Chapter 2 - The Architect of Ruin
Tandy didn't wait for Cullen to answer. She stepped between them, her designer leather boots clicking authoritatively against the concrete, and slid the leather folder into Cullen’s chest. "I have the revised bid from Apex Architectural Restorations right here. Galen Voss came by personally yesterday after hours to survey the latest damage on pane three. He confirmed my exact suspicion: low-grade, caustic degreasers stripped the historic sealant and caused permanent surface calcification. He can source salvaged curved plate glass from a demolished hotel in Fort Worth. But we have to act today, Cullen, or the historic commission could cite the storefront before our centennial jubilee next month."
Cullen didn’t open the folder. His fingers remained anchored on Jolie’s spiral ledger. "Galen Voss was here yesterday after hours?" he asked softly. "I thought Galen was strictly a commercial glazier now. Why is an industrial glazier walking our perimeter after six in the evening?"
Tandy hesitated, a flicker of irritation flitting across her perfectly sculpted brow. "Because Galen cleaned these windows for your father for nearly thirty years, Cullen! He cares about the Strickland legacy. When he saw the disgraceful state our facade was falling into after you handed the contract to... budget independent cleaners... he reached out out of sheer loyalty. He wants to save your father's pride."
"My father's pride was buried eleven months ago, Tandy," Cullen said, his tone devoid of warmth. "And Galen Voss didn't lose this contract because of budget cuts. He lost it because he was charging Carl eleven hundred dollars a month for thirty minutes of bi-weekly maintenance while sub-contracting the actual labor to teenagers who didn't even scrape the spider nests from the transoms."
Jolie took a measured breath, stepping forward just enough to force Tandy to look her in the eye. "Mrs. Reeves, if Mr. Voss inspected pane three yesterday, did he happen to bring an unpressurized hand-pump canister with him? Because there are fresh, dripping run-marks on the limestone sill directly beneath the etched bloom. Window cleaning solution evaporates clean with pure water. Acid washes leave chalky calcium run-off along masonry."
Tandy’s face flushed a deep, mottled crimson. "How dare you! Are you accusing a respected local tradesman of sabotaging our building to drum up business? Cullen, look at her! She brings her child to a commercial job site, operating out of a rusted pickup, and now she’s attempting to deflect criminal negligence onto someone who served your family for three decades! This is absurd. We are canceling her agreement effective immediately."
Cullen slowly closed Jolie’s spiral notebook and handed it back to her. His gaze remained locked on Tandy. "We are not canceling anything. Not yet."
"Cullen, you cannot be serious!" Tandy sputtered, clutching her coffee cup as if it were a weapon. "The Board of Directors meets on Thursday to approve the centennial restoration budget! If the facade looks like a decrepit derelict warehouse, your cousin Marcus will use it as leverage to question your leadership! You know Marcus has been waiting for an excuse to argue you’re unfit to hold the Chief Executive chair!"
"Let Marcus argue whatever he wants," Cullen replied evenly. He turned to Jolie, his gray eyes piercing and unreadable. "Miss Cantrell, pack up your equipment for today. Don’t touch pane three. Leave the residue on the limestone intact."
Jolie gripped her notebook to her chest, her knuckles aching. "Am I fired, Mr. Strickland?"
"I don't make business determinations based on accusations, Miss Cantrell," Cullen answered. "I make them based on evidence. You’ll receive your standard bi-weekly disbursement for today's scheduled route. And I want you back here tonight. Nine o'clock. Bring your truck, your tools, and leave your daughter with a reliable sitter. I'll pay your evening rate plus triple time."
May you like
Tandy stared at Cullen as if he had lost his mind. "Nine o'clock at night? What possible reason could you have for meeting a cleaning woman in the dark?"
Cullen turned his back on his operations manager, staring through the curved, clouded glass at his own reflection. "Because whoever is poisoning my building doesn't do it at dawn, Tandy. They do it when they think nobody is paying attention."
