Chapter Nine--Robin the Investigator

     The next morning, Robin rose early, albeit a little groggily from not getting as much sleep as she would have liked. But she wanted to get to the office early and finish the initial review of the day-to-day accounting books. She washed up in cold water and that helped revive her. Aunt Martha was already up, of course, and she fixed breakfast. All she asked Robin about the previous evening was, “Did you have a nice time, dear?”
     “Yes, Aunt Martha, thank you. We tried that new restaurant ‘The Miner’s Delight.’ A little pricey, but the food was real good.”
     For all her hurrying, Robin didn’t make it to her office until a little after 8:30. She said “hi” to Len as she walked past his office, then went in to her own, without bothering to walk the few steps beyond her office to Thomas’s and say hi to him. Thoughts of last night briefly sped through her head, but she dismissed them. She had work to do and she was going to concentrate on that.
     She dug into the books immediately. A few minutes later, Thomas stuck his head in her door as he was passing and said good morning. She gave him a rather frosty smile and returned the greeting. As always, he was grace personified, acted like he didn’t notice the coldness in her smile, and gave her his snooty little mocking grin. Then he left. How did your date with your little whore go last night, Mr. Lucifer? She shuddered for the umpteenth time. He reminded her of a cobra about to strike. But she still couldn’t shake the feeling of attraction and allurement towards him, either. It was a strange sensation. She had never known a man who had so repulsed and attracted her at the same time.
     She worked diligently for well over an hour, but became a little frustrated as she compared some numbers from the books she had done the previous week. Things weren’t going as smoothly as they had last week. There was just…something that was different from what she remembered. Of course, she told herself, with this many figures and numbers I can’t expect myself to recall all of them, butthings just look, well, different. She shook her head, confused. This isn’t the way it was last week, I know it isn’t. She was about to go ask Thomas about it—he had had the books that weekend to make recordings in the grand ledger which he was responsible for—but then she stopped. Something caught her eye. An erasure…that’s been erased…and that, too…It wasn’t at all uncommon for there to be erasures, she had done it several times, but again… something didn’t seem right. Her brow furrowed as she studied the numbers…what is it? I don’t remember erasing that…not on that account…
     And then it hit her. I don’t make 8s like that…or 2s…
     She examined more closely the entries that had been erased and re-entered. Most of the numbers looked like her handwriting, but she was sure it wasn’t hers. But somebody had tried to make them look like she had entered them. Thomas? Why would he change these numbers? He doesn’t have the information on these accounts…She frowned, thoughtful…then her body grew tense and an iceball formed in her   stomach…
     Oh, no…
     He’s been doctoring the numbers! He’s embezzling funds!
     Robin sat back, shocked. She stared at nothing for a few moments, hardly believing what she had discovered. Then, she shook her head as if to clear it. I knew he was a snake, I knew it…She thought for a minute about what to do, and she started to get up and take the information to Len, but she stopped. I can’t really prove it. All I’ve got is a few erased entries and some re-entries that don’t especially look like my handwriting. That’s not going to convince anybody, especially the way he’s fixed up this system. No wonder he made up his own…nobody but him could prove he was stealing money.
     What to do, what to do, what to do?….Robin sat there for several moments, wondering. I’ve got to get more proof…How? The main ledger. That’s where the proof would be. It would be obvious there, where he made the final entries and could arrange them to suit his fancy. I’ve got to get my hands on that ledger…
     How? He keeps it in his office all the time…
     Again, Robin put her mind to work on the dilemma. I could come back late at night when nobody was here…make some copies of obviously fallacious entries…That wouldn’t be easy, given his system, but Robin thought she understood it well enough to catch his embezzling amendments. Yes, I could do it…how to get into his office?…She obviously didn’t have a key to it and to force the lock…he’d notice that for sure…the window. He has a window that opens to the outside…He probably keeps it locked, but if I could get in there and unlock it, I could sneak in that way at night…She nodded. It would work. She didn’t know where he kept the main ledger book, but she had seen it so she knew what it looked like. I’ll find it…and I’ll find the proof…Then she sneered, at least as best she could…I’ll get you, you devil, I’ll get you…
     All she had to do now was wait her chance for him to leave the room for a minute or two so she could rush in and unlock the window. Thomas obviously locked his door when he was going to be gone for extended periods, but she had noticed he hadn’t when gone for a short time…to the privy…catch him with his pants down…and she giggled at the sick pun. She went back to work. She realized as well that she couldn’t let him know that she was on to him, so she’d act like she had discovered nothing abnormal. But I’ve got you, you whore-loving snake…I’ve got you and I’m going to get you…
     Thomas left his room about 20 minutes later. Robin hopped up immediately, peeked around the corner of her door to make sure no one was in the hallway, then rushed into his office, unlocked the window, and dashed back into her own office. When Thomas returned a few minutes later, Robin was bent over her books as if she had never moved. She saw him, through her peripheral vision, glance at her, but then he went back into his office. Robin smiled…

     Robin was a little tense for the rest of the day, the tension, as it is wont to do, settling into her stomach. She planned to get up about 1 AM, long after Aunt Martha had gone to bed and when the whole town—she hoped—would be asleep. She thought about taking Roberta, but decided against that; a horse might definitely attract attention. So she’d walk, wearing dark clothes, and sticking as closely to the shadows as possible. She’d find that ledger, find some incongruities in it, and take them to Len as soon as she could. She felt it was a good plan.
     She received another surprise Tuesday afternoon, however, approximately 3 PM. She was back in her room, putting away some items she had just taken from the clothes line in the back, when Aunt Martha stuck her head in and said, “There’s a man to see you. I invited him in.”
     Robin said, “Who is it?” There’s so many, you know…
     “I don’t know, I’ve never seen him before.”
     Puzzled, Robin went into the living room and saw Sam Burke. He was dressed in a smart tan suit with string tie, and he had his hat off, which meant that untamable comma of hair was dangling over his forehead. Robin felt her pulse speed up a little.
     “Oh, hi, Sam. It’s nice to see you.”
     He smiled, and she remembered…Rob’s smile. “I hope you don’t mind me coming over unannounced like this. I won’t stay but just a minute because I fear I’m interrupting something.”
     “No, actually, you aren’t. I was putting up some things I had washed earlier. Please be seated. Would you like a cup of coffee? I know we have some.”
     “Well, I hate to be a bother, but I am a little dry. Thank you.”
     Robin went into the kitchen to stoke the stove fire. She put the coffee pot on to let the coffee heat up. She took a plate from a cabinet, opened the cookie jar, and put a few cookies on it. Then she went back into the living room, where Sam was sitting in a chair which stood adjacent to the couch.
     “The coffee will be ready in about five minutes,” Robin told him as she held the cookie plate out to him. He hesitated, but took one.
     “Thank you,” he said. Robin put the cookie plate down on the table between the couch and chair, and sat down on the couch.
     “Have you found a good railroad route yet?” she asked him.
     “I think so. About five miles from here. There are a few gradients we’ll have to climb, but nothing too steep. And as you probably know, there’s a bit of a trail that winds out to the edge of the foothills from here, once you get over that big hill.” He pointed. Robin knew what he was talking about. The big long hill to the south wasn’t as high as the Turtle Mountains to the north, but it still presented a rather formidable barrier. But once over it, as Sam had said, the hills rolled and undulated and there were some gaps between them that weren’t steep and a road could be built. “I’m not quite through with my survey yet, but almost.”
     “So you’ll go back east and make your report?”
     “No, not exactly. I’ll probably be here for another two months at least. I’ll wire the company managers, and they’ll send somebody out who can make decisions.” He grunted a chuckle. “I don’t make decisions, I just do the legwork.” He reached over and picked up another cookie. “Gee, these are good. Did you make them?”
     “Uh, I think Aunt Martha made that batch, but I always use her recipe when I make some. I’ll tell her you like them. Hold on, I’ll get the coffee.” She was back in a couple of minutes with a tray with two cups—her aunt’s best china, which if Robin broke one of them, would earn her a quick trip to the bedroom and a long visit with Aunt Martha’s strap, and probably even if Sam were still there—the coffee pot, and some cream and sugar. She poured him a cup and said, “Cream and sugar?”
     “Actually, I take mine black, thanks.”
    “I don’t,” Robin replied, and dumped a healthy—or unhealthy—amount of both cream and sugar into her coffee. She made a face at Sam and then smiled. “I don’t like the bitter taste when it’s black so I need all this other stuff to kill it.”
     He chuckled softly. “I want my coffee to kick me in the teeth. Keeps me awake.” He took a sip. “Mmm, that’s good, too. Some good cooks in this house. What time did you say dinner was?”
     Robin laughed. “We usually eat around 6 and you are welcome to join us any night you wish.”
     He set the coffee cup down and said, “Well, actually, that’s what I came by for. I, uh, kinda struck out this last Saturday when I asked you out, and I was hoping I might be more successful this time.”
     Robin’s heart rate went up. She was hoping he would ask her.
     He continued, “But I’m not going to leave anything to the luck of the draw this time.” He grinned, and Robin was stabbed in the heart…Rob…wow, he looks like Rob when he smiles like that…”I’ve got tonight, tomorrow night, Thursday night, and Friday night open, then next week Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and probably Thursday, Friday, and Saturday available, too. Now, are the men of this town going to leave you alone long enough to let me take you to dinner one of those nights?”
     Robin laughed. “Oh, I don’t know. I’d have to look at my calendar but at the moment, I don’t think I’ve got a free night until August 23rd two years from now.”
     He shook his head, in mock regret. “Aw, rats, wouldn’t you know it? That’s the one night that year that I already have plans.” And she laughed softly again. He was charming besides having Rob’s smile.
     “Tough break,” Robin replied with a smile. “Oh, wait a minute. Come to think of it, I had a cancellation tomorrow night. I’m free, but, of course, I expect somebody to come by at any time and fill the spot.”
     “Of course,” Sam said. “So I’d better move quick. Dinner tomorrow night?”
     Robin smiled at him. “I’d love to. Thank you.” Her blood was rushing a bit.
     “No, the thanks is mine. It’s not often a man can have the honor of the company of such a lovely, gracious lady.”
     Robin blushed, but said, “Oh, do you have a date tonight as well?”
     He rolled his eyes, and laughed. “Maybe down at Madame Moose’s, or whatever you said her name was.”
     Robin laughed again. “Marie. She probably looks like a moose, though.”
     Sam made a face. “I’m not interested enough to find out.” Then, changing the subject, he asked, “Have you tried that new place in town, ‘The Miner’s Delight,’ I think it’s called.”
     “Yes, I ate there last night actually. It’s very good. A little expensive, though.”
     “Oh, I don’t care about that, I was going to let you pay anyway.” And he chuckled.
     “Gentlemanly of you,” Robin teased with a smile.
     “Well, if you ate there last night, we can go somewhere else. I just thought you might want to try it.”
     “No, it’s ok. I don’t mind going there again. It was pretty crowded, though, so you might want to get a reservation.”
     “Ok, I’ll go do that right now.” He stood up, intending to leave. Robin stood as well. He met her eyes. “Thank you for the coffee and cookies, and I do look forward to tomorrow evening. Say 6 o’clock, since that’s when you usually eat?”
     She held his eyes. “6 is fine. And I look forward to it, too.” Their eyes held, Robin’s blood pressure went up, and if he had come to her and kissed her, she wouldn’t have made the slightest move to stop him.
     But he didn’t. He simply smiled again, and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” It’s obvious that none of the men in this town have ever lived in New York
     She walked him to the door and they both said “good-bye.”
     She turned back to the living room, thoughtful. Aunt Martha, nosey as always, came in and asked, “I don’t know him, dear. Who is he?”
     “He’s a railroad surveyor, new in town. I met him Saturday when I was on the way to the grocery store. We’re going to dinner tomorrow night.”
     “That’s wonderful. He seemed like a nice man.”
     “Yes, he does.” And his smile reminds me of Rob…oh, Rob, leave me alone, you’re dead…Robin was getting a little exasperated at how Rob Conners kept popping into her mind every time she was with a man. It wouldn’t bother her so much if he were alive and she might have a possibility, however faint, of seeing him again. But he’s gone…and I want him gone from my mind…She sighed. Easier said than done, I guess…It hasn’t even been a month, so I’m sure he’ll be gone soon…
     Although something told her that it might take a little longer than she wanted. Especially if Sam keeps smiling at me…

     As much interest as she had in dinner with Sam Burke, Robin’s mind, that night, was more on the stressful, yet very important mission, she had set for herself. She went to bed early to get some rest, pleading a headache, but she also knew she would get no sleep. She wanted to plan her undertaking carefully; she felt more confident of success if she had it all mapped out in advance.
     It wasn’t terribly complicated. The Kilmer building was just over a mile from her house, just off Broadway Street, so it would take her about a half hour to get there. She would, as much as she could, stay out of the open, but that wasn’t always going to be possible. There was an alley behind her house that went all the way to Broadway. She could take that, then up Broadway, across Main, then the two blocks or so to the Kilmer building, trying to stay in the shadows as much as possible. She would have liked to take alleys the whole way, but they didn’t connect up like that. She would have to cross Broadway to get to the building, and she would also be forced to cross Main Street once, but that couldn’t be helped. She’d do the best she could, and if she got stopped, she’d use the lame excuse that she had left her purse in her office and simply had to get it back, regardless of the lateness of the hour. It was the best she could think of.
     She lay in her bed, tension building in her. What if Thomas saw the unlocked window and relocked it? Well, that would be that. She would just have to turn around and come back home. When I get into his office, where will I look first for the ledger? He probably wouldn’t keep it sitting out in the open, not if he were embezzling, but then he might, just as a show of innocence. If Robin didn’t see it anywhere, she’d check his desk drawers first. She realized they might be locked, but she was going to take a pocketknife with her and try to pry them open, if necessary. That would be delicate, because if he noticed the knife marks and suspected someone had gotten to the ledger, he could quickly make whatever amendments were necessary to cover his wrongdoing. Robin hoped things wouldn’t get complicated.
     It wasn’t a great plan, she realized, but she had to do something. The man was a criminal and needed to be brought to justice, and she was about the only one who could do it. She was at least familiar with the accounting system, but more than that, she knew he was embezzling. She just had to find the proof before she could make the accusation.
     She heard her Aunt Martha go to bed about her regular time. The hours passed slowly as Robin lay in bed, waiting for the time she intended to leave—1 AM. Several times she almost lost her nerve and decide to call it off, but she steeled herself to go through with it. She wasn’t lacking in courage, and frankly, it wasn’t really such a dangerous thing she was doing. The possibility of getting caught in Thomas Bering’s office was fairly minimal. She’d raise the window, slip in, then lower it. Once she found the ledger, she’d go to her own office and light the lamp there. She had no window to the outside, so she wouldn’t have to worry about the light being seen. She’d find the evidence she was looking for, copy the pages from the ledger that she needed, then return the book, slip back outside through the window, and return back home. If everything went extra-perfect, she could slip into Thomas’s office the next day and re-lock the window and he’d be none the wiser. Or it might not matter if she were able to take the evidence directly to Len Kramer.
     One o’clock came; she had a small clock in her room that chimed the hours and it informed her that it was time to leave. She got out of bed and as quietly as possible, changed into the dark clothes she intended to wear. Then, still being as quiet as she could manage, she tiptoed to the back door, opened it carefully, grimaced at a small squeak, then slipped outside quickly, gently closing the door behind her. In a crouch, she ran to the alley, looking around, seeing if anybody had spotted her.
     So far, so good.
     The moon was out, though not fully, but enough to create some shadows on the opposite side of the alley. So she took that route. A couple of dogs barked, but that didn’t bother her; dogs were always barking at something and they quit once she got past their domain. The alley, as noted, took her all the way to Broadway, south of Main Street, but the bank building covered the whole area from the alley to Main and so she was able to walk in deep shadows by staying right next to the wall.
     She got to the edge of the bank building at the corner of Main and Broadway.
     So far, so good. As far as she knew.
     Now came the trickiest part of the whole thing—crossing Main Street. It was a wide street, wide enough for two wagons to pass plus room for horses to be hitched. It was the busiest street in Whitewater. Of course, it wasn’t busy at 1:15 in the morning, but still, she would have to cross it, and it would be the place where she would be most exposed for detection. The town deputy might be making his rounds and spot her; that was her only real concern.
     She poked her head around the corner of the bank building, looking both ways. She didn’t see anyone. She had decided not to run across Main Street, but not to dawdle, either. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out onto the sidewalk, and then onto the street. She kept up a brisk pace, her skin crawling, feeling like every eye in Whitewater was watching her. Just a few more steps…when she got about 5 feet from the sidewalk, she hastened a bit, up to the sidewalk, then to the side of the building, a pharmacy, on the corner. She stopped and breathed a sigh of relief. Nobody has hollered at her, and when she looked around, she spotted no one.
     So far, so good.
     The side of the street she was on was largely covered in shadows, but not always. But she was able, by and large, to go from store front to store front and rarely get out into the open. When she got opposite the Kilmer building, she looked carefully up and down the street, saw nothing, and did a quick jog onto the Kilmer property. She remained stationary under a tree for a moment, then, in a crouch, ran to the side of the building and under the window to Thomas Bering’s office, the sill of which was about five feet off the ground.
     She paused to catch her breath again. The terrain sloped a little down and away from her, and she could see the backyard of a house or two, but anyone there would have to be looking very carefully to see her. The chances of her being spotted now were slim indeed.
     Now…the window…please be unlocked…
     It was.
     Robin was thrilled as she pushed the window up. It squeaked a little bit and it took a little extra shoving to get it far enough open for her to crawl through. She hoisted herself up, and remembering that there was a nice leather couch under the window, she did a somersault and landed plop in the middle of it. She quickly turned and pushed the window closed. It squeaked again, more than she would have liked, but there was nothing she could do about that.
     Window closed, Robin looked around the room. It was dark, of course, but there was some moonlight slanting in from the window. It wasn’t a huge room, perhaps twice the size of hers, but it was comfortable, and crammed with stuff. In front of her was Thomas’s desk. Behind his chair was another built-in desk, that ran halfway along both the wall to her right and the far wall. There was a bookshelf above this desk. A four-drawer filing cabinet stood next to the desk against the opposite wall. The door was in the wall to her left, but at the far end, and there was a table with coffee accessories next to the door and what looked like a wardrobe closet next to that. The couch occupied much of the wall behind her, and there were a couple of chairs in front of Thomas’s desk for visitors to sit in. The room had a huge Indian design rug covering most of the floor. There were paintings of Western sunsets covering a couple of bare spaces on the walls. Nothing fancy, nothing out of the ordinary.
     Robin took all of that in at a quick glance around the room. Now…the ledger…She first searched the built-in desk against the wall behind and to the right of Thomas’s desk. There were various notebooks stacked on them, but not the ledger. The bookshelves above also did not yield what she wanted. The filing cabinets were next, and a quick search of them did not turn up the missing ledger, either. Robin was beginning to figure that the ledger must be locked in Thomas’s desk. But she thought she’d look in the wardrobe cabinet first.
     She went over and opened it. Yep, it was a wardrobe cabinet, and had a couple of shirts, pants, and jackets inside. But there was also a shelf above the clothes and when Robin looked closer, her heart skipped a beat. It looked for all the world like the main ledger. She was reaching for it when she heard a key in the outer office door. She froze, and then, almost panicked, she glanced around hurriedly for someplace to hide. She was about to get inside the wardrobe, when the door opened and Thomas Bering stepped in.
     He smiled at her, his usual lazy, haughty smile. As he closed the door, he said, “Hello, Robin,” as if he had expected to see her there. And perhaps he did.
     Robin backed up until she was standing in front of the couch at the point where it was directly under the window. If worse came to worst, she’d try to make a dive through the window. It probably wouldn’t work, but she couldn’t think of anything else. She had the pocketknife in her pocket, but that was the best weapon she had.
     She didn’t say anything immediately, so Thomas continued, not moving towards her, just standing there. “I had a feeling you might show up tonight, so I thought I’d drop by and see. You’re quite a bright young lady, the sharpest we’ve had here by far.”
     “You’re embezzling funds from the company,” Robin said, matter-of-factly.
     Thomas opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, and said, “Yes. Yes, I am.” Then he smiled again. “But can you prove it?”
     “I could if I could get my hands on that main ledger.”
     “Well, that’s not it in the wardrobe. That’s an old one from many years back. The main ledger is in a safe behind that picture to your right. Robin glanced quickly and grimaced. She might eventually have checked behind the pictures, but, as Thomas added, “You couldn’t have gotten it because the safe is locked, of course. You don’t think I’d leave that lying around for prying eyes, do you?” He took a couple of steps towards her and Robin moved back until her legs were pressing against the couch.
     “I can still tell Len and he can ask for an independent audit. They would find it.”
     Thomas continued to smile and kept his eyes on Robin’s. Strangely, she wasn’t scared. His very presence in the room overcame every other emotion she had, the same confused emotions she always had when she saw him—revulsion, loathing, disgust coupled with an incredible attraction and enchantment. Don’t look at his eyes, Robin…they are hypnotic…don’t look at them…But the more she tried to tear her eyes away from his, the more she found she couldn’t do it.
     At her suggestion of an independent auditor, Thomas just shrugged. “Len won’t do it, because he knows what I’m doing.”
     That startled Robin. “He does? He knows you are embezzling?”
     Thomas was slowly moving closer to her. Robin noticed but she wasn’t quite sure yet what to do about it. She didn’t think he would hurt her, but she wasn’t sure, either. He smiled again…that devil’s smile…will you quit that?…
     He replied, “Yes, he does.” Then he hesitated, stopping about three feet in front of her. “Let me tell you quickly why I’m taking funds from the company, with Len’s approval. Not quite 10 years ago—and this will surprise you—but I made a living as a mercenary. I was young, looking for adventure, frankly, I was stupid. But that’s what I did. I went down to Mexico because there is always some kind of revolution going on down there. I met a young lady…we…became very enamored of one another, but couldn’t get married for sundry reasons that are unimportant. But I sired two children by her—they are 8 and 7 now. I came back to America after a few years in Mexico, leaving the woman and children there. I began sending her money, to help take care of the children; it was the least I could do. I didn’t have much but I sent what I could. Subsequently, I got word that she died, and the two children were put into an orphanage. I still wanted to provide for my children, though. I worked as an apprentice accountant and became very good at it. I got hired by the company here, but George Kilmer is as tight with his money as any man on earth. I simply do not have the funds, from my salary, to provide what my children need. So, I talked to Len and it was at his suggestion actually that I…rearrange…the books some. Not much. $25 this month, $50 the next, never more than $100. Nothing that anybody would ever notice. Except you.” He took another step towards her, and his dark, devilish eyes blazed into hers—but not with anger. But Robin saw the desire in them, not a lustful, wicked desire, but a burning, intense desire. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his, and her knees became weak.
     He continued, “So that’s why I’ve been taking a little money from the company.” He smiled—the devil in that smile. “Now that’s not so bad, is it?”
     “Do you have any proof?”
     He smiled at her…the devil’s smile…then sighed softly. He walked over to the filing cabinet against the opposite wall and opened the lowest drawer. He searched for a minute, and pulled out a few pieces of paper. “Come here,” he said. He had lit a lamp on his desk and held out the papers he had in his hand. “Read these,” he said to her.
     She took them. They were hand-written documents on a cheap paper, but there was a heading printed at the top. It was in Spanish, but Robin knew enough of the language to recognize that it said, “Ojala Children’s Home, Miguel Romero…” with some kind of title that she didn’t understand. The letters were, surprisingly, written in English, though not very good English. They were short and basically acknowledged the receipt of money--$50, $25, or $100—in behalf of Pedro and Maria Sandoval. Thomas had handed her 6 of the letters and they all had dates from within the past year.
     “Her name was Rosa Sandoval,” Thomas said, obviously meaning the mother. “I have more such letters if you wish to see them.”
     Robin laid the letters on the desk and dropped her head. “No. No, I don’t need to see them.” Then she looked up at him. “I’m sorry. Why can’t you bring them, the children, up here?”
     Thomas shook his head. “I can’t. I just…can’t.”
     And she searched his eyes again. The devil’s eyes, yes, but…did she detect a little bit of pain? She wasn’t sure.
     And she wasn’t sure if she believed him or not. She thought he would boil his own mother in oil if necessary to save his own hide. But there was still that… irresistible magnetism that drew her to him. He was now standing right in front of her, looking down at her. His eyes—those mesmeric, hypnotic dark eyes, the devil’s eyes, never left hers. And she couldn’t take hers away from his.
     She swallowed and managed to say, “It’s…still stealing.”
     Still gazing into her eyes, he reached up and started unbuttoning her blouse. His voice was low, husky, sensuous. “No. I’m just taking what Kilmer owes me, what he ought to be paying me…”
     Robin could feel the tug on her blouse, knowing what he was doing. Stop it! Stop it right now! Don’t you dare!…But she couldn’t move a muscle. Her pulse was speeding up and her blood pressure was rising. It was hard to breathe, as it always was in his presence. “Why don’t…why…why don’t you….just ask Kilmer for a raise? Tell him…what it’s for…”
     “That is the least intelligent thing I’ve ever heard you say.”
     He was almost finished unbuttoning her blouse. Robin finally was able to break eye contact with him and look down at what he was doing. She was trembling now, trembling with desire, an overwhelming, compelling urgency sweeping through her body. There was nothing she could do to stop him. He would have to stop it himself.
     “No,” she whispered, “please don’t.”
     He spoke, again, with a tempting voice right out of hell. “It has to be, Robin. It has been in your eyes from the first time we met. And I’ve desired you from the same moment. We cannot deny our fate…”
     But Robin fought it…and she won. “NO!” she screamed, her eyes squeezed shut, her hands on her temples, shaking her head. And she pushed passed Thomas and ran out his door. To the front door of the building, whimpering as she fiddled with the lock…He’ll come after me, I know he will…but she got the lock unfastened, threw the door open, and ran all the way home…
     Ran…as if the devil were after her…

     It was almost 3 o’clock before Robin got back home. When she got close to the house, she slowed down and did showed extreme discretion as she slipped back into the house. Very quietly, she made her way into her room, undressed, and slid into bed. She was utterly exhausted, partly from not having any sleep that night, partly from the tension she had been under, and partly from…from…just being in his presence….she shuddered…
     He’s the devil…I knew he was…how did he know I was going to be there?…she figured he had seen the unlocked window…he thinks he is so smart…as she lay in bed those few minutes before she fell asleep, she tried to examine her emotions towards him again…and came to the realization that they hadn’t changed at all…I still find him revolting…and enchanting…repulsive…yet irresistible…he thought I couldn’t resist him…she smiled…I don’t even know if I believe that ridiculous, cock-and-bull story of two children in Mexico…but she sighed…she also knew now that she wasn’t going to do anything about his embezzling of funds, whether for good or ill. It wasn’t her business. She frowned…Or is it?…
     The fear…the tension…the revulsion…the attraction…the…what? She rolled over, somewhat frustrated. Well, it all diminished as Robin began to fade into sleep…and not surprisingly to her, though his name did not cross her mind one time when she was with Thomas, the last face she saw before she fell asleep was…
     Rob…why did you leave me?…not even the devil can replace him…
     Robin wept openly this time, and went to sleep with a tear running down her cheek.

     She woke up rather late, as expected. Her clock said 9:05, but she didn’t hop right out of bed. She thought about last night and the longer she did, the more angry and disgusted she got.
     With herself.
     She threw off the covers and sat up on the edge of the bed, rubbing her eyes. The whole thing was absolutely idiotic. I had no business doing any of that. If I suspected Thomas was embezzling, I should have gone right to Len with it. If he knew about it, like Thomas said, then that would have been that. If he didn’t, then he could have done whatever he wanted. But no, brilliant Robin, I had to handle it myself…She hurled herself off the bed and went to wash up and get ready for the day.
     Aunt Martha looked at Robin peculiarly when she came into the kitchen. “How are you feeling this morning, dear? You don’t look too good.”
     “I’m ok, Aunt Martha,” Robin said, a little grumpily.
     “Where did you go last night so late?”
     Robin glanced at her aunt sharply. Yeah, I should have known she’d discover I was gone…can’t hide anything from that woman…but Robin was in no mood to be ragged on by her aunt. “Aunt Martha, I just had something I had to do. I did not go out to meet a man, that I promise you.” Technically, that was the truth, of course. She continued, “There was something that I thought I needed to do, and I needed to do it late at night. I can’t tell you what it was, and I’m sorry, but that’s what happened.” Her voice was sharp, irritable, and she never talked to Aunt Martha that way.
     But to her credit, her aunt accepted her explanation, and said the most un-Aunt Martha thing Robin had ever heard her say. She spoke tenderly. “It’s all right, dear. I trust you. I know you would never do anything wrong intentionally, so I’m sure that whatever you did was from the right moves and the best thing.”
     Robin grimaced, and tears came to her eyes. Oh, I would rather her beat me than say that…She turned, ran over to her aunt, threw her arms around her, and hugged Aunt Martha like she never had before, tears streaming down her cheeks.