Misplaced (25 page)

“She
is
who
I
aspire
to
be,”
Khara
confessed,
smiling.
“
W
ill
they be enough?”
V
ictori
a
hande
d
the
m
back
.
“D
o
yo
u
understan
d
that
,
i
n
thi
s
time, these bracelets are priceless? I can’t possibly—”

“Thi
s
i
s
no
t
th
e
tim
e
t
o
argue.
”
Sh
e
wrappe
d
he
r
hands
aroun
d
V
ictoria’s
,
closin
g
the
m
int
o
a
fist
.
“I
t
i
s
a
questio
n
of
necessity, is it not? Sell them and let us be on our
w
ay.”

Chapte
r
Twelve
Vic
t
oria

A
t
nin
e
o’cloc
k
o
n
Monda
y
morning
,
Graci
e
w
altzed
into
the
office with
a
mug
of
coffee,
sat,
and
looked
across
the desk
with
probing eyes.
“Judging
from
the
dark
circles
under your
e
y
es,
I
’
d
say
you
had
quite
a
w
eekend.
Here,”
she
offered, pushing
the
coffee
to
w
ard
V
ictoria.
“
Y
ou
need
this
more
than I do.”

V
ictoria didn’t ans
w
er right a
w
ay. She
w
as busy making a list for herself and another for Gracie. When she did speak, she said, “The situation with Khara—it’s more complicated than I thought.”

“Mor
e
tha
n
o
n
Friday
?
Thi
s
I’
v
e
go
t
t
o
hear,
”
Gracie
remarked, e
y
eing the lists suspiciously.

“I’m in a hurry, Gracie.
W
e
’
re leaving town for a few days, and I need you to look after things.”

“W
e?
Before
you
go
anywhere,
you
’
d
better tell
me
what’s going on.”

V
ictoria
w
anted
to
tell
her
e
v
erything,
but
the
phone
rang,
dispelling the fleeting
desire to spill her guts.

Gra
c
i
e
pre
ss
e
d
th
e
int
e
r
co
m
but
to
n
.
“
S
he
’
s
bu
s
y
,
tak
e
a
message!
”
sh
e
snapped
,
an
d
the
n
looke
d
a
t
V
ictori
a
wit
h
a
trouble
d
expression
.
“Thi
s
i
s
no
t
lik
e
you,
”
sh
e
challenged
,
snatching
one
of
the
lists.
“Changing
court
dates
is
no
big
deal,
but
you
’
re
withdrawing
your
presentation
for
next
Thursday’s
immigratio
n
forum
?
Ha
v
e
yo
u
los
t
you
r
mind
?
Afte
r
al
l
the
wor
k
you’
v
e
don
e
t
o
ge
t
a
meetin
g
wit
h
th
e
go
v
ernor
?
Y
ou
’
ll
ne
v
e
r
ge
t
anothe
r
chance
,
V
icki
.
Ho
w
lon
g
ha
v
e
w
e
been
preparing?”

“Four
y
ears.”

“And just like that, you
’
d throw it a
w
ay?”

Gracie
w
as
right.
For
a
full
minute,
V
ictoria
said
nothing
as
she
thought
about
how
many
hours
she
’
d
spent
writing
letters,
relentlessl
y
pursuin
g
anyon
e
i
n
A
usti
n
wh
o
woul
d
listen
.
To
he
r
surprise
,
thos
e
effort
s
ha
d
e
v
entuall
y
evoke
d
a
cursory
ans
w
e
r
fro
m
th
e
go
v
erno
r
’
s
office
,
th
e
firs
t
ste
p
o
f
a
long
,
uphill
battl
e
fough
t
fi
v
e
hundre
d
mile
s
fro
m
th
e
capitol—an
d
she
w
as
forfeiting
it
all.
V
ictoria
had
been
working
on
a
speech she
hope
d
woul
d
challeng
e
th
e
stereotyp
e
o
f
immigrant
s
i
n
this
country. It would ne
v
er be heard now.

“Whe
n
I
ge
t
back
,
I
’
l
l
tr
y
t
o
ge
t
anothe
r
meeting
.
Look
,
I
reall
y
nee
d
a
fe
w
days
,
okay
?
I
n
th
e
meantime
,
you
’
r
e
i
n
charge.
Reschedul
e
client
s
and
,
mos
t
impor
t
ant
,
sa
y
nothin
g
a
b
out
where I am.”

“Why all the mystery?”

“Jus
t
bein
g
careful.
”
V
ictori
a
picke
d
u
p
th
e
phone
,
and
Graci
e
too
k
tha
t
a
s
he
r
cu
e
th
e
con
v
ersatio
n
w
a
s
o
v
er
.
She
leaned
across
the
desk,
thrusting
her
exquisite
face,
as
smooth
and
white
as
p
o
rcelain,
s
o
cl
os
e
that
her
flo
w
ery
perfu
m
e
s
tung
V
ictoria’s e
y
es.

“
And
just
what
do
you
expect
me
to
say
when
Marta
calls?”
Black
e
y
elashes
fluttered
against
the
paleness
of
her
cheeks
like
a
Mexica
n
geisha
.
“
Y
o
u
don’
t
pa
y
m
e
enoug
h
t
o
li
e
fo
r
you,
especially to an old friend.”

“T
ell her what I’
v
e told you: nothing.”

Though
she
w
as
a
heavy-set
woman,
Gracie
could
spin
on
a
dime.
“It’s
your
funeral,”
she
muttered
before
slamming
the
door.

Whe
n
sh
e
w
a
s
convince
d
Graci
e
w
asn’
t
ea
v
esdropping,
V
ictoria
put
the
handset
down.
She
searched
her
desk
until
she
found
an
empty
book
of
matches
in
the
top
dra
w
er
and
stared
a
t
th
e
numbe
r
writte
n
tidil
y
inside
.
Clearin
g
he
r
throat
,
she
picked up her cell phone.