with other dogs. That will solve your problem. The only person Annabel Lee doesn’t like right now is your brother, and that’s only because we’re arguing.”
“It’s okay if you let my brother off the hook, Rick. I’m sure he’ll want to cry on your shoulder before I’m done with him.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Somehow, I survived my first day of work. I spent most of my time organizing files and getting a feel for what I would be doing on Tuesday, which would dump me straight into the depths of hell. My tentative explorations had already revealed discrepancies, as Miss Meltrew’s collection of handsome men kept immaculate records of their meetings, along with a spreadsheet dedicated to received, expected, and missing invoices. The missing invoices intrigued me, as they included the expected amount, when it should have been paid, how long overdue it was, and the advertising campaign the invoice was associated with. In some cases, the missing invoice sheet also included when an invoice exceeded the expected expenditures.
Before I left to meet with my real estate agent, I went to my new boss’s office and knocked on his door.
“Enter,” Garret answered.
I slipped inside his office, which could fit two of mine with room to spare. “I’ve done my initial evaluation of the files I received, and should the gentlemen at that firm be fired for their manager’s actions, you would be wise to hire and get them certified. They have exceptional record-keeping skills. They’ve basically done the majority of my work for me, as they have an entire spreadsheet dedicated to suspicious invoices, missing invoices, or invoices that exceeded expected or allowed spend. I’m going to start the complete audit researching those invoices and see where it takes me tomorrow, but I think this is going to be a great deal easier than anyone believed. Maybe they aren’t accountants, but they kept their records organized.”
“I can tell when an accountant is happy, and you sound happy with that development. Good. Honestly, we’d been pitched a hell job, but if you can finish that job early, there’s a lot of work for you to do, including the McCarthy file. I don’t think you’ll have much difficulty with the McCarthy file, but with their household changes and the legal elements involved, they wanted a good accountant to audit their finances. Are you willing to do paid overtime on the weekend? They work at legal firms on weekday hours, so it’s difficult for them to make appointments.”
“Assuming I’m not moving, I can handle a weekend appointment to help them. Tomorrow, I’ll have a better idea of how long it will take to do a complete audit. If it takes longer than expected, I’ll handle their audit on the weekends as well. A month of extra work isn’t a problem. I can get settled afterwards.”
“I don’t want to stress you too much.”
“You’re certainly paying me well enough to deal with the stress, Garret.”
He chuckled. “We have noticed well-paid employees tend to perform better and are more willing to deal with the shitstorms when they roll on it.”
“Is anyone paid well enough to handle a shitstorm?”
“I’m assuming plumbers. That’s part of their daily job, isn’t it?”
I shuddered. “With that in mind, I don’t think plumbers are paid enough.”
“Same with the guys who clean the sewers or septic tanks. Wondering how they get into that sort of work keeps me up at night. I can’t even imagine what it’s like doing maintenance on a sewer line.”
“I’m starting to think I’m going to need a puppy to help me sleep at night now.”
“I have a cat and a dog, and they own my bed. They allow me to sleep on it sometimes, but only if I serve as their bed warmer and offer them affection. Should I fail to pet them sufficiently, they try to sleep on my face. My dog is a golden retriever, and she really might suffocate me one of these days.”
“Do you ever bring your dog to work?”
“I’ll bring her tomorrow, and I’ll ask my sister if she would mind me taking one of the puppies off her hands for tomorrow. She breeds Korean Jindos, and she has a litter that’ll be going on sale soon. They’re not all that popular here, but they’re loyal, smart, and classify as guard dogs. They’re pretty active, but they love interacting with people and animals. They’re really trainable. I’ll probably get a Jindo after Keekee passes away. Keekee is pretty old.”