D L Hayden

The Orchard: an Adventure of Murder, Betrayal, and Love D L Hayden

The Orchard has been Helen Faulkner's refuge since childhood. Here imagination runs free, discovery rampant, and the opportunity to explore life's array abundant. At work, Helen is responsible for a just-in-time inventory system. Direct involvement with suppliers keeps her abreast of vendors, and surprised with the discovery of a payment to an unidentified supplier. Asking her boss, she suggests voiding the check, but he demands she leave it on his desk. Racing down the stairs after leaving his office, Helen falls and almost dies. From a flashback, she concludes the fall was no accident. To iron out the conflict, she returns to the orchard to reflect. Helen follows her instincts, and returns to the company while her boss is away during a board meeting. While there, she discovers an observation room, and that he is leader of a group stealing from the company. This meeting confirms her worst fear. She finds her fall was no accident as executives plot to silence her permanently.