Page 8 of Finding Our Reality

She squints her eyes and straightens her spine. “No.”

“Well, I suggest you quickly modify your plans, then,” I say, repeating the same phrasing I’d used multiple times on her over a decade ago.

“What will you do with the information?”

“What do you think I’ll do with it?” Sarcasm drips from my voice like a leaky faucet. Is she seriously quizzing me on my aptitude right now? “I’ll take it, investigate it, and let you know the outcome.”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna work for me.”

A laugh bellows from me before I can stop it. “Excuse me?”

“That’s not gonna work for me. I need to be a part of this investigation. I’ve sat on the sidelines since Carrie disappeared because I was just a kid, and I’m done with that. It obviouslyhasn’t worked, so a fresh approach is needed. That’s what I provide. A fresh set of eyes. I’m in this.”

“Lulu, have you gone mental? You can’t be involved in the investigation. It’s a conflict of interest. Plus, you’re a civilian.”

“You’re obviously not too concerned with any type of conflict of interest because you had yourself assigned to the case. And we both know that there is a good chance your brother knows something, or worse, was directly involved in Carrie’s disappearance. Open up the dictionary to ‘conflict of interest’, and your picture would be right there. So do you want to re-evaluate my involvement or not?”

Anger circles in my stomach, rising up in heaps, burning my throat like lava. “I disclosed all possible conflicts in the beginning. It’s all been cleared.”

“Really? So, you told everyone about the drugs? Finally? You decided to do the right thing? For once…”

Low blow. She added ‘for once’ as a sucker punch, hitting me below the belt. Doing the right thing is all I ever wanted to do for her. Even at my own sacrifice.

I lower my voice, trying to gain control of my escalating emotions. “I am not having this conversation with you right now, like I owe you some sort of report card on my past work performance.” I lean down, pressing my palms against the table, and growl at her. “Youwilltell me what you know.”

She mimics my stance, giving it right back to me, bending forward across the table, placing herself in my personal space.There’s My Lulu. Get her angry enough and she’ll show up quick.

“I won’t give you shit until you bring me into the investigation.”

“Never gonna happen. Watching your crime shows on TV is way different from real life.”

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with. Do you even know what I do?”

I stand up, shaking my head. “Yeah, you give me a headache is what you do.”

Wrong thing to say. She snatches her purse off the table and skates past me, flinging the door wide open. Those long legs and knee-high boots slam across the floor, covering the distance to the reception area door in no time flat. She slaps the unlock button and slams the metal door against the wall.

“I didn’t say you could leave.”

She spins around. “Oh, I’m sorry. You’re the only one who gets to leave without permission, right? How silly of me to forget.”

Our exchange quickly piques the interest of Tara, the receptionist, and of the others in the front office. It’s hard not to garner their attention, we’re not exactly being quiet.

“You’re out of your mind to think you can be anywhere near this,” I say.

“And you’re out of your mind to think I’ll leave it alone.”

Tara opens the bulletproof glass window and leans out, watching me. “Crutch, do you need me to call for assistance?”

Lulu turns her head to look. Her eyes dart back and forth between me and Tara. Her eyes widen and her jaw slacks. And then… she rolls her eyes. I mean, shereallyrolls her eyes.

It’d be funny, if it didn’t drag up some painful memories from the past. Memories from when we were actually happy. It’d also be funny if it weren’t true. But it is.

“Are you kidding me? Seriously!” Lulu taps her ring finger, letting me know she saw Tara’s wedding ring. “Unbelievable.”

Hey, I had sex with Tara before she got married, but I keep my mouth closed because I don’t really think Lulu wants an explanation right now.

Turning, she walks out the exit door, hollering behind her. “This isn’t over.”

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