cubicle neighbor at the public defender’s office. An invitation from Suzanne to rejoin the game of Words with Friends they’d begun three days prior.
“Why?” the woman asked her, and Julianne broke free from her phone.
“Why, what?”
“Why were you counting men with moustaches?”
Julianne sighed. “Because … they’re there?”
The woman gave her a halfhearted nod as the elevator doors opened.
The sun had finally broken through the clouds, coloring a happy blush on the afternoon. Julianne lowered the tan convertible top on the PT Cruiser and dug her sunglasses out of the side pocket of her hobo bag. She stopped to convert Suzanne’s “draws” into “drawstring” on Words with Friends before poking the key into the ignition and rolling out of the parking lot.
“Hey, Phoebe,” she sang as she barreled through the office door. “What’d I miss?”
Phoebe looked up from her computer screen and smiled. “Someone named Randall Winters stopped by looking for you, and—”
“Ohh. You can divert that connection however you see fit.” She’d put the public defender’s office behind her now, and she wasn’t really interested in hearing all the scuttlebutt going around in her absence.
“Well, that might be a little hard to do,” Phoebe said, and she leaned forward and whispered. “He’s in Will’s office.”
“Oh.” Julianne cringed, staring at the closed door between them. “Why?”
“I’m not sure. When you weren’t here, he asked to see Will.”
She nibbled on the corner of her lip for a long moment as she considered whether to go in or not. “How long have they been in there?” she finally asked.
“About half an hour.”
She groaned, folding her body into it as she contorted her face. “That guy just really
bugs me
.”
Phoebe chuckled. “Want to hide in your office? I can tell you when the coast is clear.”
“Yes!” she exclaimed immediately. On second thought, she deflated. “No.” And with that, she tapped lightly on Will’s door before pushing it open slightly.
“Jules, good. I’m glad you’re here,” Will greeted her. “Can you come in a minute?”
She tossed a helpless glance over her shoulder at Phoebe before mustering her most charming smile. “Rand. Phoebe mentioned you were here. How are you?”
Rand squirmed out of the chair and pulled a face at Will before replying, “Not … good.”
“No?” Julianne stepped inside the office and latched the door behind her as Will stood up behind his desk. “I heard you and Debbie split. I’m really sorry.”
“Yeah,” he muttered as he twisted a string hanging from the cuff of his sport jacket. “Divorcing.”
“Well, Phoebe can pull together a list of attorneys who—”
“Rand isn’t here about his divorce,” Will interrupted, his eyes unusually round as he stared a hole right into her. “Why don’t we all sit down.”
Rand sank into the chair, and Julianne folded into the one beside him. “So what’s going on?” she asked him, and she turned toward Will and arched an eyebrow.
“Rand is facing a rather delicate situation,” Will explained.
“And I need it to go away,” he blurted. “I can’t have this coming back at me on the job, you know? I’m making a bid for the open Assistant D.A. post next month, and I can’t have this hanging over me. It’s not like I did it on purpose.” He narrowed his eyes at Will as he continued. “It’s not like I’m some sort of monster.”
Julianne swallowed the retort born out of five years’ experience working alongside Rand Winters.
“Rand. What did you do?”
His gaze darted back to Will again.
“What did he do?” she asked Will.
“I shot someone.”
“You what?” Julianne exclaimed. “You shot someone? Who?”
“Not so much some
one
,” Will clarified, “as some
thing
.”
“You shot …
some thing
? What was it?”
When Rand hesitated, Will finally answered for him. “A pig.”
“A pig.”
Rand groaned.
“Why?” the woman asked her, and Julianne broke free from her phone.
“Why, what?”
“Why were you counting men with moustaches?”
Julianne sighed. “Because … they’re there?”
The woman gave her a halfhearted nod as the elevator doors opened.
The sun had finally broken through the clouds, coloring a happy blush on the afternoon. Julianne lowered the tan convertible top on the PT Cruiser and dug her sunglasses out of the side pocket of her hobo bag. She stopped to convert Suzanne’s “draws” into “drawstring” on Words with Friends before poking the key into the ignition and rolling out of the parking lot.
“Hey, Phoebe,” she sang as she barreled through the office door. “What’d I miss?”
Phoebe looked up from her computer screen and smiled. “Someone named Randall Winters stopped by looking for you, and—”
“Ohh. You can divert that connection however you see fit.” She’d put the public defender’s office behind her now, and she wasn’t really interested in hearing all the scuttlebutt going around in her absence.
“Well, that might be a little hard to do,” Phoebe said, and she leaned forward and whispered. “He’s in Will’s office.”
“Oh.” Julianne cringed, staring at the closed door between them. “Why?”
“I’m not sure. When you weren’t here, he asked to see Will.”
She nibbled on the corner of her lip for a long moment as she considered whether to go in or not. “How long have they been in there?” she finally asked.
“About half an hour.”
She groaned, folding her body into it as she contorted her face. “That guy just really
bugs me
.”
Phoebe chuckled. “Want to hide in your office? I can tell you when the coast is clear.”
“Yes!” she exclaimed immediately. On second thought, she deflated. “No.” And with that, she tapped lightly on Will’s door before pushing it open slightly.
“Jules, good. I’m glad you’re here,” Will greeted her. “Can you come in a minute?”
She tossed a helpless glance over her shoulder at Phoebe before mustering her most charming smile. “Rand. Phoebe mentioned you were here. How are you?”
Rand squirmed out of the chair and pulled a face at Will before replying, “Not … good.”
“No?” Julianne stepped inside the office and latched the door behind her as Will stood up behind his desk. “I heard you and Debbie split. I’m really sorry.”
“Yeah,” he muttered as he twisted a string hanging from the cuff of his sport jacket. “Divorcing.”
“Well, Phoebe can pull together a list of attorneys who—”
“Rand isn’t here about his divorce,” Will interrupted, his eyes unusually round as he stared a hole right into her. “Why don’t we all sit down.”
Rand sank into the chair, and Julianne folded into the one beside him. “So what’s going on?” she asked him, and she turned toward Will and arched an eyebrow.
“Rand is facing a rather delicate situation,” Will explained.
“And I need it to go away,” he blurted. “I can’t have this coming back at me on the job, you know? I’m making a bid for the open Assistant D.A. post next month, and I can’t have this hanging over me. It’s not like I did it on purpose.” He narrowed his eyes at Will as he continued. “It’s not like I’m some sort of monster.”
Julianne swallowed the retort born out of five years’ experience working alongside Rand Winters.
“Rand. What did you do?”
His gaze darted back to Will again.
“What did he do?” she asked Will.
“I shot someone.”
“You what?” Julianne exclaimed. “You shot someone? Who?”
“Not so much some
one
,” Will clarified, “as some
thing
.”
“You shot …
some thing
? What was it?”
When Rand hesitated, Will finally answered for him. “A pig.”
“A pig.”
Rand groaned.
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