BREAKDOWN

— Chapter VI —

The next day, I made sure to go to the exact floor where Betty worked. I entered the Meade Building and my friend Antonio welcomed me. He wanted to apologize for the uncomfortable situation with the police officers two days ago.

"No harm done" I said to him. If anything he owed Beth an apology, not me. He then gave me a pass and showed me the emergency door.

"You have to be kidding me" I said. "What's wrong with the lifts?"

"Mrs. Hartley special elevator is under repair today. So, we reserved the other one for her" He lowered his voice. "She's been here since early this morning. I hope she leaves soon. Everything here is a chaos when she's around."

"Unbelievable." I complained. I've rarely met crazier people than those I've met in these offices. Who in his right mind would force a whole lot of workers walk their way into more than fifty floors of a skyscraper.

A couple of unbelievably scrawny women walked quickly ahead of me. I was about to feel pity for them but then, I thought, that workers of MODE would appreciate the exercise. Probably to burn the only ten calories they consumed in their breakfast —if they had any.

I was moody and slightly covered in sweat by the time I reached the twenty-eighth floor.

'Betty Suarez - Features Editor' I read on the little plaque in front of the many doors in that floor. I smiled proudly.

"Gio?" I heard a voice behind me.

I hadn't finished a complete turn when I felt her arms wrap around my body in a hug.

"Oh my God! I heard from Daniel." She started in her high pitched nervous voice. "I was told the cables snapped and… and the safety breaks malfunctioned and… I didn't even know you were there. What were you doing there? I thought—I thought the elevator crashed on the floor! I thought the worse had happened."

"Hey" I dared hug her in return. I loved to feel her warmth once again. "I'm okay."

Probably the intimacy between us made her feel uncomfortable because she grew tense and gently pulled out of the embrace, her face red as beets. We were in the middle of the main corridor. But people didn't seem to care about us.

There she was, looking still silly inside all those stamped clothes that covered her body lately but just as naturally beautiful and as sweet as I always remembered her.

"Nothing to worry about, Betty. I was explained that there was a special safety system that triggered at the last minute. Did you know that an additional break was installed in that car? Not many elevators have them, I was told. Am I a lucky bastard or what?"

"How could you make jokes on something like this, Gio. You could have died."

"Woah! Look at you" I chuckled. "A few days ago you could barely notice my presence and today you welcome me with hug and… well, at least you aren't totally glad that I got killed in there. Aren't we making progress?"

I got hit in the arm. I was expecting that reaction and I was glad. She wasn't the cold Betty I met two days ago. She was my Betty.

"So what are you up to? How about going down, grab some breakfast and catch up with this year?"

"I'm sorry, Gio. I'd love to" she noticed my disappointed face. "I really do. But I'm here helping Daniel survive Mrs. Hartley. She's checking the premises with the team. Now that Mr. Hartley is gone she's managing the whole business now."

I noticed a little crowd had gathered at the end of the main corridor. I recognized Daniel, Wilhelmina Slater and Victoria Hartley. Betty looked at them a bit worried. I knew she was about to leave me and run to join the working party at any moment.

"Betty. I heard a little explosion in the elevator that day. Have you heard anything, some report, an investigation, anything about what happened yesterday?"

"Just what Daniel told me. This morning Human Resources sent a small communication explaining the incident and claimed it was slight malfunctioning due to poor maintenance."

"But you don't believe that, do you?"

"I don't know what to believe."

"I think there's something fishy going on in this place. Look, Betty" I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her gently closer to the door of her office. "Beth, Marc and Amanda are going to meet at my deli tonight."

"For what?"

"Investigate, debate, discuss about what's going on in here. Or maybe to justify late evening carb-munching, I don't know." I looked into her eyes. "Betty, I want you to come."

She looked at me incredulously.

"What's that? A game? Gio, Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious. And no, it's no game. Well, maybe for them but not for me."

"I don't know, Gio" She freed her arm from my grasp and gave a quick glance to the back of the room where the rest of her peers were trying to handle Mrs. Hartley. "I have so many things to do."

"Ah, come on, Betty. You used to loved stuff like this, remember? Adventures, mystery, challenge. Have you really changed that much?"

"Gio…"

Honestly, I just wanted an excuse to see her as much as possible.

"I know it seems crazy now. But I really think there's something going on. At least I want you to know anything that could help you be prepared, be safe, while you are working in here."

She looked at me with interest across the crystal of her red rimmed glasses. She had the most beautiful emerald earrings in her ears but they were no match for the shine in her big brown eyes.

"I appreciate your concern, Gio. But I really don't have time. This new job is exhausting."

She was slithering out. But I was determined to have her go to the meetings, not only for her sake but for my own. I don't know how I would have survived if I had to spend more than half an hour in that elevator. I pulled another one: the pity card.

"Aw man! There's not easy way to say this" I took a step back. "Betty, I've been dreaming about you."

Her face turned red again.

"Gio, this is not the place—"

"No. Not those kind of dreams." I said still serious. "More like nightmares. Really awful nightmares. I'm afraid you're not safe in this place, Betty. I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to you."

For a moment we locked eye to eye and I didn't hear the talking of the people in the office, the same magic that always surrounded us years ago for those brief days when she'd let me be a little bit more than a friend.

And then something broke the spell.

I noticed someone looking at me. It was Beth. She came walking across the corridor; she passed our way without saying a word and joined Daniel and his crew. The corner of my eyes followed her.

Then, I heard the peculiar voice of Mrs. Hartley a few notches higher than normal.

"Beth, the poor thing, there you are. I heard about yesterday. I almost thought you've died. What would we do without you? You better be careful."

Beth didn't say a word. I saw her ignore her aunt and turn to Daniel. I shook my head. I really hated the Hartleys.

My attention focused back on Betty.

"Listen, Betty, I have a feeling this murder is related with the mysterious murders going on in Manhattan, somehow."

Betty looked at me with a spam of surprise on her face.

"What?! What makes you say that? You're scaring me, Gio."

"Marc recognized one of the victims. She studied with you in that writer program."

"What do you mean? You mean YETI?" her face was suddenly pale. "I can't believe this. This is awful. I knew all of them. I— need to tell Matt."

"Wait. Will you come?" I held her wrist and make her gently turn towards me. Then, again, the touch of her skin sent bolts to my body, just like it used to before.

She nodded in response. "I'll go. At least for tonight."

It was then that I noticed she had a huge silvery watch dangling from her wrist.

"What is this? Men's watches are into fashion now?" She smiled. I always liked it when I made her smile. I was already sorry to make her sad and worried.

"It was a gift from Matt. He gave it to me a month ago." I let go of her. Nope, I didn't like where the conversation was leading. She touched the expensive watch with her fingers. "It is very special to him. It belonged to his father".

I didn't notice when Beth had approached us until I saw her beside us. She didn't even excuse herself and talked right to me. "Gio, I want to confirm this evening." Then she said, barely turning towards Betty. "Daniel asks if you have some advance of your work to show Mrs. Hartley."

I put both my hands inside the pockets of my jacket and said. "Sure. I'm still up for it. And Betty is coming too."

I saw that Beth wasn't very pleased. Her features darkened. "Did you tell her… everything?"

Beth spoke coldly as if Betty wasn't in the room right next to her. Betty said:

"You know, Gio. I really have to go now. I'll see you tonight" Betty blushed and muttered. "Thank you, Beth."

She walked away, almost tripping. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she quickly returned back and, without even looking at us, opened the door behind my back and entered her office.

"What was that all about?" I said when Beth and I we were both alone.

"We can't be telling everybody about this."

I chuckled. "She's not everybody, she's Betty."

"We must keep this quiet if we want this to work. We don't know who could be behind all this."

"So I was right about you. You also think that the killer is among the people at MODE!" I lowered my voice. "Not just your aunt."

"As far as I'm concerned, anyone of us is a suspect." she said, her gray eyes as frozen as her words.

Her paranoia was really exasperating.

"Look, Betty is fine." I said, sternly. I wasn't afraid of those eyes.

"I don't trust her. There's something about her" she insisted.

"Well, she's coming to the deli tonight. Man! You need to start learning how to trust people, darn it!"

"I don't like her."

"But you'll have to deal with her and my own decisions. Do you want me to help you with this thing or not?"

I turned around and left without even waiting for her answer.

To be continued