Read Online A Field Guide to Deception by Jill Malone - Free Book Online Page A

on the phone, her chattering, the delighted delivery of the invite; Claire had agreed, she thought, to have a respite from silence.
    â€œI have a confession,” Bailey said. “I know who you are.”
    Claire, sanguine, looked across at her. “Who am I?”
    â€œYou’re the woman employing Liv.”
    Claire nodded. “Yes.”
    â€œIt was one thing that first night, but not saying now would just seem, I don’t know, less somehow.”
    â€œLess?” Claire asked.
    â€œDevalued or something.”
    â€œYes.” Half of Claire’s coffee was gone. She was hungry and wished for her crepe.

    â€œDo you mind if I tell you? Do you mind talking about it?”
    â€œNo,” Claire said, rocking her flip flop rhythmically with her toes. “I don’t mind.”
    â€œLiv came back three months ago. She’d been living back east with family, a cousin, I think, and then Portland for a while. She came back to town, and was harder or something, more aggressive anyway. We’d go out and just stare. It was so strange. I’d known her for ages and then I didn’t know her at all.
    â€œAnd then she starts with the girls. Subtle, at first, she’d say she was tired and heading home. You know, like that. And then later . . .” Bailey waved her hand.
    A woman brought their crepes with little side salads and fans of cantaloupe. Claire bit into the sausage potato and shut her eyes to hold in the pleasure. Miraculously, the second bite was more expansive than the first.
    â€œI told you,” Bailey said, smiling. “Anyway, I had this thought recently. I think Liv hates herself. I think she’s doing this because she doesn’t know what else to do. Her behavior is a kind of manic self-loathing. Do you see? A way out of thinking about anything, a way to be only physical. She’s made everything physical: her work and her play. There’s no time left to think—no place for the brain at all.”
    â€œNo,” Claire said. “The brain doesn’t shut off when you’re physical. If anything, it ranges more widely, especially if you’re doing something you’re adept at, like Liv with construction. She knows exactly what she’s doing, so she’d have a lot of leisure to think while she’s working.”
    â€œThen why?” Bailey asked. “Why is she doing this?”
    â€œHave you asked her?”
    â€œNo. She’d think I was judging her. I’ve hinted about people being upset, Liv getting a reputation, but she doesn’t care about that.” Bailey fidgeted a moment, leaned across the table. “I think if you asked, she might tell you. I think she’s smitten with you.”
    â€œSmitten.” Claire arched her eyebrows. “No. I’m not going to pry into her personal life.”
    â€œBut what she’s doing is crazy and reckless. I don’t want to say
dangerous, but I think it is. I think it’s dangerous. She’s not twenty anymore.”

    Liv fell off the ladder, straight backwards, and hit the deck. She’d fallen eight feet: the breath had knocked out of her and she’d nailed her head and back. Unconscious for only a moment, she woke to Simon pulling at her, terror on his face.
    â€œI’m OK,” she said, moving her hand to touch his chest, to reassure him. “Simon, I need you to bring me my phone. It’s on the kitchen table.” The boy couldn’t seem to move. “Simon, can you get my phone, on the kitchen table?” Liv looked at the clouds and felt sick. For a moment, she closed her eyes.
    When she came conscious again, Simon had the phone in his hands.
    â€œGood boy,” she said. “Good boy, Simon. Let’s call Mommy.”

    Stretched on the recliner to brace the bag of peaches against her neck, and the mixed vegetables to her shoulders, Liv held the frozen clown fish to her head. Now that she was upright and