Misplaced (53 page)

“Not
now.
Really,
it
would
be
better
if
w
e
closed
the
office.”

Maggi
e
opene
d
he
r
hand
,
re
v
ealin
g
a
delicat
e
bu
t
lethal—
lookin
g
switchblade
.
“M
y
brothe
r
ga
v
e
i
t
t
o
me—fo
r
protection.
Sho
w
ed
me
how
to
use
it,
too.
That
bastard
caught
us
off
guard
before, but just let him come back.”

T
he
r
e
c
epti
o
n
is
t,
a
t
wice
-
divo
r
ced
,
sof
ts
p
o
k
e
n
woma
n
w
h
o
favored colorful prints and could barely look clients in the e
y
e,
pulled
a
tire
iron
from
underneath
her
desk.
“For
Gracie,”
she
announced, with fire
in her e
y
es.

“For Gracie,” the staff
said in unison.

V
ictoria
s
w
allo
w
ed
hard.
“
All
right.
The
busier
it
is
around
here
,
th
e
les
s
incline
d
he
’
l
l
b
e
t
o
d
o
anythin
g
stupid—i
f
he’
s
insane enough to show up after what he did.”

Sh
e
sur
v
e
y
e
d
he
r
offic
e
an
d
remo
v
e
d
anythin
g
tha
t
coul
d
be
used
as
an
impromptu
w
eapon.
The
reproduction
T
ang
horse,
a
glas
s
v
ase
,
an
d
frame
d
photo
s
w
er
e
al
l
temporaril
y
exiled
.
Then
she
took
the
pepper
spray
Elias
insisted
she
keep
in
her
handba
g
an
d
place
d
i
t
i
n
a
to
p
des
k
dra
w
e
r
wher
e
i
t
would
be
easily
accessible.
After
that,
she
poured
a
cup
of
coffee
and
notice
d
he
r
hand
s
w
er
e
shaking
.
Sh
e
checke
d
o
n
e
v
eryon
e
once
more before returning to her office.

Fro
m
th
e
growin
g
stac
k
o
f
file
s
an
d
messages
,
V
ictoria
selected
a
few
and
made
notes.
She
gathered
them
up
and
took
the
m
t
o
Maggie’
s
des
k
becaus
e
sh
e
fel
t
nervou
s
bein
g
alone.
And
,
mor
e
tha
n
that
,
sh
e
w
ante
d
t
o
kee
p
a
n
e
y
e
o
n
th
e
front
door.

“What
if
he
d
oe
s
n
’
t
s
h
o
w
?
”
M
aggie
a
s
ke
d
,
so
un
d
ing
al
mos
t
disappointed
.
“
W
e’
v
e
worke
d
ou
t
a
signal—tw
o
beep
s
fro
m
the
interco
m
mean
s
he’
s
o
n
th
e
w
a
y
bac
k
t
o
you
r
office
.
Al
l
you
ha
v
e
to
do
is
pick
up
your
handset
and
w
e
’
ll
get
the
cops
here
in no time.
And if he so much as touches—”

“Slo
w
down
.
Y
o
u
see
m
t
o
ha
v
e
though
t
o
f
e
v
erything,”
V
ictoria
commended,
patting
the
girl’s
shoulder
affectionately,
“which
I
appreciate
more
than
you
know.
Here,
see
if
you
can
handl
e
thes
e
wit
h
th
e
sam
e
enthusiasm,
”
sh
e
teased
,
settin
g
the
files
on her desk.

“How can you think about work?”

“If
w
e
paid
attention
to
threats,
the
work
w
e
do
here
would
suffer.
I won’t allow that.”

The intercom did not ring twice that day.

A
t
f
o
ur-thirty,
when
her
la
s
t
c
lient
had
left,
s
he
pla
c
ed
a
few
file
s
int
o
he
r
briefcas
e
an
d
w
aite
d
fo
r
e
v
eryon
e
t
o
lea
v
e
.
Maggie
lingered,
insisting
that
parking
lots
w
ere
inherently
dangerous
places and she should not be alone.

“
I
nee
d
t
o
dro
p
thes
e
off,
”
V
ictori
a
explained
,
w
avin
g
a
stack of documents that needed to be filed
at the courthouse.

“
Y
ou
’
re not
w
alking, are you?” Maggie asked, dismayed.
“It’s
only
a
block
a
w
ay
on
a
busy
street.
And
it
is,
after
all,
a
place
filled
with
policemen,
detecti
v
es,
and
v
arious
other
law
enforcement officials.”

“Wha
t
I
mean
t
t
o
say,
”
Maggi
e
persiste
d
a
s
sh
e
follo
w
ed
V
ictoria out the door, “is, ‘you
’
re not
w
alking alone.
’
”

“Com
e
on
,
then.
”
V
ictori
a
pulle
d
th
e
wrought-iro
n
gate
closed
and
locked
it.
During
the
handful
of
minutes
it
took
to
reach
the
courthouse,
Maggie
kept
a
sharp
e
y
e
out
for
Gracie’s
attacker.
But
then
the
stout-hearted
girl
left
her
at
the
bottom
of
the
steps.
“I
can’t
go
in,”
she
said,
pulling
the
switchblade
from
the
pocket
of
her
skirt
just
enough
for
the
handle
to
catch
the
sun. “Metal detectors. I
’
ll
w
ait here.”