The October List

ran to her aid. The cop looked around once then bent down toward the woman and pulled out his radio. The cabbie raced up, gesturing frantically with his hands.
    ‘Jesus,’ Daniel muttered. ‘Is she all right?’
    It did look bad, Gabriela realized, but she whispered, ‘We can’t worry about her. Let’s go.’
    She gripped Daniel’s arm and pulled him forward. Taking her keys from her pocket, she hurried to the office building. As the cop was bending down over Elena and making a call they stepped into the lobby. Gabriela slipped the key into the inner door lock and in less than a minute they were on the second floor, at the door marked with another brass plaque: Prescott Investments, LLC .
    The door was sealed with a yellow adhesive marker. Crime Scene Do Not Enter . The phone number to call in case one wished to access the office was at the bottom.
    Daniel hesitated but Gabriela opened the door of the office and pushed inside, tearing the NYPD notice neatly in half with a loud, ripping sound.
    Closing the door after them, she stopped, blinking, and looked around. ‘My God, they took everything! The computers, shredders, hard drives, file cabinets, credenzas. They must’ve brought moving trucks!’
    Daniel too examined the rooms, then glanced from the window. ‘I can’t tell how Elena is. The trees are blocking the view. I think she’s still on the ground.’
    ‘We can’t worry about her. We have to search! The money and the October List. We need them!’
    Her head swiveled as she regarded what few objects were inside. Some bad artwork, photographs and diplomas and certificates up on the walls. Also, vases of fake flowers, office supplies, cups, mugs, wilted flowers, pictures of family, bottles of wine, boxes of coffee and snacks. On two coffee tables were professional journals, recent editions of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal , several books: Debt Markets in BRIC Countries , Accounting Procedures and Tax Treatment of Oil and Gas Leasing Partnerships .
    In a corner were some storage boxes, missing lids but filled with papers.
    Gabriela dropped to her knees and prowled through the cartons.
    ‘Helpful?’ Daniel asked as he began looking through drawers, which all appeared to be empty, except for office supplies.
    She read through them quickly. ‘No. These’re just real estate records about the building. Nothing to do with Charles’s business.’
    She began rifling drawers and looking through closets while Daniel was prying up carpet and knocking on walls, searching, apparently, for hidden compartments.
    A man’s approach, Gabriela thought. Not necessarily a bad one.
    They continued the search. But twenty minutes later Gabriela stood, stiffly, and looked around. She said in despair, ‘Nothing.’ She closed her eyes and sighed. Then she looked mournfully at the clock on the wall. ‘He kept his own watch fast, ten minutes, Charles did, so he’d never be late, never miss an appointment or conference call.’ Her eyes still on the timepiece, she said, ‘We have two hours. Oh, Sarah.’ She choked a sob. ‘What’re we going to do?’
    Daniel peered out the window again, carefully. ‘The cop’s on the radio, looking at the building. He seems suspicious. Oh, hell.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘Somebody just came out of the building. Some woman. The cop called her over.’ Daniel stepped back fast. ‘He’s looking up again. I think he’s suspicious. We better get out.’
    Which was when Gabriela cocked her head. ‘Oil and gas.’
    ‘What?’
    She pointed to the reception area coffee table. ‘That book?’
    It was a textbook, thick and intimidating. Tax Treatment of Oil and Gas Leasing Partnerships .
    She asked, ‘We’ve never done any of that kind of work.’ She picked up the tome. Flipped through it. ‘Daniel, look.’ The first hundred pages were dense text about accounting and tax procedures. In the middle, though, were a dozen pages bound into the book that had nothing to do with partnerships.
    On the top of the first page were the words: October List.
    Gabriela laughed. ‘Yes!’
    ‘He hid it in plain sight.’
    ‘Smart of him. The list’s actually bound in, like any other pages, so it doesn’t bulge suspiciously. No one would think twice about it; and there wasn’t much chance of anyone stealing a boring textbook on leases.’
    Gabriela carefully tore the list out. ‘Let’s copy it.’ She looked around. ‘Wait. The copier’s gone. The police took it. Why?’
    Daniel