The usual disclaimer. The recognizable characters belong to Janet.
Rangeman Arrives.
Next morning Stephanie pulled into her assigned parking spot. She had just swung her leg over the bike. Her helmet was still on and her back was to the front door. There was a big, black SUV sitting in the visitor's lot. She could feel beads of perspiration form on her forehead. Moving carefully, she climbed back on the bike and started it up. Pulling out of the lot as quietly as she could, she parked down the street and waited.
Minutes passed. Finally the front door opened and three people came out. Stephanie saw the Director shake hands with both men and walk back into the building. The men walked to their truck and climbed in. She heard the motor start and observed the truck drive away.
Stephanie sat in shock. Had they found her? Had her tracks not been obliterated? Questions tumbled over and over in her mind. What should she do? Her first inclination was to start up the bike and flee. Her hands were shaking and her breath came out in ragged gulps.
Calming herself, she started the bike again and drove back to her spot. Stephanie didn't want to pull the plug on this life just yet. She climbed off again and stowed her helmet in the saddle bag. She walked on unsteady legs into the employee's entrance and headed for the locker room. All the way, her eyes darted to the left and right. She quickly changed out of her riding clothes and into her street clothes and headed for her office.
There was a soft knock on the door. Stephanie looked up. The Director was standing in her doorway. She came in and closed the door. Stephanie looked at her in surprise. To her knowledge she had never had a closed door conversation in all the time she had been there.
"Morning Sandy", came the cheerful voice. "I was hoping you would have been here sooner. I had some visitors who wanted to chat with you."
Stephanie mentally gulped. "Sorry, Patricia, I had some ugly traffic this morning and got hung up. What did they want?"
Patricia sat down in the guest chair. She had a file folder in her hand. "I contacted a security company last week about upgrading our security system. That break-in last month proved how inadequate our current set up is. They came to check over the building and gave me a quote on something more secure. I just signed the contract."
Stephanie mentally gasped. Oh this was bad, very, very bad. She did not know any of the men from Boston, but knew that the core team always made stops at the satellite offices to check things out. She was already mentally packing. Where should she go now? Schooling her face into a cheerful expression, she looked at Patricia. "Why do you need me? You can handle it better than anyone and could answer their questions."
Patricia looked at her. Something had flashed in her memory. She remembered that when Sandy had come, she was nervous about everything. She was hiding something. It had taken this long to even get a ghost of a smile out of her.
The clients were not the only ones needing support. Her Financial Officer and Client Counsellor also had hidden baggage. Patricia had been waiting for Stephanie to loosen up a bit and trust her. The look on her face confirmed that she would not be volunteering anything anytime soon.
Treading very carefully now, Patricia spoke. "This company is called Rangeman. They are a top-notch security company and come very well recommended. They are extremely discrete. They will require a complete list of all our employees for their files. As part of their services, they perform security checks quarterly. Since we have very unique skills for our jobs, I have asked them to confirm that all employees be checked for hidden discrepancies. It is for the safety of our clients."
Stephanie nodded. She was certainly well aware of the services and the in-depth screening that Rangeman was famous for. Trying to calm herself, she looked at Patricia. "When do you need the list for? I have to do payroll and the monthly schedule today."
Patricia nodded. "Take your time, Sandy. They said they will be back sometime next week. If you want, you can give it to them then, or leave it with me." She waited for the reply.
Stephanie looked down. "If you don't mind, I will give it to you. I have a new client that I am worried about. I have her on speed-dial and she has been having a tough time. The half-way house did not do her any favors and she is afraid of everything. She is having nightmares at night and panic attacks during the day. I have spent a lot of time with her and want to stay open ready to leave at a moment's notice."
The Director nodded. That was the case with the majority of clients. Coming out of prison, especially after a long period of incarceration, they had no idea what to expect in the outside world. She could respect that Sandy was on call. She would make it up to her soon.
She had heard Sandy talk of a bike rally somewhere in South Dakota. She thought it sounded like Sturgis. It was somewhere in the Black Hills. If she was 20 years younger, she thought it might sound like fun.
Patricia stood up. She walked to the door. Looking back, she asked, "Did you want to do lunch today? I have nothing booked for this afternoon. I was hoping for some company so that I wouldn't look like an old spinster. I thought that that nice Italian restaurant on American Legion Highway would be good. Care to join me?"
Stephanie nodded. They had begun to have a few lunches together. Patricia was an easy lunch companion and had lots of life experiences. She was willing to share hers and not push that Stephanie was not willing to share hers.
Sometimes Stephanie wondered how much she really knew about her Director?
"OK, sounds good, but if I get called away, you understand why, right?" Patricia nodded. Sandy was a good worker and very popular with the clients. She really listened to them and took an interest in their lives.
Patricia opened the door and walked out.
~~~oOo~~~
Stephanie stood up and went to the door. She peeked out. The main office was deserted. Closing the door quietly, she took her personal cell phone out of her purse. She punched in the number from memory. Two rings later there was an answer. Maurice got right to the point. "What's wrong?" Stephanie explained as quietly as she could.
There was silence on the line. Maurice spoke. "I'll get back to you tonight. We have to beef up your background. Rangeman is very, very thorough. It could be trouble for you." He hung up. Stephanie put her cell phone back in her purse.
There would be no leisurely ride home tonight. She would see what he had to say. She wondered if Q liked long car rides.
Ranger has not dropped off the face of the earth. He arrives tomorrow!
