Миранда Джеймс: No Cats Allowed

FIVE

I couldn’t say that I was surprised by the source of Lisa’s distress. Oscar Reilly appeared to excel at annoying everyone around him—or at least everyone in the Athena College Library. Perhaps he was a joy to work with in his normal role—but I wouldn’t want to bet on that.

I handed Lisa a cold can and a glass. “I think there might be a few people ahead of you on that.” I sat in my usual spot to her left.

Lisa offered a wry grin as she popped the top on her can and poured some of the liquid into her glass. “Wouldn’t surprise me if the line stretched halfway around the football stadium.” She set down the can and had a sip of her drink.

“What did he do to you?”

Her expression turned grim. “He basically called me a liar. He didn’t come right out and say I was, but he might as well have.” She paused for another sip of her drink. “At first I was so stunned by it I was absolutely speechless. I’ve been stewing about it most of the day.”

I didn’t know Lisa anywhere near as well as I knew Melba, but based on my knowledge of her character, I would have said she was not a prevaricator. I had always found her straightforward and open.

“Exactly what did he say?” I asked.

Diesel had been sitting next to me but the obvious distress in Lisa’s voice caused him to move to her side and bump his head against her leg. She smiled down at him and rubbed his head. “Thank you, sweet boy. You are just the kind of tonic I need right now.” She raised her head to look at me while she continued to stroke the cat.

“He called me to his office this morning to discuss the preliminary budget I’d turned in for the coming fiscal year,” she said. “At first everything seemed fine, then suddenly he started questioning me on some of the line items from the current year’s budget. He seemed particularly interested in the travel budget.” She frowned. “It’s been cut repeatedly the last few years, but we still have some money for a couple of us to attend meetings. I went to a meeting back in the fall in San Francisco for a committee I’m on, and he peppered me with questions about it.” She paused for another sip of her drink. “I answered him as best I could, though he didn’t seem really interested in my answers. Then all of a sudden, he said, ‘So if I got in touch with other members of the committee, they’ll say you actually attended the sessions?’”

I felt her distress level rise with every word, and so did Diesel. He began an anxious warbling, but Lisa appeared not to hear. When she broke off, he butted his head against her leg, and she focused on him with an apologetic glance. “I didn’t mean to upset him, Charlie. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “He’s simply worried because he knows you’re upset. It’s all right, Diesel. Lisa is going to be fine.”

Lisa continued to stroke him while I considered what to say in response to her encounter with Oscar.

“I can’t reveal the details, but I heard a similar story earlier today involving Oscar.” I smiled at her. “In that instance, too, he chose as his target someone who is honest to a fault. I have no idea what he thinks to gain by behavior like this, but my advice to you is to go to HR and file a complaint. He is creating a hostile work environment, and that constitutes harassment.”

“I considered that.” Lisa sighed. “But frankly the thought of it makes me feel like throwing up. Now that I know he’s pulled the same thing on someone else, though, I know I really need to do it. Is this other person going to file a complaint?”

“Yes, and this person has been with the college for a little over thirty years. She has a lot of credibility, as do you. You have an excellent record, as far as I’m aware. Don’t let him continue to get away with this kind of nastiness.” I considered telling her about my own issue with Oscar but decided that it would sound slightly frivolous when compared to her situation.

Lisa nodded. “Thank you, Charlie. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you letting me vent and giving me good advice.” She grinned suddenly. “I wish you would apply for the director’s job. You’d be terrific to work for.”

As always, my first reaction to such praise was embarrassment. I struggled to speak for a moment. “Thank you, Lisa. I’m touched by your kind regard and your faith in my abilities. But my days of being in charge of a library are done.”

“I can’t blame you for not wanting to take it on,” Lisa said. “It’s bound to be full of headaches and politics.”

“True,” I said. “I had enough of both during my years as a branch manager at the public library in Houston.”

Diesel seemed to be satisfied that Lisa was okay. He moved away from her and back beside my chair. He stretched and ended up with his head against one of the chair legs.

“Our loss.” Lisa stood. “Thanks again for the tea and sympathy, so to speak. I’d better get home and let my dogs out for a run in the backyard.”

Diesel and I escorted her to the door and let her out. She turned to wave as she headed down the walk to where her car was parked on the street. Diesel and I watched until she was safely in her car, and then I closed the door.

What the heck was Oscar Reilly up to? I considered that as Diesel and I wandered back into the kitchen.

I couldn’t fathom the method to his madness—for surely it was madness to antagonize one person after another in the library. I wondered if he had bullied other library personnel in this manner. Or had he made Melba, Lisa, and me targets for a particular reason?

Could he be trying to make us all quit of our own accord? I couldn’t imagine why he would, but in my case at least he was doing a darn good job.

I decided I might as well start getting my dinner ready. I took the casserole dish out of the fridge and put it in the oven, following Azalea’s instructions about the proper temperature and timing. Then I went to the utility room to open a can of wet food for Diesel. I left him scarfing it down while I went back into the kitchen.

I would love to talk all this over with Helen Louise, but I knew she would be too busy right now to chat. I would have to wait until later tonight. For a moment I was tempted to take the casserole out of the oven, pack Diesel into the car, and drive over to the bistro and have dinner there.

But then I realized that I was being selfish. Helen Louise needed to be able to focus on work, not sit and hold my hand and listen to my troubles when she had customers lined up, waiting to be served.

The noise of a key turning in the lock of the kitchen door brought me out of my reverie. I looked in that direction to see Sean stepping into the room.

“Hi, Dad, how are you?” Sean came over to the table and set his briefcase down. He went to the fridge and rummaged around for a beer.

“Doing okay, Son, how are you?”

“Better now,” he said, brandishing the bottle of beer. He popped the cap off and came back to the table to join me.

“Rough day?” I asked.

Sean shook his head. “No, not that bad really, just intense. Crazy family members challenging a will. Like something out of a really bad movie. Hard to believe lunatics like these guys are free and on the street.” He grinned suddenly. “They’re going to make a heck of a chapter in my memoirs one of these days.”

“With the names changed to protect the not-so-innocent,” I said, and he grinned even more broadly.

“Something like that.” Sean sipped at his beer. “What about you? You were looking pretty serious when I came in.”

Diesel chose that moment to amble back into the room. He chirped several times and approached Sean for attention. Sean complied, rubbing the cat’s head until Diesel purred.