They stared at each other.
Beckett buckled first.
“Should we throw
a couple punches or would you rather slam the door and one of us runs off down
the hallway?”
Corbin laughed.
His entire manner changed instantly, and he became the old Corbin again. “What
does Miss Manners recommend?”
“Mediation.”
“Let’s just
throw the punches.”
“Ok.”
“Or we could
just go to lunch?” Corbin suggested.
“Better yet.”
“You know, the
next time Molly and Theresa end up in here together, we might want to search
them for shivs first.”
“Isn’t that the
truth.”
“You should have
seen the grin on Molly’s face when she walked past me in the hallway to slam
her door.”
“Honestly, I’m
glad I missed it. Are you going to check on Theresa?”
“Something tells
me that would be a horrible idea. Let’s go to lunch.”
An eerie silence
settled over the office the following morning. Theresa didn’t emerge from her
office and didn’t respond to e-mails. Corbin and Beckett spent the morning
working in silence. Even Molly kept to herself, at least until Beckett was
called away from his desk.
“Hey,” Molly
said from Corbin’s doorway. “You look tired.”
“I didn’t get
much sleep last night.”
“What? Your
co-conspirator do something to keep you awake all night, huddled in the corner.
. . crying?”
“Always playing
the dick aren’t you?”
“Excuse me?!”
“Private
detective.”
“Yeah, you better explain that!” Molly drifted over to Beckett’s desk and scanned the items
Beckett left lying around. “What kept you awake?”
“An old movie.
I started watching it and then couldn’t get myself to go to bed. Then they ran
another one that pretty much kept me up until just before dawn.”
“What was all
the yelling about yesterday?”
“You tell me. I
was under the impression you two just don’t like each other.”
Molly gave Corbin
a sour look. “You know what I mean. The minute I left here, you and your
little friend started yelling at each other.”
“Did we really?
Somehow I missed that.”
“Fine, I don’t
care.” Molly crashed down into Beckett’s chair. “What were you watching last
night?”
“ Night at the
Opera .”
“I don’t know
it.”
“It’s old.”
“I’m not into
opera.”
“I am, but
that’s not why I watched the movie.”
Molly picked up
Beckett’s stapler and rolled it in her hands. “I had an ok night.” Molly
obviously wanted Corbin to ask for further details about her night, but Corbin was
in no mood to make this easy on her.
“Good, glad to
hear it.”
“Of course, it
could have gone better.”
“Usually can.
Have you heard if it’s going to rain today?”
Molly exhaled
loudly. “Do I look like the weather channel?”
“You didn’t see
anything in the paper?”
“Stop asking
me!” Molly said in her well-practiced exasperated tone. “Do you want to hear
what happened last night or not?”
Corbin shrugged
his shoulders. “I don’t know, do I?”
Molly stood up.
“I hear my phone,” she said bitterly, and she left.
Corbin laughed.
“Score one for the home team.”
Chapter 9
Two days later,
Corbin sat in the middle of the main conference room at the Maria de Santo
Hotel in Washington. Beckett sat on his left, Molly on his right. By
coincidence, all three wore light-gray suits. Around them, nearly two hundred
people watched speech after speech with feigned professional interest.
Theresa was
nowhere to be seen. She secluded herself since the fight with Molly and even
refused Corbin’s offer to help with Wilson’s speech.
Wilson began his
speech with a joke that received only polite laughter and quickly moved on to
outlining the difficulties of running the office. He spoke in rambling,
complex sentences and used much larger words than were needed. Though the
speech may have looked erudite on paper, it sounded confused and
Beckett buckled first.
“Should we throw
a couple punches or would you rather slam the door and one of us runs off down
the hallway?”
Corbin laughed.
His entire manner changed instantly, and he became the old Corbin again. “What
does Miss Manners recommend?”
“Mediation.”
“Let’s just
throw the punches.”
“Ok.”
“Or we could
just go to lunch?” Corbin suggested.
“Better yet.”
“You know, the
next time Molly and Theresa end up in here together, we might want to search
them for shivs first.”
“Isn’t that the
truth.”
“You should have
seen the grin on Molly’s face when she walked past me in the hallway to slam
her door.”
“Honestly, I’m
glad I missed it. Are you going to check on Theresa?”
“Something tells
me that would be a horrible idea. Let’s go to lunch.”
An eerie silence
settled over the office the following morning. Theresa didn’t emerge from her
office and didn’t respond to e-mails. Corbin and Beckett spent the morning
working in silence. Even Molly kept to herself, at least until Beckett was
called away from his desk.
“Hey,” Molly
said from Corbin’s doorway. “You look tired.”
“I didn’t get
much sleep last night.”
“What? Your
co-conspirator do something to keep you awake all night, huddled in the corner.
. . crying?”
“Always playing
the dick aren’t you?”
“Excuse me?!”
“Private
detective.”
“Yeah, you better explain that!” Molly drifted over to Beckett’s desk and scanned the items
Beckett left lying around. “What kept you awake?”
“An old movie.
I started watching it and then couldn’t get myself to go to bed. Then they ran
another one that pretty much kept me up until just before dawn.”
“What was all
the yelling about yesterday?”
“You tell me. I
was under the impression you two just don’t like each other.”
Molly gave Corbin
a sour look. “You know what I mean. The minute I left here, you and your
little friend started yelling at each other.”
“Did we really?
Somehow I missed that.”
“Fine, I don’t
care.” Molly crashed down into Beckett’s chair. “What were you watching last
night?”
“ Night at the
Opera .”
“I don’t know
it.”
“It’s old.”
“I’m not into
opera.”
“I am, but
that’s not why I watched the movie.”
Molly picked up
Beckett’s stapler and rolled it in her hands. “I had an ok night.” Molly
obviously wanted Corbin to ask for further details about her night, but Corbin was
in no mood to make this easy on her.
“Good, glad to
hear it.”
“Of course, it
could have gone better.”
“Usually can.
Have you heard if it’s going to rain today?”
Molly exhaled
loudly. “Do I look like the weather channel?”
“You didn’t see
anything in the paper?”
“Stop asking
me!” Molly said in her well-practiced exasperated tone. “Do you want to hear
what happened last night or not?”
Corbin shrugged
his shoulders. “I don’t know, do I?”
Molly stood up.
“I hear my phone,” she said bitterly, and she left.
Corbin laughed.
“Score one for the home team.”
Chapter 9
Two days later,
Corbin sat in the middle of the main conference room at the Maria de Santo
Hotel in Washington. Beckett sat on his left, Molly on his right. By
coincidence, all three wore light-gray suits. Around them, nearly two hundred
people watched speech after speech with feigned professional interest.
Theresa was
nowhere to be seen. She secluded herself since the fight with Molly and even
refused Corbin’s offer to help with Wilson’s speech.
Wilson began his
speech with a joke that received only polite laughter and quickly moved on to
outlining the difficulties of running the office. He spoke in rambling,
complex sentences and used much larger words than were needed. Though the
speech may have looked erudite on paper, it sounded confused and
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