“Now I’m even more glad I got out of Verification. And it would explain the number of calls I got from within R and D. Any other big spats?”
“This is between us, right? You’re not going to be telling who told you what?” She looked intensely uncomfortable, an effect the usual company gossip didn’t tend to have on her.
“It’s between us. I can’t use gossip as evidence. Right now, I just need to be pointed in the right direction.”
She leaned forward across her desk and dropped her voice. “I’m not saying this to be mean, but Ari has dated almost every straight, single male in the company—and even some not so single, if you get my drift. To hear her talk, it was all their fault it didn’t work out. The ones she hasn’t dated probably rejected her. I love her to death, but anyone she reported, you can dismiss outright.”
“I don’t think she’s reported anyone.”
Isabel looked relieved. “She must be growing up.”
I was dying to ask where Owen fell on Ari’s list, but to a gossip like Isabel, that was like adding my name to the day’s hotsheet, proving I was interested in him.
“Corporate Sales and Outside Sales have a grudge match going on, but it’s mostly friendly competition. This situation is hurting both of them, so I don’t see either group getting caught up in it.”
“How did word get outside the company?”
She shrugged. “Wives talk to husbands, husbands talk to wives. People talk to friends and lovers. Word gets out. You can’t keep a lid on something like this.”
That was exactly the opening I’d been trying to get. I hadn’t lost my touch since the days when the drill team needed me to help find out which cheerleader had been spreading rumors about what they were up to and with whom under the bleachers after football games. “How did you hear about it in the first place? You and Ari were asking me about it while it was still supposedly a secret.”
“I heard it from Ari.”
“And where did she hear about it?”
She cocked her head to one side. “You’d have to ask her to be sure, but I assumed she was close enough to see firsthand how Owen reacted when he figured out that someone had been into his notes. Or I guess she might have heard it from someone else who was nearby. All those labs have windows into the hallway, so you can see what’s going on, and I doubt there’s a woman in the department who doesn’t have Owen on her scope.”
“How did people hear about the security tampering? That word got out really fast.”
“I heard it from Rod. I’m not sure where he heard about it. I think he knew Owen was getting Sam to look into things.”
That narrowed it down to someone in R&D, it would appear. I got out of the overstuffed chair that I would have loved to lounge in all afternoon. “Do you think you could call down to R and D and tell someone I’m coming so they’ll let me in?”
“Honey, I’m sure Owen knew you were coming before you decided to go there.”
From the way Owen had described his occasional bursts of precognition, I didn’t think he was quite that on the ball, and I was sure he had better things to do than keep an eye on my whereabouts.
It turned out that I didn’t have anything to worry about. Owen himself was at the front door to the department, working with Sam on the security panel. I paused to admire the sight before making my presence felt. While Owen was a vision dressed up for work in a nice suit, there was something about the way he looked with his sleeves rolled up, his dark hair mussed and falling across his forehead, and his tie loosened that I found particularly appealing. Maybe it made him look a little less perfect, a little more attainable.
“Hey, dollface,” Sam greeted me.
Owen jumped slightly, as if startled, then jumped again when he apparently hit something he shouldn’t have. He sucked his index finger, then shook his hand vigorously, all while turning several intriguing shades of red.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” I said.
“Sam startled me.”
“Can I help it if you’re so high-strung?” the gargoyle said.
“I’m high-strung because I’m working with both magic and electricity to try to fix the device that’s supposed to keep this department secured,” Owen snapped back. I’d never seen him this testy before. I’d seen him angry, but that was more of an icy-calm state that was scarier than any snarling. This was just normal human frustration. Then he sighed. “Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to snap.” He looked up at me. “Is there something you need, Katie?”