“Why that’s awful. Can I get you anything?”
“No, thank you. I don’t know. Did you know him? Jimmy, uh – James Barnes?”
She sat back in her seat and gave me a long look. When she replied her tone was tense. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I ever met anyone by that name. I can see this has been very distressing to you. Would you like to take a rain check on our meeting?”
She had me ushered out of her office before I could even come up with a suitable reply. It was obvious she didn’t want to speak with me.
While Max and I waited for the elevator, I thought over the new information. The big case Norma mentioned and Lori’s desire to get me out of her office pinged deep inside, pieces of a puzzle I couldn’t make fit. It was important.
I wasn’t ready to leave the building. There was one more person I wanted to talk to. If Lori wasn’t my mystery caller, and I hadn’t ruled her out yet, then Cindy Carter was. When I got downstairs to the main desk in the lobby I asked the receptionist if Cindy Carter was available. She placed a call and then politely asked me to wait.
Max and I made our way over to the plush chairs and got comfortable. Soon I watched a middle aged woman exit the elevator from the upstairs offices, stop at the front desk to speak to the receptionist, and then walk through the lobby. She was tall with reddish brown hair and green eyes. Her age was in that window between mid-forties and mid-fifties where you don’t want to guess wrong. She was dressed in simple navy pants and a soft gray sweater. I stood up and walked to her.
This time I went with the truth.
“Hi Cindy. My name is Charlotte Marshall.”
A soon as I said my name Cindy froze and I knew. She was the one who called me. I feigned innocence and smiled as if we were old friends.
“Sorry for stopping by without notice, but I hoped we could go catch lunch or coffee. Can you take a few minutes?”
Cindy’s face was etched in stone. She wanted to tell me to leave, but she was afraid of making a scene by refusing me. I had left her with little choice but to join me. I didn’t regret that I had cornered her.
“I’m buying.” I said with a grin as though we were friends with a long history of fighting over which of us would pay.
Cindy’s entire body twitched once before she seemed to settle. “Let me just grab my coat and we can get some coffee. I’ll be back in a few.”
Five minutes later Max, Cindy, and I left the law firm and walked down the sidewalk to a small café near the corner. We didn’t discuss anything as we walked. Her lips were tight and her expression uncomfortable. I don’t know what she was thinking, but my mind was racing. I was trying to decide exactly what I wanted to ask her.
I ordered some tea and Cindy asked for a cup of coffee before we took a seat at a table in the corner. I sat with my back to the wall, facing Cindy.
Silence can sometimes be incredibly effective and this was one of those times. I wasn’t purposefully silent. I was trying to figure out what to say, but the silence worked to my benefit. While I searched for the right words. Cindy started talking.
“You shouldn’t be here. There’s nothing to find out.”
Another pause. She looked at me with a tense expression, toyed with her coffee, but never drank any of it. I took a sip of my tea trying to find the right opening question.
“Look, I don’t know anything,” her voice was strained. “Mr. Barnes ran away or he got mugged, but I don’t know anything.”
This time I purposefully stayed silent. It had worked so far.
“Okay, look, Mr. Barnes was working on a case and the senior partners weren’t happy with his progress. That’s all I know.”
The case. It had to be the case. “What case was he working on?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then how do you know the senior partners weren’t happy?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice got louder and her eyes looked like those of a hunted animal.
“Okay, well why did
“No, thank you. I don’t know. Did you know him? Jimmy, uh – James Barnes?”
She sat back in her seat and gave me a long look. When she replied her tone was tense. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I ever met anyone by that name. I can see this has been very distressing to you. Would you like to take a rain check on our meeting?”
She had me ushered out of her office before I could even come up with a suitable reply. It was obvious she didn’t want to speak with me.
While Max and I waited for the elevator, I thought over the new information. The big case Norma mentioned and Lori’s desire to get me out of her office pinged deep inside, pieces of a puzzle I couldn’t make fit. It was important.
I wasn’t ready to leave the building. There was one more person I wanted to talk to. If Lori wasn’t my mystery caller, and I hadn’t ruled her out yet, then Cindy Carter was. When I got downstairs to the main desk in the lobby I asked the receptionist if Cindy Carter was available. She placed a call and then politely asked me to wait.
Max and I made our way over to the plush chairs and got comfortable. Soon I watched a middle aged woman exit the elevator from the upstairs offices, stop at the front desk to speak to the receptionist, and then walk through the lobby. She was tall with reddish brown hair and green eyes. Her age was in that window between mid-forties and mid-fifties where you don’t want to guess wrong. She was dressed in simple navy pants and a soft gray sweater. I stood up and walked to her.
This time I went with the truth.
“Hi Cindy. My name is Charlotte Marshall.”
A soon as I said my name Cindy froze and I knew. She was the one who called me. I feigned innocence and smiled as if we were old friends.
“Sorry for stopping by without notice, but I hoped we could go catch lunch or coffee. Can you take a few minutes?”
Cindy’s face was etched in stone. She wanted to tell me to leave, but she was afraid of making a scene by refusing me. I had left her with little choice but to join me. I didn’t regret that I had cornered her.
“I’m buying.” I said with a grin as though we were friends with a long history of fighting over which of us would pay.
Cindy’s entire body twitched once before she seemed to settle. “Let me just grab my coat and we can get some coffee. I’ll be back in a few.”
Five minutes later Max, Cindy, and I left the law firm and walked down the sidewalk to a small café near the corner. We didn’t discuss anything as we walked. Her lips were tight and her expression uncomfortable. I don’t know what she was thinking, but my mind was racing. I was trying to decide exactly what I wanted to ask her.
I ordered some tea and Cindy asked for a cup of coffee before we took a seat at a table in the corner. I sat with my back to the wall, facing Cindy.
Silence can sometimes be incredibly effective and this was one of those times. I wasn’t purposefully silent. I was trying to figure out what to say, but the silence worked to my benefit. While I searched for the right words. Cindy started talking.
“You shouldn’t be here. There’s nothing to find out.”
Another pause. She looked at me with a tense expression, toyed with her coffee, but never drank any of it. I took a sip of my tea trying to find the right opening question.
“Look, I don’t know anything,” her voice was strained. “Mr. Barnes ran away or he got mugged, but I don’t know anything.”
This time I purposefully stayed silent. It had worked so far.
“Okay, look, Mr. Barnes was working on a case and the senior partners weren’t happy with his progress. That’s all I know.”
The case. It had to be the case. “What case was he working on?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then how do you know the senior partners weren’t happy?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice got louder and her eyes looked like those of a hunted animal.
“Okay, well why did
Similar Books
It's Always Darkest Before the Fridge Door Opens: Enjoying the Fruits of Middle Age
Phil Callaway, Martha O. Bolton
