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

even threatened my job over it. She unloaded Lily and her things and took off.”
    Silence as long and lonely as a stretch of desert road came from the other end of the call.
    “You gonna fire me today, Carl?” I asked, filling the void with a snotty attitude. Normally I wouldn’t dream of speaking to Carl Yates in this manner, but today was special. Today might be my last day at Woobie. Burning bridges had just become my new career path. “Because if you are, be prepared to take Lily home with you for the weekend, runny nose and all.”
    After more silence and a deep sigh, Carl said, “I need you back here today, Odelia. Can you find someone to take care of Erica’s niece for the afternoon?”
    When I hesitated, he added, “You’re not going to be fired.”
    “Today or ever?” I asked, demanding clarification.
    Another tired sigh. “Just come in, Odelia, and I’ll explain everything.”
    I took a few steps towards the den to take a peek. Zee was seated in an upholstered rocking chair, moving back and forth slowly, softly humming. Lily was bundled in her arms sound asleep, the baby doll clutched in the crook of one arm, the thumb of her other hand stuck in her mouth.
    “Carl said he needs me to come back,” I whispered.
    “Go,” Zee told me in a hushed voice. “Lily and I will be fine. I’ll tell her you’ll be back later.”
    I mouthed my thanks and stepped back into the kitchen. “Carl, I’ll be back in about ten to fifteen minutes.”

six
    “I thought you said I wasn’t going to be fired.”
    I was seated in Carl’s messy office in front of his equally messy desk. Behind the desk, Carl, a man in his early sixties, sat looking haggard but focused. The sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up, and his tie was loose. His hair, a thinning mixture of white and yellow like sweet summer corn, was as limp as he looked.
    “You’re not being fired, Odelia.” He ran a hand through his hair. “No one is being fired. People are being laid off, meaning we no longer have jobs for them. It doesn’t mean they’ve done something wrong. Everyone is getting sparkling references, and we’re also providing job counseling and nice severances.”
    “Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe. It still means folks are unemployed.”
    “I’m not going to argue semantics with you, Odelia.”
    Maybe not, but I was ready to argue with him. If I was going down, I was going down hissing and snarling like a cornered bobcat.
    “And you’re not being laid off or fired—at least not today.” Before I could say anything, Carl tacked on, “But don’t tempt me.”
    We took a few minutes to cool down. Carl was the first to break the thick silence. “As I said a minute ago, we haven’t made a decision yet about the corporate paralegal position. However, we feel we do need to downsize in that area.”
    “Why don’t you put me and Mark in a cage and let us duke it out to the finish? Last paralegal standing gets to keep their job. He might be younger and stronger, but, trust me, I’d hold my own. It can be the featured entertainment at the next partners’ meeting.”
    Carl stared at me a moment, then broke into chunky laughter. “Something tells me the betting would be heavy in your favor, Odelia. I know I’d take those odds.”
    I pursed my lips and fixed Carl with narrowed eyes. “Then why aren’t you betting on me now? I’ve been with this firm for decades. Mark hasn’t even been with Hamlin-Hawke very long.”
    Carl leaned forward, not backing down from my challenge. “Who’s says I’m not betting on you?” Again silence fell between us. He was the first to blink.
    “Odelia, let me be blunt with you. Pretty much everyone was in agreement as to which employees and positions needed to be eliminated except when it came to you and Mark Baker. When it came to you two, it was divided between the firms, with no compromise on either side. On careful evaluation, without regard to alliances, you were the paralegal who fell short.