Hello, my lovely readers. Hayley's investigation into Elder Gerard's activities uncovers corruption at her own firm and someone (possibly plural) with motive for murder. On with the show…

Chapter 24: Sounds Like Motive to Me

Snow fluttered down gently from overhead. Hayley looked up and felt a snowflake fall on the tip of her nose. When she was little, it would have delighted her. Unfortunately Adult Hayley had too much on her mind to get in touch with her inner child. Today, she planned on talking to various women who had had an occasion to work closely with Elder Gerard. One of the people happened to be Rebekah Mikaelson and Hayley felt her throat tighten at the idea of asking her friend the question she must ask.

"Good morning, Miss Marshall!" Cami called, waving as a hand glanced up from her computer.

"Good morning, Cami," Hayley called back. She unwound her scarf and focused on the elevators. She really did not feel like chit-chatting when she had to get behind her desk. This felt like one of those days that did have an end in sight.

~0~

Taking a seat behind her desk, Hayley turned on her computer and tried to think of what she needed to do. Open the file marked: Questions for Potential Witnesses. It sounded a lot kinder than typing up: Questions for Possible Suspects Who are Allowing My Good Friend to be Framed for Murder.

A rap sounded on the door and Aurora popped her head inside. "Hayley, your first meeting is here." She looked a little paler today and her skirt had grown an impressive three inches. Her top was buttoned up. Even Aurora's hair had been pulled back.

Hayley wanted to ask her secretary if she planned on interviewing with a library later that day but stopped herself. "Thanks, Aurora. You can send her in."

Aurora disappeared and a tall, blonde came in. "Martina. Thank you for coming in," Hayley said. She moved around the desk and held out a hand to the first of twenty women she would be talking with today.

Whatever Hayley thought his process would look like, she found in the course of the day, that it was a lot harder to get to the truth than she'd hoped.

"So, Martina. It says that you worked for Mikaelson and Gerard for six months." Hayley watched the blonde nod. Brows going up, Hayley offered a quick smile. "Could I get a 'Yes' or 'No' here?"

Martina smiled back in a way that made Hayley wonder why the woman had worked as a secretary with a shark-like smile like that. It would seem she was made for the corporate world. Hostile takeovers being her specialty.

"Yes." This was all Martina said. Yes. Well, it was a start.

"And you enjoyed working for the firm?" Hayley continued.

"Yes." Martina did not blink. Was she a robot?

"I'll cut to the matter at hand. Tell me, Martina, you worked closely with Gerard. Right?" Hayley watched Martina nod and jumped in before Martina could offer another toneless "Yes." "While you were working with Gerard did he ever ask you to stay late on a case?"

"Do you ever stay late on a case?" Martina replied. She offered Hayley another one of those disconcerting smiles.

Hayley fell back in her seat. "Has anyone else talked to you about the case I'm working on?"

"Yes," Martina replied. Finally her expression changed and a twinkle formed in her eyes. She mimed Hayley's posture, sitting back in her seat, only she crossed her legs. "Does anyone talk to you—about your case?"

Hayley chuckled. "I'm not answering that question."

"But you would like me to answer yours. Because of your friendship with Marcel Gerard." Martina's brows went up and she looked amused at Hayley's frown. She let out a quiet laugh. "Oh, Hayley, may I call you Hayley?" She did not wait for a reply. "I still have friends who work here. So, I know things that happen in this firm. You're not looking at the right people. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a job to get to."

Hayley watched Martina get up and make her way to the door. She exited the meeting a full thirty minutes before Hayley thought she would.

~0~

"Hello, Jane Anne. Thank you for coming to meet with me." Hayley moved around her desk to shake hands with the tenth woman she would be meeting with today.

Not every woman had Martina's finesse in obstructing Hayley's questioning. However, each of the women had prevented Hayley from getting anywhere. Hayley had begun to suspect that either someone paid them to shut up, threatened them, or they'd talked to each other and decided that they would be better off offering Hayley nothing.

Hayley hoped that Jane Anne would be the break she needed. "Jane Anne, it says here that you worked for Mikaelson and Gerard for five years. You had been seeking partnership when you abruptly offered your two weeks' notice and took a job with Hawthorn and Co. Is that correct?" Hayley glanced at her written notes as if she did not already memorize the info.

Jane Anne nodded. "That is correct."

"You were working a high-profile divorce case with the recently deceased Gerard?" Hayley watched Jane Anne nod. "Was there something about how the case was handled that made you uncomfortable? A breach in ethics perhaps? Or a general disagreement that took place between you and Gerard that led to your sudden departure from the firm?"

Jane Anne shook her head. "I wanted to start a family. Hawthorn had been trying to woo me for the past two years. When Hal Hawthorn offered me a package that included maternity leave and still leave me on a track toward partnership; it felt like I would be an idiot to give up the opportunity."

"And that's it? You wanted maternity leave?" Hayley watched Jane Anne's expression waver for a slit second.

"Yes," Jane Anne replied.

Hayley nodded. "It had nothing to do with Gerard's demand that you stay on the case, even after you made a request to no longer second chair?" Hayley watched Jane Anne's jaw tighten.

"I never made a formal request to recuse myself," Jane Anne replied. "Where did you get that information?"

Hayley titled her head to the side. "I guessed. There is no note of it. I am just following an instinct here. Jane Anne, please, tell me what happened. My client's life is on the line."

"I have a child of my own to think of!" Jane snapped. Her hands went to the top of Hayley's desk. They were shaking.

Moving around her desk, Hayley went to sit in the empty chair beside the one Jane Anne sat at. "Has someone threatened you?" she asked softly. She reached over and took a tissue box, offering it to Jane Anne.

Jane Anne shook her head. "No." She took a tissue and blew her nose. "I really liked working here… But… Like I said, I needed to change my work environment for my personal needs." Her eyes moved to Hayley's. There was something pleading in Jane Anne's dark eyes that made Hayley decided to back off.

Getting up, Hayley walked around the desk. She took a notepad and wrote her cell phone number on the pad. "If you can think of anything else, please, contact me," Hayley said. She pointed at the phone number on the piece of paper before tearing it out and folding it. She handed it to Jane Anne who nodded.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't be more help," Jane Anne paused in the doorway as she spoke, her eyes on the wood on the door before she slipped back out of the office.

Hayley felt like this whole day might turn out to be a waste. "Screw it," she groaned. "Aurora!"

Aurora came to the door. "I'm going to lunch," Hayley said.

Aurora nodded. "Alright. If your next appointment comes early, what would you like me to do?"

"Call me. Stall them," Hayley replied. "I won't be out long. I just need to clear my head."

~0~

Hayley's stomach had been upset for awhile now. All she felt like doing was inhaling vanilla frozen yogurt with strawberries on top. "Soooo good," she moaned to Elijah.

Elijah nodded. "Glad you approve. How is the day going?"

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Day's a bust so far? You? Katherine's lawyer send any new threats?" Since taking Elijah's case, Hayley felt like screaming. Katherine had hired a woman who made Martina seem like a kindergarten teacher.

"Let's see. I believe that latest one included a desire for back child support," Elijah shrugged. "Katherine knows that I am happy to pay for Nadia's needs. And I have paid for many things our daughter needs."

"You have receipts?" Hayley asked, falling into lawyer mode.

"I do," Elijah nodded. "Said to say that I have receipts for ballet shoes and ice skating lessons. They were simply mementos. They were not meant to be scrutinized by the prying eyes of lawyers." He took a seat at a table and Hayley sat across from him. "I do not know why Katherine is doing this. Did my rejection hurt her so much that she feels the need to destroy my relationship with our child?"

"Maybe she doesn't think she's using Nadia as a bargaining chip," Hayley mused. "Maybe she thinks that you're not wanting to be with her is rejecting the whole family. A zero sum proposition. All or none." This thought made her think of something. "Oh."

"What?" Elijah inquired before taking a bite of his strawberry flavored yogurt.

"I have to go. Sorry," Hayley cried. She felt excited about her thought.

"Good luck," Elijah called as Hayley hurried away from him.

"Thanks!" Hayley called back. She might have just figured out a major break in the case. And it involved an all or nothing proposition.

~0~

Sitting behind her desk, Hayley allowed the wheels in her head to begin to churn. What if someone else wanted something that Gerard could give them? Gerard offered them part of what they wanted—like Jane Anne's wanting to be a mother and to be able to continue on the partner track—but he only offered them half or less than the whole pie? People killed for less.

However, this would still lead suspicions to fall on Marcel. He was the one who might gain the most from Gerard's death. Hayley still felt like she had something. If only she could find the "What" that this new suspect was after. She might have an easier time finding the "Who" to link it with.

As the ideas whirled through her head, Hayley's new meeting appeared with Aurora popping her head in. "Your four o'clock is here," Aurora said. She looked tired. Still, she attempted a smile.

"Thank you. Send her in," Hayley said. "Hello…"

~0~

Hayley went through the next meetings and found she gathered little information. Each of the women she talked to had little or nothing to contribute to what Hayley already knew. She even pondered the possibility that each of the women had compared notes with each other. She might even be annoyed if she weren't aware that these women had made new lives for themselves, far from the doors of Mikaelson and Gerard. They might not even have ever wanted to re-enter these doors.

~0~

Glancing at her clock, Hayley yawned. She was hungry. She was tired. She did not have any food in her desk. She'd been snacking lately. Checking her purse, Hayley heard her belly rumble. She'd eaten the bag of muffins in the bottom. They were two months past their expiration date.

Groaning, Hayley reminded herself that she would take her meeting with Rebekah. Then Aurora. Afterward, she would go home and call for a pizza. The idea of a pizza made her mouth water.

All thoughts of a pizza evaporated when a knock came to her door. "You wish to see me?" Rebekah said as she opened the door.

"Yes." Hayley got up. "Come in, Bekah."

Rebekah came to take a seat across from Hayley. "It seems odd." She waved a hand toward Hayley's closed door. "Without Marcel across the hall."

"It is," Hayley nodded. She picked up her notebook. "Rebekah. Do you know why I asked you here?"

Rebekah smirked back at Hayley. "It's been all the talk. Father is furious. However, he's as interested in your findings as anyone. That's the only reason he did put a stop to your little investigation." She crossed her legs. "Well, let me have it, will you? I haven't had dinner yet."

"Neither have I." Hayley placed a hand over her growling belly. "Do you want to get dinner with me? After I'm done with Aurora?"

"If all goes well with this little meeting," Rebekah retorted with a coolness that made Hayley sigh. "I really don't know what you want with Aurora. Silly, little twit. Couldn't imagine what she'd have to say of interest."

"I have no idea. But she's on the list. I'm trying to be thorough," Hayley replied. "That's the only reason I'm talking to you, too."

Rebekah nodded. "Right then…"

Hayley set her notebook aside. "You worked on a case. With Gerard. When you were an intern?"

Rebekah sighed. "Yes. I vaguely recall being asked by Old Gerard to 'Come get some real experience under your belt.'" She rolled her eyes and a look of disgust passed over her face. "What is it you'd like me to tell you, Hayley? That Old Gerard pawed me one night? Worse?" Her brows went up and she let out a sarcastic laugh. "Yes. He was a lecher. Everyone knew that the man made passes at female colleagues, and we tried to make others aware before they found themselves in an uncomfortable position. If you'd like to know if my father knew—he'll deny it—but you'd have to be a blasted fool not to know."

"So, he never took things too far? Hurt someone? There was never a massive cover-up? A scandal that might bring the firm to its knees? Or even a sexual harassment suit that might bankrupt the firm?" Hayley saw Rebekah become thoughtful.

"No. Nothing that dramatic. Someone always handled any and all of Gerard's idiotic behavior. I never heard anyone say that he did anything other than offer incentives if any of the girls would like to become more than employees. Being the bastard he was—he would cover his tracks by asking any of the women who took him on an NDA and waive their right to sue him. For those who wished not to involve themselves—they were offered an NDA and a package to keep their mouths shut, by someone other than Gerard."

"Which is why none of the women will talk?" Hayley shook her head and blew out a breath. "That's great."

Rebekah sighed. "If you want to know if I murdered him, the answer is: 'No.' Do I know who murdered him? Also: 'No.' I wish I did. I would be more than happy to help Marcel get out of this mess."

"Thank you for talking with me, Rebekah," Hayley said.

"Right." Rebekah got to her feet. "Sorry I couldn't be more help." She really did seem to regret not being able to offer Hayley more information. "I'll be in the lobby when you finish with Aurora."

"Okay. I doubt this will take long. See you soon." Hayley watched Rebekah leave.

Minutes later, a soft tap came on the door and Aurora poked her head inside. "Hello. Rebekah said she was done and that you'd like to speak with me now." Hayley nodded and Aurora made her way over to sit across from Hayley. She seemed nervous, fiddling with her purse that she finally sat on top of Hayley's desk.

"Aurora, you were Old Gerard's secretary before you were mine?" Hayley made it into a question although she already viewed the employment records and that is what the file said.

"Yes." Aurora sounded just like most of the women Hayley had interviewed that day. "I worked for him for two years before you came and I was offered a position as your secretary."

"Did you seek to leave the position as Old Gerard's secretary?" Hayley inquired. She already knew this was true. However, there had been no documentation as to why Aurora asked for the switch. "Didn't you like working for Old Gerard? Weren't you making more as the secretary for a partner, rather than a first-year associate?"

Aurora pursed her lips. "I like working here."

"But did you like working for Old Gerard?" Hayley replied.

Aurora replied, "I like working for you."

Pausing, Hayley's brows drew together. "Why?"

"Why?" Aurora shrugged. "You're not as busy…"

"You feel that old Gerard worked you too hard? You weren't free to take breaks…?" Hayley watched Aurora's hands move in her lap. Just a tiny twitch.

"Old Gerard was very busy." Aurora's eyes darkened.

"Busy. Late at night," Hayley watched Aurora's foot begin to bounce.

"Sometimes…" Aurora said.

"Did he ask you to stay back? Late at night?" Hayley asked.

Aurora nodded. She quickly brushed a tear away. "Sometimes."

"Aurora," Hayley leaned forward. "Have you signed an NDA?"

Aurora nodded and stared at the top of Hayley's desk. Then her eyes connected with Hayley's. "I didn't have a choice."

"Why?" Hayley asked.

Aurora shook her head. "You usually don't work this late, Ms. Marshall."

"Why did you sign an NDA, Aurora?" Hayley asked. She got up and moved around the desk. Kneeling down, she took hold of Aurora's hands and attempted to make eye contact.

"He didn't like it when I saw things I wasn't supposed to see. So, he told me to sign. He…he…made me sign." Aurora burst into tears. "I didn't want to sign it. But he said he knew ways to make me wish I never took this job. He knew I had a problem… I take medication. But sometimes I have bad days. He said… He said 'One day you might have a bad day and your brother might pay the price…" Sobbing, Aurora fell forward, burying her face in Hayley's jacket. "He was a horrible, evil man. I'm glad someone killed him! I am!"

Hayley patted Aurora's back. She just hoped she wasn't comforting a murderer. "Aurora, can you tell me what he didn't want you to know?"

"He was sleeping with one of the women who worked here. They would have these arguments. Sometimes I would hear something shatter. But I never knew for sure who she was. Everyone knew he made passes at every female who worked here." Aurora leaned back against the chair she'd been sitting in. "I wish I knew who it was. I bet she knows who did it."

"I bet you, you're right," Hayley said. "You know, Rebekah and I are having dinner? Would you like to come?"

"Really?" Aurora's eyes rounded before she smiled. "That would be wonderful."

"Okay then." Hayley got up and offered Aurora a hand. "Let's go."

On the way out of the law firm, Hayley was thinking about how Aurora still might be able to help her figure out who the murderer was. Just because Aurora thought she didn't know, didn't mean there weren't clues that might jog her memory. The thought left Hayley smiling.

We're a little bit behind and I am going to work to get caught up during the month of Jan. Have a happy holiday season!

Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.

Answer to guest review:

Halijah forever: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed it and that you have a great holiday and New Year!

Peace,

-J