Hide and Snoop (The Odelia Grey Mysteries) by Sue Ann Jaffarian

rivulets of tears running down her flushed face.
    Zee stayed where she was, but I rushed to Lily, holding out my arms. She launched herself into them and latched herself around my neck.
    I looked at Zee in total surprise. “What’s the matter with her? A moment ago she seemed okay.”
    “She’s three, Odelia. Three-year-olds can be as temperamental as a half-dozen women in menopause.”
    Great . Lily and I should make a fine pair.
    I wrapped my arms around my charge, feeling her warm body melt into mine as her crying subsided. I was lost without a map when it came to kids.
    “She’s also not feeling well and needs a nap.” Zee headed to the kitchen counter with the teapot and her cup. “Not to mention, poor Lily has been handed off quite a bit in the past few days. Maybe one more stranger is her breaking point.”
    “But she seemed to like you.” I put Lily down. She stood straight but clung to my left leg like a plaster cast.
    “She does like me.” Zee rinsed out her teacup and wiped her hands on a nearby kitchen towel. “And tomorrow she might be just dandy staying here. She’ll probably be fine ten to twenty minutes after you leave today. Hard to tell.”
    I considered my options, then went back to the table to retrieve my phone from my bag. Lily moved with me like a leg iron, not letting go of the choke hold she had above my knee.
    I hit the entry for the firm’s main line. After two rings it was answered by our receptionist.
    “Carl’s been looking for you for a couple of hours, Odelia. Where’ve you been? Isn’t your cell phone working?”
    I felt a twinge of guilt. I’d left the firm without letting Joyce know, but that had been my plan. “Don’t worry, Joyce. I’m calling to tell you I won’t be back this afternoon. Lily’s not feeling well, so I’m taking her home with me.” I paused, then added in a tone of surrender, “Why don’t you put me through to Carl.”
    “Denise Morales is in with Carl now, so you might want to wait a few minutes and call back, or I can put you into his voice mail.”
    Denise Morales. I wondered how much Joyce knew about the layoffs. One of the positions that wasn’t duplicated in the merger was that of receptionist, so I felt confident Joyce still had a job. Denise wasn’t so lucky. She worked in our file room, and Hamlin-Hawke had brought over a couple of their own file clerks. In all honesty, they did seem more efficient than Denise. Maybe folks felt the same about Mark and me—that he was the more efficient paralegal when it came down to the work itself.
    “Did you know about Hope and Kelsey?” I asked Joyce.
    “Yes, very sad.” Her voice was low and guarded.
    I wondered if Joyce knew my head was on the chopping block, too. Probably she did. Seemed like everyone knew.
    “They also let go the Hamlin-Hawke mail guy,” Joyce added, “and Susan, the litigation secretary they brought over.”
    I was sad for those folks, but it was nice to see it wasn’t just Woobie employees being tossed out the door.
    “Thanks for the info, Joyce. You can put me through to Carl’s voice mail now.”
    I told Carl the same thing I’d told Joyce—Lily was ill, and I was taking her home and putting her to bed. His office was on the other side of the building from mine, so I didn’t know if he was aware of Lily’s continuing presence, but I didn’t take the time to explain. I could do that if he called back.
    My next call was to Alyce Allen. I gave her the same spiel.
    “So Lily’s with you?” she asked.
    “Yes. Erica asked me to take her until Monday.”
    I looked down just in time to catch Lily wiping her runny nose on my skirt. The skirt was brand new and probably would never be the same. I looked over at Zee, who was watching with amusement, no doubt remembering the clothing she’d sacrificed at the altar of motherhood.
    “Alyce, I left my computer on. Would you go in and log it off for me?”
    “Sure, Odelia. Glad to do it.” She paused long enough to