Chapter 6

Sabrina cautiously approached the office of Russell Piper. She had seen Piper and a few other men that she didn't know leave for lunch about thirty minutes ago and they wouldn't be expected back for at least another half hour.

Plenty of time to snoop.

Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she crept towards Piper's door and began picking the lock. A few frustrating minutes later, she sighed in relief when she heard the long awaited click that told her she had succeeded. She gazed anxiously in both directions down the hallway, before opening the door. She wasn't looking forward to explaining herself if she was caught.

Satisfied that she was alone in the hallway, she quietly slipped inside and locked the door behind her.

Sabrina scanned the entire length of the office with narrowed eyes. Though the lights were off, Piper's office was sufficiently lit by the sunlight from the venetian blind covered window that took up the majority of the east wall. She lowered herself into a crouch and glanced around the office, wondering where she should start first.

She decided to paw through the contents of his filing cabinet first, not exactly sure what she was looking for. Would there be concrete evidence of embezzling here? She had no clue, but there had to be something in this office to incriminate Piper and Mayhew.

And she was going to find it.

Twenty five minutes later, Sabrina had found nothing but copies of bills and useless reports. She sighed in frustration and slid the drawer shut. What a waste of time. After taking a moment to regather her thoughts, she eyed Piper's desk. Something so important had to be closely guarded, she decided. She made sure that she left no trace of her search in the filing cabinet and crawled towards the desk.

As she pulled open the top drawer, a thought suddenly struck her.

How long had she been in here?

Before she had time to consider this, the doorknob suddenly rattled accompanied by the audible jingle of keys. Sabrina's blood ran cold as her head whipped towards the door.

Piper was back!

With no time to think, Sabrina quickly ducked under Piper's large desk and pressed herself against the back panel, hoping to God that she wouldn't be seen. Mentally cursing herself for her carelessness, she held her breath, her mind racing frantically for any possible means of escape.

The lights flicked on and Piper strolled inside, humming softly to himself. He dumped his things on the desk, the thump of his briefcase making Sabrina flinch underneath it. Sabrina swallowed hard and watched the moving shadows from her hiding place. Piper was walking around his office now, probably hanging up his coat and hat.

Sabrina glanced around her hiding spot, mentally gauging the width of the space underneath the desk. Would he sit down? He would certainly kick her if he did. She shut her eyes and prayed that he would leave to run an errand or anything that would cause him to vacate the room and give her a chance to escape.

Piper sighed and Sabrina shrank back as he pulled out his plush office chair and to her horror, sat down and rolled himself towards his desk.

Stifling a yelp of surprise, Sabrina scooted back, narrowly dodging Piper's leg as he extended it outwards to make himself comfortable. She started to sweat, not daring to move a muscle and hardly daring to breathe. His legs were mere inches from her face and she feared that any moment, he would shift positions and kick her.

Above her head, she could hear Piper scrawling something on a sheet of paper. How much longer could she hide in here? Sabrina's heart began to pound.

There was no way Piper couldn't hear it hammering in her chest.

But to her surprise, he continued humming softly to himself, completely unaware of her presence. His surprisingly on key, and irritatingly slower rendition of Queen's Somebody to Love did nothing to ease Sabrina's nerves. She stared intently at Piper's legs with wide eyes, her entire body tensed, prepared for the inevitable dodging she would have to do if Piper moved the slightest bit. Her stomach turned uncomfortably everytime he so much as twitched or made a sound.

For fifteen agonizing minutes, Sabrina crouched underneath the desk. It was stuffy in her hiding place and she could feel the back of her silk blouse dampen with sweat. Her face started to flush with the heat and her head began to itch. Her legs were asleep, and she longed to stretch her cramped muscles, but didn't dare chance moving. Thankfully, Piper had stopped humming a few minutes ago and seemed focused on his paperwork. He had shifted positions periodically, each time his slight movements causing untold panic and stress to the hidden detective beneath his desk.

Sabrina began to fear she'd be trapped in her mahogany prison until closing time. She was certain her heart would give out before then. Didn't the man have to take a restroom break?, her frazzled mind wondered. Sabrina had just begun to contemplate knocking him backwards in his chair and running out before he could see her face, when her desperate thoughts were interrupted by the phone.

Piper sighed in annoyance and leaned forward to answer it, his knee brushing dangerously close to Sabrina's nose before she jerked her head away in heart pounding terror. The side of her head struck the right panel of the desk with a soft thump. Sabrina's heart nearly gave out, but Piper hadn't seemed to hear it.

"Russ Piper." he said into the phone in a bored tone. Droplets of sweat ran down Sabrina's temples and into her eye. His knee was so close, she held her breath for fear he could feel it on his knee.

She almost cried out in surprise when Piper suddenly rolled away from his desk, sending his chair crashing into the shelf behind him. He didn't seem to notice.

"What?" he yelled incredulously. Sabrina started breathing again and listened carefully.

"Why are you calling me here?" he hissed into the phone, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper. He waited a moment, listening to the other end of the conversation. "Because it's bad for security!" he shot back.

He waited a long time before speaking again, Sabrina going crazy with impatience below him. Finally, he spoke.

"Alright fine. Day after tomorrow. Eleven o' clock. Conference room." he said tersely. He grunted a few more times in the phone and then hung up. Piper cursed loudly and slammed his fist onto the top of his desk, rattling the phone, sending a pen rolling to the floor, and making Sabrina jump in fear.

The pen rolled a few feet in front of her hiding place and came to a stop.

She eyed the rogue pen and desperately hoped that Piper wouldn't bend down to pick it up. It was much too close to her. She kept her vision glued to the pen as Piper paced back and forth across his office, muttering incoherently to himself. Finally, he came to a halt behind his desk. Sabrina's eyes widened in horror when his foot hit the pen, rolling it even closer to where she was hiding. The pen rested on the floor, and she watched it intensely as if the cheap plastic was a grenade waiting to go off any second to destroy her. Sabrina held her breath, her features frozen in terror.

Piper paused, noticing his writing utensil for the first time.

Sabrina's heart started to pound loudly.

Her stomach flipped wildly when Piper knelt down to pick it up, his face a few feet from hers, plainly visible at the turn of his head.

She froze, an excuse ready on her lips, painfully tensed and prepared to bolt if necessary.

Piper calmly picked up the pen, rolled it disinterestedly between his fingers and then straightened up with a sigh.

Sabrina felt like her heart was going to explode. He hadn't seen her?! She felt faint as all the nervous adrenaline rushed through her system.

Piper slapped his pen back on his desk and walked out of his office.

Underneath the desk, Sabrina almost melted with relief. She sneaked a peek outside, wanting to be certain he was really gone. By all appearances he was, and Sabrina gratefully crawled out from beneath her wooden cage and after a quick check outside, snuck out of his office as fast as she could, her numb arms and legs causing her to limp awkwardly as she hurried along.

Kelly and Jill were going to have a field day with this.

Kelly doubled over with laughter in the women's bathroom where she met with Sabrina a few hours after her friend's perilous brush with danger. Sabrina stood silently shaking her head as Kelly's laughter echoed off of the bathroom walls around her.

"It's not funny, Kell!" Sabrina hissed at her, only half in jest after putting up with her friend's glee for much too long.

Kelly wiped her eyes. "It wouldn't have been if it was me. Jill is going to have a field day with this!" she said happily. Sabrina groaned and tossed a wet wad of paper towel at her. Kelly deflected it and grinned at her friend.

"You're lucky, Bri. What would you have done if he caught you?" she asked in wonder.

Sabrina made a face. "Let's not even think about that." she moaned, as she slid down the tile wall, just imagining the unpleasant scenario enough to make her sick to her stomach.

Still laughing, Kelly clapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, it was worth it wasn't it?. We finally have a lead."

"Finally." Sabrina agreed, straightening up. "What we don't know is who he was talking to."

Kelly nodded her head thoughtfully. "Does this place keep phone records?"

"I'm not sure. You know a way to find out without raising suspicion?"

"No." Kelly answered simply. "But I know someone who might."

"Nick Woods?" Sabrina asked, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Nick Woods."

"You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Yes."

With that, Kelly shot Sabrina a grin and backed out of the restroom, hoping her mysterious air would drive her friend crazy.

She was right.

With the grin still on her face, Kelly made her way to Nicholas Wood's office. To her surprise, she found herself looking forward to her mission more than she should be. What was it about Nick Woods that made her smile? As she pondered this, the smile in question slowly spread itself across her face. The instant she realized it however, a sharp inner voice reminded her that she had a job to do and Kelly quickly shrugged off her giddy mood and mentally scrolled through the list of questions she had for Mr. Woods.

This was purely business.

A few minutes later, she arrived at his office door, the loud clacking sounds of a typewriter having led her right to it. It was already open so she peeked her head inside to see Nick busily typing a letter. Kelly stepped inside and politely rapped her fingers on the doorframe of his office to make her presence known.

Nick spun around in his chair at the unexpected knock and Kelly couldn't help but notice how his face lit up upon seeing her standing there.

It made her blush.

"Kelly, hi!" he stammered, quickly rising to his feet. "What can I do for you?"

He extended his hand to offer a polite handshake and took a few quick strides towards her. On his second stride, his left leg struck the metal trash can that was sitting by his desk and sent it hurtling to the floor, himself stumbling after it. He caught himself against the wall and coolly leaned against it, in a quick thinking yet ultimately sad attempt to disguise his stumble. Even if Kelly hadn't seen it, his bright red face would have given him away.

Kelly had to look away to keep from laughing. He was so endearingly clumsy.

"Hi." Kelly managed to choke out through the laughter bubbling up from her throat. She cleared her throat and sobered up. "I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions."

"Sure!" Nick blurted out, much too loudly. "Come have a seat." He started towards his desk and for the second time tripped on the trash can that was now lying on the floor. He recovered quickly, and took a seat behind his desk. Kelly watched in amusement and sat down in the folding chair that was still there from yesterday's meeting with him.

"Thanks." Kelly said with a grin as she watched Nick's painful awkwardness. She looked down at her clipboard and suddenly forgot why she had come in the first place. She mirrored Nick's awkwardness for a moment and then after another harsh reprimand from her conscience, she found her voice.

"I was in the restroom and I heard this crazy rumor that you guys had an employee just disappear a few days ago. You were the only one I was comfortable asking about." Kelly whispered, leaning forward conspiratorially.

Nick frowned. "Oh yeah. Adam." He lowered his eyes. "Nice guy. Wasn't too close with him, but we worked on a few projects together."

Nick suddenly looked very upset. He sighed and ran his fingers nervously through his thick blonde hair. "I was the last one to see him here. He stayed late working on a project with me and he didn't show up the next morning for work."

This unexpected news startled Kelly and it took every ounce of self control to not immediately launch into a barrage of rapid fire questions. She managed to keep only a mildly interested look on her face.

"Really? Wow, did the police talk to you a lot?" she asked.

Nick rubbed his eyes. This was obviously bothering him. "Yeah, just wanted to know what we were doing and when we left and if I saw him leave and all."

Kelly leaned forward with interest. "Did you see him leave?"

"No. We finished around eight and I left right away. I didn't see him in the parking lot when I did. He might have stayed back to do something else, I'm not sure."

"So you two were all alone in the building?"

"Uh-" Nick started, trying to remember. "I think so. There was a gray Lincoln in the parking lot when I left, but it might have been someone else, I don't know." he said, shaking his head.

Kelly leaned back in her chair as if floored by this revelation. "Wow. That's so strange. And no one has any idea where he is?"

Nick shrugged. "No one I know. I hope he's alright, thought." He leaned forward suddenly, his eyes darting left and right to both his open door and the wall, before he spoke.

"I didn't mention this to the police because I have no proof, but he mentioned that he thought some guys were into something illegal here." he whispered.

Kelly gasped in feigned amazement. "Really?" she breathed. "You think he knew something he shouldn't have?" she offered excitedly.

Nick's eyes darted out his open door again and he waited for a flirting couple to pass by before turning back to Kelly.

"That's exactly what I think." he whispered. His eyes again darted out the door. This time he stood up and closed it. "Yeah, he mentioned this guy Dale Warner. He's another one of the engineers here. Hell of a nice guy, but kind of strange. He's always hanging around this guy from finance, Russ Piper."

Kelly exhaled slowly in genuine amazement. She couldn't believe her luck.

Nick shrugged and flopped back in his seat. "But of course I can't prove that. Just a rumor." he said.

"That is quite a rumor." Kelly agreed.

Nick smiled at her and suddenly jumped in his chair and whipped his arm up to stare at his watch as if he had just remembered something.

"Damn. I have a meeting in three minutes, I need to get going." he said, rising from his seat and ripping the sheet of paper from the typewriter. "I'm sorry to cut this short." he said apologetically. He looked like he really meant it.

Kelly got up and gathered her things. "No problem. Thanks for answering my nosy questions." she giggled.

Nick laughed. "Anytime." He straightened his tie and then opened the door and politely stood aside to let Kelly walk out first. As she passed he started to close it as if he had changed his mind. Kelly looked up at him in confusion.

Nick was blushing. "Hey, I have a question, myself." he started, rubbing the back of his neck.

Kelly grinned at him, a blush starting to rise up from her neck as well. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." he croaked. He coughed a few times and his voice returned to its pleasant baritone. "I have an extra long lunch tomorrow. Will you join me?" he asked nervously.

"I'd like that." Kelly said quietly. Nick beamed, looking every bit like he wanted to jump for joy.

"Meet me here at twelve?" he asked.

"Twelve it is." she agreed. Nick smiled and opened the door to let her out. "See you later, Nick." she called over her shoulder. He waved at her awkwardly and disappeared back into his office. A passing secretary saw him leap up and pump his fist in jubilation through the open door.

She rolled her eyes at him.

Kelly walked calmly to the elevator doors. When they let her out on Sabrina's floor, she immediately quickened her pace. True, she had forgotten to inquire about phone records, but she had a potential witness, motive, a possible suspect's name, and a vehicle description.

And a date tomorrow.

Kelly refused to admit which of those excited her the most.

Late that evening, Kelly knocked lightly on the door to Jill's hotel room. Moments later, it was opened by Sabrina.

"Hey, Kell." she greeted her. "Where've you been?"

Kelly stepped inside and took her coat off. "Visiting a friend." she answered evasively.

"Nicholas Woods?" Sabrina guessed, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "No, Bri." she said patiently. She looked around the room and spotted Jill lying on the bed, her right foot propped up by several pillows. There was an ice pack draped across her ankle.

"What happened to you?" she asked, moving towards her.

Jill smiled faintly. "A bit of dumb luck."

"What? Are you hurt?" Kelly said, knitting her eyebrows together in concern. She sat down on the bed and gently put her hand on Jill's leg.

"I'll be ok." Jill assured her.

At Kelly's inquiring look, she sighed and turned to give Sabrina a warning look. "Can I get through this explanation without interruption?" she asked sternly.

Sabrina cleared her throat. "I'll try my best." A snicker escaped from her and she clamped her hand over her mouth and waved at Jill to continue.

Jill shot her a dirty look and then turned towards Kelly.

"I didn't know that I needed ski boots to ski-" Jill started. She stopped and glared murderously at Sabrina when her friend burst into a fit of uproarious laughter.

"Ignore her." Kelly said, patting Jill's leg. Jill made a face and continued.

"I told them I could ski without boots, so I watched them for awhile. We were supposed to be teaching a class and we came early to ski before the students got there."

She paused for a moment to shoot another annoyed glance at Sabrina, who was still laughing hysterically, her head lowered to the table. Jill sat up excitedly, her blue eyes shining as she continued her story.

"I was actually doing pretty good! I made it all the way down the hill, Kell!" she said quickly, animatedly pantomiming her downhill adventure with both hands. Her happy expression suddenly melted away. "I was so excited, that I wasn't paying attention on my way back to the lift."

"And then some other guy came flying down the hill." she added, flopping back to her pillow with a sigh.

Kelly visibly winced, guessing at the inevitable outcome. "Oh, Jill." she moaned. She patted her head sympathetically.

Jill nodded gravely. "Yeah, he barreled right into me like a bat out of hell." she said, rubbing her foot. She grimaced in pain. "I think I sprained my ankle."

"Aw, Jill." Kelly soothed. "Did you take any aspirin?"

Jill's face brightened and she sat up again. "I did. But this is actually a blessing in disguise. No one will expect me to ski if I broke my ankle."

Kelly looked confused. "You didn't break it, did you?"

"Of course not. But no one has to know that."

Sabrina and Kelly shared a look and laughed.

"Can you still teach with a broken ankle?" Sabrina asked.

Jill sighed and lowered her head. "Oh, I don't know. I'm gonna tough it out. I just need to practice skiing." She suddenly glared at Sabrina.

"You never mentioned anything about ski boots." she said flatly.

Sabrina sighed. "I thought you said you knew about the gear." she said defensively.

"I thought I did." Jill groaned. She dropped her head on Kelly's shoulder with a defeated sigh. "How am I going to do this?"

Kelly grinned and put her arm around her. "I think I know." she said mysteriously.

Intrigued, Jill lifted her head with a puzzled look on her face. "What do you mean?"

Kelly gave her a coy grin. "I mean, I think I found you a teacher." she said slowly, drawing out her words.

"Oh yeah?" Jill asked, obviously excited.

Kelly nodded her head and gave Sabrina a look.

"How do you feel about taking lessons from someone a few years younger than you?"

Jill laughed derisively. "What do I care? As long as he knows what he's doing."

"Good. I'll let her know then and you two can start tomorrow."

Realizing that this news was amusing Kelly more than it should, Jill began to grow suspicious about her newly found good fortune. Why was her friend being so mysterious about this? She watched as Kelly whispered something in Sabrina's ear. Sabrina burst into laughter.

This was not right.

"Wait." Jill asked slowly. "How old is my teacher?"

Still grinning, Kelly plopped down on her bed and patted her cheek.

"Seven."