Jarvis’s smile quickly faded and he rubbed his hands nervously down the legs of his pants. “I didn’t mean nothing by it, LuAnn. I just always thought of you living in some castle somewhere wearing fancy clothes and driving fancy cars. I’m sorry.”
LuAnn’s anger faded as she thought back to Jackson’s proposition. Castles might be within her reach now. “It’s okay, Johnny, it’s been a long week, you know what I mean? I’m not looking for a job. What I’m looking for is a little information about one of your renters here.”
Jarvis glanced over his shoulder at the rear office area where the sounds of phones and clattering keyboards could be heard mixed with short bursts of conversation, and then he turned back to her. “Information?”
“Yeah. I came by here yesterday morning. Had an appointment.”
“With who?”
“That’s what I want you to tell me. It was that business on the right as you come in the mall next to the bus stop. It ain’t got no sign or anything, but it’s next to the ice cream place.”
Jarvis looked puzzled for a second. “I thought that space was still vacant. We got a lot of that. This mall isn’t exactly in the middle of a booming area.”
“Well, it wasn’t vacant yesterday.”
Jarvis walked over to the computer on the counter and started punching buttons. “What was the appointment for?”
LuAnn’s reply was immediate. “Oh, it was a sales job, you know. Pushing products door-to-door.”
“Yeah, we’ve had some people like that come in on a temporary basis. More like an interview room than anything else. If we have the space, which we usually do, we rent it out, sometimes just for the day. Especially if it’s already been built out, you know, ready-made office space.”
He pulled up a screen and studied it. As voices continued to filter in from the back office he went over and shut the door. He looked a little apprehensively at LuAnn. “So what’d you want to know?”
She noted his concerned look and glanced in the direction of the door he had just shut. “You’re not going to get in trouble over this, are you, Johnny?”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Hell, no. Remember, I’m the assistant manager here,” he said importantly.
“Well, just tell me whatever you can. Who the people are. What the business is. An address somewhere. Stuff like that.”
Jarvis looked confused. “Well, didn’t they tell you that during the interview?”
“Some of it,” she said slowly. “But I just want to make sure it’s all legit, you know. Before I accept or not. I got to buy some nicer clothes and maybe get me a car. I don’t want to do that if it’s not on the up-and-up.”
Jarvis snorted. “Well, you’re smart to do that. I mean just because we rent space to these people, it don’t mean they’re shooting straight with you.” He added anxiously, “They didn’t ask for money from you, did they?”
“No, as a matter of fact, the money they were talking about me getting was pretty unbelievable.”
“Probably too good to be true then.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” She watched his fingers sail across the computer keyboard. “Where’d you learn to do that stuff?” she said with admiration.
“What, this? That’s when I was at the community college. They got programs over there that teach you just about anything. Computers are cool.”
“I wouldn’t mind going back to school one day.”
“You were always real smart in school, LuAnn. I bet you’d pick it up like nobody’s business.”
She gave him a pretty look. “Maybe one day. Now what’cha got for me?”
Jarvis studied the screen again. “Company’s name is Associates, Inc. At least that’s what they put on the rental agreement. They leased for a week, starting yesterday in fact. Paid in cash. Didn’t give any other address. When they pay in cash we don’t really care.”
“They ain’t nobody there now.”
Jarvis nodded absently as he tabbed down the screen. “Guy named Jackson signed the lease agreement,” he said.
“About my height with black hair, sort of fat?”
“That’s right. I remember him now. He seemed very professional. Anything out of the way happen during your interview?”