Page 11 of Drunk In Love
I should have kept my hands to myself. Putting my hand on the small of her back could have been a huge employee violation. That’s definitely not something to do with a coworker, but it felt natural with Kamaya. Something I would have done for a girlfriend.
Oh, God. Nope. Not going down that road.
There was a reason I avoided relationships now, and the last person I should be thinking of as my hypothetical girlfriend is my friend and coworker. All morning I thought of that day after the wedding. Waking up together felt natural and like something I wanted to happen again.
Though I couldn’t explain why. My frantic thoughts returned to our time spent in the car on the way to the wedding and having fun together over the weekend. Everything between us felt so natural, never forced.
Returning upstairs to our office, Kamaya heads into the kitchen area and begins making coffee. “Do you want one?” she asks.
“Yes, thanks,” I say, still contemplating what we should do next with this assignment. An idea strikes me as I think about the whiteboard in the seating area next to the kitchen.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, heading over there, not wanting to lose the momentum of my new thought process.
I move over to the area and head straight to the whiteboard, drawing a map and then connecting the dots based on what evidence we have. I put FJ in the center and then make lines branching out to connected people or things that could be the cause of the hacking. We were now aware of at least five people connected to FJ: Cecily, Katie, Zach, Jacob, and Franco. Could any of them be the mole? Or could they have hired someone else to do it?
After a few minutes, I turn at the sound Kamaya’s footsteps and the smell of coffee. She takes a long look at the board, studying my work. “What’s all this?”
I step back away from my handiwork and survey what I’ve done in the span of several minutes. We didn’t have very many leads to go on. So far, reticent Jacob had been the most informative and useful since this all started. His insight on the now MIA Franco made a difference, but what about the other clues we had? Did the other four besides Jacob know something they were not divulging?
I still can’t forget the conversation I overheard from Zach during the rehearsal dinner. If only I’d have known who he was talking to. Zach Stapely was number one on my list of suspects.
“I think the first thing we have to do is track down Franco. If he’s a former IT expert for the journal, he could potentially know what happened.”
“Unless, of course, he’s the one who somehow got those students free access. Now he’d be under scrutiny and possibly liable for trade secrets,” Kamaya responds, then takes a sip of her coffee.
“Yeah, that’s a good point,” I say, taking a step back and standing next to Kamaya as I lean against the wall opposite the whiteboard. I can’t stop thinking about what I overheard on Friday, the night of rehearsal. Was now a good time to bring it up?
“What about Zach?” Kamaya asks, eyebrows knit as she looks at the board and points to where his name is written at the top of the chart.
“What about him?” I ask. It’s almost like she read my mind.
“Does that mean you think he’s involved in the subscription leak? You have his name next to Franco’s.”
How did I broach this without sounding like I’m accusing Zach of anything? Yet.
“I just included anyone associated with FJ for now. In fact, I need to write in Mrs. Van Zandt’s name. Maybe this subscription leak is from their competition, or maybe it’s a personal vendetta against her?”
Kam nodded. “I can spend the rest of the day looking into her more and see what we can find.”
I glance over at the board before responding. This was not going to be simple.
“I think some research is best for now and also tracking down Franco is our best bet. He could know the most of anyone.”
“Agreed,” she says.
“Unless Zach knows more than he’s letting on,” I finally say.
Kamaya is quiet for a beat, shuffling her weight from foot to foot. “I’m sensing you don’t trust Zach.”
I shrug, suddenly feeling hot in the small dining area in the office kitchen. I would let Kam know about what I overheard when the right moment presented itself. “I think we shouldn’t rule anyone out. Never know who could end up helping us out.”
Kamaya nods at my words, taking another look at the board before us. “We’ve certainly got our work cut out for us,” she says.
After our coffee break, Kamaya and I return to her desk, since she has three monitors, and begin our research on Franco DiLaurentis, Cecily, and FJ. The office is quiet except for Kam’s typing and clicking as she switches between several screens. Our other teammates aren’t due to return until sometime this afternoon, and our boss is now enroute to his honeymoon to Bora Bora.
It’s Kamaya and me, side by side at her workspace. The sitting area was definitely intended for one person, and with my chair dragged over to sit next to hers, our bodies have been pressed together for the past hour. The warmth of her has distracted me, to say the least.
Kamaya’s mouth is twisted in the cute way she always does when she’s concentrating.