Whittaker 01 The Enemy We Know (26 page)

After we said hello, I stood looking at him. Waiting.

“
Uh, listen Letty, I was wondering if I could talk to you?”

My eyebrows raised involuntarily. “You mean more than this?” I asked, twirling my finger to include our already-talking position in the lobby.

He flushed, lips thinning slightly. He’d never liked or understood my sense of humor. Maybe I should hook him up with Regina.

“
Look, I’d really like to talk to you. Please.”

The “please” got me. Since I had back-to-back clients and didn’t know how long the interns’ party would take, we agreed that he’d phone me later that evening.

Later, as I walked a client up to the front, Marshall materialized at my side.

“
Letty, do you have a moment?”

“
Um, I’m taking Judith up to reschedule.”

“
Oh, I’m sure Judith knows her way. Do you mind?” He smiled warmly into my client’s eyes and grasped my elbow. “I’m pulling a boss’s prerogative.”

His charm was palpable, his grip unshakable. Judith laughed and tossed a wave over her shoulder as she headed for the front. I followed Marshall in to his office, taking a seat. He shut the door.

“
Changing your open door policy?” I said lightly.

He took his seat behind his desk. Steepling his hands in front of his face, he gazed at me over the tips. “I thought you might like a moment in private to look at this.” He slid an envelope with the Wisconsin state seal in the return address corner across the desk.

I opened it. Wayne’s complaint had been determined to be unfounded. I let out a sigh of relief at the first good news I’d had in ages. Marshall grinned from across the desk.

“
I take it the review board showed some sense?” he asked.

“
Was there any doubt?” I laughed.

“
Not of
your
actions,” he said quietly.

I blushed, knowing he referred to more than the board’s decision. My recent avoidance stood in stark contrast to our earlier rapport, but I couldn’t discount my suspicions. Something would have to give pretty soon, though. Professionally, I couldn’t continue dodging him. I told myself “professionally” was all that mattered.

“
Going to be at the party tonight?” he asked after several long moments of awkward silence.

“
I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I cleared my throat.

“
I’m glad Mary Kate’s not carting us off to the roller rink this time.” He smiled again, laugh lines crinkling. I avoided his eyes, standing and moving to the door.

“
I’d better get my next client.”

“
I guess I’ll see you later, then,” he said, his voice thick with disappointment.

The intern party sucked.

Sarah, our sorority girl intern who squinted and tossed her hair a lot, went to ridiculous lengths to avoid mingling with Mary Kate—at one point, knocking over a pickle tray to place the food table between them. Much of her time was spent rolling her eyes at her co-intern, making me wonder if she and Mary Kate had had “office-mate” issues. Occasionally, interns set up a competitive atmosphere a la “The Apprentice,” although the real-life version had zero entertainment value.

Or it could have been the aura of depression seeping like sewer water from Mary Kate. Although normally Mary Kate would have adored the attention, on this occasion she alternated between weepy gratitude and weepy wistfulness. I felt like calling the local radio station and requesting “It’s My Party (And I’ll Cry If I Want To).”

Hannah stuck by Mary Kate’s side trying to encourage her, which couldn’t have been easy since Mary Kate wouldn’t acknowledge her. Regina and boring Bob stopped in long enough for Regina to corner me and suggest another supervision meeting. I lied and promised I would. After scanning the room with jaded eye, she and her entourage of one left. Marshall worked the room as best he could, moving from colleague to colleague, smiling and bestowing the boss’s benediction on the crowd. I coordinated my movements with his, keeping the length of the room between us and avoiding eye contact.

The ice cream cake melted.

After an hour I was ready to fake an epileptic seizure to get out of the room, but, less dramatically, Robert called. I would’ve gone out in the hall to talk, but there were still counseling sessions going on, so I stood in the corner, finger stuffed in my ear to block the room noise. We kept it brief, deciding to meet at Chandlers, a favorite of Robert’s, in forty-five minutes.

If all I got out of the lousy relationship with Robert was an excuse to leave this party, it was worth it.

I went over to give Mary Kate a good-bye hug, but she clung to me, all forlorn.

“
Are you leaving? I wanted to talk to you.
Please?
” The abused puppy was back.

“
Um, well, I have to be somewhere in a few minutes”—her eyes welled up with tears—“but, yeah, sure.”

Her smile split wide enough to show back molars. “But not here,” she said. “In private.”

We went to my office, where Mary Kate scooched down in her usual seat.

“
Just like old times, huh?” I said.

Mary Kate smiled wistfully. “I wish. These last few weeks have been so hard. Finals and saying good-bye and all that.”

“
I know,” I said. “Changes are difficult, but once you get through finals it should lighten up, right? Have you thought about taking some time off?”

“
Yeah, it’s funny you should say that. I have been thinking about whether or not to continue with school. I was thinking that maybe—”

“
Whoa! I didn’t mean quitting school. I meant, like, a vacation. Some down-time. Quitting school is such a big decision. I thought you wanted to counsel? Are you sure?”

“
I don’t know. Everything is just getting so hard, you know? I thought maybe I could take a break, maybe work here for a while. Like I could do phones and stuff while I decide.”

“
I don’t even think we’re hiring, Mary Kate. You’d have to talk to Marshall about that. I just…” My voice trailed off. I had a natural therapist’s reluctance to giving advice, but as a friend I hated keeping quiet on such a huge issue. “I just hope you really think this through before making a decision. I know you’d make a good therapist and you seemed so passionate about the field. Why don’t you get through finals and take that vacation? Then you can see how you feel.”

“
I guess.” She didn’t look convinced.

“
All right, then, let’s get you back to your party.” I stood, and she reluctantly followed suit. She shadowed me back to the conference room looking more dejected than ever.

A chorus of “Here she is!” greeted us. When Lisa gathered up the two interns for opening the presents, Mary Kate perked up a tiny bit. I waited until she was ripping into the bright orange tissue paper before sneaking out. Just as I made my move for the door, Marshall caught my eye.

He stood just behind Mary Kate and Sarah, watching me. I hesitated. For half a heartbeat, we stared at each other, eyes searching. I shivered. Mentally shaking myself, I slipped out the door.

Chandlers, known for its surf-n-turf special, was crowded as usual. Robert was already seated at a discreet table near the stone fireplace when I got there. As I crossed the room, I wished I’d had a chance to go home and change, but it would have made me late. Robert stood as I approached, smiling in a way that reminded me why I’d fallen for him in the first place. The firelight danced in his hair, turning his honey-blond a deeper gold. He held the back of the chair for me as I sat.

As we made small talk and looked the menu over, it dawned on me that he was shoveling charm down my throat with both hands. He was attentive: asking about my day, complimenting me on my blouse. He was solicitous: asking what I might order, the temperature—too hot? Too cold?—near the fire. He was interested: asking whether the licensing complaint, which he referred to as “that witch hunt”—a phrase he’d never uttered when we were dating, had been resolved. When he asked how Sue was doing I decided he’d either smoked his lunch or wanted something from me.

If I was a person of stellar ethics, I would have cut the meal short knowing I had no intention of doing any favors for my ex. But technically, having just relapsed, I’d only been sober for a few days and was still a work in progress. Or maybe I’d have felt more generous if he’d been straightforward instead of being such a smarmy butt kisser.

As matters stood I had no compunction about ordering, and enjoying, a thick, juicy slab of prime rib. And, besides, it was nice, really nice, to sit quietly in pleasant surroundings and not wonder if the man across from me got his jollies from dark Renaissance verse and doll mutilation. Robert was far too self-absorbed to be obsessed with anyone who didn’t look back at him in the mirror. At least, I hoped.

About midway through the meal, Robert cleared his throat nervously. I felt the table jounce and knew if I peeked underneath I’d see Robert’s leg jiggling nervously. The bullshit cometh…

He cleared his throat again, looking to the side, avoiding eye contact. “So, that’s some pretty weird shit with Randy, huh?” He glanced back, checking my reaction.

I finished chewing, swallowed. “You mean
Wayne
, don’t you? And even if I hated him, ‘weird’ is an quite understatement. Horrible, maybe.”

“
Have the police been talking to you?” He feigned interest in chasing a green bean around his plate.

“
Of course. I’m probably the main suspect.” With a start, I realized I’d forgotten to call Blodgett back. So much for appearing cooperative.

“
That’s crazy,” his voice strangely emphatic. “Obviously Rand—uh, Wayne—had a lot of problems. Anybody could have done it. I think they’re just taking the easy way out, focusing on the first people they come across.” A frown crossed his face as he probably recalled just
how
he came to the attention of the police in the first place. But he let it slide.

“
I don’t believe that. After all, it makes sense that they need to check me out.” I paused, watching his face tighten as I declined the “us versus them” alliance he proposed. “I didn’t do it, of course, but how can they know that?”

“
It’s too bad you don’t have an alibi, huh?” His eyes skittered away again, a line of sweat glistening on his upper lip.

Ah.

“
I guess.” I stayed noncommittal, interested to see how he would continue.

“
Listen, Letty. Just because we’ve had our differences doesn’t mean I won’t be there for you. If there’s anything, I can do…?”

He finally made eye contact, gazing with “significance” across the debris of our meal. What a crock. He’d left me dangling when I went to him for help with Wayne. It was obviously not my
lack of alibi that had him sweating, and on top of that, the jerk apparently wanted
me
to proposition
him
into vouching for each other.

“
Nope. Can’t think of anything,” I chirped. “But thanks.”

More throat noises. “It’s just so stupid, you know? I can’t believe the cops are stupid enough to think you would actually kill someone.”

“
Maybe they don’t. Maybe they have someone else they’re considering. Like you said, ‘anybody could have done it.’” I stared at him, a slight smile on my face. Evil of me, I know.

He reached for his water glass, nearly tipping it over. “Have you heard anything about that? I mean, there must be a bunch of people mad at Wayne. He wasn’t a nice guy, you know.”

Well, no shit. Suddenly, I was sick of the whole charade. “Robert, what’s this all about? Why did you ask me here? And don’t give me any bullshit about enjoying my company or burying the hatchet or whatever else you might come up with. You’re obviously afraid the police consider you a suspect. Why?”

His lips thinned, but for the first time, he looked me straight in the eyes. “Because they heard you and I were dating.”

“
So, that means, what? That you were avenging my honor or something?” I snorted. “Would it help if I told them that’s not your style?”

His eyes narrowed into flinty slits. “I’m not some Cro-Magnon, who can’t control himself. And it’s not like you came to me for help. You shut me out, so don’t blame me for not being there.”

The theme song from
Rocky
tinkled from his hip. He glanced at the Caller ID and mumbled, “I need to get this. I’ll be right back.” He stood and strode off to the front lobby.

“
Rocky?” I snorted to his retreating back. “Puh-lease.”

The server walked up and motioned to the half-empty plates. “Did you want me to wrap any of this?”

“
No, there’s nothing worth saving.”

“
Oh,” he said, eyes wide. “One of
those
dates? Would dessert help?”

I smiled for the first time. “It might, but I don’t want to get bogged down here. If he’s not back in the next few minutes, I’m out of here.”

“
Good for you, hon. Don’t take any you-know-what from any of them.” With a wink, he moved off to another table. I’d make sure he got a big tip even if I had to leave it myself.

Robert showed up minutes later, apologizing. Not for his earlier boorishness, of course, but for the minor indiscretion of the phone call. What a boob.

By unspoken agreement, we let the discussion die. The walk up to the lobby was awkward enough, so I ditched into the bathroom to avoid continuing the farce into the parking lot. We said our good-byes quickly, and I hurried through the door with the triangle-shaped brass woman affixed to it.

After using the facilities, washing my hands twice, and counting one-Mississippi three hundred times, I decided it was safe to go. The relief I felt upon noticing Robert’s truck gone, however, was short-lived.