Grim Reaper 01 - Embrace the Grim Reaper

back through the neighbor’s yard, and into the alley. “Nothing to be sorry about.”
    “But I didn’t find out anything.”
    “Sure you did.”
    He stumbled over a rock and righted himself, Casey reaching for his arm.
    “What was it?” he asked. “What did I find out?”
    Casey glanced back toward Yvonne’s dark house, where she was sure Yvonne huddled in the darkness with her dogs, shivering.
    “You found out that she’s scared. And that changes everything.”

Chapter Forty-two
    They walked without speaking down back roads and quiet yards, avoiding the homes Eric recognized as ones with dogs. In twenty minutes they were making their way toward the diner, The Burger Palace, and The Sleep Inn. Once they arrived, it was trickier to find places to walk where they wouldn’t be spotted. It took them twice as long as it should have to maneuver around HomeMaker’s parking lot, and Casey was beginning to worry they’d be too late.
    But when the back entrance of the factory came into view they could see many employees still hanging around outside.
    “Will they recognize you?” Casey asked.
    Eric smiled grimly. “They might. Karl made a big deal of getting me in some corporate pictures. I guess I had the look he wanted.”
    Casey considered that. “I guess we’ll have to take the chance, if we’re going to do this. Looks like we can keep our caps on, at least.” A lot of the workers she could see were wearing hats. “Where are the video cameras?”
    He shrugged. “Never bothered to check.”
    Casey scanned the face of the building, and saw two cameras. One was high on the wall, to get an overall view of the entryway, and one seemed to be trained on the door. She couldn’t spot any in the parking lot. There would be at least one inside the building, she was sure.
    “We’ll have to leave our dark sweaters here,” she said. “I’m glad we can wear these caps, though. Be sure to keep your face down.”
    They got as close as they could within the shadows before strolling together into the break area, acting like they were in conversation. No one bothered them, or seemed to even notice they were there. They neared the door, and Casey felt like she could breathe again.
    “Hey.”
    Casey froze and turned toward the voice, pivoting on her feet to place her weight on the right one, ready to fend off an attack.
    The man held an unlit cigarette between his thumb and forefinger. “Either of you got a light?”
    Casey shook her head. “Sorry.”
    The man grunted his displeasure, but turned to another co-worker to repeat his question. Casey and Eric continued on into the building. Casey didn’t look up to search for videos, but she was certain they were there. She hoped Security wasn’t looking at the monitors too closely.
    Eric didn’t hesitate, but headed casually toward the door at the end of the hallway marked Administrative Offices. He put the key in the door and turned it, and before anyone could say anything, they were in the silent, dark hallway, with the door closing behind them. Eric punched the code into the alarm and the access light turned green.
    “They’ll be able to tell that I was here, when they look,” he said.
    Casey shrugged. It couldn’t be helped. “Let’s go.”
    They walked the length of the hallway, and Casey stopped Eric before he opened the door. “Video cameras? Any idea where they’re placed?”
    “I know there’s one in the lobby, watching Gloria and the front door. I don’t think there’s one in the administrative offices. My…Karl’s big on privacy in the workplace. His own workplace, anyway.” He opened the door.
    The hallway led directly into the lobby of the building, where Gloria the receptionist sat during the day. They kept their heads averted from the desk, hoping the inmates weren’t being seen on the monitors. Eric went directly to the other door, and within moments they were in the main office.
    Yvonne’s computer was off, as were all of the lights, except for a security lamp on the wall. Casey took a moment to look around, and saw that Eric had been correct. No video cameras. At least none that she could see. She went to Yvonne’s desk, sat down in the chair, and booted up the PC.
    Eric flipped on one of the overhead lights. “No one can see us in here.”
    Casey looked around the room. He was right. No windows. How depressing.
    “I’m not sure Karl would let Yvonne keep sensitive information out here,” Eric said, yanking open one of the