Wounds to Bind Chapter 14 – 'You mean well, but you make this hard on me.' –Sara Bareilles, Love Song
Thursday, July 7 – APOV
Claire got on the bus and sat down next to someone. I was surprised she didn't see me, and surprised by the sound of raised voices. Claire quickly stood, and observed the occupants of the bus. When she spots me in the back, she comes to sit beside me.
"What was that about?" I asked.
"Not awake enough. I'm not sleeping, thinking about the reorganization and boyfriend issues. I need more coffee. I sat with your doppelganger – well, not your doppelganger because her hair is lanky, she has hazel eyes and a bitch personality." Claire snarked. "Why are you sitting back here?"
"More people on the bus this morning," I shrugged. "Sitting back here gave me a chance to concentrate on reading." I won't reveal I want to see who gets on the bus after me and who observes me. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I don't trust Christian to not have someone following me since the merger of SIP with Grey House. I'm disturbed by some joker in a blue sweatshirt and jeans who gives the other brunette and me the once over several times.
"Have you made a dent in the unsolicited manuscripts yet?" Claire observes the manuscript in my hand and the tote with two obvious manuscripts inside.
"No…and my reviews could be a moot point. Elizabeth is giving me one last opportunity today to sign my evaluation." I slip the closed manuscript into my tote.
"Preserve calm…Amber, Emily and I are on your side." Claire advised.
XXX – 3PPOV
Striker report to Grey: AS doppelganger on morning bus. She entered the bus at the stop before AS stop. She departed the bus at the stop after AS. She disappeared into the morning foot traffic in a two-block radius of SIP. Personnel issues at SIP.
XXX – APOV
"I'll tell you a SIP secret and you share one," Claire negotiated with me on the bus at the end of the day.
"Deal – me first." I smile.
"Does your secret have anything to do with the Grey House HR person who spent the day in Elizabeth's office?" Claire laughed. "I heard Elizabeth planned to give you the choice of signing the original evaluation or packing up your desk."
"I didn't hear that." I didn't know how close I came to being unemployed. "I turned in the Grey House request for review form via e-mail on Tuesday night. Grey House HR spoke with me for fifteen minutes this morning…without Elizabeth. We discussed my attire, other duties as assigned, and the complaint I did not fraternize after hours with coworkers. We discussed the synopsis form which was lacking in depth and coverage. He spoke with Amber, who explained we discussed the other duties as assigned section to Grey House HR. She showed him Elizabeth's convoluted procedures manual and the streamline one she and the editorial assistant staff created to standardize their work. Amber insisted the ten reports requested by Jack the week before the conference were excessive, especially considering I was expected to work unpaid overtime to complete the task. While she appreciated help during the editorial meetings, she felt Mr. Hyde used those meetings to denigrate me in the presence of his colleagues…who did not question how he treated me.
I returned to my desk to work while Grey House HR met with Elizabeth and prepared an acceptable evaluation. The HR person apologized to me…in front of Elizabeth…about my inappropriate evaluation. He also apologized because I was required to use a Grey House form, since a form and directions could not be located on SIP's server. I'm rated standard for my first thirty days. There is no mention of any issues I had with the original evaluation.
I have new Work Performance Standards for the next ninety days. Grey House HR insisted the other duties as assigned section reference only tasks which would be assigned to someone who worked in the editorial assistant position – not a janitor, or a beta reader and would not usurp tasks performed by other staff. The other duties as assigned section is at least a paragraph long now, instead of one sentence.
"Jack increased my weekly quota of manuscripts. Thanks to my brilliant plan to clear some of the backlog of unread, unsolicited manuscripts, I'm required to read and summarize fifteen manuscripts per week. Before, I was assigned the read when you can option. The good thing about my employee evaluation is…I'm still gainfully employed and I will be able to pay my college loan a little longer!" Claire and I high five one another.
"Keep fifteen manuscripts read ahead if you can. Submit the ones which age out first," Claire advised. "You never know when we will have a fresh shade of hell in our office. Listen, the upper echelon is at Grey House on Friday for a reorganization meeting. On Friday, Jack is meeting with an author at his home in Boise. I heard via the grapevine you, Amber, Emily and I made the keep list."
"You hear the best things," I congratulate Claire. "I admit I was a little nervous, especially since Grey House HR cancelled my meeting with them tomorrow before the new evaluation."
"The four of us are at Grey Annex next week, coordinating the move. Why don't you take fifteen time-critical manuscripts home with you on Friday and bring them back to the new office on Monday? Read when you have down time in the new office. Keep the reviews on a flash drive. Beginning on the eighteenth when you submit synopses, upload three daily at 4:45 p.m. Everything you read for the next ten days will keep you ahead. I am one of those when you have time readers." Claire explained.
"Sounds like a plan…why don't I drive you, Amber and Emily to work at Grey Annex next week? If you come to my condo, we can brainstorm on the way to work, survey the area during our lunch hours, and I'll take everyone home." I offered. "We'll be a united front when we enter the building for the first week."
"I'm supposed to get layouts for the new office delivered on Friday. The phones are moved on Monday morning. IT will be in and out all week. Upper management will be present on moving Friday, but no one else reports in until the following Monday. We'll have a heads up about what is going on." Claire's attitude brightened.
XXX
I'm sitting at home, wrapped in Mom's quilt, sitting in my reading corner. Kate's out with Elliot; Ethan's out with a friend. No one requires an explanation about my early evening. I have a good work ethic, I always have. I'll just make sure I work harder for Grey Publishing than I've ever worked in my life. Drinking on Fridays just became verboten. I'm not drinking in the presence of Jack Hyde or the upper management. I don't feel like guarding my mouth and details of my life. Thank you, Kate, for teaching me how to deflect nosy questions. Since SIP personnel saw Gorgeous Grey, everyone is upping their attention-getting game. All their comments about seeing Gorgeous Grey 'up close and personal' just make me laugh. None of them have seen him as 'up close and personal' as I have. My laughter turns to burning, unshed tears.
I call Harley and tell him about the Grey House acquisition of SIP. I suggest he watch SIP's stock purchases since July first to see if there have been purchases which can be traced to Jack. I also explain about the SIP move to Grey Annex. Harley suggests we need a date night soon. I tell him I'm out with Kate on Friday night, but we do need to get together and talk.
XXX – CPOV
Ryan report to Grey: Claire went to dinner with me. Claire excited – she heard AS is part of support staff to facilitate move. Claire mistook AS doppelganger on bus for AS. We need a person on various buses to see if we can get a lead on AS doppelganger. Email to you with bullet list of SIP issues: procedures manuals, JH issues with previous interns, etc. JH invading the personal space of every woman at SIP. No support from SIP HR…etc. Recommend JH not be fired from GP until we have a deep background check. We need a handle on him until we get to the bottom of the issues. If he's misbehaving and cut loose now, he's in the wind and we may not get him back.
Grey email to Ryan with copy to Taylor, Barney and Welch: Ryan – DO NOT approach doppelganger. Taylor – assign someone at bus stops on AS route to determine doppelganger's home base if possible. Do we need to include connecting bus lines? Barney/Welch – we need deep background checks on to-be-eliminated SIP personnel when we complete the interview process. Wednesday's interviews put four editors and two support staff on the termination list. Thursday's interviews put all IT staff, the Director of Finance and one support staff from HR on the termination list. Why does a company the size of SIP need three IT staff who don't do real IT work? We need background checks on all the previous SIP/GP staff in last sixty months – especially the nine interns who previously worked for Jack Hyde.
Barney email to Grey: SIP/GP definitely does not need three midlevel IT people who collect top level wages. Attached is my list of recommendations for IT staff at SIP/GP: one director with experience in database languages, web work, and videoconferencing, one help desk tech to install/troubleshoot, and one support staff to keep databases current, set up videoconference events, scan manuscripts, etc. I've included salary ranges for all three positions. Strongest suggestion: Editors Skype with their authors instead of travel or renting videoconferencing sites in their cities.
Grey to Ros, GEH HR and Barney: Barney – find the covert copy of the SIP procedures manual on their server and send to GEH HR to compare to the copy distributed by SIP HR. GEH/HR – I want a concise procedures manual as soon as possible for Grey Publishing. I also want to see the notes GEH HR compiled when interviewing Elizabeth Morgan and Jack Hyde.
'Anastasia: I may not be allowed to make you happy right now, but I will keep you safe. I am sorry. I know I have issues…and I will work on them. I will show you I can be trusted with your love.'
I reach for more reports and spreadsheets. Since I can't spend time in Anastasia's arms, work will keep me company.
Friday, July 8 – CPOV
For almost an hour, Sela explained the difference between deep pressure therapy versus light touch therapy. She claims a light touch alerts the nervous system, but deep pressure therapy relaxes and calms the nervous system. I let her demonstrate a light touch on my arm versus a deep pressure touch so I know the difference. She explains the use of a pressure box calms some people who have touch issues.
We talk about hugging Mom and Mia. She suggests people like me are able to endure bear hugs which they initiate and end.
Sela claims there are social cues for touching. If I learn to read social cues, I will be able to tolerate touch. Her explanations remind me of exercises used to keep a submissive from fidgeting. I remember laying on my submissives before or after sex, ordering them to be still. The Blanket pose is said to calm the most active mind. The pose puts the submissive in the headspace of pausing thinking and action and allows the proper mindset to be developed. I used the Blanket pose with Charlotte and Sabine a lot. The pose helped Charlotte step away from her medical studies and the pose helped Sabine step away from the business world.
Sela explains some people, with touch issues, purchase special weighted blankets which help them sleep. We talk about my sleep issues – night terrors, needing the door and windows closed while I sleep, my body overheating and sweating. Before Sela married, she used a weighted blanket which helped her to sleep for six hours at a time. Since marrying her husband, they use normal bed linens and he needs the bedroom window open a crack.
"How does that work for you?" I give Flynn a smirk.
"Negotiation and respect. I want what I want; he wants what he wants. When those wants mesh…it's a great thing. When they don't, we negotiate to make one another happy and to meet some of our desires. I don't need the weighted blanket, the closed bedroom doors and windows, and sleeping pills to get through the night. I need him. He is the embodiment of the slogan… Feel safe, sleep with a Marine."
I laugh and tell her Taylor is a Marine. She chuckles.
"Christian, you can limit interaction with people in your life to prevent painful, scary or empty emotions. Avoidance doesn't always work…you can be trapped in an unfulfilling life. Traumatic events can lead to dissociative survival skills. Some people become drug addicts. Some people become alcoholics. Some people have sexual addictions. Some people inflict their pain on another human. Some people become self-destructive."
"If you don't mind an intrusive question…what form of self-destruction did you use?" I asked.
"I was a cutter; I cut in order to feel something. When I had to take part in a massage therapy class, my instructor discovered my scars. He locked me in a psychiatric ward over spring break. His intervention saved my life. He knew people who knew people. I started traumatic touch therapy four times. I would get so far and then withdraw. A few weeks later, when I was emotionally overwhelmed again, I would restart therapy. I would progress further, but have a meltdown. I had to retreat and regroup until I could face traumatic touch therapy again. I succeeded the fourth time…and found traumatic touch therapy was what I needed to study and master."
"Why?" I questioned her.
"My instructor saved my life. I learned to pay it forward. I've had clients who were ex-military with PTSD. I've had clients who were new mothers with post-partum depression and baby-bonding issues. I've helped teenagers who were days away from taking their own lives. I will endeavor to help you, Christian, if you are willing to let me." Sela guaranteed.
"I don't know how long I can do this," I admit.
"You have coping skills…some of them are decades old…such as not letting people touch you. I don't believe you are happy with your coping skills." Sela watched my face. "If you get overwhelmed, I won't hunt you down and torture you. Just step away and come back when you can."
"How much did Flynn tell you?' I asked.
"You have touch aversion and are willing to hire me for traumatic touch therapy." Sela confirmed.
"The word for it is haphephobia," I hesitate.
Sella considered me for a minute. "Are you sure you have haphephobia? Haphephobia is more than fear of touching or of being touched. Haphephobia is an exaggerated response – protection of your personal space. Haphephobia is usually developed after a bad experience. More often than not, it is a fear of sexual assault. Many boys who have been the victims of sexual abuse have a fear of being touched. Some of them say touching burns like fire – causing them to freeze or to lash out. Other symptoms include inability to speak or think clearly, breathlessness, dizziness, nausea, dry mouth, shaking and a detachment from reality."
I nodded slowly, "I recognize some of those responses."
"Sometimes talking about your issues keeps you stuck in the situation. Having been there before, I believe some of your therapists retraumatized you. Verbal therapy usually means extensive sessions. Medicine treats the symptoms, not the cause. Traumatic touch therapy works on releasing muscle memory and on touch acceptance." Sela watched my face again. "I think I gave you enough to think about tonight. I always end my TTT sessions with exercises. The first one we stand toe to toe. I rest my hands at your elbows. Your hands cup my elbows. There are times when we move and change hand positions, but the exercise is always the same – ten minutes of Flynn asking questions and our replies." Sela moved into position and waited for me to cup her elbows.
"Tonight, I name a letter, you name a movie which begins with a word beginning with the letter. For example, G could be Gone with the Wind, Goonies, or The Great Gatsby. I pick alphabet sticks out of the can. Ready?" Flynn pulled a stick, "L." We played for ten minutes. Most of Sela's answers were murder mysteries. Mine were movies I saw as a child or as a pre-teen. I'm not much of a movie watcher. Having her hands at the crook of my elbows wasn't difficult. Perhaps having my hands cup her elbows…I would be warned if she was about to move her hands.
"Everyone, shoes off," Sela opened the office door and spoke to Jason. "We're playing in the hall. I won't ask you to play with us, but I will ask you to time us. Additionally, you spin the wheel and tell us what body part we're moving." Sela handed him the spinner and spread out a Twister sheet and grinned at both Flynn and I. "Fifteen minutes of inadvertent touching. Christian, if touching becomes overwhelming, just say enough and we'll stop. I believe you can handle fifteen minutes easily. Since I'm short, I get a short side. Since the two of you are tall, you get the long sides."
Taylor flicked the spinner. "Right hand red…" and the contest was on.
We were doing fine with just occasional brushes against one another until Flynn tried to move his left foot from red to green. He knocked into Sela who knocked into me. We lay on the floor laughing, looking like rag dolls a child had thrown to the floor during a temper tantrum. Taylor just shook his head, setting the spinner aside and checked us for bruises.
Sela checked with me afterwards to see if I was alright. I admitted I was skeptical, but she had found a way for me to think about something other than someone breaching my personal space. She announced she'll be using the game again before our therapy sessions ended.
Our last exercise for the night was shaking hands goodbye. But Sela didn't shake right hand to right hand. She shook left to left. She said this way of shaking hands made you think about your actions and movements because it was not a conditioned response.
XXX – 3PPOV
"This doesn't feel right," Striker conferred with his two top men. "Miss Steele's roommate is dating Grey's brother. We assume there was a relationship between Steele and Grey because of the pictures. We don't know who alerts the media whenever Grey is near Steele's condo. We've investigated Leila Williams Reed, Miss Steele's doppelganger. We don't know what motivates Miss Williams. Is she stalking Miss Steele because she believes Miss Steele is a rival? Is she stalking Miss Steele to obtain information about Mr. Grey?"
"We need information which we won't get until we can find out where Miss Williams is staying. We don't know why there's a covey of brunettes hanging around Esclava Salon in Post Alley. We don't know why Grey has a doppelganger, Isaac Reynolds, who works there. We don't know why Elena Lincoln is interested in Miss Steele. She's spending more time at Esclava, Post Alley than before. Lincoln drives past Miss Steele's condo on weekends, like she's watching her."
"We should rethink following Anastasia Steele to Montesano." One of his men distributed copies of the weekend report. "I know Raymond Steele spotted me twice over the Fourth of July weekend. I don't think he knows Grey is having his daughter followed."
"I wouldn't bet on that," Striker scoffed. "I think Miss Steele knows she's being followed. She appears to be close to her father. She may have told him she's being followed. We can't underestimate her. I don't think she carries all the time, but I feel better knowing she has a gun and a carry conceal permit. Did we get her background check?"
"Clean – everyone around her is clean – which is a problem," Striker's employee continued. "Her boss is too slimy to have a clean record. We are attempting a deep background research for John Thomas Hyde. The problem is…no one will talk to us."
"We must finish the research on Miss Steele's classmates from Montesano. We need to unmask any relationship between Williams and Lincoln. Then we can concentrate on Hyde." Striker viewed their task list. Grey wasn't their only client right now, but his contract was work heavy.
"Are you still thinking of having the conversation with her father?" One of them asked.
"Oh yeah…that's a conversation I'm looking forward to…about as much as I enjoyed the bachelor party talk with your fiancée." Striker grimaced.
"Don't take me to a strip club next time, or buy me lap dances from young ladies who are my daughter's age." His oldest employee retorted.
Saturday, July 9 – APOV
"Miss Steele," Sawyer swallowed hard when he saw me stow my purse in a locker at the target range. I pocketed the key and picked up my gear box and gun case.
"Sawyer, are you following me?" I noticed he was alone.
"No, I've been assigned to Mia Grey's protection detail. My job is to ensure she isn't photographed in bathrooms or misbehaving." He prevaricated. "I'm off work today. I must qualify monthly and Target Rippers is my favorite qualifying range. What are you doing here?" Sawyer observed Miss Steele's equipment.
"I haven't shot since spring break. I want to get my arm back. I updated my carry conceal permit. I brought my gun home from Montesano. Dad says my expertise with my gun is critical to my protection. I just bought a membership here. I'm shooting in Bay 6. Want to watch?" I issued a challenge. Sawyer nodded and followed me. I'm wearing jeans, close-toed shoes and a long-sleeve turtleneck t-shirt. We reach Bay 6 and I pull my safety goggles and shooting earmuffs out of my gear box. He does the same.
Sawyer watches as I open my gun case and take out my Glock 17 Gen4. I like the ergonomics of my gun – the way it fits my hand, the weight, the balance. Loaded, my Glock 17 Gen4 weighs about two pounds. I never keep my gun loaded. Ray Steele rule one. I check the gun; check the sights; and then slap in a clip. I have three loaded clips with me, seventeen bullets each, to practice shoot. I hit the fire button so the light goes live at the end of my bay. The fire light signals other patrons there is someone shooting live ammo.
I assume the stance…my feet as wide as my shoulders, my right arm extended, my left hand bracing the bottom of the gun. I begin target practice. Target one is left-hand braced. Target 2/clip 2 is right-handed shooting, no left-hand brace, and I'm turned a ninety-degree angle to the target. Target 3/clip 3 is low-light shooting. I shoot a highly respectable score for not having shot in several months. I think I impressed Sawyer with my ability to reload quickly and safely. I'm not sure my ability to shoot accurately was as impressive.
"Mr. Grey misses you," Sawyer begins an awkward conversation.
"I'm glad you didn't relate that before I emptied my clips. I try to maintain calm during practice. Mr. Grey has issues. I have issues. Our issues don't dance well together, especially considering he has issues with my being a gun owner." I store my three empty clips and I double-check my gun to ensure the chamber is empty before I close and lock the case. I remove my safety gear and stow it away. I wipe my hands down with wet wipes and toss the used ones away. Sawyer offers to take my gun or my gear box but I shake him off. I retrieve my purse from a front locker. While I'm heading to my car, Sawyer asks me to get coffee with him. I explain I can't; I'm meeting a friend. I suggest we'll clean our guns or get coffee the next time I run into him at Target Rippers. Sawyer watches as I lock my gun and gear box in the trunk of my car and drive off.
XXX
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Anastasia." Harley shook my hand. "We are friends meeting for coffee, there's no need to be nervous."
"Ana…just Ana. Thank you for agreeing to meet me after target practice. Did you know I bought a membership at Target Rippers? Is that why we're meeting at a coffee shop close to Target Rippers and not Pike Place Market?" I sit while Harley holds my chair.
"Yes, I'm sorry, we had to investigate you. I've known Ethan for several years. He thinks your boss is involved in insider trading. My partner and I believe Ethan, but we need more information." Harley shrugged.
"So how do I do this?" I look around to see if he has company…or am I being followed?
"May I get you tea and perhaps a sweet?" Harley stood – which interrupted my examination of the coffee shop and its clients.
"English Breakfast tea, extremely hot water, tea bag out. I'd like some petite fruit scones if they have them," I settled back in my chair, and watched the people in my surroundings.
Harley balanced a tray on the table, letting me retrieve water, cup and tea bag. He set his coffee on the table – a large venti double-shot latte from the directions on the side of the cup. He slid a basket of scones on the table. He asked for one of every fruit kind since he didn't know my preference.
"She put the scones in the basket in alpha order: apple-cinnamon, banana walnut, blackberry-pear, blueberry-lemon, cherry-almond, cinnamon-raisin, citrus-zest, cranberry-orange-pecan, ginger-apricot, lemon-poppyseed, orange-mango, and raspberry-white chocolate. If you taste one you like, we can get more." He grinned. "They won't go to waste; I'll take the extras home to Shawn for coffee and newspaper time tomorrow morning."
"Thank you for the tea and scones. I'm nervous about how this will work." I reach for the blackberry-pear scone. I have a recipe with 300 versions of Cobb salad. Blackberries, diced pear and roasted chicken with berry vinaigrette is one of my favorite versions. Now I know what to fix for dinner. I will go grocery shopping when I get out of here.
Harley helped himself to the three citrus scones and began talking after a large sip of coffee. "First we need to complete the TCR Form. The form is required before you provide information. You sign off on the declarations of eligibility. Memorize the TCR number assigned to you. If you lose the number, I can find you by your name, but action happens faster when you remember the number. Once the TCR form is submitted to the SEC, our attorneys, accountants and analysts review the data you submit to determine our course of action. You need specific, timely and credible information."
"Which I don't have. Ethan and I just have suspicions." I drag my tea bag through the hot water a few times before discarding. "I am not normally prone to flights of fancy, but I just have a feeling I'm right."
"I reviewed the paperwork you and Ethan assembled; I believe you are right about Jack Hyde. What may seem insignificant information to you may be the key piece of information we need. I warn you not to become discouraged during the process. Sometimes an investigation requires six months or longer. Sometimes court action takes six months or longer. We are usually through litigation in less than fifteen work days. We have a hint of impropriety on Hyde and nothing on Lincoln."
"Well, I can direct you where to start with Elena Lincoln," I gave him a folder of printouts. "I researched announcements of mergers and acquisitions made by Grey House from 2006 forward. I don't know if she bought stocks before then. I don't have proof she bought stocks. I know she has access to proprietary GEH mergers and acquisitions information through her friendship with Grace Grey and her business partnership with Christian Grey."
"You don't suspect GEH of securities fraud?" Harley asked, flipping through the paperwork I just gave him.
"GEH is not publicly traded. Christian has information about his mergers or acquisitions embargoed until the merger or acquisitions papers are legally filed. Then his communications team releases information to the press. Seattle Independent Printers is a prime example." I finished my blackberry scone and reached for the raspberry one.
"You need a whistleblower lawyer. I can recommend three." He handed me business cards. "However, to cover our association with one another, I am your new man friend, who is a stockbroker." Harley broke his cranberry-orange-pecan scone into bite-sized pieces.
"I'll consider hiring a lawyer," I readily agree.
Harley spent the rest of our coffee hour telling me about the SEC and how they conduct investigations. After getting a go bag for the remaining scones, he left a tip on the table and held the door, walking me to my car.
"Thursday? Pizza? My place? We may have a lot to cover." Harley asked. "I'll email the details to you on Wednesday. Ethan told me you are no longer seeing Christian Grey."
"Yes, we...are taking a break from one another. He has issues, I have issues." I admitted.
"For reasons of security…you can't discuss this situation with him. You cannot discuss this situation with your friend, Kate, because she might tell Elliot. He might tell his brother. If you decide to reconcile with Grey after the investigation begins, I may be barred from having further communication with you. I understand you think he's innocent. I would like to believe that also. However, we cannot chance him learning about the investigation or warning Elena Lincoln."
"So, you are saying if I wanted to be with him…." I clarified.
Harley nodded. "I'm sorry. I know staying away from someone when you want more than anything to be with them…the situation is hard."
Momentarily, I lose my objectivity. I want him. I know unless he changes…I will be hurt again… emotionally …physically. However, the thought of never being with him again is more painful than any pain I've ever felt, belt included. However…putting Elena Lincoln behind bars for a long, long time…I can quit dreaming about Christian's mouth. 'Yeah, right,' my inner goddess snarks. 'If you won't allow us multiple daily orgasms by a Greek god…we'll make you have orgasms you can't control.' She struts her stuff in a sapphire blue teddy with matching stilettos.
XXX – CPOV
Striker report to Grey: A. Steele target shooting at Target Rippers. She talked to one of your staff: L. Sawyer. He claimed he is assigned to M. Grey's CPO detail. Coffee at Starbucks near Target Rippers with friend of Ethan Kavanagh. We could not hear the conversation. He must use an audio jammer. License plate, pictures attached of Harley Harrison. Researching. Will forward background check at earliest opportunity. A. Steele went grocery shopping, returned home. FYI – Miss Steele's doppelganger hung around Esclava, Post Alley today. She watched for someone; she did not patronize the salon. She disappeared when E. Lincoln, the salon owner, arrived. Lincoln cruised the block where A. Steele lives at least three times upon arrival and departure. A. Steele hanging out on balcony, reading, unaware of E. Lincoln's scrutiny.