War and Peas

Most men when they make a pass and get rejected are either embarrassed or angry. But Derek can’t be rejected. He just doesn’t see it. He keeps trying again and again. And I’m in no position to be as rude to him as I’d like.“
    “You could file a sexual harassment suit,“ Shelley suggested.
    “I’m not so sure I could,“ Sharlene said, and surprised them by adding, “I’ve looked up the laws and there are too many shades of gray. He’s not stupid, you know. Everything could have an innocent interpretation. Like yesterday, when I got upset and he put his arm around me. I knew it was just a grope. He could say he was being sympathetic and supportive. And he does things like suggesting that business conversations be conducted over lunch. I’d call it a date. He could come back and say it was lunchtime anyway and he was only trying to avoid wasting valuable time. Oh, well. Like I say, I don’t think he’ll be around for long. I can stick it out.”
    They’d been heading for the boardroom as they talked. After they had entered and Sharlene turned on the overhead lights, Shelley said, “I think I left that clipboard with the forms in the basement. I’ll be right back with it.“
    “No, turn on the computer and fix me a cup of coffee,“ Jane said. “I’ll get your stuff.”
    When she returned a minute later, she didn’t have the clipboard. Sharlene was gone and Shelley was waiting patiently. “Jane, what’s wrong?”
    Jane spoke quietly. “Come back to the basement with me.”
    She led the way down the stairs and stood aside for Shelley to enter. “Uh-oh,“ Shelley said, surveying what she could see of the room. “Another search?”
    Cartons were open; boxes were overturned; old files were strewn around the floor.
    “Apparently somebody thought whatever they were looking for in Regina’s office might be down here instead,“ Jane said.
    Shelley sighed. “Mel isn’t going to like this.”

    He didn’t.
    “Could any of you tell if something was missing?“ he asked when he was shown into the basement half an hour later.
    Sharlene shook her head. “I haven’t been down here much lately. I can’t understand it. There’s nothing of value here. These are rejects and old records and things people have donated that we don’t dare get rid of but have no use for.”
    Shelley had been picking her way delicately through some of the mess. “I don’t think anyone was after an object. The boxes and cartons are all labeled, and the only ones that have been opened are marked ‘Books’ or ‘Files.’ And not recent files, either.“
    “How odd,“ Jane said. “If somebody’s looking for something old, why would they start in Regina’s office? And if they’re looking for something recent, why bother to come down here? It doesn’t make sense.“
    “Two different people looking for two different things?“ Sharlene suggested.
    “Maybe, but it seems unlikely,“ Jane said. “The only common thread seems to be Regina’s death. Whoever is doing this presumably couldn’t do it before she died. Or maybe they had no need to.”
    Mel wasn’t interested in this speculation. He turned to Sharlene. “Would there be any way to know what’s missing, if anything is?“
    “I don’t think so,“ Sharlene said. “Unless Jane and Shelley filled out inventory forms on some of the things down here.“
    “No, we didn’t,“ Jane said.
    “You two were down here yesterday?“ Mel asked.
    “Yes. We came upstairs when Sharlene discovered the mess in Regina’s office and we didn’t come back until this morning,“ Shelley said.
    “So anyone in the building yesterday afternoon could have come down here,“ Mel said.
    Jane thought back to the gathering in the boardroom while they had waited for him. Georgia had taken Caspar out of the room. Babs had left with Lisa. Jumper had removed Sharlene. Derek had gone to his office and Shelley had driven Whitney away. “Yes, anyone could have zipped off for a minute,“ she admitted.
    “This took more than a minute,“ Mel said.
    “Not necessarily. Not for the person who knew what they were looking for,“ Shelley said.
    “Or if there were two of them,“ Jane said, thinking about the pairs of people who’d left the room. “And maybe it wasn’t in the afternoon. Could someone have hidden down here and done this overnight?“ she asked Sharlene.
    “Maybe. We have a janitor who comes in three nights a week, but last night wasn’t one of