cops.
“Call us if you think of anything, Theroux.” The flatfoots were moving through my office area now, putting hats back on and puffing themselves back up with the importance they understood about themselves. “Anything at all that might help.”
“Sure, sure I will,” Dex said, escorting them out. “You two will be the first I call.”
And when the door closed behind them, Dex added quietly, “when hell freezes over and Christ needs a crutch.”
CHAPTER FIVE
ONCE THE COPS were gone, Dex slunk back to his office and closed the door with a nice solid thunk. Whatever life I’d managed to breathe into him with coffee and cleanup had puffed away like the angel’s share on a glass of single malt. There was a grayness around his edges. Tinged with green. I figured only part of that had to do with all the firewater he’d put away.
I stayed at my desk and determined to fill what little was left of the work day with normal tasks. Clearly, there was no more typing to be done. Ditto filing. I tried Xander Dean again. No dice. I contented myself with sweeping the scuffed wooden floors, polishing the brass on the desk and the door and doing other chores that were clearly more housekeeping than secretarial. But it felt right somehow on this odd day. Anyway, it filled the time. I’ve never been a girl who could spend much time filing her nails and there simply wasn’t any other type of filing to do.
An hour passed. Maybe a bit more. I hadn’t heard even a peep from Dex. I was thinking about going in and checking on him when the front door opened and in walked Xander Dean with enough of a puff to his breath that I figured the elevator must be acting up again. Five flights of stairs will put anyone’s wind back, especially someone who’d skipped as few meals as Dean obviously had.
The spiteful child who lives in each of us was sorely tempted to turn him down flat. To tell him Dex was out on a job and would he like to make an appointment? That was how it was supposed to work, after all. Not just show up like he figured Dex would just be sitting in his office with nothing really to do and never mind that this was pretty much the truth.
“I’m … I’m not certain, Mr. Dean,” I said, and it was only half a lie. This wasn’t a day when anyone was getting in to see Dex unannounced. “Please have a seat and I’ll see if his schedule can accommodate you.”
I didn’t hang around to watch Dean shoehorn his bulk into our waiting area again. Instead I made a beeline for Dex’s office, slipping through the door while opening it as little as possible, just as I had the day before.
I tried not to let Dex see the relief on my face when I found him sitting up at his desk. Though he had a drink in front of him and I knew for certain it was far from his first of the day, he looked coherent and relatively presentable.
“Xander Dean just showed up again, Dex. He’s waiting to see you.”
“Is he now?” Dex said, kicking back in his chair and lacing his hands behind his head. “Well, don’t stand on ceremony, Kitty. Send him on in.” It was impossible to read anything at all from his affable tone.
“I’m not standing on ceremony, Dex. I… oh, never mind,” I said.
“Oh, and Kitty …” Dex said, just as I was about to leave his office.
“I know, I know … typing, right?”
“Thanks kid,” Dex said, preparing to top up his drink as I headed out the door.
Dean was standing next to my desk, right where I’d left him. I guessed he hadn’t wanted the challenge of trying to fit back into the waiting room chair.
“Mr. Theroux will see you now,” I told him as I took my own seat. “You can go right on in.”
“Thanks,” Dean said, moving toward Dex’s office. I was disappointed when he closed the door tightly behind him. I wouldn’t be able to hear anything.
Oddly enough, not everyone
did
close the door. Most ofDex’s clients seemed to take me for part of the furniture and they’d talk away to
“Call us if you think of anything, Theroux.” The flatfoots were moving through my office area now, putting hats back on and puffing themselves back up with the importance they understood about themselves. “Anything at all that might help.”
“Sure, sure I will,” Dex said, escorting them out. “You two will be the first I call.”
And when the door closed behind them, Dex added quietly, “when hell freezes over and Christ needs a crutch.”
CHAPTER FIVE
ONCE THE COPS were gone, Dex slunk back to his office and closed the door with a nice solid thunk. Whatever life I’d managed to breathe into him with coffee and cleanup had puffed away like the angel’s share on a glass of single malt. There was a grayness around his edges. Tinged with green. I figured only part of that had to do with all the firewater he’d put away.
I stayed at my desk and determined to fill what little was left of the work day with normal tasks. Clearly, there was no more typing to be done. Ditto filing. I tried Xander Dean again. No dice. I contented myself with sweeping the scuffed wooden floors, polishing the brass on the desk and the door and doing other chores that were clearly more housekeeping than secretarial. But it felt right somehow on this odd day. Anyway, it filled the time. I’ve never been a girl who could spend much time filing her nails and there simply wasn’t any other type of filing to do.
An hour passed. Maybe a bit more. I hadn’t heard even a peep from Dex. I was thinking about going in and checking on him when the front door opened and in walked Xander Dean with enough of a puff to his breath that I figured the elevator must be acting up again. Five flights of stairs will put anyone’s wind back, especially someone who’d skipped as few meals as Dean obviously had.
The spiteful child who lives in each of us was sorely tempted to turn him down flat. To tell him Dex was out on a job and would he like to make an appointment? That was how it was supposed to work, after all. Not just show up like he figured Dex would just be sitting in his office with nothing really to do and never mind that this was pretty much the truth.
“I’m … I’m not certain, Mr. Dean,” I said, and it was only half a lie. This wasn’t a day when anyone was getting in to see Dex unannounced. “Please have a seat and I’ll see if his schedule can accommodate you.”
I didn’t hang around to watch Dean shoehorn his bulk into our waiting area again. Instead I made a beeline for Dex’s office, slipping through the door while opening it as little as possible, just as I had the day before.
I tried not to let Dex see the relief on my face when I found him sitting up at his desk. Though he had a drink in front of him and I knew for certain it was far from his first of the day, he looked coherent and relatively presentable.
“Xander Dean just showed up again, Dex. He’s waiting to see you.”
“Is he now?” Dex said, kicking back in his chair and lacing his hands behind his head. “Well, don’t stand on ceremony, Kitty. Send him on in.” It was impossible to read anything at all from his affable tone.
“I’m not standing on ceremony, Dex. I… oh, never mind,” I said.
“Oh, and Kitty …” Dex said, just as I was about to leave his office.
“I know, I know … typing, right?”
“Thanks kid,” Dex said, preparing to top up his drink as I headed out the door.
Dean was standing next to my desk, right where I’d left him. I guessed he hadn’t wanted the challenge of trying to fit back into the waiting room chair.
“Mr. Theroux will see you now,” I told him as I took my own seat. “You can go right on in.”
“Thanks,” Dean said, moving toward Dex’s office. I was disappointed when he closed the door tightly behind him. I wouldn’t be able to hear anything.
Oddly enough, not everyone
did
close the door. Most ofDex’s clients seemed to take me for part of the furniture and they’d talk away to
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