Page 52 of The Awful Truth

Luka

Act natural. You’re not doing anything wrong. Remember, the public has a right to know what’s going on. Gotta run. I’m tracking down a lead.

She stared at their exchange. Excitement. Intrigue. Protectiveness. He didn’t want her to get caught, which made her heart soar. Also, he was ‘tracking down a lead’ which brought to mind his whole ‘eat what you kill’ philosophy. Luka was a man’s man. He was her man. And he was right. The public should know if there was some murderer out there running free, possibly about to kill again. And just because they were rich doesn’t mean they’re above the law. If anything, she was doing a public service by helping Luka to get the word out, and wasn’t that what she had promised to do when she took this job? Serve the public?

Well, in reality, she had agreed to answer calls, keep the files updated, and complete any other administrative tasks as requested by her boss. But still, the very fact that she was working for the police meant she was there for the people.

She was so busy staring at their exchange that she didn’t notice her boss standing on the other side of her desk watching her until he cleared his throat. She dropped the phone on the floor, and instead of picking it up, she stared up at The Director with what she hoped wasn’t a guilty look. Right or not, she was going to get fired. Letting out a little laugh, she said, “I’m so jumpy today. What can I do for you?”

“I have to go out for a while. If any calls come for me, forward them straight through to my mobile phone. You don’t need to screen people out today.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head. “Just put them through.”

“Something big must be going on,” she answered in a breezy tone.

“It’s certainly not ideal.”

“Is it one of those things that will ruin your entire weekend?” She followed that quickly with, “I hope not because if anyone needs some downtime, it’s you.” Petra let out that strained laugh again, hating the fact that she was definitely screwing up the whole ‘act natural’ thing. Instead, she was acting so guilty, he might as well put her at the top of the suspect list.

The Director stared at her for a second, his expression impossible for her to read. Then he said, “You know, one of my favorite things about you, Petra, is your complete lack of curiosity. A lot of people wonder about things. Why is the sky blue? Why do my fingers get all wrinkly when I’m doing the dishes? What was that phone call yesterday all about? But not you. It makes you invaluable at your job. You’re not interested in the news or politics or HR gossip. You keep yourself in this nice little box, doing your work diligently, minding your own business, then making your way home.”

“Thank you, sir,” she said, even though she was pretty sure none of what he was saying was actually complimentary.

“We make a very good team, you and me,” he said, rapping his knuckles on her desk in a friendly way. “My last assistant was a real gossipy sort. Endlessly curious. All sorts of questions all the time.” He clicked his teeth. “I think she’s a cashier at a grocery store these days.”

Threat received. Petra swallowed hard. “That sounds like a real step down.”

“Oh yes. If you think the pay here is a joke…”

THE DAY BEFORE THE INCIDENT

“Love is blind; marriage is the eye-opener.” ~ Pauline Thomason

SEVEN MONTHS EARLIER

CHARLOTTE

Charlotte was lost. Again. Why did she have so much trouble navigating new places? She should be better at it. She was only twenty-eight, for God’s sake. And yet she bumbled around like a ‘doddering old lady.’ That’s what her ex, Ian, used to call her anyway. A few weeks before they broke up, Charlotte had taken the wrong exit on the way to his bar admission party and rushed in twelve minutes late, apologizing while she stomped the snow off her boots onto the mat at the entrance to the pub they had rented. He winked and said not to worry about it, then told everyone he’d expected her to be late because she couldn’t find her ass with a map and both hands. Charlotte had been a good sport about the whole thing, her cheeks flaming while she laughed along with the rest of the law students and her boyfriend’s family. Ha ha, isn’t Charlotte silly? At least she doesn’t take herself too seriously. Having no sense of direction and no sense of humor would’ve been unforgivable in a girlfriend.

Now, as she hurried down the hallway of the St. Regis Hotel in New York, she hated the fact that Ian might have been right. She passed the laundry room, feeling the heat from the industrial-sized dryers that were all churning towels and sheets, realizing she was in a staff-only area of the beautiful hotel. She shouldn’t be there. She wasn’t staff, after all. She was a guest. Well, sort of, but not the kind that got to relax by the pool or order people around. The kind who took orders, like a nanny.

Honestly, where was she? The limo was already waiting out front to take her, Ted, and Antonia to 30 Rockefeller Place where The Marriage Whisperers were going to play themselves on Saturday Night Live. It was a skit mocking the feuding Sex and the City stars. To Ted, this meant they had really, truly, finally made it to the top.

And Charlotte could not have been happier than to come along for the ride. It was a welcome distraction from the fact that Ian was getting married that day in St. Lucia to a fellow attorney. They’d only been together for three months and were having a lavish beach wedding. Oh, and his new fiancée was pregnant. He was marriage material after all, despite years of telling her he wasn’t. He’d even sold his stupid Xbox on Facebook Marketplace the month before.

She should have been the one who was pregnant, about to say her vows with sand between her toes as gorgeous Ian smiled down at her. And she should be the one who would never have to work again. Well, not for money, anyway. Obviously being a stay-at-home mom was lots of work. She knew that. But it would be work she would love doing.

She would never find another man like Ian. He was smart and funny and handsome and he gave the best gifts—and not just for birthdays and Christmas. Random, thoughtful gifts too. When her grandmother died, he had a star named after her, and the night of the funeral, he took her to the observatory to see it through a telescope. That kind of love doesn’t come around more than once in a lifetime. Even if sometimes his teasing hurt her feelings.

But it was too late. He’d dumped her and moved on. So, as she rushed along the hallway, she let out a desperate sob. She needed to get into that limo. Her life depended on it. Otherwise, she’d wind up spending the night alone in her hotel room bawling and searching for posts of her dream wedding with her dream man. And the thought of that nearly killed her. She broke into a jog, imagining having a story to tell for the rest of her life. Oh sure, I’ve been backstage at SNL, kids. It was incredible. I met Natalie Portman. When you get a little older, I’ll tell you about the after party. Now, eat your carrots.

Her cell phone rang just as she found an elevator and hit the up button. It was Ted. “I’m almost there! Please don’t leave!” she said.

“I’d never leave you behind, kiddo. Just checking to see if you’re okay.”

“I took a wrong turn. This stupid hotel is so confusing.”

“I should’ve come to your room to get you. I knew you wouldn’t be yourself this weekend.”