Sure enough, behind the files for the Cherokee and Mustang was a folder marked Porsche and Rose pulled it out of the cabinet and returned to her desk. She set the folder down and called Susan’s secretary to cover for her while she took the file to Wendy. When she picked the folder up again, a photo fell out. She looked at the red car, thinking it too speedy for Ronnie’s tastes. Opening the folder to put the picture back, her eyes fell on a receipt sitting prominently on top of the other papers. It was a repair bill from Hans’ Import Cars. Her eyes widened at the total at the bottom.Calculations of hours and materials filled up the receipt, but it was a hand scribbled note just above the total that caught her attention.
Rose slumped into her chair feeling as if a sledgehammer had struck her in the chest.Right after the accident. If that wasn’t enough, another receipt showed the Porsche had passed inspection only a week before. “Oh God…” A sick feeling churned in her stomach and she had to swallow several times to keep her coffee down.
Tears started to fall, smearing mascara down Rose’s cheeks.Dabbing her eyes with a tissue, she reached out with shaky hands and opened the Rolodex. Her lower lip quivered and her vision blurred as she tried to find the number to the cab company Ronnie used to pick clients up from the airport.Her hands shook so hard she misdialed the number twice before finally reaching the right one. Rose’s voice wavered as she spoke with the dispatcher. She was informed there was one only a block away and it would meet her in front of the building. Without waiting for Susan’s secretary to arrive, Rose gathered her purse and cane and left the office.She choked back a sob.
Maria was surprised to see a cab pull into the driveway and even more so to see Rose step out. She opened the sliding glass door. “What are you doing home in the middle of the day? Rose?
Child, have you been crying?”
“It’s nothing, Maria,” she sniffed. “Where’s Tabitha?”
“She’s lying down somewhere, why?” Rose didn’t answer, instead walking past the housekeeper and heading for the stairs. “What’s going on? Where’s Ronnie?”
“At work,” came the sad reply. To Maria’s dismay, the cab seemed to be waiting for Rose. A few minutes later, Rose came down the stairs, one of Ronnie’s suitcases in her hand.
“What is going on? Where are you going?” To her surprise, green eyes were rimmed with red.
“Would you please tell the man that this is the only bag? I have to get Tabitha.” She set the suitcase at the bottom of the stairs and went back to retrieve her cat.
“Rose wait.” Maria followed her up, stopping the young woman with a firm hand on her shoulder. “What’s going on? Did you and Ronnie have a fight?”
“Did you know she was the one that hit me?” The look in the housekeeper’s eyes answered the question. Rose nodded, having suspected as much. “I wish you had told me. I wish she had told me.” She swallowed hard, not wanting to start crying again. “I need to get Tabitha.”
“Where are you going? Does Ronnie know you’re leaving?”
“Maria, I can’t talk about this. Please, I just want to get my cat and get out of here.” At that moment the orange feline appeared at the top of the stairs and headed for her open arms.
“Tabitha, come here, Honey.” She scooped the cat into her arms. “Come on, sweetie. We have to go now.”
“Rose, please wait a minute.” Maria stood in front of the doorway, refusing to let the young woman pass. “Have you talked to Ronnie? You need to talk to her before you go and make any rash decisions.”
“There’s nothing left to say,” Rose sniffed, angrily wiping away an errant tear. “I’ll return her suitcase as soon as I can.”
“Where will you go?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just have to get away.” The cab horn beeped, drawing her attention. “I need to go now. Please take care of yourself, Maria.”
“Rose, please don’t leave. I’m sure if you just talk to Ronnie…”
“No.” Her ankle was beginning to throb from the overuse. “Let her know that I’m not going to sue her or anything, so she doesn’t have to worry.” She walked out to the kitchen and then through the screen door. The driver helped her and Tabitha into the car, then came to the doorway to get the suitcase. Maria handed him a bag containing a box and several cans of cat food, her other hand busily pressing the speed dial on the phone.
“Two percent growth is not what I expected when I hired you for this position,” Ronnie said, her eyes darting from the report in front of her to the nervous manager. The shrill sound of the phone drew a glare from her.
“Excuse me.” She reached for the phone before the annoying ring could be heard again.
“Veronica Cartwright…who?…Well, where’s Rose? Why are you answering my phone?
Fine…put her through.” She looked at the man seated across from her. “That’s all for now. I’d better see higher numbers next quarter.” She turned her attention back to the phone. “Maria?
What’s wrong?”
Susan was walking down the hall toward Ronnie’s office in search of her secretary when she saw her sister tear down the hall and head for the stairway. “Ronnie, what’s going on?”
“I can’t talk now. Gotta go.” The door opened and she disappeared, footsteps pounding down the metal stairs. The redhead entered her sister’s office. “Margaret, what happened here?”
“I don’t know, Ms. Cartwright. Rose called me to come cover for her for a few minutes while she ran something down to accounting but when I got here she was gone. I assumed she couldn’t wait but I haven’t seen her since. Funny thing is Wendy called up a few minutes ago looking for her.”
“You mean Rose never showed up?”
“No. I was going to go look for her but then Miss Cartwright’s housekeeper called and sounded real upset. I put her through to the conference room. Then Miss Cartwright came racing in here and grabbed her purse and left. Didn’t say a word to me. Do you want me to stay here?”
“No, that’s all right. You can go back to your desk now. I’ll close up in here. I don’t think either of them will be back today.”
Once her secretary left the room, Susan looked through the papers on Rose’s desk. Seeing the folder for the Porsche, she opened it. The receipt on top still showed watermarks where tears had apparently fallen.“Oh my God,” she whispered. “No.” Sitting in the chair, she turned the computer on and logged in under her ID. She opened the personnel file and compared the dates to the receipt. “Oh Ronnie.” The pieces clicked into place and she was certain that Rose had figured it out as well. She thought about calling over to Ronnie’s house but decided instead to drive over. If what she thought had happened, her sister would need her.