Page 43 of Indiscretion

“Boy, are all the lawyers like this in New York? Emily’s father was having an affair with an associate. You started sleeping with your partner. I’m sensing a theme here.”

I shrugged. “We work a lot of hours. I don’t know anyone in private practice who isn’t putting in ten or twelve hours a day. It doesn’t leave a lot of time for outside relationships.”

Naomi closed her plastic salad container. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m not an attorney anymore then. I’ll be safer at work.”

My eyes dropped to her lips.I wouldn’t be so sure of that.

I wadded the wrapper from my sandwich into a ball and tossed it into the bag everything had been delivered in, holding it out for Naomi to deposit her trash. Pushing back from the table, I stood. “Stop in my office when you’re ready. I’ll give you the Gregor case file, and you can work on getting a deposition scheduled. Maybe you can also go through it to see if anything else interesting pops out at you. You have a different perspective, coming from the DA’s office.”

“Okay. I’m just going to visit the ladies’ room first.”

A few minutes later, I was on the phone when Naomi came to my door. I was just finishing up, so I motioned to the file cabinet on the other side of my office. She took the hint and dug out the Gregor file. After, I held up a finger, telling her to wait while I got off the phone.

Naomi scanned the office, checking out the art on the walls, books on the shelves, and finally the one framed photo I had displayed. She pointed to it when I hung up, clearly about to ask a question, but I cut her off.

“I just wanted to tell you there’s a police interview that hasn’t been transcribed yet, so it’s not in the folder. The video itself is in the e-file, if you need it for any reason when you’re going over the case.”

“Okay, thanks.”

I thought I’d distracted her enough to forget about the photo, but apparently that was not the case. She motioned to the photo of me and Bailey, arm in arm. “Is this another sister?”

I shook my head. “I only have the one.”

Our eyes met. It looked like she was about to ask another question, so I beat her to the punch once again. “I have to make a call. Let me know if you find anything interesting in the Gregor file.”

Chapter 12

DAWSON

15 years ago

“Cool hat.”

The girl frowned. I’d never seen her before, but we were the only two at the bus stop. “What’s so cool about it?”

Uhh… She was the one wearing it, so didn’t she think it was cool, too? I shrugged. “I dunno. I just like how it’s all different-colored denim pieces, I guess.”

It seemed like she was trying to figure out if I was serious or not. But why the hell would I lie? After a long minute, her face softened slightly. “Thanks.”

I nodded and looked around.Where the hell is Ben?If he didn’t hurry up, he was going to miss the bus on the first day of school again this year. Was he shining his shoes or finishing up reading the science textbook he’d checked outfor funfrom the library this summer?

The girl with the hat looked over. Our eyes met, and she quickly looked away. It happened a second time a minute later, so I attempted to break the ice once again. “You new or something?”

She nodded and pointed down the block. “My mom and I just moved in on Oak Street.”

“What grade are you in?”

“Eighth.”

“Me, too. I’m Dawson, by the way.”

She sort of smiled. I think. “Bailey.”

“The bus is always late the first day, usually the entire week.”

“Oh, okay.”

The first month after we went back to school was usually warm, but today it felt more like mid-July than the first week of September. And the crappy school buses rarely had air conditioning. Most drivers had fans rigged up to the dashboard, but those only pointed to them.

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