"So what's up boss?" Shane asked as the She Spies arrived at Comcent.
"This is Meredith Barrington," he said clicking the photo onto the large screen outside his office, "she's the CEO of Barrington Corporation, they make government weapons and hardware. Someone has been stealing classified information, new project developments, test results, that sort of thing."
"So what do we do?" Cassie asked the nattily dressed man.
"D.D., you're her newest computer programmer, Shane, you have security, Cassie, personal assistant. She knows who you are but no one else will. Listen to her, she knows her company better than anyone."
"We're on it." Cassie nodded and led them out after accepting the dossier he held out to her.
"Mr. Cross?" Duncan approached.
Cross turned, clicking the screen off after a moment.
"Yes?"
"Are you okay?"
"Fine. Did you want something?"
"Some new tech to look over."
"Show me."
Duncan nodded and led him to his "lab".
"Shane's already there talking to them." D.D. murmured as the elevator door opened.
"May I help you?" A tall attractive man asked as they stepped onto the executive floor.
"Cassie McBain, Mrs. Barrington's personal assistant."
"D.D. Cummings, computer programmer."
"Do you two know each other?"
"We just met in the elevator actually." Cassie replied.
"I'm Marc Tate, senior V.P., welcome to Barrington."
"Wow, senior V.P., it's an honor." D.D. smiled at him.
"What she said." Cassie nodded.
"You'll need to sign confidentiality papers, we don't want our competitors to find out what we're working on." He said leading them to his office.
"I can't tell anyone how she takes her coffee?" Cassie quipped.
"Industrial espionage is very serious, losing the jump on the competition can ruin a company."
"Yes it can Miss Cummings." Tate smiled at her.
"Call me D.D."
"Marc." He nodded and pulled out papers then handed them pens with which they signed the papers. "Deborah." He called and the secretary appeared. "Show Miss McBain to Mrs. Barrington's office."
The secretary nodded and Cassie gave D.D. a look as she followed her out of the office.
"I'll introduce you to the other programmers so you can get started D.D."
"Thank you Marc." She smiled and followed him out.
Cassie looked around as she walked down the wood paneled corridor. This is the kind of life I could get used to. I wonder if Mrs. Barrington has a son?
"Come in." A female voice responded when the secretary stopped at a door and knocked.
Cassie pulled her attention back to her job as they entered into a much larger office.
"Ah, Miss McBain, thank you Deborah."
The secretary nodded and closed the door on her way out.
"May I get you some coffee?"
"Isn't that my job?" Cassie smiled at the older woman with the slight Southern accent.
"Around everyone else who works here." Mrs. Barrington smiled and motioned toward the beverages.
"No, thank you."
Mrs. Barrington set about pouring a cup of tea and Cassie took the time to study her. She was tall and thin, her hair short, blondish brown and she was clad in a tailored blue suit reminding Cassie of Cross. The spy surmised she was in her 50's which made her think she could indeed have a thirty year old son, the blonde smiled to herself.
"Have a seat Cassie." She invited taking her own desk chair as Cassie sat on the other side of the desk.
"I've read the report, you first noticed the theft three weeks ago? Did you look any further back than that?"
"No, I was concerned it would alert the traitor. I immediately contacted the government."
"D.D. can do a search through e-mails while Shane sends personnel files to our boss. We'll find who's behind it, Mrs. Barrington."
"I know you will." She nodded.
There was a knock on the door and the CEO called for them to enter.
"Everyone is ready, Mrs. Barrington."
"Thank you, Marc. Cassie, I have some errands for you to run while I'm in my meeting."
"Of course, Mrs. Barrington."
The older woman handed her a list and they left the office together, going in separate directions.
The girls met for lunch at a favored restaurant a few miles away to compare notes.
"I've been through half the e-mails sent out today, nothing turned up in my search parameters." D.D. said.
"I've sent all the names to Cross, he hasn't gotten back to me yet." Shane added.
"Mrs. Barrington seems nice enough, I keep wondering if she has a son." Cassie replied.
"Heir to a billion dollar firm would be attractive." Shane agreed.
"He'd have to be more than the money though. Smart, funny---" D.D. said.
"Tall, dark and handsome, more I could handle." Cassie smiled.
"You and me both." Shane grinned as her phone rang. "Hello? Yeah, they're with me, hold on." She replied and rose, they followed her to the parking lot. "Okay, go ahead."
'We found a dozen possibles, three in R & D, two programmers, four in security and three upper level management, you should be receiving their names now.' Cross said.
"Got 'em, we'll split up and check them out." Cassie replied remembering the names on the list.
'Duncan is bringing some tracking devices over to you Cassie, we need to keep these people under surveillance til we can narrow it down.'
"Right, we'll let you know if we come up with our man...or woman." She answered.
Cross nodded and signed off.
"Can we finish lunch first? I'm starving." D.D. requested.
"I spy better on a full stomach." Shane agreed.
"Let's order something pricey, Cross is paying." Cassie grinned.
Cassie was in Mrs. Barrington's office when Duncan arrived with flowers.
"Nice hat." She smirked seeing him in a little green uniform.
"I had to look official." He whispered. "The devices are in the base of the vase, just turn it to the left."
"Thanks." She nodded and walked him to the door.
"Mrs. Barrington isn't back yet?" Marc asked.
"I guess not."
"I have some papers I need her signature on so I am going to leave them on her desk."
"I'll make sure she gets them." Cassie nodded writing in her book.
"Nice flowers. 'Have a good first day,love Q.'" He read the card.
Cassie looked up startled.
"Boyfriend huh? Probably not for long."
"What do you mean?"
"Personal assistant Miss McBain, at her beckon call." He smirked, handed her the card and walked out.
Cassie sighed then read the card for herself and wondered if Duncan wrote that or Cross.
"Good, you're here, we have a lot of work to get done."
"Mr.Tate wanted you to sign those papers."
"You'd think Mr.Tate owned the company the way he acts sometimes." She replied closing the door.
"You don't like him?"
"When Paul died everyone here just assumed Marc was going to be left in charge but my husband requested I take the reins."
"Tate didn't like that."
"He never said as much but...women's intuition."
Cassie nodded thoughtfully, they'd have to add him to their suspect list.
"Well, we do have work." Mrs. Barrington said pointing to a seat which Cassie took.
"What a day." Shane sighed dropping onto the couch next to D.D.
"Get all the bugs planted?"
"We're good to go. Where's Cassie by the way?"
"Not home yet." D.D. shrugged.
"Chinese?"
"Fortune cookies." D.D. grinned.
"They'd better be good, like 'you will meet your soulmate tomorrow'." Shane replied grabbing the phone.
"How about 'you will meet Colin Farrell tomorrow'?"
"Ooh! That's a good one Deeds!"
"Hold on, one of our suspects didn't go home."
"Who?"
"Carrie Oliver, programmer. Stopped at 420 Sycamore."
"There goes our Chinese." Shane sighed and they headed out.
The drive was short and they parked away from the street light and crept up to the house in the dark.
"Oh man, who needs cable?" Shane chuckled softly seeing the woman doing a striptease for man who sat in the chair with his back to them.
"Can you hear what they're saying?" D.D. asked.
"No but I can imagine."
"Let's get closer."
The pair did so but in the process they startled a cat who meowed loudly. They ducked down as they door swung open and a beer bottled sailed over their heads.
"Stupid cat, get out of here!" The man hollered.
Shane raised her head to get a look at the man and ducked back down quickly.
The cat ran off and the door closed again.
"That's Jerry from security. How can a total sexist like that get a woman and we can't find decent men?" Shane complained.
"You think they're the ones?"
"I think they're just a couple of horny co-workers! We should tell Cross though."
"Okay, let's go get that Chinese." D.D. nodded.
The blond sat in her government sedan and watched the senior V.P. get into his Jaguar. She hadn't driven her Mercedes to work so as not to arouse suspicion as to how she could afford it. Following him home she parked down the street and peeked into the window of the single story house. As she watched he removed his jacket and tie then started on his shirt as he headed down the hallway. Cassie picked the lock and slipped inside, relieved to hear the shower running, she looked around, impressed by his tastes in decor. Espying a laptop computer she silently wished she had brought D.D. along. She saw a disc sitting next to it and hesitated a moment before taking and slipping out.
She continuously glanced at the disc as she drove home. If it contained project information part of her didn't want to know exactly what it was. Her job was to stop it from reaching "enemy" hands but the very thought the government was working on weapons actually scared her. She hoped men like Mr.Cross, people who would weigh all the outcomes before making a decision, were in charge of their usage. For all the cutting they did on Cross, he was a man of integrity and she, they, all respected him.
"We saved you some dinner." Shane said when she walked in.
"Thanks. I need you to check this out Deeds." Cassie replied and handed her the disc.
"What is it?" The shorter blonde asked moving to her computer.
"Don't know."
"Where'd you get it?" Shane questioned.
"Marc Tate's house."
"Do you think he's involved?" D.D. frowned.
"He could have a grudge against Mrs. Barrington for not being CEO." Cassie answered digging into a carton.
"I hope it's not him." The shorter blond replied.
"Like him huh?" Shane asked.
"He's cute." D.D. nodded working on the disc.
"Don't forget our track record." Cassie snorted.
"Why can't we find a guy like Cross? Did I really just say that?" Shane asked flopping back on the couch.
"Well, he's not a criminal and he is honest--" D.D. replied.
"Yeah but you know he's got a lot of secrets." Shane interrupted.
Yeah, he does, Cassie thought recalling the scar on his back.
"Projects."
"What?" Shane asked.
"The disc, it's projects Barrington is working on." D.D. clarified.
"Doesn't prove he's our thief, the senior V.P. probably has unrestricted access to the information." Shane pointed out.
"We need a plan to bring them into the open...something that will force their hand." D.D. said.
" 'A man will bring light into the darkness.'" Cassie read her fortune.
"Sounds like religion." Shane replied.
Cassie read it again silently and a slow smile began to form on her face.
"I know that look, you have a plan!" Shane sat up.
"Spill it!" D.D. ordered coming over.
"We're gonna do what this fortune says." Cassie grinned.
"Another half-baked idea?"
"Hey, works for us." Cassie replied as they stepped off the elevator.
She led her companion to a closed door where he straightened his tie as she knocked.
A senior executive opened the door and glanced back at Mrs. Barrington.
"You're here." She smiled and strode over taking the man's arm and leading him to the head of the conference table.
"What's going on?" Marc asked.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking these last few months and I've decided to retire. To that end I'm naming my son, Quentin, as new CEO of Barrington Corp."
"Hold on! What makes him qualified to run the company?"
"He's my son. Is that a problem Richard?" She challenged.
"No...Mrs. Barrington." He mumbled.
"Anyone else?"
"What has he been doing these last few years?" Sheila McCoy inquired.
"This and that." Cross answered.
"Will things remain the same?" Hank Elsworth asked.
"I have a few plans." Cross answered again.
The senior management glanced at each other.
"If there's nothing else, you're all dismissed."
They filed out leaving the trio alone.
"Why all the long faces?" D.D. asked Marc.
"Mrs. Barrington is retiring and named her son CEO." He replied leading her to his office.
"Is he not qualified?"
"Hardly," he snorted, "the guy has been living off the old man's money since he died. He was vacationing in France, the Bahamas or Cancun she told me a few times. He has no clue how to run this company!" He told her looking around.
"If she's going to retire she ought to leave things in the hands of people who know what they're doing, like you."
"Thank you D.D." He smiled then continued looking around.
"Did you lose something?"
"A disc, I couldn't find it at home."
"I'll help."
"Thanks." He nodded.
While he wasn't looking D.D. slipped the stolen disc out of her pocket and stooped down by the leather wing chair.
"Is this it?"
"Yes! Thank you D.D." He smiled relieved.
"You're welcome." She smiled back.
"Would you like to have lunch?"
"Sure."
"Meet me back here at 12:45."
"Okay." She nodded and he walked her out.
"I don't want to be disturbed." He told his secretary who nodded.
D.D. nodded slightly to Cassie and Cross who were coming out of the boardroom, they headed into Mrs. Barrington's office.
"What happens now?" The older woman asked.
"We see what Marc Tate is up to." Cross replied and pulled out his laptop to tap into the senior V.P.'s.
"Those are our research notes." Mrs. Barrington said as they came up on the screen.
"He's storing them on disc." Cross replied.
"Is that enough to bust him?" Cassie asked.
"Does he normally have access to this information?" Cross asked.
"Yes, but it's not suppose to leave the office." The older woman nodded.
"Well...you could fire him if he leaves the premesis with it, but that won't prove he's our I.E.. Better to wait and see what he does with it." Cross replied.
Cassie's phone let her know she was getting a text message.
"D.D.'s having lunch with Tate." She reported.
"Good, she can keep an eye on him, let us know if he incriminates himself." Cross nodded.
Cassie sent his reply back.
"She says she'll call when they reach the restaurant." She said receiving an answer.
"Alright, send Shane for back-up." He ordered.
Cassie was relieved, if Tate was their I.E. she didn't like D.D. being alone with him.
"I'll let them know." She nodded and sent the messages.
"What should I do?" Mrs. Barrington asked.
"Business as usual." Cross replied and escorted her to her desk. "Keep an eye on things, Cassie, I need to make a show of introducing myself." He added and headed for the door.
Cassie was waiting for D.D. when she came up for lunch.
"Be careful, this guy could be dangerous."
"I will. Is Shane waiting for us?"
"Yeah."
"Okay." D.D. nodded and walked to Marc's office as he came out the door.
"I'm going to lunch then I have a meeting so I may not be back today." He told his secretary who nodded. "What were you and Cassie talking about?" He asked as they headed for the elevator.
"The new CEO."
"Quentin." Marc frowned.
"Let's not talk about him, tell me how you came to be part of Barrington...and your future plans." She said as they boarded.
Cassie ran some errands for Mrs. Barrington then headed back to the office when she came upon a group of secretaries, wandering over she eavesdropped and realized they were talking about the new CEO, using words like handsome and hot. She experienced a moment of jealousy and pushed it aside before she returned to the office where she found Cross on the phone.
"Right, keep us posted Shane."
"Where are they?"
"Marcellos."
"Pricey. Where's Mrs. Barrington?"
"Looking after some business."
"You have a fan club."
"Excuse me?"
"The secretaries like you."
"Well, I'm not giving my heart away these days." He replied going to his computer.
"Because a woman hurt you, I remember. The offer to talk about her still stands."
"Likewise." He looked at her.
His phone rang and he picked up.
"Cross...a meeting? Do you know where? Okay, don't push it, let him bring you back here, Cassie and I will follow him while Shane brings you to us. Right, see you then." He replied and hung up.
"Finally on the move." Cassie said as he headed for the door.
"Meet me at your Mercedes." He ordered and left the office.
Cassie gave him two minutes then headed down to the parking lot where he tossed the keys to her. It seemed more appropriate for him to be driving a Mercedes, son of the CEO and all. They sat in her car and waited for D.D. and Tate to return.
"There they are." Cassie nodded toward the black Jaguar.
"And there's Shane." Cross added.
"Here we go." Cassie said as they pulled out of the lot behind Tate.
"A storage facility?" Shane asked as they parked.
The pair exited the car and D.D. texted Cassie.
"Shed 18." She informed Shane of Cassie's answer.
"Let's go."
They quickly but cautiously made their way to their fellow agents and observed Tate with another man, handing over a disc to him, and receiving a suitcase in return.
Cross used his phone to get a photo of the man and sent it to Duncan who i.d.'d him pronto.
"So that's 'Cheatin' Chad'?" He mused.
"'Cheatin' Chad'?" D.D. asked.
"Sounds like a wayward spouse." Shane cracked.
"Or a con man." Cassie smiled.
"He's a middleman. We knew of him but but could never connect him to any industrial espionage...until now."
"Can we take them down?" Shane grinned making a fist.
"Not yet, you two follow Tate and take him into custody. I want to see who Chad is working for."
"Okay boss." Shane nodded and they went back to her car to wait on Tate while Cassie and Cross tailed Chad.
"Wilbern Company." Cassie said as Chad pulled into a guarded lot.
"A Barrington competitor." Cross replied as they parked down the street. He called for back-up and they went into the building.
"May I help you?" The security guard at the desk asked.
"Who is Chad Collins meeting with?" Cross countered.
"There's no one here by that name."
"He's stalling." Cassie said.
"Of course he is and that will get him a ten year Federal prison sentence for accessory to industrial espionage." Cross replied giving the man a chilling look.
"Mr. Edwards, tenth floor." The guard swallowed.
"We'll announce ourselves." Cross looked at him again, the message clear, don't alert them.
The guard nodded and watched them board the elevator.
"That scary voice works wonders." Cassie smirked as they ascended.
"Thank you." He smiled.
They walked down the corridor of the tenth floor, finding the correct door they went inside.
"May I help you?" The secretary asked as two burly men stepped forward.
"I think we're okay." Cassie replied looking at Cross who nodded and they walked up to the men.
"Gentlemen, federal agents, step aside." He ordered.
The men stared at him.
"We warned you." Cassie said and the pair went into physical action dispatching the men.
Cassie smirked as Cross straightened his tie then stepped over the men and opened the office door...to find it empty.
"There!" She pointed to the door just closing.
The pair took off after Collins and Edwards, down the hidden staircase. Cassie looked over the rail and espied them three floors below. Cross surprised her by sliding down the rail of each floor, he kicked the two men in the back sending them sprawling down the sixth floor stairs. Collins recovered first, letting Edwards get away.
Cassie reached the seventh floor and the door swung open revealing two more well built men.
"Who's first?" She asked taking her fighting stance.
Cross took care of Collins and ran after Edwards, the chase took him into the parking garage and he carefully walked among the cars and listened. He silently cursed feeling the gun in his back.
"Move."
Cross walked ahead a few steps then dropped to the ground and swung his legs around, knocking Edwards down before he could get a shot off. The master spy was on him instantly, one punch and the man was rendered incapacitated.
"Nice moves." Cassie said walking over.
"Pays to stay in shape."
"Our back-up is all over the building."
"Let's take him back in." Cross nodded.
They picked the dazed man up and returned to the building just as Shane and D.D. arrived.
"Tate is at Comcent waiting to be interrogated."
"We got Collins and his buyer." Cassie nodded.
"What do you think he would have done with the research? Made them and sold them to us?" Shane asked.
"Or another government...or terrorists." Cross added.
"Well they can't now." Cassie said relieved.
Cassie placed the reports on Cross's desk and rejoined her friends the next morning.
"So Mr. Cross is at breakfast?" D.D. asked Duncan.
"Yeah." He nodded.
"No." Cassie replied nodding toward the stairs.
"Morning ladies." Cross greeted.
"Good breakfast?" Cassie asked.
"I always enjoy eating with my mother, especially when I won't see her for a while."
"That's nice." D.D. smiled.
"Are you going somewhere?" Shane asked Cross.
"She is, to Europe. She asked me to thank you by the way." He replied and headed into his office.
The girls looked at each other puzzled and followed him inside.
"You lost us." Shane said.
"Where?"
" 'My mother asked me to thank you by the way'." D.D. clarified.
"If Tate had gotten away with the sale, her company would have suffered a terrible blow." He replied.
"Your mother..." Shane stared.
"Is Meredith Barrington?!?" D.D. finished for her.
"Why didn't you tell us?!?" Cassie demanded.
"You did read the dossier I provided you?"
"Well..of course!" Cassie fibbed.
"It clearly stated Barrington Corporations' CEO was Meredith Cross Barrington." He replied, gathering up their reports and heading for the door. "I'll call when I have another mission for you." He added and left them standing there.
"What just happened?" D.D. uttered.
"We were conned." Shane muttered.
"Yeah...by the heir to a multi-billion dollar corporation." Cassie added dryly.
"Sometimes life is so unfair." D.D. pouted.
"Yeah, a viable billionaire turns out to be our boss." Shane sighed.
Of all the rich men I meet, I find one who's single but unattainable to me, Cassie silently sighed as she led them out.