Chapter 5 - Betrayal in the Shadows
Tandy Brewer shielded her eyes from the blinding glare, her breath catching in a ragged, panicked gasp. For three heart-stopping seconds, nobody moved. The only sound in the vast, echoing showroom was the steady drum of rain against the curved glass panes.
""Cullen,"" Tandy stammered, her voice pitching up into an unnatural, nervous laugh. ""What... what are you doing here? I thought I heard a break-in from the alley. I saw the door unlatched and came in to check on the merchandise.""
Cullen took two slow steps forward, his expression carved from solid granite. He tilted the flashlight beam down toward the floor, illuminating the plastic squeeze bottle, the foam brush, and the streak of white, bubbling chemical clinging to the historic glass.
""You came in to check on the merchandise with an industrial etching compound?"" Cullen asked, his voice deathly calm. ""Ammonium bifluoride. A forty percent concentration. It takes about ninety minutes to permanently cloud vintage soda-lime glass.""
Tandy’s face drained of color, turning the exact shade of the paste on the floor. ""I don't know what you're talking about. That was lying on the sill. I picked it up to see what that cleaning woman left behind!""
""Ms. Cantrell didn't leave that,"" Jolie said, stepping out from behind the wooden display screen into the center of the showroom.
Both Cullen and Tandy whipped their heads toward her. Jolie held her phone high, the red recording light blinking steadily.
""I have the entire sequence on 4K video, Tandy,"" Jolie said, her voice shaking slightly but holding firm. ""I recorded you picking the deadbolt lock, entering the showroom, pulling the squeeze bottle from your bag, and brushing the paste directly against the brass seams.""
Tandy looked wildly between Jolie and Cullen. The smooth, polished demeanor of the corporate operations manager vanished, replaced by the feral panic of an animal backed into a corner.
""You think this is about you, window washer?"" Tandy hissed, lunging forward to kick the squeeze bottle under a display table. ""You're a nobody! A five-hundred-dollar-a-month line item on a cleaning budget! You were supposed to pack your rags and get fired the first time the marks showed up!""
""Why, Tandy?"" Cullen demanded, his voice dropping into a dangerous register. ""My family gave you this job twelve years ago. My father promoted you. Why destroy the building?""
Tandy sneered, crossing her arms defensively even as her hands trembled. ""Your family is stuck in 1938, Cullen! This entire block is worth eighteen million dollars to West Texas Logistics for their new regional transit terminal. Eighteen million! But your grandfather's ridiculous trust locked the property up under historic preservation covenants. As long as those damn handmade curved windows and the original art-deco façade stood, the city council refused to grant a commercial demolition variance!""
Cullen closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, the painful realization hitting him like a physical blow. ""Apex Commercial Management. The firm you insisted we hire to replace Jolie.""
""Apex is owned by the subsidiary investment group backing the transit terminal,"" Tandy spat, realizing the game was completely up. ""Once Apex took over maintenance, they were going to declare all twelve curved panes structurally compromised by chemical degradation. The replacement cost would have bankrupted the retail division. The board would have had no choice but to vote for the sale and dissolve the trust. We all would have walked away with millions!""
""You would have walked away with a kickback,"" Cullen corrected coldly. ""And my family’s century-old heritage would have been turned into a concrete parking lot.""
Tandy suddenly darted toward the side hallway, aiming for the propped alley door.
""Stop right there!"" a booming voice echoed from the entrance.
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Two uniformed Amarillo police officers, their hands resting on their holsters, stepped through the side door, blocking her path. Behind them stood Cullen’s head of security, holding a tablet displaying the real-time interior pinhole camera feeds Cullen had set up two days earlier.
""Tandy Brewer,"" the lead officer said, stepping forward with handcuffs clicking open. ""Step away from the display case and put your hands behind your back.""
