Alex Harris 00 - Armed

to check on all the orders that went out that day. Maybe it got sent somewhere else. We’ll find it! Murray, haven’t I always come through before? Okay, okay. I’ll get back to you. Yes, today!”
    If this continued, I wouldn’t have any reason to talk with Richard Sheridan. I could just position a chair outside of his office and take notes. I peeked inside and saw that he had put the phone down.
    “Excuse me, Mr. Sheridan. May I interrupt you for a few minutes? I’m Alex Harris.”
    He didn’t even look up from rummaging in his desk. “No.”
    I stepped inside. In contrast to Emmanuelle’s office, I liked this more. While bigger, it still had the same view, and the cherry wood desk and wall furnishings gave it a much warmer feel than Emmanuelle’s.
    “It’ll just take a moment.” In his agitated state he might let something slip. I shamelessly named dropped again. “Mr. Poupée really wanted me to talk with everyone and…”
    It worked. Richard Sheridan looked up and motioned for me to take a seat. “William said something about a friend being here to help. You must be the friend. You’ve caught me at a very bad time.”
    “I couldn’t help overhearing. Is there something wrong with one of your orders?”
    “I don’t think that’s what you wanted to talk about, is it?”
    “Well, no. I just thought I could help.”
    “Well, you can’t. Now if you have questions, ask them. I’ve got things to do.”
    “I might as well start with the obvious. Where were you Tuesday night around five-thirty?”
    Mr. Sheridan sat at his desk and actually smiled. “Out shopping. My wife and I had just returned from a trip that afternoon and I needed to get out. You know how it is after you’ve been cooped up in a small space for a long time. I needed fresh air and I wanted to get my wife a Christmas gift so I went to the mall, got something to eat, and walked around.”
    “What did you get your wife?” I asked with my most beguiling smile, not believing him for a minute. I already knew from eavesdropping he had spoken with a client on Tuesday night, though admittedly, that could have been from the comfort of his own home or cell phone.
    “Nothing, actually. I couldn’t find the right thing so I went home.”
    “What time was that?”
    “About nine-thirty. Ms. Harris, is this really necessary? I’ve already answered these questions. William’s wishes aside, I can’t see how this will help. Besides, I’ve got more important things to do.”
    Another person with no alibi, at least not one that could be verified unless I wanted to go down to the mall with a large picture of Richard Sheridan and a sign asking, Have You Seen This Man?
    I ignored his plea and continued, “So you just got back from a business trip.”
    “Yes. My wife and I went to Europe. I had some business and she came along.”
    “I didn’t realize Poupée Mannequins had business interests in Europe,” I said truthfully, having been surprised when Emmanuelle mentioned it.
    “Yes, we have a few clients. Not too many but I’m working on that.”
    Richard Sheridan, while not bad looking, would never be accused of being a hunk. He had beady eyes and a receding hairline and his physique could be categorized as scrawny. I liked my men with a bit more to hold on to and a bit more height. Richard had neither.
    “Actually, this trip had nothing to do with our clients,” he continued. “We have our mannequin eyes made in Europe and I go over several times a year to check on production.”
    “Wouldn’t that be something for Mr. Poupée to handle, or maybe someone from the production department?”
    “Yes, ordinarily, but the mannequins with the interchangeable eyes—we call them The Eyes Have It—was my discovery.” He smiled and puffed out his pitiful chest.
    I mentally rolled my eyes. The man obviously thought the invention of mannequin eyes akin to that of penicillin. He laughed and I asked why because so far I hadn’t been amused.
    “I’m laughing because of what you said. Jerry Gagliano, the factory foreman, thinks it should be his job. Tries to get William to let him go, but I’ve managed to hang on to it. The mannequin eyes were a fluke really. I met someone through mutual friends while on vacation and, well, one thing led to the other. The man runs a factory that makes doll eyes, of all things. I got to thinking about mannequins and he made us such a great deal we decided to start the new line.”
    “How long ago was