before?
“Put them down before they end up all over the floor,” Hally snapped. “We're going into the break room. I don't want to be interrupted, Rachel. You got that?”
Marla saw the flash of anger in Rachel's sharp brown eyes. “Sure, Miss Leeds. And Dellene says, I mean, she said to tell you the article on the diabetic society event was great.”
“You should show more respect, kid. Our editor is Mrs. Hallberg to you.”
“Yes, ma'am.” Dumping her burden on Hally's desk as instructed, the girl swung away.
Marla, appalled at Hally's rudeness, stood watching with her mouth hanging open.
“Come on, no one should be in the break room right now.” Hally wove through the office maze with Marla at her heels. Empty coffee mugs, stacks of paper, and glossy magazine pages were piled everywhere. Staff members scooted here and there or sat frozen at their computer stations, typing madly.
How could anyone get their work done with this continuous clamor? Marla considered the noises in her salon and how they would sound to a stranger. The whirr of blow dryers, the chatter of customers, and the splash of sink water were comforting to her. She supposed the same could be said of background work noise anywhere. Depending on if you liked your job or not, the sounds would either bring pleasure or raise your stress level.
“Do you work with Griff often?” she asked Hally over a cup of coffee in the break room, where they sat on opposite sides of a marred wood table.
Hally pursed her lips. “We try to team up when we can.”
Her lofty tone made Marla instantly suspicious. “Oh? And are these all local assignments, or do you sometimes travel together?”
The reporter's eyes glimmered. “Any overnighters we pull are strictly on our own, if you know what I mean.”
“I'm not sure that I do.” Marla could play coy, too.
“Then let me put it bluntly, darling. Griff and I are together. Or at least we were, until
she
butted in. That won't be a problem any longer.”
“She? Do you mean Torrie?”
Hally bared her teeth. “The bitch knew he had the hots for me, and she still tried to chisel in on my territory. In more ways than one. I'm sorry she had to die the way she did, but I won't miss her.”
“Are you saying she tried to lure Griff away from you?”
“Torrie and Scott were having problems, in case you didn't notice. A little thing like being married wouldn't stop her.”
“I visited Scott, and he warned me away from Griff. Was Scott aware Griff had been fooling around with his wife?”
“I don't know Scott well enough to answer your question.”
“How about Griff, then? Which one of you two did he favor? Or do you think he snuggled up to Torrie because she knew something damaging about him?”
“Where did you get that idea?”
“I overheard them talking at Orchid Isle. She was upset about Griff going back on his word. They threatened each other, actually.”
“I'm not surprised.” Hally's gaze turned thoughtful. “Torrie knew things about people, things they wouldn't want others to learn. Hanging around high society like we do, we hear stuff. Torrie collected a lot of dirt. She wasn't as careful as she should've been.”
Meaning what? Torrie blackmailed people? Then what secret did Griff have to hide?
Marla didn't voice her thoughts aloud. She still needed to clarify the issues between Scott and Griff. Which one had the most to gain by Torrie's death?
“I ran into Griff the other day,” she mentioned casually. “He nearly accused Scott of murdering his wife. You don't know Scott that well, but did Torrie ever seem scared of him?”
“Hell, no. All she did was put down the poor guy. He wasn't assertive enough. He spent more time with his clocks than with her. He didn't care if his clothing was out of style. She didn't have one good thing to say about her husband.”
Sometimes the meek types were capable of the most violence.
“Did Griff tell you he got mugged? Nothing was stolen, so
“Put them down before they end up all over the floor,” Hally snapped. “We're going into the break room. I don't want to be interrupted, Rachel. You got that?”
Marla saw the flash of anger in Rachel's sharp brown eyes. “Sure, Miss Leeds. And Dellene says, I mean, she said to tell you the article on the diabetic society event was great.”
“You should show more respect, kid. Our editor is Mrs. Hallberg to you.”
“Yes, ma'am.” Dumping her burden on Hally's desk as instructed, the girl swung away.
Marla, appalled at Hally's rudeness, stood watching with her mouth hanging open.
“Come on, no one should be in the break room right now.” Hally wove through the office maze with Marla at her heels. Empty coffee mugs, stacks of paper, and glossy magazine pages were piled everywhere. Staff members scooted here and there or sat frozen at their computer stations, typing madly.
How could anyone get their work done with this continuous clamor? Marla considered the noises in her salon and how they would sound to a stranger. The whirr of blow dryers, the chatter of customers, and the splash of sink water were comforting to her. She supposed the same could be said of background work noise anywhere. Depending on if you liked your job or not, the sounds would either bring pleasure or raise your stress level.
“Do you work with Griff often?” she asked Hally over a cup of coffee in the break room, where they sat on opposite sides of a marred wood table.
Hally pursed her lips. “We try to team up when we can.”
Her lofty tone made Marla instantly suspicious. “Oh? And are these all local assignments, or do you sometimes travel together?”
The reporter's eyes glimmered. “Any overnighters we pull are strictly on our own, if you know what I mean.”
“I'm not sure that I do.” Marla could play coy, too.
“Then let me put it bluntly, darling. Griff and I are together. Or at least we were, until
she
butted in. That won't be a problem any longer.”
“She? Do you mean Torrie?”
Hally bared her teeth. “The bitch knew he had the hots for me, and she still tried to chisel in on my territory. In more ways than one. I'm sorry she had to die the way she did, but I won't miss her.”
“Are you saying she tried to lure Griff away from you?”
“Torrie and Scott were having problems, in case you didn't notice. A little thing like being married wouldn't stop her.”
“I visited Scott, and he warned me away from Griff. Was Scott aware Griff had been fooling around with his wife?”
“I don't know Scott well enough to answer your question.”
“How about Griff, then? Which one of you two did he favor? Or do you think he snuggled up to Torrie because she knew something damaging about him?”
“Where did you get that idea?”
“I overheard them talking at Orchid Isle. She was upset about Griff going back on his word. They threatened each other, actually.”
“I'm not surprised.” Hally's gaze turned thoughtful. “Torrie knew things about people, things they wouldn't want others to learn. Hanging around high society like we do, we hear stuff. Torrie collected a lot of dirt. She wasn't as careful as she should've been.”
Meaning what? Torrie blackmailed people? Then what secret did Griff have to hide?
Marla didn't voice her thoughts aloud. She still needed to clarify the issues between Scott and Griff. Which one had the most to gain by Torrie's death?
“I ran into Griff the other day,” she mentioned casually. “He nearly accused Scott of murdering his wife. You don't know Scott that well, but did Torrie ever seem scared of him?”
“Hell, no. All she did was put down the poor guy. He wasn't assertive enough. He spent more time with his clocks than with her. He didn't care if his clothing was out of style. She didn't have one good thing to say about her husband.”
Sometimes the meek types were capable of the most violence.
“Did Griff tell you he got mugged? Nothing was stolen, so
Similar Books
