Stepping silently into the shadows of her living room, Phil waited, knowing that her next stop would be her bedroom, where she‘d change her clothes. Once her conversation was complete, Phil planned to make his presence known. There was no need to be coy. Patricia would recognize him the moment she saw him. They’d had more than a few conversations in the past.
As she made her way to her bedroom still talking, he remembered hearing about the reason for her firing. A smile graced his lips as he recalled Brent filling him in on the details. Brent was the one to authorize the larger than normal severance package. After all, Patricia Miles had been the assistant to the CEO of a billion-dollar conglomerate. Half a million dollars should have been sufficient to secure her silence and allow her to slip away. Changing her identity was never part of the deal. Brent offered glowing recommendations for Patricia Miles. She could have easily moved to any Fortune 500 company and done well. The situation she now faced was her own doing.
Phil tugged on the fingers of his leather gloves and continued to listen. Patricia was still in her bedroom when she finally said goodbye. It wasn’t until she walked down the hallway toward her waiting cup of coffee that he made his presence known. Stepping from the living room, Phil silently moved toward the brightly lit kitchen.
“Ms. Miles,” he stated in a cold, even tone.
Patricia’s shoulders stiffened as he heard her gasp. Slowly she turned his direction. Confusion and fear swirled in her eyes as anger and determination vied for dominance. Prying her tense lips apart, she finally asked, “Mr. Roach? What are you doing in my home?”
Moving his head slowly back and forth, he said, “Come now. I’m sure you can come up with a better question than that. I have one: what’s an MIT and Stanford graduate doing in Olivia, Minnesota, working as a paralegal? Especially someone who received a handsome settlement with the promise of glowing recommendations? Ms. Miles, you could be living the high life in New York or better yet, someplace abroad, perhaps London.”
Her ashen pallor intensified as Patricia’s gaze slowly moved around her kitchen. “I-I want you to leave.”
The spring sky through the window had begun to darken. He couldn’t have orchestrated a better cover. Along with removing herself from the radar, Patricia had also chosen an isolated home, at least a half mile from the nearest neighbor. A low chuckle rumbled from somewhere deep within Phil’s throat. One that even he thought sounded sinister. “Really, Ms. Miles, your time for making demands has expired. I have demands now.”
Her frightened eyes moved to his.
“Ms. Miles, my demands are basic and straightforward. You were given the opportunity to make yourself scarce and go on with your life. Instead you chose to seek revenge. The Rawlingses have had more than enough of that—enough to last a lifetime. I want you gone and out of their lives. I don’t want you to attempt to contact them in any way—ever again.”
“Who said that I—”
“Don’t play dumb. Your intelligence is what’s gotten you this far. Try capitalizing on it. It could save your life. Tell me you’ll leave them alone.”
“Save my life?” she asked. “What does that mean?”
“I gave you the answer. Say it.”
“I’ll leave them alone.”
Phil heard the lie roll off her tongue with ease.
“I don’t know what you planned to accomplish with your mailings, but whatever it was, it’s over.”
“Tell me what you mean, over?” The panic showed in her eyes. “What are you going to do? Does Mr.… Tony know you’re here?”
Phil reached into his pocket. “No. No one knows, which is not to your advantage. I’m here to warn you.”
“Warn me?”
“Give up your quest, whatever it is. By using the U.S. Postal Service to send your threatening mailings you’ve committed a federal crime, one that’s punishable by up to twenty years in prison.”
Her back again straightened defiantly. “I never threatened anyone. And as I recall, you’re not in law enforcement.”
“I’m not—another disadvantage for you. And you did threaten. You also attempted to manipulate and harass, all punishable by law.”