Chapter 36: NOT ON RECORD
Flint did as he was directed by Barth.
"hello... I'm Hannah...head of HR"
A tall dark haired woman in a black customized suit, with her hair tied into a tight bun said, switching her tab to her left hand side and extending her right for a handshake with Flint.
Flint took it.
They walked to the elevators and headed to the third floor of the building.
She took him to her office.
"What did you say is the name of the employee you are looking for?" she asked, punching her keyboard in front of her.
"Miguel"
"Just Miguel? no middle name? surname?"
"Just Miguel" Flint reaffirmed.
Hannah punched in more keys.
"There are about more than 200 Miguels currently under the employ of Barth industries across Britain...you have no other name?"
"no"
"unless you intend searching each of the files one after the other, I don't see how it's possible to get the information you're after" Hannah said, her hands interlocking under her Jaw.
"I've got all day" Flint said, standing up from the chair he'd been occupying.
Hannah shrugged, then she said
"suit yourself"
She stood up from her swivel chair she'd been occupying and turned the Desktop screen to face him, then she handed him the mouse.
"I'll be back in an hour" she said, walking out of the office.
Flint turned his head to the computer screen and started his search, opening each file meticulously, one after the other.
Suddenly he wished he'd brewed himself a cup of coffee before he'd settled to do this arduous task.
**********
Miguel waited outside the campus gates of San Jose's school of business.
A bright eyed girl walked through the doors of faculty of business analytics, Files and textbooks in hand, chatting away with some classmates.
She stood for a while, spoke to them a little longer before she waved and walked away.
She headed towards the direction of her parked car.
Within minutes, the picanto rolled out of the gates.
Miguel waited until she was at a safe distance, then he followed.
Fayth Flint had promised her roomie to pickup the groceries today...well it actually was her turn to do it, had been for weeks but she'd always been wiggling her way out, but today, roomie made sure she was definitely going.
She stayed off campus, worked part time as a consultant in a small time business firm.
She'd always been the indoor type, never going to parties or even hanging out with friends much...well it wasn't like she had a lot of friends anyway, she liked to keep a small circle.
Her movement was always triangular.
School to home, home to church, church to home, home to school, nowhere else, except days like this when she had to pickup groceries from the or run an errand.
She'd even had loving quarrels with her dad over her lifestyle.
"I'm worried about you Fayth" he'd say each time she returned home to spend some time with family.
"with this kind of life, how can you find a boyfriend or even settle down! how can your mother and I carry your kids if you keep living life like this!
Do you plan on entering into a convent or becoming a nun!" her father would add.
She always had an earful whenever she returned home but she just didn't know how to be anyway else!
Her brother would laugh out his eyes enjoying her torture and the look on her face.
She always saw nagging as torture and her father knew the tools and he handled them fucking perfectly well.
She stopped at the parking lot of the grocery store, parking behind a pickup and she prayed she'd be done and out before the owner.
She didn't want any scratches on her precious parked baby.
She got out, the cool San Jose wind bit her skin. She shivered and hugged herself.
She cursed under her breath.
She should have brought something for cover.
"good evening Ben" she greeted the man at the counter.
She was a regular.
The man flashed her his signature grin.
"hey there beautiful" he replied.
Fayth smiled and shook her head as she grabbed one of the trolleys.
She took her time picking out what she wanted and before long, she was through but by then, it was nightfall.
As she went to check out, Ben made attempt at small talk as usual but she wasn't in the mood.
She just shook her head, smiled at intervals and kept on helping him move some of her items to the top for scanning and packing.
"bye Ben" she said as the last of her items were packed into bags.
She forgot the trolley at the counter and she was at her car door before she remembered.
Well it didn't matter, Ben was going to return it anyway.
She'd slammed her car door and turned her key in the ignition, when she noticed one side of her car was uncharacteristically bent to the side and at an odd angle too.
She got out to find out the cause of the problem then she noticed she had a flat tire.
Upon closer inspection, she found the tyre had been ripped completely through.
"what the...." she said, her eyes growing wide in surprise.
She stood up and looked around.
The damn place was now a bit dry, this time of the evening.
Most of the cars had already left the parking lot.
"fuck!" she screamed again in frustration then she kicked the rim of the car which was resting on the destroyed tire forcefully.
Just then, a Black Sedan rolled into the parking lot.
She watched as a tall well tanned man with long cascading curls jumped out.
He had lots of scars on his face like he'd almost been mauled by a bear or a tiger and barely escaped with his life, leaving the scars as a reminder that told the tale.
He had on black gloves and a sweater. Comforts Fayth totally wished she'd been smart enough to bring along with her.
The cold was something else.
She hugged herself tighter.
He might have been handsome once... but those scars....those damn scars Fayth thought as she watched his broad chest ripple and his biceps flex as he walked.
He walked past her and Fayth Flint didn't realize she'd been staring until the man walked into the store then she turned back to her problem.
She had a spare tire in the car, but she didn't have a Jack.
She made up her mind to go ask Ben when Mr Handsome scarred stranger walked through the doors.
She changed her mind instantly.
She was going to ask him instead of chatty Ben.
The man was just about to walk past her and
Fayth had opened her mouth to speak, when he turned to her.
She stared into the darkest hazel eyes she'd ever set her eyes on.
"are you alright? asked the stranger.
She swallowed. Damn! he looked good even with the scars.
"Hi... uh... my tyre's busted" she said to him in response.
The man nodded and went to his sedan.
what?! did he just walk out on a damsel in distress? she asked herself shocked.
What happened to being a gentle man! she thought.
She silenced her wandering thoughts when he came back to her with a Jack.
Oh....so that's what he went back for..she thought.
He threw the jack down close to the ripped tyre.
"have you got a spare?" he her suddenly.
"Sure... it's I'm the... wait lemme go get it" she said then she went to her car trunk.
Miguel silently snuck up behind her with a white handkerchief in his palm.
He raised his hands towards her, then she turned.
**********
An hour later, Flint heard the office door open and shut behind him.
Hannah had returned.
Oh... so an hour had passed he thought, his eyes never leaving the computer screen.
"any progress?" Hannah asked, coming to stand behind him.
"yup...but nothing fancy" Flint replied.
He was down to the one hundred and eightieth file and he still hadn't found anything relating to the Miguel of a guy.
"are you positive this Miguel of yours is an employee of Barth industries?" Hannah asked, the skepticism in her voice, utterly unmasked.
"My source did not lie... I'm 100 percent sure" Flint affirmed.
Hannah shrugged and went round the desk to sit in her chair.
She busied herself with her tab while Flint searched away.
With each file he opened, Flint's hope was beginning to vanish.
199, 200,...215.... each turned up the same result. Nothing.
When he got to the last File, Flint was certain.
This Miguel wasn't on the Barth industries employees database.
He'd seen this before.
It only meant one thing.
He was directly working for the big gun. Barth himself.
He knew something was off about the guy... even with his diplomatic paparazzi smile.
He needed to go back to him and have a word.
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