Unexpected

Chapter 26

A month passed. My mother came back to Illinois a week after I had moved to San Francisco and slowly the city became familiar to me. I liked it there though. It was so different from LA, but in the end I thought it was a better place to raise my daughter because it was quieter and there was less show off. LA was the show off city, the Hollywood city and San Francisco represented the regular daily life.

During that month, I was lucky enough not to meet James. Though I had many encounters with people close to him, mutual friends, but I never asked about him again. My suspicions were still alive. Every time I came back home and acknowledge all the luxury a simple secretary like I me was living in. That day was pay day and as soon as I left the office I went to check on my bank account. I was dying to see my salary in there. When the small piece of paper was spat from the machine, I grabbed it smiling just to stop smiling the next second.

"What? $20.000?" I spoke loudly as I realized that was what my company had transferred to my account.

That couldn't be... we had agreed on $3000. Something was wrong. I came back there just to talk to Frank who I knew was still at the office. I just had to cross the street.

"Frank?" I called knocking at his door. "May I come in?" I asked him while I opened the door slowly.

"Is something wrong Cleo?" He asked, taking his eyes off the computer he had in front of him.

"You transferred $20.000 to my account!" I said sitting in front of him. "That's not my salary..."

"Consider it a bonus from the good work you've been doing." He smiled.

"A bonus?" I curled an eyebrow. "But I have been here for just a month..." I argued right after.

Frank moved uncomfortably in his chair and I could tell he was searching for an explanation or an excuse. I was certain he was searching for something to tell me.

"It's a little part of the cases we've won and that you took care of it. Just be happy..." He said after a while. I looked at him not convinced at all. Everything was weird.

"Who's giving me all this money?" I decided to ask directly.

"I am Cleo." He insisted.

"I don't believe you." I said. "It's too much."

"It's me."

"You're not going to tell me? I think I have the right to know..."

"I am Cleo. I ordered that transfer." I nodded and got up.

"Ok..." I said and then I left, but not convinced at all.

The next day, alone in the office while Frank had been gone for a meeting, I decided to investigate. I knew sneaking around in computers could cost me my job but I had access to Frank's computer and it wouldn't be weird if I was seen in it. It would look like I was working and needing some information in there. I searched his files and then found one saying "James Hetfield". Exactly the one I was looking for because Frank kept all his files organized by the names of his clients. I clicked on that file and opened it. Several documents showed but one more than the others caught my attention because it said, "Greenside Way". This is where I lived.

With shaking hands, I clicked on the mouse to open it and began to read it and stopped on the part that said buyer of the 15 Greenhouse Way, 6th floor, James Alan Hetfield, by the amount of $998 000. I realized right there that James was the owner of the apartment I was living in and the date showed he had bought it 2 months before I got to town.

"My God..." I whispered.

I closed all the files and shut the computer down, coming back to my desk right after. A million thoughts running a mile per second in my mind and I even felt like crying. What I didn't want to happen was happening. I was living at his expense. I was living in his place and there I was also sure that he had something to do with the $20.000 that were transferred to my account the day before. I grabbed my cell and called Lars.