A Book by Alexie (novels for teenagers .TXT) 📕

the last office on the right and looked through the small window seeing Anton sitting very intent on a video he was watching. His door was open so Cassie didn't bother to knock. As she walked in Anton glanced over to see who it was and in sudden shock quickly toggled off the video and jumped to his feet. “Cassie! What are you doing here?” he asked almost disapprovingly of her presence.

“I'm sorry,... I just wanted to see you again and.... I got us dinner from the corner deli and.... I stopped by your place and you weren't home, so ….I came here” she started backing to the door, “I'm so sorry if I've interrupted something important,” she started to turn to leave in a rush. His reaction was so unexpected and almost harsh, this wasn't the Anton she knew, 'I've really screwed up assuming that he'd be happy to see me, I've got to get out of here now!' she thought as she tried to run away.

“Cassie, please wait, I'm sorry, you just startled me, your the last person I'd ever expect to see here. Please, don't go!” pleaded Anton.

This plea stopped Cassie in her tracks. She turned to see the Anton she knew looking at her with his hand outstretched begging her to come to him. Slowly she turned and re-entered the office.

“Close the door behind you please, I really don't want anyone interrupting the lovely dinner you've brought.” Anton said with a smile. Cassie obliged letting the door latch behind her.

They sat and ate in relative silence. Only exchanging pleasantries of their days at work. Cassie was feeling unwelcome by this. She said “Really, if your busy, I'll just go, you seem preoccupied by something and I don't want to be in the way.” She started to pack up the remains of their dinner to leave.

“No, Cassie, don't go, not yet.....there's something I need to talk to you about...”

Cassie's heart sank 'There is another woman, it figures, all my luck, he's trying to break things off before we even have a chance to get started.' As if reading her thoughts Anton replied “It doesn't have to do with you and me...us...it's more to do with...well, something happened before you took your new job...and, well, I'm afraid your friend Teressa is involved, and I don't want you to get into any trouble...and ...well, come see for yourself.” With that he activated the video screen and made a few commands to bring up the video he'd been watching.

“Now before I start this let me give you a little background.” Anton explained about the missing package and the investigation him and Mr. Banks had done. Then about the conversation she'd had with Teressa at dinner the other evening, then of his suspicions about her reaction to Cassie's story. Cassie nodded her understanding of the background with a furrowed brow as she approached the video screen. There was a time date stamp on the video.

“Is this a security video?” asked Cassie.

“Yes, it is.” Now this is the day that the package had arrived in the Archives and Mr. Banks has just left for the day. The standard operating procedures is to leave everything up and running if anyone is in need of anything from the archives. One only needs to check out the packages on the computer so they have a tracking of what goes in and out. Well, watch here.” Anton pointed to the door. In walked Teressa. She did something on the computer, then walked back to the archives. Anton stopped the video and said, “I've checked that computer with Mr. Banks the day of my investigation and there is no log from Teressa checking out her package, she must have looked up it's location and deleted her search.” He activated the video again. “A few minutes later she left but her bag was much larger than it was when she'd entered the office. Anton stopped the video again “Clearly she's the one who took the package, but, why didn't she check it out?” Anton quarried a bit to himself but loud enough to include Cassie in his questioning.

“So, is that bad?” asked Cassie.

“Not really except that Mr. Banks was dead the next day after my investigation. Now look here.” he cued up another section of the same security video. “This is the evening before you took your new position in Mr. Bank's place.” There was Teressa again, looking suspicious with her big bag entering the archives. This time she didn't bother with the computer. When she returned to view a few minutes later her bag was considerably smaller. “This explains why you found the lost package and why Teressa was acting so strange when you told us about your finding it.”

“So, your thinking that Teressa had something to do with Mr. Bank's death?” inquired Cassie.

“I don't know for sure yet. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but this is very suspicions and I am really worried this might come down some way to harm you. That's the last thing I'd ever want to happen. Hell, I'm not even suppose to be letting you know this or show you the video. But, something tells me it's better you know than for you to be blind sided by all this.”

Cassie looked at Anton and saw the genuine worry on his face. She relaxed and couldn't be angry with him anymore. Now her worry went to Teressa, and how she wouldn't or couldn't talk about the experiments she was involved in.

“What are you going to do now?” Cassie asked.

“I don't know for sure. There is a lot of lose ends I need to look at and try to tie together. Something isn't right about all this. I've got to find out more information before I can conclude anything. Hell, even my boss doesn't know I'm looking into this....at least not yet. That's why I'm here after hours. I don't want anyone to find out...not yet anyways.”

“So, are you wanting me to leave now,....or are you wanting to get out of here and see what we can do about dessert?” Cassie asked with a little bit of coy in her voice suggesting something else not involving sugary after meal fancies.

With this Anton sat up and forgot all about his investigation. “Oh, hell yah!” And as quickly as possible Anton locked down his office, swept away the remains of their dinner and happily escorted Cassie from the office to the front door. Cassie beamed the entire way. Oh what plans she had for him tonight.


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It was very early morning when Greeg left Cibel's apartment. That was the name she'd given him at the club. Weather or not it was her real name he didn't care. He was quite pleased with himself and his work. She was very satisfying to his lustful needs. How he relished her pleas for mercy how she cried when he took her and ravished her repeatedly. When his was completely spent he doused her with his elixir of sleep and watched as she slipped away. Then he'd washed her off to eliminate any evidence he may have left behind, dressed her and arranged her body to look like she'd overdosed on drugs to her death. Then he left to find a vantage point of little notice for the show to begin. She'd mentioned that a friend of hers was coming in the morning to pick her up for work and she had not wanted to be up too late. That was all fine by Greeg, she wouldn't have to worry about waking up ever again once he was finished with her.

Just like clock work a woman arrived at the building and went to Cibel's door. She rang the bell, no answer, she called for Cibel, again no answer, she tried the door, it was unlocked, she entered calling for Cibel. Then came the shrill scream and seconds later the woman, pail as a ghost, came running from the apartment. Other tenants came from their doors to see what was wrong to find the woman cowering in a corner of the hallway. They too investigated to rush from the room calling to others to call the authorities. Minutes passed before the emergency call was answered. The authorities entered the room to find Cibel apparently dead from an overdose. Cibel's friend was interrogated and allowed to leave. Cibel's body was removed and taken to the morgue. Greeg had already called ahead to the mortician. Yet another successful collection completed. Now it was time for Greeg to sleep. He was sure his boss would have someone else lined up for later in the evening to be collected for testing.

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Publication Date: 06-17-2012

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