Page 25 of Little Shattered Dreams

My mother clapped her hands. “I’m proud of you, Georgiana. I know it’s not easy for you to open up, but once you do, you’ll feel just like I’m feeling. Marvelous!”

She gave me two thumbs up and then walked away, whistling as she went. For a moment, it looked like she might start skipping, but she didn’t.

Karl invited me inside, suggesting I sit on one of the pillows on the floor. I chose the black one and plopped down on top of it, crossing my legs in front of me.

“The last time you were here, we talked about your job,” he said.

“We did.”

In our previous session, I’d told him what I did for a living. I also mentioned my history as a detective for the San Luis Obispo Police Department. Beyond that, I’d said little.

“Speaking of my job, I’m sure Grace told you I’m looking into the death of one of the guests,” I said. “I’m assuming you’re up to speed on what happened here last night.”

“Horrible news. You were the one who was ‘first on the scene,’ as they say.”

I nodded.

“Why don’t we take a moment to talk about how you’re feeling about that?” he asked.

“It’s not necessary. I feel fine. I’ll feel even better when I figure out who killed Quinn and why.”

He reached his hands toward me, and I leaned back. “What are you doing?”

“Take my hands.”

“Why?”

“Let’s do an exercise together.”

“I’d rather talk about Quinn,” I said.

“And I’d rather you engage in the exercise. It’s not long. Won’t take more than a few minutes. Then you can ask your questions.”

It was the first time he’d been somewhat assertive toward me.

I wasn’t sure how to take it.

But I did know how to offer a compromise.

“You’ve been trying to get me to open up since I got here. If I agree to do this short exercise, will you agree to talk to me about Quinn?”

“Take my hands, Georgiana.”

“Not until you agree,” I said.

There was some hesitation.

He seemed unsure about how to handle me.

I had that effect on people.

“I will agree to this … Whatever amount of time you spend talking about yourself, I will give you the same amount of time to talk about Quinn. Deal?”

He was clever.

Cleverer than I’d realized.

“All right, you have yourself a deal,” I said.

---