Barb woke slowly, letting herself lounge in bed, in no hurry to begin her day. This, however, did not suit Marmalade’s vision for the morning. She communicated her displeasure by standing on Barb’s chest and staring into her face. Barb attempted to soothe or at least distract the cat by scratching her ears and under her chin—her usual favorites—but Marmalade would have none of it.
At last, Barb sat up and got to her feet. She grabbed her robe and headed for the kitchen. Marmalade preceded her, glancing back every few steps to make sure she didn’t change course. In the kitchen, Barb filled Marmalade’s food dish as the cat weaved impatiently between her legs.
After she set down the bowl, Barb prepared her own breakfast and thought over what to do with herself. With the completion of her project, did she want to begin immediately searching for a new one? Or did she want to chill for the day? Barb decided on a compromise. She’d take the morning off, then go out for lunch and let herself think over what she’d learned with an eye to doing better in the future.
She spent the rest of the morning pampering herself, and when noon rolled around, she stepped into the elevator and headed for the lobby. Fernando was on the door. They exchanged pleasantries, and Barb stepped out into the day. As she did, a figure detached itself from the background and headed directly for her. Barb froze, but before she had time to panic, she recognized the girl she’d just rescued.
“How did you do it?” said Danita. Her hair was unbrushed and her clothes rumpled. She looked as if she hadn’t slept all night.
“Pardon me?”
“You killed my boyfriend. I want to know how you did it.”
“Good morning to you, too, dear,” said Barb.
“Don’t play coy with me. Dave was a hardened agent. You get involved, and three days later he’s dead. How the fuck did you do it?”
“I’m willing to grant you some leeway because you’ve just suffered a significant shock,” said Barb in a low voice. “But keep your voice down when you level accusations that could ruin someone’s life.”
Danita lowered her voice. “I still want an answer to my question.”
“That’s better, dear,” said Barb, taking Danita’s arm in hers. “It appears you’ve caught me on my way to lunch. Come along and we can talk all you like.”
The girl stared at Barb, thrown off by this turn in the encounter. She’d clearly come prepared for a confrontation, but Barb wasn’t giving her anything to engage with. Barb waited patiently to see what she would do next.
“Okay, fuck it,” said Danita, finally. “Let’s eat.”
#
They were seated promptly by Cassie, a single mother who’d quickly become Barb’s new favorite server.
“A quiet corner on the patio, please, dear,” said Barb. “Somewhere we can chat in private.”
Cassie showed them to a table out back and offered a pair of menus.
“No need for those,” said Barb. “I’ll have the Caesar, and my friend here looks like she could use some protein.” She turned to Danita. “How does a cheeseburger sound? The chef uses a blend of fontina, provolone, and artisanal cheddar.”
“Fine,” said Danita.
“Iced tea okay?”
“Sure.”
“Two iced teas,” said Barb to Cassie, who thanked them and walked off to put in their orders.
“However did you find me?” Barb said to Danita once they were alone.
“You called me without blocking your number.”
Barb winced. What an amateur mistake to make. The mere fact that Danita wasn’t her target hadn’t made it safe to be careless around her.
“Does anybody else know?”
“I haven’t told anyone your name or address, if that’s what you mean. But my coworker at the coffee shop knows your face, of course. And Dave’s partner is suspicious about some texts and emails.”
Barb took a moment to digest this.
“We’re alone now,” said Danita. “So, stop stalling and tell me how you killed my boyfriend.”
“I have killed no one,” said Barb, unfolding her napkin and laying it in her lap. “When the autopsy results come back, they will find that David Evers’ cause of death was suicide. The evidence will be overwhelming, and no one will have any reason to challenge it.”
“So, it’s a coincidence that you got involved right beforehand? Is that your story?”
Cassie brought their iced teas, which gave Barb time to study the girl opposite her. Even though she obviously hadn’t slept the night before, her eyes were clear, and there was a life to her that had been missing before. The spirit Barb had sensed beneath the beaten-down girl was evident in the lift of her shoulders, tilt of her chin, directness of her gaze. She was a woman reborn.
She was also a woman disturbed by questions of ethics and morality. That made her potentially dangerous to Barb. This Danita was no wounded puppy. Indeed, she showed every sign of being a relentless terrier. She had her teeth sunk into the question of Barb’s involvement in Big Dave’s death. It wouldn’t be easy to make her let go.
“Tell me this,” she said to Danita. “Are you sorry he’s dead?”
The girl’s head jerked as if she’d been slapped. “What?” she said.
“It’s a simple question. Are you sorry he’s dead, or do you wish he were still alive?”
Barb took a sip of her tea as the girl struggled with the question. Several times she seemed about to speak but at the last second thought better of her answer. Finally, she slumped, looking down at her own glass.
“I’m not sorry,” she said softly.
“You say that like you’re ashamed.”
Danita’s head snapped upright, and she looked directly into Barb’s eyes. “It’s a terrible thing to be happy that someone’s dead.”
“There’s a world of difference between being happy and not being sorry,” said Barb, putting her hand on Danita’s. “But I wouldn’t blame you for a second if you were happy.”
“Jesus, lady. That’s my boyfriend you’re talking about. I used to love him—before he turned into a man I didn’t recognize. And even at the end, there were times he could be sweet to me, and I’d think, maybe he’s changed…”
“I understand you’ll need time to process what you’ve been through,” said Barb. “When you accepted my help, I don’t imagine this was the outcome you had in mind.
“So you did kill him.”
This was the moment of truth. Now was the time for Barb to decide what to tell the young woman across from her. She felt comfortable that nothing she’d done would bring her before a court of law, but a word in the ear of Dave Evers’ former partner, for example, could complicate her life immeasurably.
As she’d done so many times in her life and career, she brought all her analytical and intuitive powers to bear on the task of sizing up the person in front of her. And, as she’d done more times than not, she let her gut make the final call.
“I killed no one,” she said, leaning forward. “But here’s what I did do.”
#
Over their salad and cheeseburger, Barb told Danita everything, leaving nothing out.
“So, all the time he was making nice and luring me in,” said Danita, “he was hurting all those women?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“And here I was thinking it was joining ICE that turned him violent and controlling. How could I have been so blind?”
“Predators are masters at hiding their true natures.”
Danita was quiet as she walked with Barb back to the high-rise. Barb gave the girl her space. She’d been through more in the last six months than most people deal with over a lifetime—and come out the other side relatively intact. Despite Danita’s misgivings regarding Barb’s methods, Barb felt certain she’d made the right decision in leveling with her. Her gut told her she had nothing to worry about. Her secret was safe with the girl.
She did wonder what Danita would do with herself in the future. Her life had been turned upside down, and she was more or less adrift. Barb briefly considered offering her money to help her get settled, but something told her Danita would consider it a bridge too far to accept a handout on top of the assistance Barb had already provided her.
They said goodbye at the entrance to Barb’s building, and Barb took a moment to watch the girl walk away. She wondered if she would ever hear from her again.
#
Barb was awakened from a deep sleep by the insistent ringing of her cell phone. She tried to ignore it, pulling a pillow over her head and waiting for the call to go to voicemail, but twenty seconds after the ringing ceased it started up again.
“What the hell?” she said to Marmalade, who was curled up beside Barb’s head.
She sat up, shook her head to clear it, and glanced at the clock on her bedside. It read: 3:40 AM. She grabbed her phone off the bedside table. The incoming caller was none other than Danita.
“Is your life in immediate danger?” she growled into the phone.
“No,” said the girl.
“Then call back at a decent hour.”
“Answer me one question and I’ll let you get back to sleep.”
“What’s that?”
“Are you going to keep on doing projects?” said Danita. “Or did what happened with Dave make you want to give up?”
“I’m not giving up.”
“Then hire me.”
“What?”
“You said I need to process what I’ve been through. I process stuff best when I have something to do. So, make me your executive assistant. I’ll keep track of your projects. I’ll help you strategize. I’ll do research. Whatever you need.”
“This couldn’t wait until morning?”
“Not really. When I drove back to the house, I could barely stand to go inside. There were too many memories, and Dave’s ghost was everywhere. I tried to at least last the night, but finally, I had to pack up my stuff and get out.
“Where are you?” said Barb with a sigh.
“Downstairs. Let me in.”