Fortunately for us, Steph and Jeff also lived in Brooklyn, and when we arrived on their doorstep, they were clearly happy to see us. Or at least Steph was. Her husband was at work, so it was just her.
“So how did it go?” she asked the moment we entered the modest apartment. It had a homely feel, and was very airy and bright, but also very, very small, at least by our standards. But then we’re used to living in a house, of course, with plenty of space. The same space in the big city clearlycomes at a premium.
“I’m afraid I didn’t get very far with Mr. Crowley,” said Odelia, opting for the direct approach. “He claims he had no information on the other candidates, so he wouldn’t have been in a position to launch a smear campaign against them. He’d never even heard your name, so he couldn’tpossibly have tried to slander you.”
“He’s lying,” said Steph immediately. “He must have known.”
“If he did, he must have received the information from someone at WelBeQ,” said Odelia. “Which means you have an enemy in the HR department, Steph.”
“I thought as much,” said the young woman. “Clearly they wanted Crowley to get the job, and when it looked as if I was going to come out on top, they started this campaign against me.” Thought wrinkles appeared on her brow. “It must be someone who’s not very high up. Not a person in a position to decide which candidate is chosen. Someone who’s friends with Crowley. Or maybe a relative.”
“Can’t you ask your contact at WelBeQ? Maybe they know something?”
“I’ve tried, but the person who called me said she’s already stuck her neck out by telling me what she knew, and if she starts digging even deeper she might get in trouble herself.” She heaved a sigh. “Looks like it’s a dead end, isn’t it?”
“Not necessarily,” said Odelia. “You could always file an official complaint with the police. They did send these fake pictures of you, slandering your reputation.”
Steph waved the suggestion away.“I had another job offer last night. Junior designer at a reputable fashion house in Paris. Jeff is ecstatic, of course, since it would mean we could move back to Paris and be closer to his family again. And for me it would be a great opportunity as well. Maybe not my dream job, like the one at WelBeQ, but definitely something I think I will love.”
“Hey, but that’s great,” said Odelia.
“It is. And something else has happened. Jeff’s godmother died last night. Thing is that she made a will leaving her entire estate to Jeff. She didn’t have kids of her own and loved Jeff. It includes an apartment and a sizable sum of money.”
“How old was Jeff’s godmother?”
“Ninety-six. She was in a bad way for a while now. We paid her a visit when we were in Paris. She was a very lively and funny lady. Crazy about dogs. Her apartment was crawling with them. I think she had about a dozen. She was a patron at one of the big dog shelters in Paris, and couldn’t resist to adopt one each time she visited.” She smiled at the memory. “I’ll miss her. She was a real pistol.”
“So that means you’ll have a job in Paris and maybe an apartment,” said Odelia, summing things up. “And what about Jeff? Does he have a job lined up?”
“Jeff can’t wait to go back. If my dream was to move to LA, his dream is Paris. And as far as jobs is concerned, he has his pick. His dad is well-connected.”
“What does he do, your father-in-law?”
“He’s a politician. Could very well be the next mayor of Paris. He was a candidate in the last election and lost, but this time he’s expected to win.”
“Looks like WelBeQ is in Steph’s rearview mirror already,” said Dooley.
“Yeah, I don’t think she’s going to shed any tears about what happened,” I said.
And a good thing, too. There didn’t seem to be a lot she could do about the smear campaign. Unless she was willing to file an official complaint. But she seemed reluctant to go down that route, and I could understand why. It can be a hassle.
“I just want to leave the whole mess behind me,” Steph said now, confirming our estimation of the situation. “And if I’m absolutely honest I don’t think I even want to work for WelBeQ anymore, after the way they treated me. At the very least they could have talked to me before believing these filthy stories. But instead they took them at face value and didn’t even offer me a chance to defend myself.”
“Yeah, their HR department has a lot to answer for,” Odelia agreed.
“In normal circumstances a person is innocent until proven guilty, but at WelBeQ that doesn’t seem to be the case.” She shrugged. “We talked about it last night, Jeff and I, after the Paris offer came in, and we decided to accept and move on.”
“So no more WelBeQ?”
“No more WelBeQ.”
CHAPTER 5
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Our mission at an end, we returned to Hampton Cove forthwith, to devote ourselves to that other, perhaps more compelling mystery: the disappearance of Shanille!