Written In The Heart

At the doorway, Caroline glanced at Stephen one last time. He stood staring out the dark window, his back to her.

“Happy birthday,” she said.

He spun around, obviously surprised.

“Sorry you didn’t get the gift you wanted.” She glanced at the desk. “But the day’s not over.”

Stephen leaned forward slightly, then plopped into his chair.

How was he ever going to work in his office again?

Stephen stepped behind his desk and squared the ledgers and stacks of papers Richard had replaced while he was chasing down Caroline. But he didn’t see the work that awaited him. He saw a naked woman. On his desk. His two favorite things in the whole world, together.

Stephen sank into his chair. Of course, the naked woman he imagined on his desk wasn’t just any woman. It was Caroline Sommerfield.

He pulled loose his tie and popped open his collar. What a hell of a birthday.

“So, what do you think?” Richard asked, striding back into the office. “Isn’t she wonderful? Isn’t she everything I said she was?”

That and more. If only Richard knew.

Stephen leaned back in his chair. Richard was his assistant, and would have been a partner if he’d had the required financial backing. Still, he was indispensable. Stephen listened to him, trusted him, confided in him. And Richard had never let him down.

“I don’t know…” Stephen said.

“You saw her evaluation of those handwriting samples,” Richard said. “She had old Jenkins cold.”

“That’s true.”

“And Delfina?” Richard grinned. “I like your dear, sweet aunt Delfi as much as anyone, but you have to admit that she is indecisive, just as Caroline said.”

Stephen shrugged. He couldn’t argue with Caroline’s assessment of his aunt.

Richard chuckled. “She did a good job on you, too, Steve.”

He sat forward, not the least amused by Caroline Sommerfield’s determination of his own personality. Not that she wasn’t accurate. He just didn’t like being analyzed like a bug in a jar.

“Sexually frustrated.” Richard laughed again. “Maybe I should have sent you a whore for your birthday.”

“I can find my own women.”

“Then why don’t you?”

Stephen shifted in the chair. “I don’t have time.”

“Yes, you do,” Richard said. “You have plenty of time. But you spend all of it working.”

“I have a lot to do,” Stephen grumbled.

“You don’t have to prove anything to anyone,” Richard said softly.

Stephen glanced up at him, then looked away.

“No one equates you with your father and what he did,” Richard said.

Stephen dismissed his words with a wave of his hand. “Let’s stick to business.”

Richard just looked at him for a moment, then went on. “As I see it, Caroline can analyze the handwriting on Pickette’s document and prove that it’s fraudulent,” he said. “The agreement he claims is genuine will be exposed as a hoax. Pickette will be gone, out of your hair, and should consider himself lucky if he doesn’t end up in prison. Your problem will be solved.”

“But can she prove that?”

“She’s an expert in her field,” Richard said. “She has letters of recommendation from Germany and France.”

“Will anyone believe her here, in this country, in this city?” Stephen asked. “This graphology. Has anyone here even heard of it? Do they respect it? Believe in it?”

Richard shook his head. “No, not like in Europe.”

“Then what good is it to me?”

Stephen pushed himself out of the chair and began pacing again. He rubbed his chin and stared at the floor. He did some of his best thinking like this.

He turned suddenly to Richard and snapped his fingers. “We could make her an expert.”

“Make her one?” Richard asked. “How?”

“By giving her other work to do,” Stephen said. “I’ve suspected for a while that someone on the warehouse crew is stealing. What if I put Caroline on the case? I’ll get handwriting samples from all the employees and have her look for traits such as dishonesty, untrustworthiness.”

Richard nodded slowly. “Yes, I see what you mean.”

“We can’t fire a man over a handwriting sample,” Stephen said. “But we can determine the employees with those traits and have them watched. We just might turn up our thief.”

“You could be onto something here,” Richard said.

“I can use her to screen prospective job applicants. Weed out the questionable ones.” Stephen gripped the back of his desk chair. “Once I’ve established her credibility here, I can loan her to other prominent businessmen in town.”

Richard frowned. “That sounds like we’re just using her.”

“I’m giving her a chance to use this graphology thing she’s so proud of,” Stephen insisted. “Once the other businessmen see what she’s capable of they can testify to her credentials. And when the Pickette case gets to court, Caroline will be the leading graphologist in Los Angeles and her word will be accepted.”

“I don’t know…”

“She wants to use this graphology skill of hers, doesn’t she?”

“Yes,” Richard said. “She applied with Pinkerton but they turned her down. She was very disappointed. She wanted that job. Her father sent her here from Europe to find a husband, but she wants to work instead.”

“Well, then, you see? I’m doing her a favor.”

“You’re doing yourself a favor, Steve.”