Both women quickly put the mop, rags, and spray bottle in the corner of Lois’s cubicle and Daphne went back to hers doing a small wave of her hand towards Lois as Lois pulled out her desk chair. However, neither of them could concentrate on their assignments. Lois texted Daphne first.

“Can you see anything?”

“No. I’m trying to look as if I’m doing my next assignment while watching out of the corner of my eye to see what the policemen are doing.”

“I suspect that they’re going to interview each of us starting with Joyce’s department,” Lois answered.

Just then both ladies heard the sound of one of the women’s shoes clacking on the floor tiles. The sound had begun to recede when Daphne couldn’t stand it anymore and went into Lois’s office.

“I could see the one police officer following that woman who always wears beige suits. She’s tall and has below shoulder blonde hair. I always wanted blonde hair,” Daphne muttered to Lois.

“Her hair is probably what got her into Accounts. Just consider that you’re lucky. It’s easier to have brown hair. Highlights work and you don’t have to do as much upkeep as that woman. Wait! Where’s the other policeman?” Lois finished off.

“I think he was first in the parade and they’re going to the back conference room. At least that’s what I think. But blonde hair is sexier.”

“That’s what I mean. She probably looks like she can handle those corporate heads. Joyce has gorgeous hair. It’s that white-blonde that makes you think ‘prep school’ and Palm Beach. Oh my god, I want a vacation from writing this damn article. Do you think that a ramp that’s more than a 25 degree angle is too hard to push a wheelchair?” Lois asked.

“Look it up on AI. I thought that you were writing about crafts for the month,” Daphne sounded surprised.

“Ooh, I hear Ms Clickety Clack coming back. Who’s next?”

Daphne started to laugh. “This is so terrible. Joyce is our office friend and we’re talking about beauty parlor upkeep and you’re rhyming. We’re losing our marbles.”

Lois started to laugh at Daphne’s description of their attitudes, “Speak for yourself, sister. I’m totally focused on my special assignment that was added to my other special assignment because Arthur is out sick with the flu.”

“Crap! I didn’t realize that was how you got the ramp-landscaping assignment. It’s featured on the cover of the magazine. You’ll be famous, uh, maybe,” Daphne whispered.

“It depends how many copies we sell off the little stands near the check out stations in the grocery stores. Well, it doesn’t really matter does it? I’ll still have to work until I’m 90. Daphne, what do you think the police are asking?”

“Well, most likely how well the person knows Joyce, whether Joyce mentioned who she was meeting, did Joyce have any issues at home, and stuff like that. Really, when it comes right down to it, we only know what Joyce shared and like you and I said it was all Hallmark.”

Lois hesitated and then said, “True enough, but she did once invite me and Joe to her home. It was for a Sunday. We couldn’t go because one of the kids had some sport thing. I think it was Drew with soccer. She never invited us again. I thought that I told you.”

Daphne stared at Lois in surprise, “You most certainly did not tell me. Whoa! That is something else. I wonder, well, I don’t really wonder. She probably doesn’t invite single women over for family get-togethers. But anyway, you didn’t get to go so you still don’t have the inside scoop on their family life.”

Lois looked at her friend and realized that she had made Daphne feel bad, “Don’t Daphne. You were married. It didn’t work out. Women who are afraid of single women being near their husbands need to worry a bit more about their own relationship. It says a lot when a married couple is so insecure that a single person is a threat. Damn! That was actually kind of bitchy of her. She knew that we’re best friends at work and outside of work. That was actually a pretty poor game plan she had going. C’mon. You spilled your cuppa. Let’s go get some more.”

Daphne hugged her friend and they started to leave their area when one of the police officers walked over and asked them which of them was Mrs. Cooper.

Looking a bit scared, Daphne said in a small voice, “Ms. Cooper.”

“Oh, excuse me. Ms. Cooper, I’m Officer Kerry and my partner, Office Donaldson, are speaking to each of you in the office who are known to have associated with Joyce Looten. We understand that Mrs. Looten considered you and Mrs. Adams to be friends.”

“Hmph,” Daphne’s response wasn’t acknowledged by the officer, but Lois knew what Daphne was thinking since hearing about the invitation.

“Come this way,” Officer Kerry ushered Daphne forward towards the conference room.   

Daphne looked back over her shoulder at Lois and shrugged her shoulders. Lois knew that Daphne was nervous. Lois did a heart sign with her two hands and Daphne smiled back and then looked back as she continued to follow Officer Kerry.

Lois figured that she’d be next on Officer Kerry’s invitation list. She looked down the corridor to see if anyone else had poked his or her head out of their cubicles. While Accounts was behind the Article Writers’ area, Copywriting was located further down the corridor and Photography and Artwork were located a couple of corridors across from the writers in their own separate rooms. Editors and Management were in separate office space on the perimeter of the floor.  It was a busy floor and practically vibrated with the hum of constant work. But as Lois scanned the floor, she saw no one poking a head out. It was as if each person had become a turtle, tucking his or her head inside an office shell.

The other Accounts people must have had short interviews. Lois thought about each of them. There was George, a full of energy with booming voice kind of man, the blonde, who has a name. Lois had to think about her. Kay, it was, she was pretty sure. That woman wore 4 inch heels all of the time. Then there was Vince, very precise but charming, Joan, with dark almost black long hair that she tossed back with a kind of nonchalance and flair so that the shine of her straight hair could make all women jealous and instantly feel that their appointment with the beauty parlor had to be moved up. Of course there was also Joyce. Had Joyce invited them to her house that Sunday that Lois and Joe couldn’t make it? How close were all of the Accounts people with each other?  

Lois pushed back her chair and bumped into the mop. “Why didn’t we put the stuff somewhere else? This is annoying.” She moved the mop handle from her armrest, fixed her chair, and then decided to go and get that cup of coffee that she and Daphne had planned to get when Officer Kerry had interrupted them.

Walking to the kitchen area Lois looked from right to left trying to see if anyone else was interested, but each person was bent over his or her desk. “My how industrious each of us has become,” Lois mouthed to herself. 

“Did you say something, Lois?” Kay asked.

Lois jumped. “I didn’t hear you coming up behind me. Are you off to lunch?”

“Oh, all this excitement is making me feel like I need to walk a bit,” she smiled at Lois.

“Have a good time. I’m off to get some more coffee from the kitchen,” Lois called after her. I wonder why she has her purse with her if she’s just taking a walk. Well, maybe she meant that she’s walking to go get some lunch. It wasn’t clear.

On the way back Lois stopped at Copy and called out a hello to her friends. One of them threw her a kiss. 

“Thank you so much for agreeing to get that article to us by next Wednesday,” Doreen called out to her.

“Next Wednesday? OMG I thought that I had until Friday. Jeez! This coffee better help me perk up,” Lois called out to Doreen. “Substituting for Arthur better get me a raise!” Doreen and Lois both laughed.

I definitely need to do better research on this. I wonder if I can locate a local landscaper as well as a construction person to ask my questions, Lois was muttering to herself again.

As she got to her cubicle she saw Daphne coming towards her. She looked very solemn. Behind her was Officer Kerry. Damn, I don’t even get to drink my coffee!

“Mrs. Adams, we’re ready for you. You can bring the coffee with you. Thank you Ms. Cooper. We’ll be in touch if there’s anything else.”

Lois looked at Daphne and then at Officer Kerry, but said nothing and followed Officer Kerry.

Prologue:

Kelly pressed the up button for the elevator in the 1814 building in Grove Plaza. It was in a huge mall surrounded by office buildings, hotels, and condominium buildings. Her business building was a twenty story building overlooking the Plaza Hotel and its gardens and she was going to the eighteenth floor. She had parked in the underground parking lot on P5. Kelly laughed to herself as she had rounded each of the parking levels. She was so far underground that her internet didn’t work. She had reminded herself to note the nearest pole information and the level on the back of her parking ticket and without a second glance walked away from the car and its contents in the trunk of the car. 

Chapter 1:

The office was already buzzing at 9:00 a.m. Lois looked around for Daphne, but she couldn’t see her at her desk. Maybe she was in the kitchen getting some coffee and the usual morning pastry. If there was one plus, and there were more plusses than one, to the office it was that H.R. always provided morning pastry. The fact that the office also supported a health and fitness before hours session was the irony that made all of the office workers laugh. However Daphne was slender. Somehow those pastry calories seemed to melt off her. Lois, on the other hand, had to count her calories and did. She religiously noted every piece of food that she put in her mouth. It was tedious, but it worked for her. The two ladies could take advantage of sample size sales and were always dressed in the latest fashion. 

The magazine they all produced, Home Working, had moved with the times. When the magazine had begun it was a paeon to women working in the house doing household chores with a smile on their face. It featured articles that talked about the best cake recipes to make your husband smile, spring cleaning tips, what chores could be done while the washing machine ran a regular cycle, and how to plant the flower bulbs stored in the cellar or garage. Now it featured how to care for your toddler while entering your billable hours from your home office. In truth, the chores were pretty similar, but cake was no longer a concern. Instead mutual exhaustion and finding time to talk had been feature articles last month. This month the magazine was featuring tips on finding caretakers for elderly relatives who live in the home and adding a ramp for an entrance to the house within the landscape design. 

Lois and Daphne had desks near one another. A three quarter partition separated them and gave the illusion of private space. The space was not private. Daphne could hear Lois and vice versa. They knew each other’s personal stories and bought birthday presents for each other at the after Christmas sales each year. So, how long did it take Daphne to get and begin chewing a pastry from the kitchen? What on earth is taking Daphne so long?

Just as Lois considered hunting down her friend Daphne walked into Lois’s office space. “Did you hear the news? It just went out on Slack. Joyce is missing. Her husband called the office to see if she had checked in. He’s calling the police.” 

Chapter 2:

  Joyce worked in the advertising department. The department’s offices were adjacent to the area that Lois and Daphne were in. It wasn’t hard for both Lois and Daphne to hear what was going on in advertising and each of the five, most especially Joyce, had a habit of dropping into either Daphne’s or Lois’s small space. Joyce would sit on a corner of either Lois’s or Daphne’s desk and regale the two with advertising tales and complaints. Advertising had a lot of both.

The advertising department was a busy one, and each of the five men and women who were in the department had their own special accounts. Joyce used to kid around and say that it was the same as having another group of children that she had to care for all day every day. 

Some of the accounts had heads of their corporations who were particularly interesting. Joyce had one who insisted on her entertaining him for lunch at a micro brewery that specialized in some kind of smokey beer. Joyce said that she had to smile while she swallowed it but would immediately rinse out her mouth when she was finished with her client. Nonetheless, she was very successful with her corporate heads, some of whom called her Joycie. 

“Do you think that Joyce had to take one of those heads out for dinner or something? But she usually tells her husband if she has to do that and where could she be by breakfast time?” Lois asked Daphne.

“Well it wasn’t on her calendar. She’s almost religious about putting in all of her appointments in that planner of hers. Nah, I doubt that she did that,” Daphne answered.

“So, what could be going on? Was she still at work when you left last night? You were later than me because you had to finish off that article of yours and get it to the copy editors,” Lois reminded Daphne.

“I truthfully didn’t even glance over. I was so annoyed with them giving me a shorter timeline than originally planned that I was kind of stomping around and just trying not to take any longer than I had to. The photos weren’t even ready for goodness sakes. I have no idea what the rush for my article was. Well, anyway. I didn’t look over. She might have been on the phone. I did hear someone with a similar voice to Joyce’s.”

Lois raised her eyebrows. “Well, there you are. No one has a voice like Joyce. She’s from Georgia for goodness sake. I wonder if you heard her talking on the office phone or on her cell? If it’s the office phone, they should have a way of finding out what the number was that someone was talking from. Don’t you think?”

Daphne started to move as if she were going to turn around, but in doing so, she knocked her coffee cup over with the contents spilling on the floor and pooling out towards the walkway.

“Crap. I better get the mop. I can’t believe that I did that.”

Lois patted Daphne’s back saying, “I’ll go with you. You carry the mop and I’ll get that spray the housekeeping crew use. It’s no biggie.”

As the women walked towards the cleaning supply closet down the hallway and in the back of the advertising department’s office space they could hear snitches of conversation.

“No, darling. I’ll tell copy that they have to change that word. It’s not a big problem…of course, I understand your point.”

“Why would you want a quarter when I’m practically giving you a half page in front of that article?

“Helen, who’s supposed to answer Joycie’s calls? That beer guy is on the phone again and they put him through to me.”

Lois and Daphne were giggling to each other. “At least we don’t have to deal with ‘darling’ or drinking smoky beer. I hear Joyce used to call him Smokey the Bear,” Daphne whispered. That made Lois giggle and snort so that she had to put her hand in front of her mouth.

Daphne shh’d her and turned the door handle to the housekeeping closet as Lois stepped aside so that Daphne could open the door.

Chapter 3:

The door was heavy and Daphne had to use both hands to pull on the door handle to open it. Lois had stepped to the side giving her the first look inside the closet.  As the light from the hallway began to light the inside of the closet, Lois could see the housekeeping buckets on the closet floor and mops leaning on the closet wall. The shelves were lined with lysol  spray bottles and floor cleaning solutions. Lois looked more closely just as Daphne was able to look inside. Daphne sucked in a big breath at the same time as whispering, “What is that stain on the floor? Lois, do you see what I see?”

“Is that wine? Those people aren’t hiding wine bottles in here are they?” Lois stage whispered back to Daphne. 

“Lois, for goodness sakes! That stain isn’t wine -- it’s blood. Why wouldn’t whoever got that on the floor have cleaned it up? It’s just drops here and there on the floor along with one big smear. What the hell is wrong with that crew?” Daphne muttered.

“Do you think someone got hurt and just had to rush to get their wound bandaged and then forgot about the stains?” Lois replied. “Just get some floor cleaner bottle and don’t step on the stains. Don’t forget the rags. I don’t want anyone to slip on the coffee.”

“Hold your horses!” Daphne fussed in a whisper back to Lois, “Maybe the stain has something to do with Joyce’s disappearance.”

“What on earth would make you say that? There’s no reason I can think of that she’d have been in the closet. She’s probably in some luxe hotel with one of her clients and slept too late to make up a good story for her husband,” Lois was talking just a bit louder than a whisper.

“Shh! Keep your voice down. Do you want one of the accounts people to hear you and start a rumor that Joyce is sleeping around.”

Lois put her hand over her mouth, shrugging, and then saying, “Sorry! I just want the coffee off the floor so we won’t get in trouble. Joyce will show up, don’t worry. There’ll be a story that sounds good that no one will believe.”

“You’re getting grumpy. C’mon. I’ll hand the bottle of floor cleaner, whatever it’s called, and some rags. I can’t maneuver around the stains without bracing myself on the walls with my hands. It’s hard to get around these damned buckets,” Daphne complained -- in a whisper.

Lois took the materials that Daphne handed over to her while Daphne gingerly stepped over the blood smear and drops. When Daphne got out of the closet they both started to giggle at their individual postures. Lois had the rags under her one arm and the mop in the other hand as if it were a drum major’s mace. Meanwhile Daphne was leaning on the closed door panting from the effort of holding herself up using the closet walls and taking major steps to avoid the stains.

“Shh -- ‘ they each said to the other. This made them giggle even more and one of the account people could be heard saying, “What the hell is going on? Why is the night housekeeping crew here now? I can’t even concentrate on my damned texts!”

Hearing the nameless accounts person mutter her stream of invectives made the two women start to scurry off towards their own clean up issue.

As soon as Lois and Daphne got several feet from the client accounts department area the two started talking about Joyce.

“They don’t even seemed disturbed by Joyce’s absence. Do you think she’s done an overnighter before?” Lois asked Daphne.

“Shoot. I thought Joyce was one of those Hallmark kind of women as far as her marriage was concerned. Whenever she talked about her homelife she praised her husband, would talk about how she wished that she didn’t have to take clients out for dinner because it cut into her family time with her husband and so on, and she’d even talk about her weekends with her inlaws and how much fun they’d had over at the inlaws outdoor grilling. How does that go along with an all nighter?” Daphne answered as she bent down to spritz the floor where the coffee had pooled.

“I know what you mean. So, do you think she’s in trouble? I mean, who talks like that and then is gone without even calling this apparent angel of a husband? And,” Lois paused with the mop in her hands, “I still feel like the closet stains are a problem. I’ve been thinking about it. The cleaning crew is really good. The company got lucky with this outfit. They’re usually here around 11:00 at night and gone by 3 the next morning, right? Do you think the stains might have been made after they left?”

“One more spritz and a rag please. You know that’s a real idea. You’re right. They come in with about five crew members and don’t take more than four hours to finish the office. It’s not like people are throwing paper wads on the floor here. Most of us are on the computers and use a minimum amount of paper. I guess the finance guys use more, but I seriously don’t know. Yeah, they leave about three in the morning so I’ve been told. You’re right. The stains could have happened after they left. That makes sense,” Daphne answered Lois while standing up from wiping the last few spots off the floor and the side of the cubicle wall.

The women looked at each other as they saw two police officers walk past them and towards the accounts department.

“Ooh, what do you think now?”

Daphne muttered at the same time, “Shoot, this doesn’t look good.”

Chapter 4

T

#3  The door was heavy and Daphne had to use both hands to pull on the door handle to open it. Lois had stepped to the side giving her the first look inside the closet.  As the light from the hallway began to light the inside of the closet, Lois could see the housekeeping buckets on the closet floor and mops leaning on the closet wall. The shelves were lined with lysol  spray bottles and floor cleaning solutions. Lois looked more closely just as Daphne was able to look inside.

Daphne sucked in a big breath at the same time as whispering, “What is that stain on the floor? Lois, do you see what I see?”

“Is that wine? Those people aren’t hiding wine bottles in here are they?” Lois stage whispered back to Daphne. 

“Lois, for goodness sakes! That stain isn’t wine -- it’s blood. Why wouldn’t whoever got that on the floor have cleaned it up? It’s just drops here and there on the floor along with one big smear. What the hell is wrong with that crew?” Daphne muttered.

“Do you think someone got hurt and just had to rush to get their wound bandaged and then forgot about the stains?” Lois replied. “Just get some floor cleaner bottle and don’t step on the stains. Don’t forget the rags. I don’t want anyone to slip on the coffee.”

“Hold your horses!” Daphne fussed in a whisper back to Lois, “Maybe the stain has something to do with Joyce’s disappearance.”

“What on earth would make you say that? There’s no reason I can think of that she’d have been in the closet. She’s probably in some luxe hotel with one of her clients and slept too late to make up a good story for her husband,” Lois was talking just a bit louder than a whisper.

“Shh! Keep your voice down. Do you want one of the accounts people to hear you and start a rumor that Joyce is sleeping around.”

Lois put her hand over her mouth, shrugging, and then saying, “Sorry! I just want the coffee off the floor so we won’t get in trouble. Joyce will show up, don’t worry. There’ll be a story that sounds good that no one will believe.”

“You’re getting grumpy. C’mon. I’ll hand the bottle of floor cleaner, whatever it’s called, and some rags. I can’t maneuver around the stains without bracing myself on the walls with my hands. It’s hard to get around these damned buckets,” Daphne complained -- in a whisper.

Lois took the materials that Daphne handed over to her while Daphne gingerly stepped over the blood smear and drops. When Daphne got out of the closet they both started to giggle at their individual postures. Lois had the rags under her one arm and the mop in the other hand as if it were a drum major’s mace. Meanwhile Daphne was leaning on the closed door panting from the effort of holding herself up using the closet walls and taking major steps to avoid the stains.

“Shh -- ‘ they each said to the other. This made them giggle even more and one of the account people could be heard saying, “What the hell is going on? Why is the night housekeeping crew here now? I can’t even concentrate on my damned texts!”

Hearing the nameless accounts person mutter her stream of invectives made the two women start to scurry off towards their own clean up issue.

As soon as Lois and Daphne got several feet from the client accounts department area the two started talking about Joyce.

“They don’t even seemed disturbed by Joyce’s absence. Do you think she’s done an overnighter before?” Lois asked Daphne.

“Shoot. I thought Joyce was one of those Hallmark kind of women as far as her marriage was concerned. Whenever she talked about her homelife she praised her husband, would talk about how she wished that she didn’t have to take clients out for dinner because it cut into her family time with her husband and so on, and she’d even talk about her weekends with her inlaws and how much fun they’d had over at the inlaws outdoor grilling. How does that go along with an all nighter?” Daphne answered as she bent down to spritz the floor where the coffee had pooled.

“I know what you mean. So, do you think she’s in trouble? I mean, who talks like that and then is gone without even calling this apparent angel of a husband? And,” Lois paused with the mop in her hands, “I still feel like the closet stains are a problem. I’ve been thinking about it. The cleaning crew is really good. The company got lucky with this outfit. They’re usually here around 11:00 at night and gone by 3 the next morning, right? Do you think the stains might have been made after they left?”

“One more spritz and a rag please. You know that’s a real idea. You’re right. They come in with about five crew members and don’t take more than four hours to finish the office. It’s not like people are throwing paper wads on the floor here. Most of us are on the computers and use a minimum amount of paper. I guess the finance guys use more, but I seriously don’t know. Yeah, they leave about three in the morning so I’ve been told. You’re right. The stains could have happened after they left. That makes sense,” Daphne answered Lois while standing up from wiping the last few spots off the floor and the side of the cubicle wall.

The women looked at each other as they saw two police officers walk past them and towards the accounts department.

“Ooh, what do you think now?” Lois whispered.

Daphne muttered at the same time, “Shoot, this doesn’t look good.”