Catching Sam: Book 2 of 5: The MacDonald Brothers by Emily Matthews (best mystery novels of all time TXT) 📗

I could clean up here and borrow some clothes.” He smiled, trying to charm the woman at the desk.

“As a matter of fact, we do that here. After you shower and get settled, come back, and I’ll show you what we’ve got.”

Bingo. He was in business.

The next day, clean-shaven and freshly showered, he walked through the same doors Annie had come through yesterday.

He picked up a used newspaper and someone’s discarded coffee cup and sat in one of the leather seats in the lobby, pretending to be on break.

The lobby was too big for him to watch every door, so he focused on the one he’d seen Annie at yesterday. He used the paper to shield his face and carefully watched everyone who came and left the building.

Finally, after about an hour, he saw her. Dressed in a black pantsuit, her blond hair tied back in a low ponytail, she radiated sophisticated hotness. Why wasn’t she this gorgeous when he’d known her? Bitch.

She returned ten minutes later, again with a Starbucks coffee. It was close to the time he’d seen her yesterday, so maybe a coffee run was a daily thing. Must be nice to have money to blow on five-dollar lattes every day, he thought bitterly.

This was solely a reconnaissance mission, so he stayed where he was and watched. On her way back through the lobby, she detoured to a small table where a young woman was sitting alone. The young woman brightened when Annie stopped to say hello. They chatted and laughed for a minute and then left together for the elevators.

Once they were gone, Wayne studied the directory board mounted near the elevators. It looked like the Samatrix offices were located on the upper floors and other companies that probably just rented building space were on the lower ones. He made note of a company name not associated with Samatrix that was on the second floor. Satisfied with those bits of information, he left with the fledglings of a plan.

The next day the young woman was right where he’d hoped she’d be, sitting at the same table, alone. He’d recognized her as an “Annie” the minute he saw her. Well, an Annie before Annie became self-aware. Head down, hair in her face, not looking directly at anyone. She was just what he needed.

“Hello,” he said softly, not wanting to spook her.

She looked up from her phone, surprised, then looked over her shoulder. “Are you talking to me?” she asked bluntly.

“Yeah.” Wayne smiled. “I was wondering if maybe you’d like to get a cup of coffee with me?” He could be charming when he wanted to be. And charming her was part of his plan. “What’s your name?”

“Beckie,” she said in a voice so low he could barely hear.

“Hi, Beckie. I’m John. John Smith.” He put out his hand, and she shook it tentatively. “So, how about that cup of coffee?” He had to get her out of here before Annie came down for her cup of coffee.

“Oh, well, all right.” She stood and slung her purse over her shoulder. “You mean the Starbucks across the street?”

“Actually, I’m Starbucksed out. Plus, it’s always so crowded. How about the one at the end of the block? Copper Kettle?”

“Okay,” she said and followed him out.

“So, tell me about yourself, Beckie,” Wayne said. “You must work for Samatrix?”

“Yeah, how’d you know that?”

“I just assumed since they have a lot of workers in this building.”

“Well, it is their building.” She giggled, which pissed him off, but he reined it in. Stick with the plan, Wayne.

“Of course, no, yeah, obviously. Never mind me, I’m just really nervous,” he said shyly. “I’ve wanted to talk to you for a while, but I was so intimidated.”

“By me?” she asked, eyes wide. “Why?”

“You’re so pretty.”

She flashed him a suspicious look as he held open the door for her. He was coming on too strong. If he had any chance at this, he would have to slow down and take his time. Which sucked because time was one thing he didn’t have much of.

He bought her coffee and thanked God she didn’t want a muffin. He was down to his last twenty bucks, and a muffin would have nearly wiped him out.

“So, what do you do at Samatrix?” he asked.

“Well, until recently, I was an admin assistant, but I was just made a graphic design intern. I work with one of the best designers in the company.”

“That’s a great opportunity. Do you work with other interns?” Annie was in graphic design. That must be how they knew each other. He had to find out how well she knew Annie.

“No. I’m not even sure there was such a thing as a graphic design intern before Annabelle asked me to be hers. My boss, that is. She’s great.”

Annabelle—how pretentious. “Cool. Has she worked at the company for a long time?”

“The company, yes, but she just recently transferred to this office.”

Hah. Annabelle had to be Annie. Not wanting to come on too strong, too soon, he changed the subject. When she asked, he lied about his age, shaving eight years off, thinking an older man might freak her out. He told her he was in finance and that he worked on the second floor. Pretty generic, but she bought it.

“Beckie, it’s been nice getting to know you. I’m sorry, but I didn’t realize how late it was. I have a meeting up the street to attend, otherwise, I’d walk you back to work.” He couldn’t risk running into Annie. “Could I give you a call sometime?”

“Oh, sure,” she stammered.

“I left my phone at the office, so I’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way.” He chuckled and reached for a napkin. He didn’t want her to see the old junky phone they’d given him at the prison. “Do you have a pen?”

They exchanged numbers and said their goodbyes. Plan B would be to slowly gain Beckie’s trust until, little by little, he got the information he needed about Annie. Plan