Tell Me a Story

Chapter 16

I sat in the loveseat, Eli sitting by my side, the three government figures taking their places on the couch across from us.

Travis, the man who introduced the group at the door, and the woman were each dressed in khakis and crisp polos, like a government sponsored Gap ad. The third figure was older, in a perfectly tailored suit, a leather portfolio in his hand.

"Thank you for having us in. I know it would have been more convenient if we called ahead, but you can imagine how many people become unavailable when they hear we hear we want to stop by."

I smiled, ignoring the butterflies threatening to burst through my stomach lining. Maybe that's what Red's painting was. I looked over at her in the corner, headphones on, oblivious to the presence of our guests.

"Do we need more privacy? My roommate is working over there, but once she gets her headphones on, she's pretty much dead to the world."

"As long as you are comfortable, it's not a problem for us." He nodded towards Eli. "Your boyfriend is welcome to stay as well."

I felt like I should be objecting to the misunderstanding, but Eli's choice of morning tea rather than coffee left me too tired for explanations. Eli wasn't jumping up to correct the agent either, so I let it go.

The agent smiled as he sat forward, hands folded, elbows on his knees. He nodded to the two with him, who took out their badges and took turns leaning forward to show their credentials.

"I'm not actually DEA," said the smartly dressed man as he flashed his badge, "I'm with the IRS."

"I figured there was a reason for the suit. You had to either be IRS or concealing a weapon in your jacket. Not really sure which is scarier."

I let out an awkward laugh and watched the DEA agents stifle a grin as the IRS man looked down at his portfolio, expressionless.

"So Kate, my name is Amy," the woman spoke, whipping out a pen and legal pad, "and I have just a few questions about your time working with Mr. Leeman."

"Junior or Senior?"

"Junior."

"What exactly was your job at the skating rink?"

"Well, I did all sorts of stuff before George Sr. passed, but when his son took over, I basically just cleaned up, sharpened skates, helped out with rentals and concessions, that sort of thing."

"What do you mean you did more before?"

"I used to handle inventory and help George with the financials."

The IRS man leaned forward on the couch. "Did you have access to any financial information when his son took over? Checkbooks? Bank accounts?"

I shook my head. "I didn't so much as open a bank statement."

"That didn't strike you as odd?"

"George Junior was always kind of Type A, you know?" I paused as the IRS man stared back at me and quickly added, "Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. But he liked to be in control, so it didn't really surprise me when he took away some responsibilities."

He sat back and nodded for Amy to continue. "Did you ever observe anything out of the ordinary?"

"Well, there was this one thing recently." I felt Eli shift in his seat next to me, but continued. "One night after I closed up the rink, a man was sitting in a car in the parking lot. I noticed the guy talking on a phone, but when I tried to get a better look he took off.""

"Can you describe the vehicle?" I closed my eyes, my brows pulled together tightly as if that would somehow paint a clearer picture of that night. "I'm not sure. A dark colored, older model sedan. You know, the kind with boxier edges. That's all I can remember."