Killer Blonde Read Online Free Page A

here’s a complete list of your mistakes and my corrections.”
    I heard the slap of that fat file hitting a desktop.
    â€œWithout my intervention, this company would have lost $67,457.16,” Jennifer said. Now the other staff members were straining to hear, but only I could catch what she said.
    Vicki was speechless. At least, I didn’t hear her reply.
    â€œLet’s start with the Harrison project,” Jennifer said. “You forgot to add the shipping fees when you prepared an estimate—”
    She proceeded to chronicle Vicki’s mistakes for the next half hour. Jennifer was sweet, but that didn’t mean she was stupid. She must have distrusted Vicki as much as I did, because she kept backup files. Jennifer had copies of Vicki’s original orders and proposals, signed and dated, and then her own clever catches and corrections. She was one sharp little blonde.
    â€œNow, you have your choice,” Jennifer said, when she finished her staggering list of Vicki’s errors. “You can redo my evaluation, or I can take this file in to Mr. Hammonds. You have one hour to reconsider. If I don’t have that revised evaluation on my desk by ten thirty, I’ll have a talk with Mr. Hammonds. And it won’t make any difference how much you coo at him. He’s a hardheaded money man. When he sees this, you’ll be out on your twitching pink tail.”
    At ten twenty-five, Vicki called me and asked if I would summon Jennifer. I escorted Jennifer to the pink office, then hung around outside, in case the boss needed me.
    â€œHere’s your evaluation,” Vicki told Jennifer.
    That’s all she said. Vicki had also typed this one, and it was full of slipped letters and misspellings. But she was dead-on about Jennifer this time. That young woman got the praise she deserved.
    Vicki decided to play it safe and revise Minnie’s evaluation. It didn’t give Minnie nearly the credit she deserved, but it raised her rating from a lousy F to a B-minus.
    Minnie quit sniffling and actually smiled. “I knew if I came in early today and Vicki saw me working hard, she would change her mind,” she said. “Hard work conquers all.”
    It wasn’t my place to set poor Minnie straight.
    Jennifer spent the morning at her desk, typing furiously. I wandered over to check the coffee machine and saw what she was working on: a résumé.
    My, my, I thought. Things will get interesting now. Jennifer will be snapped up fast by our competition, the Bradsco Corporation. Mr. Hammonds will want to know why this rising star was hired away.
    On Wednesday, Jennifer called in and said she felt sick. She had a doctor’s appointment and wouldn’t be in until noon. I didn’t believe her. Jennifer was healthy as a horse.
    Thursday night, Jennifer stayed later than anyone, even Minnie. I forgot the Tupperware container I used for my lunch and went back for it. Those things smell to high heaven if you leave them unwashed overnight in this climate. I found the lights still on in our department. Jennifer was packing up the contents of her desk.
    â€œCongratulations,” I said. “I hope the Bradsco Corporation is paying you lots more money.”
    Jennifer looked startled, but then she smiled sweetly. “I should have known I couldn’t fool you, Margery. I got them good, all of them.” I didn’t think she meant Bradsco.
    Friday morning, Jennifer announced she was leaving.
    â€œDon’t bother with your two weeks’ notice,” Vicki said in her snippiest voice. “The guard will escort you out now. Margery will pack up your things and send them to you.”
    â€œGood-bye,” Jennifer said. That’s all she said. She was smart, that young woman.
    Jennifer stopped by Minnie’s desk. She was hunched over her calculator, a long strip of white paper and black numbers rolling down her desk.
    â€œMinnie, please come with me to my new