suggestively.

“I honestly would rather not know, Kate.”

“He does something with his voice.”

“Just so long as he doesn’t do it around you.”

Claude and I had mapped out four alternating routes to work, giving each a color code. Today was red, the shortest but most enjoyable from a driver’s perspective, taking in forest, farmland, and hills.

Kate got straight onto her phone and was laser-focused on work matters, setting up calls and meetings through Andrew and Tiffany. During a rare moment when she stared wistfully out of the side window, I engaged her in conversation.

“What’s on the agenda?”

“I’d like you to visit R&D while I have the department head on a platter.”

“Is this related to Carol?”

“No, but I would like you to speak with anyone she works with and find out what’s going on.”

“Okay. I’ll get Claude on that but tell me, what’s Gerald been doing?”

“Do you mind if I withhold the problem? I want to know what’s going on in the department and whether there are problems. I need your perspective on this, please.”

I felt some trepidation, not through any sense of fear, but because office politics was not my strong suit. My patience usually ran out pretty fast when tittle-tattle and back-stabbing replaced teamwork. I wasn’t sure Kate had selected wisely in asking me to deal with Gerald but I trusted her judgement as she did mine.

“Leave it with me, sweetheart.”

“I can always rely on you, Jacob.”

“As I do on you, Kate.”

She concentrated while staring out of the window so I let my fiancee enjoy the ride, nudging Kate gently when parking in her space. After opening the door, I followed her inside GD's impressive marble-floored, expansive reception atrium, with Hannah and Claude close behind.

Andrew and Tiffany were waiting inside before the security screening area. They handed out new credentials to our colleagues, got their signatures and we passed through.

I escorted Kate to her office, then we kissed goodbye at the door before I made a beeline for Carol’s research sub-division. Claude was hot on my heels looking excited by the clean, vast working environment of GD.

“It’s one of the biggest military equipment design and manufacturing sites in the world.”

“This is a really impressive place, Jacob, but what are you and I looking for today?”

“Someone here wants to confess, buddy.”

“How so?”

“Somebody, or perhaps more than one person has been selling secrets to our competitor. I’m sure Carol’s abduction was a step too far, and now, they are either terrified for their own safety or in case they’ll get found out.”

“Okay. I know how to deal with these situations very well, Jacob. Can I have the first shot please?”

“For sure. What’s your plan?”

“Leave it with me, brother.”

“Okay well, I have to investigate someone in the same department myself so I’ll watch the show and once you create a commotion, we’ll see what falls out.”

I pretty much knew what Claude would do and allowed him to assemble three hundred people in the vast research department-shared office. A damn good shaking of the tree would dislodge our transgressor and might help me discover what had been going on with Gerald.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry to take up your time. Can anyone not understand me, please? I have a deep and sexy French accent that not everyone can decipher.”

There were nods and a few appreciative grins, which Claude basked in, being a fantastic showman. He glanced around the room taking in everyone, not missing an expression that might reveal his target.

“Okay. Well… I have bad news for you, all my friends. Someone, possibly in this room right now, has been selling GD information.”

They looked stunned and I studied as many faces as I could see quickly, trying to find anyone who seemed unsurprised. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, I nodded at Claude who continued his ruse.

“The people who paid for GD information didn’t get what they wanted, kidnapped someone, and are tying up loose ends. If that loose end is you, I suggest you come forward immediately, confess, and get yourself protected.”

A collective gasp filled the room and their chatter rose to fever pitch as indignation, denial, fear, and general consternation flowed like ripples of discontent. Claude pointed at the main exit door, shouting above the din.

“I’ll be in the security office for half an hour. Come to me and I’ll protect you.”

He stepped off the plastic and steel chair that served as a temporary stage, smiled at me, and then left the room. People milled around for five minutes, then slowly dispersed to their workstations. I set off toward Gerald’s office, where answers to Kate’s concerns might be found.

The intern whose ideas I helped expose to Kate weeks ago was beavering at her desk. When I approached, she smiled, genuinely pleased to see me.

“Hi, Jessica.”

“Hi, Jacob. It’s nice seeing you around here again.”

“I’ve been kept busy at home.”

“Yeah, right. You’re on a hunting mission. I heard the crazy gorgeous French guy just now. Something’s going on and you think I can help with that?”

“Do you know something?”

“Maybe. Is the French guy available for a date in exchange for my cooperation?”

“Only if you want to book him through his girlfriend, your new boss, Hannah.”

She teased me with a grin, then a sorrowful shrug.

“Why can’t I have a Claude or Jacob?”

“You will, sweetheart. There is a guy out there just dying to meet you. Now… are you going to help me?”

She glanced around the room, making sure nobody lurked close enough to overhear. Her sudden nervousness piqued my interest, and I leaned closer.

“Someone is bullying Gerald. They’re having him followed, and he receives threatening phone calls, often when we’re working late at night. He’s terrified and not doing terribly well dealing with it. I thought it was an angry wife.”

“Gerald is married to a guy. Is it definitely a woman’s voice you heard?”

“I know who it is Jacob, and I think she’s the one who sold GD’s information. She’s fucking obsessed with having Gerald. I’ve told him to seek help but he won’t listen to me.”

The hairs pricked up on the back of my neck and I felt a surge of adrenaline course through me. I didn’t wait for Jessica to reveal a name because I already knew who it was. I waved her goodbye, turned, and sprinted through the research department’s open office, down corridors, and up a steep staircase until I burst into Kate’s office.

She looked stunned and for the first time since we’d met, Kate’s expression suggested there was no immediate response that suited her.

“Sorry sweetheart but I need to do this.”

“Are you okay, Jacob?”

“Yep. Nothing to worry about.”

I pointed at Gerald who seemed terrified even though I stepped no closer than five meters away, posing no threat. I waved a mildly accusatorial finger toward him.

“Has Carol been pursuing you?”

He looked tormented and face-planted into his hands, sobbing, swearing, and screaming in anguish. Kate’s face went white as a sheet and I knew this problem must be dealt with fast, lest she panic, sending her body into trauma.

“It’s Carol, Kate. She’s been sending GD information to her own secret e-mail account using Gerald’s office computer, then blackmailing him with that fact into having an affair.”

“You’re fucking joking with me?”

“Nope.”

I chuckled, remembering Kate’s friend whose wisdom ended my fiancee’s zero tolerance for potty mouth. She licked her lips, clearly parched and somewhat in shock so I visited the hospitality trolly, poured a glass of chilled water, and handed it over, passing a second glass to Gerald.

Kate studied the sobbing man in front of her desk sympathetically. She gave Gerald a minute to contain his outburst, waiting until he looked up again.

“Is this true, Gerald?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“She threatened my marriage, Miss Granger, and I was convinced she’d sold secrets to some shadowy organization that would kill her. Carol was even abducted.”

Kate glanced from me to Gerald and back again in utter disbelief.

“Gerald, I got you up here because we’re behind on delivering the German Tank program. I thought you were slacking and asked Jacob to speak with people on the shop floor about what’s going on.”

“We’re only behind because the client is messing around with design work. They’ll pay for the delays and are agreeing on a sum with me now. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“What a nightmare, Gerald.”

“What happens next Miss Granger?”

“We’ll have Carol arrested for stalking you and because of the data theft. That matter must be reported to the government now and they’ll want to investigate.”

“I’d rather not destroy Carol’s career. She’s not well.”

“Which is precisely why the sheriff must arrest her. Once he has Carol examined by a doctor, they’ll refer her for a psychiatric evaluation. GD can help protect her, pay for treatment and hopefully she’ll recover but for sure, we can’t let this continue.”

“How will you find her?”

“I have a hunch, so leave that with me. Call your husband, ask him to collect you, and go home. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

He shuffled out of the office, where Andrew took control of getting him home. I closed Kate’s door.

“She’s lied about the abduction and starved herself. We need to go home, Kate. I’ll contact the security detail and ask them to discretely keep track of her movements.”

“Leave Claude and Hannah here. I’ll call the sheriff on the way and we can deal with this in a sensitive manner.”

I drove faster than usual because there was an unspoken fear relating to Carol’s stability. With family on the premises, Kate would be concerned, as I was, too.

“The sheriff is waiting for us on the main road a hundred meters before our private driveway. Drive right in and he’ll follow.”

“How will he deal with this?”

“I asked him to have an ambulance come and collect her. I won’t allow Carol to be handcuffed.”

I spun my car into the drive, enjoying the engine roar while cringing at the scattered gravel and my beautiful paintwork. The sheriff followed with no sirens or lights and I slowed down gradually, entering our parking lot at a normal speed. Kate looked at me as though I were a child enjoying a race track session.

“Are you done now, Jenson Button?”

“That was fun but there will be damage to my car.”

“Just get a respray. It’s an emergency.”

Kate leaped out of the car before me, not waiting for my usual courtesy. She waved at the sheriff, backing him off politely.

“Give me five minutes alone with her, then follow me inside. Please don’t cuff her.”

“Okay, Miss Granger, but I won’t stay outside unless you take Jacob with you.”

“Jacob and I are attached at the hip, Sherrif.”

“Good.”

He waited calmly, leaning on his car hood, nodding pleasantly at me. My background was probably fully exposed this morning on two firearms certificate applications Claude had submitted by email.

Inside the house, Kate summoned the security team and spoke in whispers. The woman pointed to our dining room. My fiancee turned to me and nodded to the door.

“Can we be gentle, Jacob? She’s obviously not well.”

“Of course.”

When we stepped inside the dining room, I was relieved to see Carol was alone. She stared up from a coffee cup that was empty while she stirred the air inside it. Kate approached her with me close behind and for the first time, from the deadness in her eyes, I could see that all in Carol’s mind was not well.

“Are you okay, Carol?”

“Of course Kate. What’s happening?”

“I know about Gerald and the desperation you’ve felt.”

“Ahh… I see. I’m probably in trouble now.”

“Not trouble. I need you to see a doctor please, Carol.”

She stared at Kate with a blank look that I’d seen many times before. People who suffered severe emotional trauma almost seemed locked out of reality while their minds protected them from the outside world.

“Am I mad, Kate?”

“No, sweetheart. You’re just not feeling very well and need a rest.”

Carol sighed and nodded, as though resigned to a fate that only made sense to her.

“I am rather tired, to be honest.”

“I have an ambulance coming soon. I’ll go with you to make sure you’re safe. Is that okay, sweetheart?”

“Thank you, Kate. Is Gerald coming too?”

“He’s fine and is already having a rest.”

“Oh, good.”

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