tell us about them personally?” he asked, walking slowing behind her desk.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“What you know about the lives of your employees, Ms. James? Are they single, do they have children, hobbies?” he elaborated, looked down at her. “Is anyone struggling with anything that would suggest they could be involved in stealing from the company?”
She had no idea what to say. While she had a strong team and they worked well together, Nia didn’t know much about their personal lives beyond the basics.
“You’re asking me if I know who was involved in the theft? Of course not!” stated Nia.
“I just want to know a little more about them than their job title. Unless there is a reason you’re being vague.”
The formidable agent was now standing with his feet planted wide, and arms crossed. The interview was no longer cordial.
“I’ll tell you what I know, but I really can’t add very much,” she explained evenly.
“And why is that?”
“Because I don’t get involved with my team beyond work. That’s why. Office gossip is destructive, and I don’t allow anyone to participate in it,” Nia advised him. “So, I can only tell you the facts I know. Tara is a newlywed. She got married in March. Cain and Nancy are both married. Cain has a son and Nancy has three teenage kids. I can’t remember if it’s two boys and one girl, or the other way around.”
Michael watched her hard with lowered brows. Nia tried not to bite the side of her cheek with nervousness.
“Adam and John are both single, I think, and Mimi has a boyfriend.”
His brows lowered farther.
“I don’t know what else to tell you,” she added, feeling pressured and annoyed. “They have lunch together sometimes when they are in the office. And they all go to the bar across the street with others in the office on Fridays after work for drinks. But I can’t see how that helps your investigation.”
Michael didn’t react to her sassy comment. Instead, he took the slow path behind her chair, back to the other side of her chair.
“How well do you know Chris Morton and his team?”
She shrugged.
“I won’t have much to add there either, unfortunately,” she admitted. “Chris started with Tara when the office opened. He’s the operations manager, so he has Emma Sterling reporting to him. She’s the receptionist and handles any walk-in sales for the gallery.”
Michael stopped again, refolding his arms. Nia shrugged with frustration.
“I don’t socialize with any of them,” she insisted again. “Emma seems to come from a big family. She’s always talking about brothers and sisters and cousins. And I think she’s dating someone.”
“And Mr. Morton?” he probed.
Nia sighed. There wasn’t much to add there either.
“He’s divorced, no kids that I’m aware of. He’s really into sports. I think he even plays basketball for some kind of city league.”
There was a few seconds of silence.
“Ms. James, I don’t think I have to outline the seriousness of your situation,” declared Michael, before he went ahead and did just that. “You are the only person other than Mr. Worthington who knew when a twenty-five-million-dollar diamond arrived here. And the only other person to know the security code to a very secure safe, surrounded by motion sensors and in a building with comprehensive video surveillance. This is not the time for polite discretion.”
“I’m perfectly aware of what’s going on here, and how this looks,” she shot back coldly. “I don’t have any more information to give you. If I did, I promise you I would.”
“What about the rest of Morton’s team. He manages the three security guards and the warehouse staff?” added Michael.
“Yes. The security guards work shifts through an agency, but Chris supervises them. We also use laborers in the warehouse, from a staffing company, I think. Chris brings them in hourly when needed. But I don’t think we have any in this
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“What you know about the lives of your employees, Ms. James? Are they single, do they have children, hobbies?” he elaborated, looked down at her. “Is anyone struggling with anything that would suggest they could be involved in stealing from the company?”
She had no idea what to say. While she had a strong team and they worked well together, Nia didn’t know much about their personal lives beyond the basics.
“You’re asking me if I know who was involved in the theft? Of course not!” stated Nia.
“I just want to know a little more about them than their job title. Unless there is a reason you’re being vague.”
The formidable agent was now standing with his feet planted wide, and arms crossed. The interview was no longer cordial.
“I’ll tell you what I know, but I really can’t add very much,” she explained evenly.
“And why is that?”
“Because I don’t get involved with my team beyond work. That’s why. Office gossip is destructive, and I don’t allow anyone to participate in it,” Nia advised him. “So, I can only tell you the facts I know. Tara is a newlywed. She got married in March. Cain and Nancy are both married. Cain has a son and Nancy has three teenage kids. I can’t remember if it’s two boys and one girl, or the other way around.”
Michael watched her hard with lowered brows. Nia tried not to bite the side of her cheek with nervousness.
“Adam and John are both single, I think, and Mimi has a boyfriend.”
His brows lowered farther.
“I don’t know what else to tell you,” she added, feeling pressured and annoyed. “They have lunch together sometimes when they are in the office. And they all go to the bar across the street with others in the office on Fridays after work for drinks. But I can’t see how that helps your investigation.”
Michael didn’t react to her sassy comment. Instead, he took the slow path behind her chair, back to the other side of her chair.
“How well do you know Chris Morton and his team?”
She shrugged.
“I won’t have much to add there either, unfortunately,” she admitted. “Chris started with Tara when the office opened. He’s the operations manager, so he has Emma Sterling reporting to him. She’s the receptionist and handles any walk-in sales for the gallery.”
Michael stopped again, refolding his arms. Nia shrugged with frustration.
“I don’t socialize with any of them,” she insisted again. “Emma seems to come from a big family. She’s always talking about brothers and sisters and cousins. And I think she’s dating someone.”
“And Mr. Morton?” he probed.
Nia sighed. There wasn’t much to add there either.
“He’s divorced, no kids that I’m aware of. He’s really into sports. I think he even plays basketball for some kind of city league.”
There was a few seconds of silence.
“Ms. James, I don’t think I have to outline the seriousness of your situation,” declared Michael, before he went ahead and did just that. “You are the only person other than Mr. Worthington who knew when a twenty-five-million-dollar diamond arrived here. And the only other person to know the security code to a very secure safe, surrounded by motion sensors and in a building with comprehensive video surveillance. This is not the time for polite discretion.”
“I’m perfectly aware of what’s going on here, and how this looks,” she shot back coldly. “I don’t have any more information to give you. If I did, I promise you I would.”
“What about the rest of Morton’s team. He manages the three security guards and the warehouse staff?” added Michael.
“Yes. The security guards work shifts through an agency, but Chris supervises them. We also use laborers in the warehouse, from a staffing company, I think. Chris brings them in hourly when needed. But I don’t think we have any in this
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