He knew the routine in this building well enough to know there was no one else here at this time of night. And ever since he managed to lift a skeleton key from one of the cleaning crew, getting into the office was a snap. Not that he was going to tell the Brown witch. No, if she thought this job was getting easier, she’d probably step up her threats about talking to his parole officer. The woman must take pleasure in controlling men. How did her husband put up with her? Back in the day, Hank Brown had been hell on wheels. That’s what the word around the Shillington plant was. He’d driven for old man Shillington’s NASCAR team but had quit cold when he’d married Cynthia. Traded in his car for a desk and a piece of the family fortune. Come to think of it, the Shillington money would go a long way to sweetening any deal. Ralph popped a fresh stick of gum into his mouth, closed the door behind him and walked to McMasters’s desk to turn on the lamp.
