Hide and Snoop (The Odelia Grey Mysteries) (3 page)

“I have work to do,” I told Mark, eyeing my own letter opener with wishful thinking. “Why don’t we trade off watching Lily so we can both get some work done?”

Mark laughed. It had a nasty underside to it, like Halloween candy laced with razor blades. “No way.” Next to me, Lily buried her head in my soft side.

He looked around my office, his eyes measuring every inch, especially noting my window. Mark had been assigned my old office when Hamlin-Hawke moved in. It was a windowless cell down the hall. He’d made it clear he coveted my larger office with a view. My office was also much closer to Erica’s office—Steele’s old one. Even Erica had campaigned for a switch between Mark and me, but she had been overruled by management, who cited my seniority with the firm. I have no doubt that if I died today at my desk, Mark would move in before my body was cold and traveling down the elevator on a gurney.

“I hear the firm’s thinking of downsizing.” Mark tossed the remark out like a live grenade with a pulled pin.

My head snapped up with a quick pop. Lily started to quietly babble something, but I placed a hand gently on her head. Like magic, she stilled. “I haven’t heard anything about that,” I told Mark as casually as possible.

“Erica told me.” He spoke the words with undisguised confidence. “Management’s reviewing all duplicate positions. Any unnecessary staff will be laid off.”

Duplicate positions—as in two corporate paralegals.

A shudder of fear ran through me. Never, in all my years with the firm, had I feared for my job until this very day. Not even when Steele and I were at each other’s throats did I feel this unsettled.

It was becoming clear why Erica was not giving me much work and why she’d saddled me with daycare. It was a setup. With my billable hours slowly sliding into a deep hole, Erica was making it easier for management to decide between their two corporate paralegals. She was stacking the deck in Mark’s favor, using the firm’s decision to tighten its belt to get rid of me.

Another realization hit me between the eyes. Even the challenge for me to quit a few moments ago might very well have been calculated. Erica knew I would balk at taking care of Lily 24/7 and had laid her trap. Had I quit, I would have walked away with nothing. If they laid me off, I might get a nice severance.

Beneath my desk, my right knee knocked with anxiety. But while it was out of view, I couldn’t hide my concern from Mark’s eagle eyes. A slow, sardonic smile spread across his face like a smear of dull paint. He raised his mug in my direction in a final salute and left—a competitor assured of a victory.

“Odie,” a squeaky voice beside me chimed. I turned to find Lily’s nose needing attention again. Not only did I get trapped with a kid, she was a sick kid. Plucking another tissue from the box, I held it to her tiny nostril and was rewarded with a small, wet honk. With Mark gone, Lily returned to her side of the desk, but instead of climbing up on her chair and getting down to the business of coloring, she picked up her latest masterpiece and returned to me, offering it up like a gift.

“For me?” I took it from her.

She put both hands behind her back, screwed up her face in a chubby giggle, and nodded with vigor.

“Thank you, Lily. It’s lovely.” My eyes fixed on the bulletin board fastened to the wall on the right side of my desk. “Tell you what, how about we pin this up here so I can always see it?” I removed a couple of pushpins from the cork surface, positioned the crayon drawing in a prominent place, and secured it. The child was overjoyed with my art appreciation.

“Don’t let it get to you.”

I looked up to find my doorway again occupied. This time it was Alyce. She pushed a strand of light brown hair away from her eyes and gave me an encouraging, shy smile. She was petite but sturdy and favored casual business attire with flat shoes.

When I’d showed Alyce the ropes around Woobie—it’ll always be Woobie to me, dammit—I’d found her quiet and attentive, and she’d proven herself to be an excellent secretary. She was also supposed to provide me with secretarial support, but Mark and Erica made sure I seldom saw the fruits of her labor. I knew little about her beyond the fact that her husband’s name was Gary. He was the pastor of a small independent church, and they had two children. Although pleasant enough, she hadn’t reached out to make friends with any of the Woobie staff. Alyce was a quiet, private person, which was probably how she survived working with Erica and Mark.

I wiped Lily’s nose again as I answered, “It’s just a little cold. She doesn’t seem to be too bad.” I felt her forehead. “No fever.”

“I meant Mark.” With one finger, Alyce pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. They were too large for her face and made her look owlish.

“Oh, that.”

I threw the tissue into the trash and squirted some antiseptic gel in my hand. Lily made some indecipherable kiddie sound and held out her hands, making it clear she wanted some. I took her two little paws within my two large ones and rubbed the germ killer on them.

“What do you know about the downsizing, Alyce?”

“About the same as you just learned.” Her comment left no doubt she’d heard the entire conversation.

“So it’s between Mark and me?”

“I haven’t heard that exactly. Is there enough work for the two of you?”

I stroked Lily’s head. Her hair needed washing. She started to babble something. She either wanted juice or a jackhammer.

I answered Alyce with blunt honesty. “If you take away my childcare duties, no, there’s not. At least not right now. And I’m not too sure I’m doing that good of a job with Lily.”

Alyce gave me an almost-warm smile. “You’re doing great with her, Odelia. She’s in much better hands than if she’d been parked with Mark.”

“I’m totally in the weeds here, Alyce. I’m almost never around little kids.”

Her nose clean again, Lily leaned up against me. She’d stopped yammering and was rubbing her head, with its fine yellow albeit dirty hair, against my elbow. It felt like one of my cats when they’re looking for a scratch behind an ear.

Alyce jerked her chin in Lily’s direction. “She really likes you.”

“Don’t bet on it. More like a case of Stockholm syndrome. That and I’m the keeper of the cookies and juice boxes.”

“You’re a kick, Odelia.” Alyce gave off a small, self-conscious laugh. “It’s clear Lily likes and trusts you, that’s why she’s sticking to you like glue. I haven’t even seen her do that with Erica, and she’s Lily’s aunt.”

Lily rubbed against me a couple more times until I was tempted to toss her a kitty treat. Instead, I lifted my arm. Immediately the little girl slid under it and nestled against me like a perfectly joined puzzle piece. It felt kind of nice.

“What’s the story, Alyce? Why is Lily with Erica and not her own mother?”

Even though Erica was currently out of the office, Alyce looked up and down the hallway with caution before stepping farther into my office. Maybe she didn’t want Mark to hear and tattle to Erica that she’d been talking to me.

“I don’t know exactly what’s going on, Odelia, but it seems Connie, Lily’s mom, brought Lily to Erica and took off. Erica can’t reach her anywhere and has no idea when she’s coming back.”

Under the pretense of fixing her hair, I gently covered Lily’s ears with my hands. I didn’t know how much she’d understand, but we were talking about her mother deserting her, even if only for a few days. My own mother had done the same to me when I was sixteen, and it had been over thirty years before I found her. You might say I was a bit of an expert on feeling like an abandoned puppy heading for the pound.

“What about her father?”

Alyce shrugged. “That would be Hank Holt. I think they divorced recently, or at least separated. Erica can’t reach him either. I’m not even sure she knows how.”

After more babble, Lily started dancing around with a pained look. “Priddy,” she said to me with urgency. This time I knew she didn’t mean the smell of the aloe gel. The kid had to pee. After all,
pretty
and
potty
do sound a lot alike.

Lily was potty trained but didn’t have great bladder control. She hadn’t yet mastered the art of giving a heads-up with much lead time—something I’d learned the hard way on my first day with her. Without wasting time, I stood up and grabbed her hand. We scooted out the door past Alyce.

“Sorry, Alyce. With Lily, nature doesn’t call—it yells ASAP!”

three

If there’s one thing
I’d learned in the past few days, it’s that kids need to burn off pent-up energy. You can’t stick a kid in an office and expect them to sit still for eight to ten hours. After visiting the ladies’ room, I took Lily down the elevator to a tiny area near the parking garage. There were a few small trees and a bit of grass not much larger than an area rug, along with a couple of benches and tables where people could have lunch. To the far side of the area was another bench and an enclosed ash-and-butt-disposal gizmo for the smokers in the building. I’d brought some work-related reading with me so I could get something done while keeping an eye on my charge.

I glanced up at the sky. Thick clouds were approaching like slow-moving cattle herded across a prairie. The weatherman had predicted rain over the next few days. It wasn’t supposed to be a big storm, just spring showers. Lily was nattering to herself and hopping on one foot around one of the trees. She was dressed in pint-size jeans and a white turtleneck jersey covered with tiny embroidered ladybugs. Over that was a sweater. I’d left her hooded jacket upstairs. I was contemplating taking her back inside when my cell phone gave off a familiar chime. It was Zee.

“You still doing daycare?” Zee asked after I said hello.

“More than ever.” Still keeping an eye on the happy Lily, I gave Zee a rundown of the morning’s events.

“Why don’t you bring that poor child over here?” Zee offered when I was finished.

“Thanks, but I can’t saddle you with a sick kid.”

“If she is sick, she should not be at that office. And I’ve taken care of many runny noses in my day.”

Zee and Seth have two children, Hannah and Jacob, both grown now and out of the house. Something told me empty-nester Zee was itching to get her hands on a little one as much as offering to help me out.

“Seriously, Odelia,” Zee urged, “bring her over so she can get the rest she needs and you can get some work done.”

“Humph,” I snorted. “Like I have any work to do.”

“Call Mike Steele. He’ll give you a job in a heartbeat.”

“You sound like Greg. He said the same thing to me last night.”

“And we’re going to keep saying it until you listen.”

Getting up, I went to retrieve Lily to go back upstairs. “But if I wait it out,” I said into the phone, “I’ll probably walk away with some nice cash when they lay me off.”

“I know you, Odelia. Unless that happens soon, and I mean very soon, you’ll go insane in the meantime.”

“You’re assuming I’m not already.”

“Well, before you go completely crackers, get that child over here. She doesn’t need to witness your descent into madness.”

Zee was right. Lily would be better off at her house, although I hated seeing the kid palmed off on yet another stranger. As soon as we returned to my office, it hit me. I couldn’t just throw Lily into my car and take off for Zee’s. I’d have to get all her stuff downstairs and into the car and set up the car seat somehow. And I’ll bet Erica didn’t leave instructions. I was developing a headache to go along with Lily’s unhappy nose. Instead of dropping her off at Zee’s, maybe I should go home sick and call in tomorrow, too.

I was trying to figure out how best to get both Lily and her baggage down to the car in one trip when Stump ambled by with the mail cart. He stopped to drop a few envelopes into my inbox.

“Hey, Stump,” I said, eyeing his cart. “Do you have another one of those carts in the copy room? One I can use to get all this stuff down to my car?”

Stump, whose real name is Stanley, eyeballed Lily’s stuff, taking quick measurement. “Sure. Give me a minute to finish up my rounds and I’ll help.”

True to his word, Stump was back at my office in about ten minutes with a two-tier cart. He packed the car seat, stroller, suitcase, and other items onto it like a pro. Stump was tall and angular and pushing thirty. By day he ran our copy room and all aspects of our office services department. By night he wrote screenplays, which he hoped would one day sell and allow him to write full-time.

“Did you hear about Kelsey?” he asked as he made sure the stroller was secure.

My ears perked up. Kelsey Cavendish was the firm’s librarian and one of my closest friends. “No, what about her?”

“She was let go.”

I froze until Lily said, “Ow.” I was holding her hand and had tightened my grip upon hearing Stump’s news. I loosened my fingers but never took my eyes from Stump. “Are you sure?”

“Just delivered her mail. She found out, like, two minutes ago.”

I started down the hallway to the library, towing Lily behind me, then remembered Stump and the cart. I retraced my steps. “Can you give me a few minutes, Stump? I have to go see Kelsey.”

“Tell you what—give me your car keys, and I’ll take this stuff down and load it up for you. You still park on the fifth level?”

I nodded and let go of Lily’s hand. Going to my desk, I opened my bottom right-hand drawer and retrieved my car keys from my bag. I handed them to Stump.

“Don’t worry, Odelia, I’ll even install the car seat for you. Got two little kids at home. I’m an old hand at this.”

“Thanks, Stump. I really appreciate it.” I gently placed a hand on his arm. “How about you? Is your job in jeopardy?”

He gave me a small, sad smile. “I don’t think so. The guy from the other firm is only a part-timer. Goes to college the rest of the time.” He shrugged. “But you never know.”

Stump leaned close. “Watch your back, Odelia,” he whispered. “There’s a target on it.”

Seems everyone had received that memo a day or two before me.

I wanted to run in the direction of the library but couldn’t with Lily attached to my hand like a kettle bell. Instead, I walked fast, the tike trotting behind me, her little legs churning up the carpet. If I moved any faster, I’d be dragging her. When we reached the library, Kelsey was just hanging up the phone. She looked like she’d been crying.

“What’s up?” I clutched Lily’s little hand tighter in my stress but was mindful of not squeezing too tightly.

“I was just about to come over to your office,” Kelsey told me. She plastered a smile on her face as her eyes settled on Lily. “I just came from seeing Carl.”

She meant Carl Yates, one of the two former Woobie name partners who still remained after the merger. Wendell Wallace had retired years ago, and Katherine Brown had retired this year.

“I heard they let you go,” I announced, trying not to cry myself. Hamlin-Hawke had not brought a librarian with them, but Kelsey had told me not too long ago that she feared they might make the librarian a part-time position or outsource it entirely, like a lot of firms were doing.

Kelsey nodded. “Yes, but I was leaving anyway. After this last trip to visit Beau’s family in Texas, we decided to move there in a few months.”

I dropped Lily’s hand and handed her the first magazine I could get my hands on. “Here, Lily,” I told the little girl. “Why don’t you read yourself a story.” She took it happily and plopped down on the carpet.

I plopped my own butt down in a nearby chair. “When’s your last day?” I asked Kelsey.

“I have to leave today. Now, in fact. Carl handed me my last check and asked that I be as discreet as possible. He seemed genuinely upset.” Kelsey started putting her personal items in a small box while she talked. “That was Beau on the phone. I just told him.” She stopped packing and turned to me, this time with a real smile. “We’re preggers, Odelia.” On that bit of news, her voice tilted up with joy. “I was going to ask you to lunch tomorrow to tell you about that and the move.”

Kelsey and her husband, Beau, had been trying for a baby for several years and had nearly given up. She’d had two miscarriages in the past two years, both in the first trimester.

I looked at my friend with concern. “Are you okay? I mean, about the baby?”

She nodded. “I’m about three months along and so far, so good.” She patted her stomach. “I should start showing a bump soon. With everything that’s going on here, Beau was concerned about my stress level, so he’s pleased with this. He was offered a very good job back in Texas when we were there last week and has to start soon. He was going to go ahead of me, but now we’ll both move right away. And my severance pay is generous enough that I won’t have to look for something else between now and my due date.” She took a deep breath. “So although I’m sad and a bit pissed off, it’s really a good thing.”

I looked down at Lily. As she thumbed through a copy of
California Lawyer
, she jabbered on about kitties and ducks, making up her own legal news as she went along. Soon Kelsey would have one of these.

I got to my feet. As I wrapped my stubby arms around my tall, lanky, and now pregnant friend, my eyes filled with tears of both joy and sadness. I was close to Kelsey. Her moving would be a huge blow, but I knew it would be best for her and Beau.

“Before you leave, Joan and I will have to take you out. Better yet,” I told her, “Greg and I will host a party for you and Beau at our house.”

“Please don’t go to a lot of bother.”

“It’s no bother. It’ll be fun. Jill and Sally will want to come. Carl and his wife. Jolene. Even Steele.”

Kelsey smiled and wiped an eye with the back of her hand. “Okay. Thanks.”

I didn’t want to seem insensitive to Kelsey, but I had to ask. “Do you know if they’re laying off anyone else today? I’ve heard it might be between me and Mark.”

Kelsey swallowed hard. “Hope in accounting was told last night, right before she left for the day.”

I thought about Hope Spellman, the small birdlike woman who only worked three days a week. She was pushing seventy and had been with Woobie even longer than I had.

“Other than that,” Kelsey continued, sniffing back tears, “I haven’t heard anything else. It wouldn’t surprise me, though. It’s the end of a pay period. Today and tomorrow would be the logical days to lower the boom.”

I dug into my pocket and checked my smartphone for my firm e-mail account. Nothing. No summons to meet Carl or Tina Swanson, our office manager. No e-mail goodbyes to the firm as a whole from anyone.

“They’d be fools to let you go, Odelia, especially for Mark. He’s such an—” she clipped the end of the sentence short when her eyes settled on Lily.

I leaned in close to Kelsey and whispered, “They became fools when they merged with these sharks.”

After several more hugs with Kelsey, Lily and I started back to my office to collect my purse and be on our way to Zee’s house. We were barely out of the library when Lily emitted a string of high-pitched giggles and shot down the hallway like a runaway pony. I trotted after her, my two-hundred-pound bulk jiggling in every way imaginable, while attorneys and secretaries pointed and laughed. Glad I could provide some entertainment. Maybe the firm will consider keeping me on as court jester when they decide they no longer need my paralegal skills.

We were almost to my office door when my smartphone sounded another familiar ring. I punched the answer button and snapped, “What do you want? I’m busy.”

“Uh-huh. That’s not what I hear.”

“Are you spying on me, Steele?”

“Not at all. I had a beer with Greg a few days ago. He told me you haven’t been very busy at the firm.”

“I obviously need to talk to my husband about his choice of friends.” On Tuesday, Greg came home and said he’d had a beer with a buddy after work. He never said which friend, and I didn’t ask. Greg often met friends after work. Usually it was one of his basketball teammates or a client, so I never inquired and he never offered.

It’s not like I haven’t seen Mike Steele since his departure from Woobie. He’s been a guest at our home for a couple of parties and barbeques since then, and he showed up to support Greg during a recent basketball tournament. I just didn’t realize he and Greg had remained so friendly on their own. My nose twitched at the thought. I had concerns about my husband and my former boss being close pals. One, it felt like I was outnumbered. Two, Steele has a lot of bad habits I don’t want rubbing off on Greg.

“I’m on a special project right now.” As I said the words, I watched Lily dance and spin to a tune only she could hear. Either she wasn’t sick at all or she was delirious with fever.

“You too busy to have lunch with me today?”

Lunch. Steele had had a beer with Greg and now was asking me to lunch. Greg probably told him how unhappy I was becoming in my job. He was probably going to make me an offer again. This time I’d be sorely tempted to make the jump.

“Did Greg put you up to this?”

“No, he did not.” There was a slight pause. “My lunch plans canceled, and I thought why not ask my former paralegal to join me. Is that a crime?”

“Depends on your motive.”

Lily was showing signs of winding down. “Look, Steele, I really have to go.”

“Have lunch with me today, Grey. You know you want to.” I could hear his cheesy grin.

“I already have plans today, Steele. With a very important client, a young up-and-comer.”

“Jesus, Grey, I can smell that lie through the phone. You must be slipping.”

I sighed as I brushed Lily’s fine hair out of her face with my free hand and noted how dirty her face and hands were. Most of the crud she must have picked up playing in the dirt around the tree downstairs, but some of it was just general grime. She didn’t smell that fresh either. She’d arrived at my door on Tuesday bright and shiny as a new penny, but as the week wore on she’d become more disheveled in appearance, like she was sliding into neglect feet first. It seemed odd because Erica’s grooming was meticulous. Before I could stop her, Lily smacked her mitts down on my thigh, leaving noticeable tiny handprints on my cream-colored skirt. My eyes rolled up into my head like snapped window shades. How did women do this day in and day out? And Lily Holt was well-behaved. What if I’d been put in charge of a miniature Tasmanian devil?

The dirt smudges on my skirt made up my mind for me. After a couple of days watching Lily eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and spill milk, I could use a good lunch with some adult talk. My usual lunch companions were thinning out.