Cold Brew Coffee

The package said it was “Cold Brew Coffee”, but it was just coffee made with cold water. Lucy touched the screen on the machine to make a cup of cold caffeinated water.

Regardless of the time of year, the office was always hot in the afternoon. Strict rules were in place forbidding any unauthorized person changing the office’s thermostat – the locked box around the thermostat helped enforce the rule. The heat combined with the work duties of filing sales tax returns were a perfect recipe for Lucy falling asleep at her desk. “Cold Brew Coffee” provided just enough of a soul band-aid to keep going until the end of her workday.

As the coffee machine whined its way to completing her drink, Lucy could not stop herself from looking in the drawer storing utensils for the office. She tried to stop herself, she truly did, but her will crumbled with barely a whisper of resistance.

“Damn them,” she mumbled looking at the chaos within the drawer. Someone, a perpetrator in the office, kept rearranging the forks, spoons, and knives into an unacceptable, possibly dangerous configuration. This time Lucy was prepared. The hidden camera by the microwave would finally reveal the agent of disorder.

Rearranging the drawer - Large forks, small forks, large spoons, small spoons, butter knives - burned resolve into Lucy’s mind. Making sure she was alone, she grabbed the hidden camera, her cold coffee, and prepared to find out who so flagrantly disregarded order in a chaotic world.

The rest of the day was maddening. Lucy could not watch the recording because her company used an “Open Office” concept. Open offices were designed to destroy any sense of privacy for employees. “Collaboration” was the usual justification given for having an office with no walls except in management’s offices. “Collaboration” a common term used by management to commit many sins against workers. At any time, anyone could be walking behind Lucy, looking at her computer screen, seeing whatever she was working on. This had caused problems for others in the past. In one instance, Brad from Marketing had been admonished for writing a short story while at work. He tried to explain that the document was for marketing purposes, but management had not believe him. He should never have mentioned the creative writing college course he attended.

After racing home, Lucy finally got to watch the recording. It clearly showed that she was not a tech savvy person. The picture quality was terrible, and she had not accounted for the units recording time. The recording had abruptly cut off, but not before she barely identified the culprit. Tanya from HR was the last to use the utensil drawer. Lucy could not make out exactly what Tanya was doing within the drawer, but it was clear that she was rearranging its contents.

Shocked, Lucy never would have believed that Tanya could be so cruel – so evil. The more she thought about her tormentor, the more it made sense. Tanya pretended to be the sweetest person in the office. It was a brilliant disguise, no one would suspect her.

Now that Lucy had the proof, she could take it to management, she could show them what kind of monster was in their midst. Pausing, Lucy saw the error in her plan. Who would believe that Tanya could be so cruel and pitiless? They would turn on Lucy, especially after the issue with the use of her desk. Management had been unwilling to acknowledge Lucy’s complaints about someone rearranging items on her desk. They would quickly dismiss her reporting of Tanya’s crimes. It was clear that she needed to handle this matter on her own, for the good of the office – for order.

Surveillance of Tanya was much easier than Lucy had anticipated. Tanya only went to work, the grocery store, or home. For two weeks, Lucy had watched the woman maintain her brilliant façade. Tanya was quiet, but considerate at work and others seemed to enjoy working with her. Interestingly, the utensil drawer remained unmolested while Lucy observed Tanya’s activities.

Needing more evidence, Lucy feigned being sick and left work early. She was confident that she could get into Tanya’s apartment to obtain the proof she needed. Lucy had visions of finding an elaborate wall of connections hidden in a closet or spare bedroom detailing the machinations of this evil mastermind.

Learning that appearances matter, Lucy tried to look like she should be in the apartment complex. Using lock picking skills that she practiced via YouTube videos and a lock picking kit from Amazon, she easily entered Tanya’s apartment - unobserved.

After two hours of quietly searching, Lucy found nothing. No wall of connections, no masterplan laid out in Tanya’s bedside journal, no evidence of any kind. Taking a spare key to the apartment that she found in her search, Lucy left feeling dejected and alone. She had no proof that Tanya was the culprit. No one would believe her. Smothered by depression, Lucy went home.

It took two days for her to get back into the office. She almost drowned in her despair, barely having the will to gasp for each breath. Knowing that she must go to work, she dragged herself into the office, avoiding everyone, at least as much as was possible in an open concept office.

Without thinking, Lucy opened the utensil drawer to grab a spoon for her yogurt. Tanya had struck again, but this time the disorder was worse than ever. It was clear that Tanya knew the investigation failed, flaunting Lucy’s ineffectiveness with the newest display. Big utensils mixed with little ones throughout the drawer; even worse butter knives mixed with everything.

Fire bloomed in Lucy. She would not let this level of depravity continue. Seeing the mockery of the drawer helped Lucy realize what needed to be done. She would end it that night, order would prevail.

#

The coffee machine whined as it prepared the cold brew that Lucy had initiated. She looked in the utensil drawer to see order and felt content.

“Hey Lucy, did you hear about Tanya?” Brad asks from the breakroom table.

“Hmm?”

“Seems she was murdered in her apartment last night. They believe it was the same person that trashed her apartment a few days ago. I think you missed that because you were out sick or something. Isn’t that crazy?”

“Maybe she made someone mad,” Lucy said.

“I’d say. She was super nice, I wonder why someone would stab her so many times,” Brad said shaking his head.

Lucy could hear the sound of police radios in the front part of the office. It did not matter why the police were there. Order was restored. Wait!

“How did you know she was stabbed?” Lucy asked Brad.

“Oh, cause I watched. I’ve been watching you for a while Lucy. I needed a new short story idea for a writing contest. I knew you could help me out after I saw how you reacted when I borrowed your stapler. I never knew your fixation on the utensil drawer would go so far but boy was I wrong. Thanks for the material,” Brad said smiling.

The machine chimed signifying Lucy’s “Cold Brew Coffee” was ready.